Problems with nnimap expiration and MS Exchange

[Chris Newbold <cnewbold@laurelnetworks.com>]

I'm having problems with Gnus expiration through the nnimap backend
when connected to folders that live on an MS Exchange server. Gnus is
version 5.10.6 (from Debian testing) and the Exchange server reports
"Microsoft Exchange 2000 IMAP4rev1 server version 6.0.6249.0".

I have auto-expire set for most of my folders and recently noticed
that, despite being marked 'E', messages obviously old enough were not
actually being deleted from the server. Looking at some IMAP protocol
traffic shows why: It looks like Exchange is choking on the query for
expirable messages that are more than 7 days old.

Here's a snippet from the log when exiting from the summary buffer for
one afflicted folder:

=============================

12424 UID SEARCH UID 31938:31940,31950,31953:31954,31965,31967:31968,31973,31981,31984,31987:31988,31992:31993,31995,32025,32051,32067,32267,32297,32301:32302,32304:32305,32314:32316,32319:32321,32323:32327,32330:32338,32341,32343,32347:32348,32350:32352,32354:32356,32359,32361,32377:32379,32383,32385:32386,32388:32389,32394:32397,32399:32400,32405,32409:32410,32413,32415,32418,32420,32422,32428,32439:32447,32449:32450,32452:32453,32455,32476:32478,32480:32484,32486:32492,32494:32495,32506,32511,32513:32514,32516,32520:32521,32523,32526:32527,32552,32579,32584,32587,32593,32595,32609:32610,32612:32615,32617,32619:32623,32628:32629,32632:32634,32636:32637,32639,32641:32644,32651:32656,32658:32664,32666,32668,32672,32676:32677,32679,32681:32688,32692:32693,32705,32710,32712,32714:32717,32719:32720,32722,32736,32738,32749,32755,32758,32760:32765,32767:32769,32771,32775,32779,32787,32790,32795:32796,32798:32799,32801,32803,32806,32808,32812:32816,32822,32836:32843,32845,32847,32852:32855,32858:32859,33273,33277,33279:33280,33282:33285,33287:33293,33295:33300,33302:33306,33308:33315,33317,33319,33321:33322,33324:33327,33329:33336,33338:33340,33342:33346,33349:33355,33357:33363,33365:33371,33373:33379,33381:33382,33384:33387,33389:33408,33410:33413,33415:33421,33425,33431:33433,33437:33438,33440:33441,33443:33445,33447:33452,33455:33461,33464:33466,33469,33471:33472,33474:33478,33480:33484,33486:33493,33495:33496,33498:33505,33507,33509:33511,33513:33519,33521,33523,33535:33559,33561:33566,33568:33571,33573,33575:33580,33582,33584:33586,33588:33589,33592:33609,33611:33620,33622,33624,33627:33628,33630:33631,33633,33635:33637,33641:33642,33645,33647:33656,33658:33661,33663:33665,33675,33677:33680,33682:33694,33703,33714:33717,33719:33720,33793,33795:33798,33800:33802,33804:33806,33808:33816,33818:33829,33831:33839,33844,33850:33860,33862:33878,33880:33891,33893:33901,33903,33905:33906,33908,33910,33913,33915:33916,33918:33927,33929:33930,33932:33940,33942:33948,33954,33958,33960:33964,33966:33968,33970:33981,33983:33984,33986:34017,34019:34024,34026,34028:34035,34037:34038,34040:34041,34043:34045,34047:34058,34060,34062:34069,34072:34078,34080,34082,34084:34093,34095:34098,34100:34102,34105,34107:34112,34114:34133,34135,34137:34142,34145:34150 NOT SINCE 21-Oct-2004
12424 NO Unspecified error.
12425 STATUS "INBOX" (UNSEEN)
* STATUS INBOX (UNSEEN 0)
12425 OK STATUS completed.
12426 EXPUNGE

=============================

So at the moment, I'm pretty much stuck. The only way I can find to
successfully delete these is to select them in small groups (20-30
messages) and use B <del> to delete them from the server. There are
close to 2000 expirable messages in this folder, so this is going to
take a while :-)

Are there any known work arounds for this problem? Anyone have any
ideas how Gnus could be "fixed" to deal with this response?

-- 
====( Chris Newbold  <cnewbold@laurelnetworks.com> )==========================
      Laurel Networks, Inc. voice: +1 412 809 4200 fax: +1 412 809 4201
"If you fool around with a thing for very long you will screw it up." --Murphy
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