Assertion Failures using Mail.app with Exchange 2007...

Question

We have been implementing and migrating our end-users to Exchange 2007. In doing so we found that Mail.app end-users were experiencing Assertion failures in Console.app. They used to cause Mail.app to crash and lose connectivity frequently to the Exchange 2007 server. We made a change to the firewall to allow communication to happen between domain controllers, but haven't been able to determine if this in fact resolved or helped hide the root cause. We seem to be no longer crashing Mail.app or losing connectivity, but the same logs when we would crash/lose connectivity are still happening when you look in Console.app.
*Here is an example of an Assertion failure where "The Operation couldn't be completed":*
+11/12/10 1:19:36 PM Mail[3201] * Assertion failure in -[EWSConnection sendMessage:forRequest:], /SourceCache/Message/Message-1082/MessageStores.subproj/EWSConnection.m:374+
+Received an unexpected error: Error Domain=NSXMLParserErrorDomain Code=5 "The operation couldn’t be completed. (NSXMLParserErrorDomain error 5.)", response: (null)+
+ 0 Message 0x00007fff804216e4 -[MFAssertionHandler _handleFailureWithPreamble:description:arguments:] + 137+
+ 1 Message 0x00007fff80421649 -[MFAssertionHandler handleFailureInMethod:object:file:lineNumber:description:] + 220+
+ 2 Message 0x00007fff8036301b -[EWSConnection sendMessage:forRequest:] + 1117+
+ 3 Message 0x00007fff8036e5b9 -[EWSGateway sendMessage:forRequest:] + 79+
+ 4 Message 0x00007fff80381a63 -[EWSRequestOperation executeOperation] + 104+
+ 5 Message 0x00007fff8042fab9 -[MonitoredOperation main] + 229+
+ 6 Foundation 0x00007fff8654bde4 -[__NSOperationInternal start] + 681+
+ 7 Foundation 0x00007fff8662abeb __doStart2 + 97+
+ 8 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff863522c4 dispatch_call_block_andrelease + 15+
+ 9 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff86330831 dispatch_workerthread2 + 239+
+ 10 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff86330168 pthreadwqthread + 353+
+ 11 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff86330005 start_wqthread + 13+
*I also get this Assertion failure every time I re-open Mail.app that shows up in Console.app that says "Mail did something wrong: The specified folder could not be found in the store.":*
+11/12/10 12:44:22 PM Mail[3201] * Assertion failure in -[EWSGetFolderResponseOperation handleResponseMessage:withObject:], /SourceCache/Message/Message-1082/MessageStores.subproj/EWSResponseOperation.m: 420+
+Mail did something wrong: The specified folder could not be found in the store. on EWS response <EWSGetFolderResponseOperation: 0x1012f1830> (EXECUTING)+
+ 0 Message 0x00007fff804216e4 -[MFAssertionHandler _handleFailureWithPreamble:description:arguments:] + 137+
+ 1 Message 0x00007fff80421649 -[MFAssertionHandler handleFailureInMethod:object:file:lineNumber:description:] + 220+
+ 2 Message 0x00007fff80382956 -[EWSResponseOperation handleResponseMessage:withObject:] + 2295+
+ 3 Message 0x00007fff80377aae __-[EWSGetFolderResponseOperation executeOperation]block_invoke1 + 88+
+ 4 CoreFoundation 0x00007fff879c26d7 __NSArrayEnumerate + 1399+
+ 5 Message 0x00007fff80377d86 -[EWSGetFolderResponseOperation executeOperation] + 445+
+ 6 Message 0x00007fff8042fab9 -[MonitoredOperation main] + 229+
+ 7 Foundation 0x00007fff8654bde4 -[__NSOperationInternal start] + 681+
+ 8 Foundation 0x00007fff8662abeb __doStart2 + 97+
+ 9 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff863522c4 dispatch_call_block_andrelease + 15+
+ 10 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff86330831 dispatch_workerthread2 + 239+
+ 11 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff86330168 pthreadwqthread + 353+
+ 12 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff86330005 start_wqthread + 13+
+11/12/10 12:44:22 PM Mail[3201] Recieved EWS error: Error Domain=MFEWSErrorDomain Code=79 UserInfo=0x1148c1d10 "The specified folder could not be found in the store."+
We are getting these Assertion Failures for other end-users as well that are using Mail.app and connecting to Exchange 2007 Server. I have wiped my mail.app account and started from fresh and that didn't help. I did it manually as well ensuring that preference files, caches, and passwords related to mail.app, ical.app, and Address Book.app were removed. That did not work. I just went from 10.6.4 to 10.6.5 hoping that would correct the issue, it did not. I even set up on another Mac a baseline Snow Leopard and patched it and then configured my mail account and still got the same errors.
What I am hoping for is not a miracle (Fixing the problem), but being told what these errors mean and if there is any risks to be concerned with. In other words, can I ignore these error messages or should I be concerned? Like I said it was causing us to get the sideways thunderbolt or triangle with an exclamation point and even crashing Mail.app at times. That hasn't happened since we let the all of the domain controllers talk to each other, even though they shouldn't have to.

Answer 1

I echo your hope for someone shedding a light on this. I too am geting Assertion failures, every few days, though without much in the way of crashes.
Here is an example of a log entry describing one recent such failure:
+5.12.2010 11:04:40 Mail[17075] * Assertion failure in -[EWSGetFolderResponseOperation handleResponseMessage:withObject:], /SourceCache/Message/Message-1082/MessageStores.subproj/EWSResponseOperation.m: 420+
+Mail did something wrong: The specified folder could not be found in the store. on EWS response <EWSGetFolderResponseOperation: 0x11d80ec70> (EXECUTING)+
0 Message 0x00007fff81f7d6e4 -[MFAssertionHandler _handleFailureWithPreamble:description:arguments:] + 137
1 Message 0x00007fff81f7d649 -[MFAssertionHandler handleFailureInMethod:object:file:lineNumber:description:] + 220
2 Message 0x00007fff81ede956 -[EWSResponseOperation handleResponseMessage:withObject:] + 2295
3 Message 0x00007fff81ed3aae __-[EWSGetFolderResponseOperation executeOperation]block_invoke1 + 88
4 CoreFoundation 0x00007fff8448c6d7 __NSArrayEnumerate + 1399
5 Message 0x00007fff81ed3d86 -[EWSGetFolderResponseOperation executeOperation] + 445
6 Message 0x00007fff81f8bab9 -[MonitoredOperation main] + 229
7 Foundation 0x00007fff847b4de4 -[__NSOperationInternal start] + 681
8 Foundation 0x00007fff84893beb __doStart2 + 97
9 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff85f6b2c4 dispatch_call_block_andrelease + 15
10 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff85f49831 dispatch_workerthread2 + 239
11 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff85f49168 pthreadwqthread + 353
12 libSystem.B.dylib 0x00007fff85f49005 start_wqthread + 13
Perhaps coincidentally, I am having trouble with syncing iCal with my Exchange account. Ii have only found this thread on the subject, and am in the process of trying to find there the solution to that problem:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2138051
Any and all insight would be greatly appreciated.