Start/notes.ini Parameters/MailTimeoutMinutes

MailTimeoutMinutes

Profile

Parameter
MailTimeoutMinutes
Category
Mail / Router
Component
Server
Available since
Domino 6.0
GUI equivalent
Configuration document → NOTES.INI Settings tab (Set/Modify Parameters)
Value range
Minutes (integer)
Default
not set → MailTimeout applies (in days, default 1 day)

Description

MailTimeoutMinutes overrides the default MailTimeout parameter for periods shorter than one day. While MailTimeout defines the maximum dwell time of an undeliverable message in the retry state in days, MailTimeoutMinutes allows finer resolution in minutes.
If a message in the retry state exceeds the time specified in MailTimeoutMinutes without delivery succeeding, the router generates a non-delivery report (NDR) and returns the message to the sender.
According to KB0032910, this affects in particular low-priority messages: these are processed by the router only in the low-priority time windows anyway (typically 0:00–6:00) — MailTimeoutMinutes defines how long the system waits at most for a successful delivery before the NDR is triggered.

Example configuration

; NDR after 4 hours for messages in the retry state
MailTimeoutMinutes=240
; Aggressive setting: NDR after 1 hour
MailTimeoutMinutes=60
; 12 hours — useful for environments with short maintenance windows
MailTimeoutMinutes=720
The setting takes effect without a server restart as soon as the router re-reads NOTES.INI (e.g. via tell router update config).

Notes & pitfalls

  • Relationship to MailTimeout: if both MailTimeout (in days) and MailTimeoutMinutes are set, MailTimeoutMinutes wins. Anyone maintaining both should keep them consistent, otherwise contradictory expectations arise in operation.
  • Retry interval vs. timeout: MailTimeoutMinutes defines the total duration in the retry state, not the retry interval itself. The retry interval is controlled via the server/configuration settings document (Router/SMTP → Restrictions and Controls → Transfer Controls → Initial transfer retry interval).
  • Low-priority mail: if an NDR appears after MailTimeoutMinutes, check whether the message was classified as low priority — Domino only attempts to send low-priority mail in defined time windows.
  • Values too small: values below the configured retry interval lead to immediate NDR without meaningful retries. Choose at least 2–3 times the retry interval.
  • Configuration document preferred: HCL recommends maintaining mail timeouts via the configuration settings document (NOTES.INI Settings tab) rather than directly in notes.ini — this keeps the setting consistent across server migrations.
  • Not for SMTP outbound connect timeout: there are separate parameters for SMTP-specific timeouts (connect/read) — MailTimeoutMinutes only affects the router retry phase.

Sources (HCL Product Documentation)