Exchange MTA Connections Test

This test tracks the connections to and from message transfer agents of Exchange servers. The statistics reported by this test can indicate the connection over which maximum message traffic is flowing.

Target of the test : An Exchange server 2000/2003

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for every MTA connection being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameters	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The IP address of the machine where the Exchange Server is installed.
Port	The port number through which the Exchange server communicates.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Inbound associations	Indicates the current number of inbound (remote initiated) associations with the entity.	Number
Outbound associations	Indicates the current number of outbound (locally initiated) associations with the entity.	Number
Messages queued in MTA	Indicates the number of outstanding messages currently queued for transfer to the entity.	Number	A consistently increasing value could indicate that fewer messages are being processed by the MTA. This could necessitate further scrutiny.
Data in MTA queue	Indicates the total volume of message content currently stored in an entity's queue.	KB
Recipients in MTA queue	Indicates the total number of recipients specified in all messages currently stored in the entity's queue.	Number
Data receive rate over MTA connection	Indicates the rate at which message data is received from the connected entity during the last measurement period.	KB/Sec	These values indicate the level of activity on an MTA connection.
Data transmit rate over MTA connection	Indicates the rate at which message data is sent from the connected entity during the last measurement period.	KB/Sec
Data received	Indicates the amount of message data received from the connected entity during the last measurement period.	KB	The values of these measures indicate the load handled by an MTA connection.
Data transmitted	Indicates the amount of message data transmitted to the connected entity during the last measurement period.	KB
Message receive rate over MTA connection	Indicates the rate at which messages are received from the connected entity during the last measurement period.	Messages/Sec	The values of these measures indicate how quickly messages are processed by the MTA connection.
Message transmit rate over MTA connection	Indicates the rate at which messages are sent to the connected entity during the last measurement period.	Messages/Sec
Messages inbound	Indicates the number of messages received from the connected entity during the last measurement period.	Number	These values indicate the message traffic on an MTA connection.
Messages outbound	Indicates the number of messages sent by the connected entity during the last measurement period.	Number