Exchange not sending to own host email

[happyhacker]

I have configured POP3 and a send connector. I can send emails via OWA (logged in remotely) say to email@gmail.com but if I send to an email address for which Exchange is configured to download from (i.e. this organisations emails which our ISP recieves emails for) it does not send the email a reports that fact. I am in fact sending emails to me to my ISP which should return to the OWA client.

Anyone advise as I cannot send emails to collegues?

Thanks for your time.

 

[markdmac]

As I commented before, this isn't the way to use SBS if you have a static IP. Deliver email directly to your SBS and have it use DNS to send email directly out.

Set your server to be responsible for receiving email for this domain. Follow the steps here:

http://www.petri.co.il/configure-exchange-2007-recieve-email-other-domains.htm

If you insist on keeping it this way then you need to configure the Smart Host setting on the Virtual SMTP Server.

Know that by using POP you are introducing a 15 minute delay on receiving your email. The POP3 Connector will only check every 15 minutes so people are going to get frustrated with this setup. You really need to make this server authoritative for the domain and make it receive email directly.

I hope that helps.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

Work SMARTER not HARDER. The Spider's Parlor's Admin Script Pack is a collection of Administrative scripts designed to make IT Administration easier! Save time, get more work done, get the Admin Script Pack.

 

[happyhacker]

Yes, I appreciate the need to do this.

1. But this surely means a Big Bang changeover where I configure all users/clients with accounts and then go to the ISP MX record and switch them all over to the server. As I only work part-time it's a bit frightening that I will be hit with unfamiliar actions to resolve issues.

2. This means staff can only get their emails by logging on and some of them currently use webmail. If I do it without some sort of coordination their ISP accounts will be emptied by Exchange POP.

3. Some staff have not had their PCs upgraded yet so are not added.

4. Currently I have POPed my ISP account and am testing this routing emails in various ways.

Does someone direct me to advice on changeover?

Thanks for your time.

 

[markdmac]

Provide all the clients with the link for OWA which would be

https://remote.companyname.com/owa

Note the above URL includes the name you register as the MX record.

That will give them a fully functional web version of Outlook 2007 (even right click choices). It goes FAR beyond what any ISP offers for web mail.

SBS is a very comprehensive and by going outside the box you lose a lot of functionality.

I hope that helps.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

Work SMARTER not HARDER. The Spider's Parlor's Admin Script Pack is a collection of Administrative scripts designed to make IT Administration easier! Save time, get more work done, get the Admin Script Pack.

 

[happyhacker]

Thanks for all the input so far. Regarding my original post, I wounder if someone could verify my thoughts about it as follows.

I have configured POP3 and successfully got emails to admin and one other user account (using the me@mydomain.org). If I send emails between these it's OK. If I try to send an email to a staff member who's email is still hosted at the ISP server, and of course using another@mydomain.org, it fails bacause I think Exchange is expecting this to be a local address (not internet direction). Am I right?

Is there a way of sending emails to those staff members (Note these users do not have a server account yet) who have not been redirected (by setting up their email details in their account)?

Thanks for your time.

 

[markdmac]

Sorry to keep hounding you on this, but this is another example of why [red]NOT[/red] to setup SBS the way you are. You have to configure Exchange to forward to the other server when it does not find the mailbox. This should not be necessary if you either read up on DNS or just call your ISP and ask for help to get all mail delivered directly to your Exchange server.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;321721

I hope that helps.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

Work SMARTER not HARDER. The Spider's Parlor's Admin Script Pack is a collection of Administrative scripts designed to make IT Administration easier! Save time, get more work done, get the Admin Script Pack.

 

[happyhacker]

Mark. Thanks for hounding me. I will bow to your greater experience on this. On that front (this email stuff frightens me) I have some concerns:

1. when the MX record is changed do we not loose the "smart host" aspect where the emails are filtered by the ISP email server? Thus eliminating a lot of spam and other risky stuff.

2. Now we will need some email virus engine. I have the opportunity to purchase Symantec Protection Suite Small Business Edition (for £3) which includes the Exchange part. Is this what is needed?

3. when the MX record is changed ALL emails for the domain will flood to the server. Do I then need to do the Big Bang scenario and tell erveryone "today is no email day" or is there a "one-by-one" way of moving the users to the server.

Thanks for the reference to the MS article. I will read it a few times. Will this help me in the non POP3 scenario if I can ease accounts over one-by-one?

Thanks for your time.

 

[markdmac]

Once you switch the MX record, all email will move to the server. The Smart Host goes away.

I would recommend you take a look at the TrendMicro product for SBS. The cost structure is better and the product a little friendlier.

It is just my opinion but I prefer either TrendMicro or AVG over the Symantec product.

You definitely do want to get some form of AV/spam protection, but you should have that no matter what. If you want to filter nearly all the junk before it gets to you, then I would recommend you look into MXLogic or Postini. Price for those is around $5 per mailbox/month. Both services offer AV scanning and spam filtering with a very important feature called SPOOLING. If you server goes down they both will collect mail until your server comes back up and then they will deliver it instead of mail bouncing. MXLogic goes one step further and also gives you access to your mailbox online during that spool period.

Your other option is to use ForeFront. A trial ships with Exchange 2007 in your SBS.

I hope that helps.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

Work SMARTER not HARDER. The Spider's Parlor's Admin Script Pack is a collection of Administrative scripts designed to make IT Administration easier! Save time, get more work done, get the Admin Script Pack.