Submission Component Latencies Test

Submission is the process of putting messages into the Submission queue. Submission happens in three ways:

  • From SMTP Receive through a Receive connector.
  • Through the Pickup directory or the Replay directory. These directories exist on Mailbox servers and Edge Transport servers. Correctly formatted message files that are copied into the Pickup directory or the Replay directory are put directly into the Submission queue.
  • Through a transport agent.

Regardless of how submission is performed, a slow down anywhere during the submission process can halt or delay the transmission of email messages to a mailbox. To ensure the uninterrupted delivery of emails, the components engaged in submission should be closely monitored and latencies experienced by components should be promptly detected. This is where the Submission Component Latencies test helps. This test auto-discovers all components engaged in mail submission. Then, at configured intervals, this test reports how long it took each component to process email messages, 90%, 95%, and 99% of the time. In the process, the test reveals latencies in message submission and accurately points to the components responsible for the same.

Target of the test : A Microsoft Exchange 2013/2016 server

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each submission component

Configurable parameters for the test
  1. Test period - How often should the test be executed
  2. Host - The host for which the test is to be configured.
  3. port – The port at which the host listens.
Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

90th percentile message latency:

Indicates the maximum time taken by this component to process messages 90% of the time.

Secs

If the value of these measures are consistently high for one/more submission components, it could indicate bottlenecks in mail submission. The reason for the same has to be ascertained and resolved, so that there is an uninterrupted flow of emails end-to-end. 

95th percentile message latency:

Indicates the maximum time taken by this component to process messages 95% of the time.

Secs

99th percentile message latency:

Indicates the maximum time taken by this component to process messages 99% of the time.

Secs