Troubleshooting MailScan for Lotus Notes: Common Issues and FixesMailScan for Lotus Notes (also known as MailScan for Domino) is a widely used anti-malware and anti-spam solution designed specifically for IBM Lotus/IBM Domino environments. While powerful and feature-rich, MailScan deployments can encounter a range of issues — from mail delivery delays and quarantine problems to performance bottlenecks and signature update failures. This article walks through the most common problems administrators face, explains likely causes, and provides step-by-step fixes and preventive measures.
Table of Contents
- Overview of MailScan architecture
- Common issues and their symptoms
- Mail delays and queue buildups
- Messages stuck in quarantine or false positives
- Signature update failures
- High CPU/memory usage and performance degradation
- Compatibility problems with Domino versions or third-party software
- Mail routing and connector-related issues
- Licensing and activation errors
- General troubleshooting methodology
- Detailed fixes and step-by-step procedures
- Preventive maintenance and best practices
- When to contact support
Overview of MailScan architecture
MailScan for Lotus Notes typically integrates directly with the Domino server or is deployed on a separate gateway. Key components include:
- MailScan engine and scanning services
- Signature updating module (for antivirus/antimalware definitions)
- Quarantine management and reporting console
- Domino mail routing and connectors (SMTP, POP/IMAP where applicable) Understanding which components are installed on which host(s) helps narrow down where problems originate.
Common issues and their symptoms
Mail delays and queue buildups
Symptoms:
- Mail queues growing on Domino servers
- Delayed delivery times, sometimes hours
- Sudden spikes after updates or configuration changes
Likely causes:
- MailScan scanning threads are overloaded or misconfigured
- CPU or disk I/O contention on the MailScan host
- Corrupted MailScan databases or temporary directories
- Domino agent timeouts or improper agent scheduling
- Network latency between Domino server and MailScan gateway
Messages stuck in quarantine or false positives
Symptoms:
- Legitimate messages end up in quarantine
- Administrators unable to release messages
- Users report missing emails
Likely causes:
- Overly aggressive heuristics or content filters
- Outdated signatures leading to incorrect detection
- Quarantine database corruption or permissions issues
- Misconfigured whitelist/allow lists
Signature update failures
Symptoms:
- MailScan shows outdated signature versions
- Automatic updates fail or time out
- Manual update attempts error out
Likely causes:
- Network/firewall blocking signature update servers
- Proxy authentication or SSL/TLS handshake failures
- Disk space issues on the MailScan host
- Corrupt update cache or partial downloads
High CPU/memory usage and performance degradation
Symptoms:
- MailScan processes consuming excessive CPU or RAM
- Domino server performance suffering while MailScan runs
- Slow scanning or timeouts
Likely causes:
- Scanning large binary attachments without size limits
- Insufficient server resources for scanning load
- Memory leaks in older MailScan builds
- Incompatible third-party endpoint or AV on the same host
Compatibility problems with Domino versions or third-party software
Symptoms:
- MailScan services failing after Domino upgrade
- Unexpected crashes or service restarts
- Features not working (e.g., LDAP lookups, address book integration)
Likely causes:
- Unsupported Domino build or patch level
- Third-party software (backup agents, other AVs) interfering
- Changes in Domino API/agent behavior after upgrades
Mail routing and connector-related issues
Symptoms:
- Mail looping or duplicate deliveries
- Bounced messages with ambiguous error codes
- Connectors dropping messages
Likely causes:
- Incorrect SMTP connector configuration
- MX/DNS misconfiguration or improper routing rules
- Relay restrictions or authentication mismatches
Licensing and activation errors
Symptoms:
- MailScan in evaluation or disabled mode
- License expiration warnings
- Features not available due to license state
Likely causes:
- License not installed or corrupted
- System clock inaccuracies affecting license validation
- Network issues preventing license verification
General troubleshooting methodology
- Reproduce and document the issue: capture timestamps, error messages, relevant log entries.
- Check MailScan and Domino logs: MailScan typically logs to its program logs and Domino system and mail logs.
- Isolate components: determine whether issue is Domino-side, MailScan-side, or network/gateway related.
- Check resource utilization: CPU, memory, disk, network I/O.
- Verify versions and compatibility matrix: MailScan version vs. Domino build.
- Review recent changes: patches, configuration edits, certificate updates.
- Test with minimal configuration: temporarily reduce scanning rules or move to single-server tests.
- Engage vendor support with logs and reproduction steps if unresolved.
Detailed fixes and step-by-step procedures
1) Fixing mail delays and queue buildups
Steps:
- Inspect Domino mail.box and mail router logs for queue patterns:
- On the Domino server, run commands to view the mail queue and oldest messages.
- Check MailScan service health:
- Restart the MailScan services in a maintenance window and monitor queue reduction.
- Increase MailScan scan threads (cautiously):
- Adjust thread counts to match CPU cores and expected mail volume; avoid oversubscription.
- Exclude very large attachments from scanning or set size thresholds:
- Configure MailScan to bypass scanning attachments larger than a set MB size or to only perform header checks.
- Repair corrupt MailScan databases and clear temp directories:
- Stop services, run database repair utilities if present, clear temp/update cache, then restart.
- Monitor disk I/O and antivirus interaction:
- Ensure real-time scanning by another AV isn’t re-scanning MailScan files.
Example command (Domino console) to list mail queue: show mq; show mq
2) Recovering messages from quarantine and reducing false positives
Steps:
- Review quarantine logs and sample messages to confirm detection reason.
- Temporarily loosen heuristics or add safe senders to allow list.
- Check and repair quarantine database permissions:
- Ensure the MailScan service account has full rights to the quarantine NSF or database.
- Provide users with a self-service quarantine portal (if available) and train them on release procedures.
- Submit false positives to vendor and add signatures to local allow list where appropriate.
3) Resolving signature update failures
Steps:
- Verify network access to update servers (DNS resolution, ports ⁄443 or vendor-specified ports).
- Review update logs for exact error codes.
- Clear the update cache and force a manual update:
- Stop MailScan services, remove the update temporary folder (backup first), restart and trigger manual update.
- Check proxy or firewall configurations for TLS interception that might break downloads.
- Ensure adequate disk space on the system drive for downloads.
4) Reducing CPU and memory usage
Steps:
- Identify specific MailScan processes using resources (Task Manager, top, perfmon).
- Limit scanning of nested archives or very large attachments.
- Apply MailScan hotfixes or cumulative updates that address memory leaks.
- If MailScan and Domino share a host, consider moving MailScan to a dedicated gateway.
- Tune thread counts and enable caching where available.
5) Handling Domino compatibility and post-upgrade failures
Steps:
- Before upgrading Domino, consult MailScan compatibility matrix and vendor documentation.
- If failure occurs post-upgrade:
- Roll back Domino (if possible) or install an updated MailScan build that supports the new Domino version.
- Look for API/agent changes in Domino release notes that affect MailScan agents.
- Check event and crash dumps; send to vendor support with environment details.
6) Fixing mail routing and connector problems
Steps:
- Validate SMTP connector and routing rules in the Domino Directory.
- Use telnet or openssl s_client to test SMTP sessions and handshake with remote servers.
- Examine bounce codes for clues and consult Domino SMTP response documentation.
- Ensure MX records and DNS are correct and not causing misrouting.
- If MailScan modifies headers, verify that it preserves necessary routing information.
7) Resolving licensing and activation issues
Steps:
- Verify license file is installed in the correct MailScan license directory.
- Check system time and NTP settings.
- Review license logs for validation errors and ensure outbound connectivity to licensing servers.
- Reapply license or request a new license file from vendor if corrupted.
Preventive maintenance and best practices
- Keep MailScan and Domino on supported, compatible versions; subscribe to vendor advisories.
- Schedule signature updates and heavy scans during low-traffic windows.
- Implement monitoring for queue lengths, CPU/memory, and update success/failure metrics.
- Maintain sufficient disk headroom and separate system logs/temp locations to avoid I/O contention.
- Use allow/deny lists actively and review quarantined catches regularly to reduce false positives.
- Test configuration changes in a lab or staging environment before production rollout.
- Backup MailScan configuration and quarantine databases regularly.
When to contact support
Contact MailScan vendor support when:
- You cannot reproduce the issue in a controlled test and production is impacted.
- Logs show internal MailScan exceptions, crashes, or unhandled errors.
- You suspect a bug (especially after an upgrade) or require a hotfix. Prepare these items for support:
- MailScan logs (with timestamps of failures)
- Domino server logs and console output
- Mail queue snapshots
- MailScan and Domino version/build numbers
- Recent configuration changes and update history
Troubleshooting MailScan for Lotus Notes requires methodical isolation of components, careful log analysis, and attention to resource and compatibility details. Following the steps above will resolve the majority of common issues; for complex problems, vendor support with detailed logs is the fastest path to resolution.
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