Fwd: Crash identified in Notes, Domino, and MTA with Date Conversio ns

[thejian () NOLIFEWHATSOEVER ORG (Xander Teunissen)]

Following advisory was released on the Lotus site
(http://www.support.lotus.com/sims2.nsf/c7835bf039c01dc285256688006fae9b/35b
 578b76f3ec78e85256859007173ec?OpenDocument)

Lotus Customer Support Technote

Title:             Crash Identified in Notes, Domino, and MTA with Date
Conversions

Product Area:      Domino Server, Notes

Product:           Domino Server 5.x, Domino Server 4.6x, Domino Server
4.5x, Notes Client 5.x, Notes Client 4.6x,
                   Notes Client 4.5x

Topic:             Workstation/Desktop \\ Application Development \\
Macro/Agent/LotusScript

Number:            177362

Date:              01/12/2000

Problem:

A crash occurring with dates following the year 2000 and prior to 1950 has
been identified. This crash has been reported in
some cases as follows:

          When using Simple Action agents to send a message that includes a
copy of a document
          When using the NotesDocument.RendertoRTItem method in LotusScript
          With the Domino 4.6x SMTP MTA

In the case of agents, whether the crash occurs on the Notes client or the
Domino server depends on whether the server or the
client was responsible for running the agent. If the server executes the
action, as in the case of background agents, the Agent
Manager task on the Domino server can crash. If the agent is executed by a
user, the Notes client can crash. If you are running
the agent manually from a Notes client, the agent may crash right away or
shortly after the agent completes. When it crashes the
Notes client, the crash occurs in NLNOTES.EXE.

If you are running the agent as a scheduled agent on a server, you may see
the following error:

     "OLEMAINTHREAD WNDNAME: namgr.exe - Application Error."

If running LotusScript using the RendertoRTItem method as a scheduled
agent, Agent Manger (NAMGR.EXE) can crash on
the RenderToRTItem method, with the same RIP file as shown below in Summary
1. If the LotusScript agent is run manually,
however, the Notes client does not crash. Instead, the date/time value in
the rich text field displays garbage characters at the
end of the field. For example, the time/date value appears as follows:

     "Date: 01/04/2000 11:08:08 A A?? · ¦¦¦¦· ¦¦8"

instead of as,

     "Date: 01/04/2000 11:08:08 AM".

These agents functioned as expected prior to 1/1/2000, but have crashed
since the clock changed over to the year 2000.

Solution:

Lotus has identified a potential fix that appears to address all reported
occurrences of this issue. We are working with all due
diligence to make corrected code available via Quarterly Maintenance
Updates (QMUs) as soon as possible. Current plans are
to release R4.5.6c, R4.5.7g, R4.6.3d, R4.6.4d, R4.6.5c, R4.6.6c, R5.0b,
R5.0.1c, and R5.0.2c with the fix and to include it
in all upcoming Quarterly Maintenance Releases (QMRs) [that is, R4.6.7,
R5.0.3, and forward].

In most cases, the issue has been seen when you send a mail message that
includes a copy of a document and that document
tries to force a post-1999 (or pre-1950) date value into a text field. For
example, the problem has been identified in some
cases in which a mail message attempts to manipulate a copy of a document
that has a time/date value stored but defined on the
form as a Text field. The issue occurs in cases where the included
document's Form contains a Text field that is being populated
by a date value, for example: @Created. As the document is being copied
into the new message, a conversion takes place that
results in a crash. This issue can occur if the date value in the Text
field is prior to 1950 or any year after 1999, not just for the
year 2000. The issue does not occur in all Forms that have a Text field set
to a date.

To avoid the crash, use one of the following workarounds:

     1. Change the definition of the field on the form from a text field to
a time/date field.
     2. Make sure the value returned by the formula is a text value by
using the @Text function in the formula for this text
     field.
     3. Do not include a copy of the document in the message.  An
alternative would be to use a doclink instead if applicable,
     for example, a doclink to someone's mail file would not be appropriate.

This issue can be encountered when the included document is from users who
use the "Gray Gradient with Lines" letterhead in
their mail files that are based on the Notes 4.5x or 4.6x mail template.
Take the following steps to correct this letterhead:

     1. Select Subforms in the list of design elements in the mail file.
     2. Edit the subform called "Gray Gradient and Lines." Change the field
"tmpDate" to type Time.

Supporting Information:

Summary of RIP files

  Summary of RIP:

The following two additional RIP summaries occurred when a customer was
running the agent as a scheduled agent:

  Summary 1.

  Summary 2.

The following RIP summary details a crash in the SMTP MTA Outbound Message
Conversion task:

  Summary 3.

For more information regarding Lotus's policies and practices regarding the
Year 2000, please visit Lotus' Year 2000 web site at:
http://www.lotus.com/year2000.

This information is current as of the date set forth above, is provided for
informational purposes only, and is furnished "as is" without warranty
of any kind, express or implied. This information is not, and should not be
construed to be, a warranty or an extension or modification to the
terms of any applicable warranty. The limited warranty for Lotus products
is solely as contained in the software agreement governing your use
of Lotus software. Lotus' assessment of the Year 2000 readiness of its
products is an ongoing effort, and the information contained herein is
subject to change. To ensure you have current and accurate information
about the Year 2000 readiness of Lotus products, you should
periodically refer to the Lotus Year 2000 web site.

Lotus products identified as Year 2000 ready may require user intervention,
such as the application of a maintenance release or update, or the
installation of the latest version release. The IBM Year 2000 Product
Readiness Database (accessible through Lotus' Year 2000 web site or
directly at http://www.ibm.com/year2000) includes information for Lotus
software products to denote situations in which such action may be
required and includes additional information that might prove useful to our
customers and partners.

This information, other Year 2000 related Technotes published by Lotus, and
all other information contained on Lotus' and IBM's past and
present Year 2000 web site pages regarding products and services offered by
Lotus, IBM and IBM's subsidiaries are "Year 2000 Readiness
Disclosures" under the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act
of 1998, a U.S statute enacted on October 19, 1998. This
designation also applies to information delivered through or derived from
Lotus' and IBM's past and present Year 2000 web site pages, such as
electronic and printed Product Readiness Reports, various editions of the
Lotus White Papers and FAQs, and other materials.

Lotus' and IBM's Year 2000 web site pages have been and will continue to be
Lotus' primary mechanism for communicating Year 2000
information.

Copyright 2000. Lotus Development Corporation. All rights reserved.