Any pointers on Setup Exchange Server

[hughejars]

Hi
This is my first time trying to set up exchange server.
I'm using a compaq server with Win2K3 server SBS, connected to my Netgear router (which handles the DHCP - should i turn this off and have the server handle it, or assign IP's manualy? As its only a small home office.)
I've loaded exchange server to the server, and gone through the user accounts to ensure the exchange mail tabs(Exchange General, Exchange Features, Exchange Advanced & E-mail Addresses) are all set up correctly, they seem all ok.
I then loaded MS Outlook to one of my lappies and set it up for one of the accounts.
I fired some e-mails from my hotmail account to test the setup, but the postman keeps returning them, but I seem to be able to send emails from Outlook to my Hotmail.
So it would seem Emails sent from outside my domain are having trouble finding their way to my server.
My website has setup ok and can be logged onto from the outside world, so I naturally assumed exchange server should setup as easily.
Need any more info on my setup let me know.
Cheers
Phil(Scratching his head)

I'm studying hard every day, so why is the learning curve appear to be heading downwards?

 

[Davetoo]

Did you setup your MX record with your ISP?

I'm Certifiable, not cert-ified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[58sniper]

What did the bounce message say?

Pat Richard
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Contributing author Microsoft Exchange Server 2007: The Complete Reference

 

[hughejars]

Reply 1) I have a

http://www.mydomain.com

address registered with

http://www.123-reg.co.uk,

in their control panel which manages you DNS account's behaviour, I have the MX records pointing at my domain name, or should they be pointing at my ISP?
And if I point them at my ISP how do I relay them to my server?
Just seems to be opening up more cans of worms.
Reply 2) Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
is about all the postman says.
Cheers



I'm studying hard every day, so why is the learning curve appear to be heading downwards?

 

[hughejars]

I've tried a couple of other things as well...
telnet localhost 25
connect failed
So I tried to go into my firewall but was advised another service is using NAT component Ipnat.sys, I asume thats my router, but I've been all through my router and can't find any way of checking port 25.


I'm studying hard every day, so why is the learning curve appear to be heading downwards?

 

[Davetoo]

Your MX record should be pointing to the external IP you have configured to handle your email.

I'm Certifiable, not cert-ified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[Davetoo]

Sorry...hit the wrong button....

Say your external IP address of your firewall is 10.10.10.100. On your firewall you'll then allow the SMTP traffic on port 25 coming into that IP to be forwarded to your email server.

I'm Certifiable, not cert-ified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[hughejars]

Thnx Davetoo...
I thought I could do that as well, so when I tried entering my IP address in to the MX record, was given an error saying it wanted a FQDN(fully qualifyed Domain Name), which is why I stuck my

http://www.mydomain.com

name in.
Oh and port 25 is open I was trying telnet from a client computer rather that the server.

I'm studying hard every day, so why is the learning curve appear to be heading downwards?

 

[hughejars]

1 last thing thing before I quit for the day, I noticed in my Exchange server protocols, the pop3 protocol had a red circle cross - stopped - and a when I tried to start the service a message said failed refer to your event logs. Does any one know which event log, I went through and couldn't find the relevent one.
Cheers.

I'm studying hard every day, so why is the learning curve appear to be heading downwards?

 

[Zelandakh]

it is the application event log.

I think you need an Exchange 2003 book. The Exchange cookbook is a good one or any of the books authored or co-authored by any of the good MVPs of this forum.

 

[Davetoo]

Sorry...been a while since I set one up.

Establish a mail.yourdomain.com for your MX record, then point that to your external IP and forward that traffic on port 25 to your mail server.

I'm Certifiable, not cert-ified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[hughejars]

Thanks all
I'll go look for a book and keep playing about, in the meantime I've got a database to compile.
Cheers


I'm studying hard every day, so why is the learning curve appear to be heading downwards?

 

[Zelandakh]

databases still need compiling these days? Yikes, maybe I'm not as old as I thought!

 

[hughejars]

I say compile, as if I still gotta set the damn thing up and get all the data populated to it....
Anyway, new day and the e-mails I sent found their way to my lappie, so it was obviously waiting for my DNS provider to catch up.
Cheers all
That was fun...

I'm studying hard every day, so why is the learning curve appear to be heading downwards?