IMAP IDLE support broken in Outlook 2007 B2TR

[Dezl0ck]

I just installed the Technology Refresh for Outlook 2007 in hopes that it
would behave better than 2003 or 2007 B2.

In Outlook I can connect to the server and for some reason when inspecting
netstat -an I don't see any connections on 143 after Outlook is idle for a
while. I have disabled the automatic send/receive and am attempting to rely
on the server's IDLE support.

I don't think Outlook is working properly with IMAP mailboxes since it
decides to disconnect rather than reopen the connection if it dies. The mail
server I'm connecting to for the test works perfectly with Mozilla
Thunderbird, port 143 is always open when Thunderbird is open and messages
are delivered shortly after they arrive in the inbox.

 

[Patrick Schmid]

Do you get emails with send/receive disabled and Inbox being the default
folder?
Did you set the timeout interval for your IMAP acct correctly?

Patrick Schmid

 

[Dezl0ck]

Send/receive is disabled and when I select the inbox and do a netstat -an I
do see a connection to my ISP on port 143. While it is connected on 143
email arrives within 10 seconds of it arriving on my Windows Mobile phone
IMAP client.

Outlook decides to drop the connection on 143 for some reason and then you
have to do a send/receive to get it to connect again.

I had the timeout set at 5min like in Thunderbird. From what I've read
that's the interval that the client waits to send a keep alive to the server
to keep the connection open. I rolled it back to 1min with no success either.

 

[Patrick Schmid]

If it's not connected, do you receive new emails in your Inbox without
pressing send/receive?

Patrick Schmid

 

[Dezl0ck]

No, if there is no active TCP connection to the IMAP server then new messages
do not arrive. Pressing send/receive will bring the new messages into the
inbox and establish a connection on port 143 and new messages will appear
without a send/receive if that connection is listed as ESTABLISHED when
running netstat. I wouldn't expect to receive any mail when it isn't
connected since the server won't be able to tell the client that new mail is

 

[Patrick Schmid]

Might be an issue with your server, because it is working just fine
here. Do you know what IMAP server it is?

Patrick Schmid

 

[Dezl0ck]

I have two support tickets in to two different mail providers that are
producing the same symptom. One of them is using Courier, but I need to get
the version number from them.

Interestingly enough their knowledgebase says this:

***
Why did my IMAP session suddenly disconnect?
Solution This is a problem in your client.

In the case of IMAP, it failed to communicate with the IMAP server for over
30 minutes.
***

I'm still suspecting it's Outlook not sending keep alive commands to the
server properly or perhaps in a format the server doesn't understand. If you
google around on IMAP connections timing out, specifically the popup message
"you have been disconnected", you can find several blog and message board
posts on the fact that Outlook up to 2003 doesn't send the proper keep alive
messages to IMAP servers.

Do you have the technical details on your server make and version number?

 

[Patrick Schmid]

IMAP support is basically completely redone in 2007. Send me a summary
of your stuff via email and I'll submit it to MS as bug.
I am using hMailServer. The latest stable release.

Patrick Schmid

 

[AtlantaGothic]

Thanks for looking into this Patrick.

Summary:

Outlook 2007 B2TR disconnects from IMAP servers after a period of
inactivity. Mozilla Thunderbird does not disconnect and can be left for
hours of inactivity. VGSMail for Windows Mobile 5 can also be left for
hours with no activity.

Test Scenario:

For viewing preference and to prevent Outlook from downloading the
message body select View -> Reading Pane -> Off

In Outlook create a new IMAP/SMTP account and accept all the defaults.
In the Advanced Tab, Server Timeouts have been tested with 1,5, and 10
min settings.

Go to Tools -> Send/Recieve -> Send/Recieve Settings -> Define
Send/Recieve Groups

Uncheck "Schedule an automatic Send/Recieve every 30 minutes"

Expand your IMAP folder tree and select your Inbox. Mail should be
synced on initial connection.

Open a command prompt and perform netstat -n. You will see a connection
to your mailserver on port 143.

Send an email from a test account to the IMAP account. Mail should show
up almost instantly.

Wait a few minutes and perform another netstat -n. In less than 30
minutes you should not see a connection to port 143.

Send another test message to the IMAP account. The expected result is
to not see any new messages. I have tested this with Outlook as the
only client connected and with Thunderbird and VGSMail for Windows
Mobile 5 all at the same time. Thunderbird and VGSMail will beep an
alert and receive the test message header, but Outlook will not if the
connection to port 143 times out. Interestingly enough when Outlook is
connected the order in which the clients sound a new mail notification
is VGSMAIL WM5, Outlook, then Thunderbird.






Tested using Outlook 2007B2TR, Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5.0.7 and the
following IMAP Providers & Servers:

ezoshosting.com: The authlib is courier-authlib 0.57 release number 6cp
(courier-authlib-0.57-6cp). The server itself is courier-imap 4.0.4-3cp
(with cPanel Defaults).

spamarrest.com Courier-IMAP 4.1.1



According to the FAQ at EZOSHosting.com their IMAP server is configured
to close the connection if keep alives are not sent and they state it is
a problem with the mail client if there is a disconnect. I would
hypothesize that Outlook 2007B2TR is not actually sending anything (NOOP
or other messages) while it is idle.

***
Why did my IMAP session suddenly disconnect?
Solution This is a problem in your client.

In the case of IMAP, it failed to communicate with the IMAP server for
over 30 minutes.
***

 

[snorbaard]

I'm a problem that I believe is similar.

I set up my IMAP account (Runbox) on Outlook and waited for it to fully
sync, in most cases download each email fully as well.

Yet, I still have major interface freezes while switching between
folders (or even emails). Vist constantly whites out the window and
says Outlook is not responding.

I've disabled the only plugin (OneNote), but still it happens.

Anyone has any suggestions?
Opera Mail and three generations of Pocket PCs on the same server have
no problems. Why should an industrial application such as Outlook?