Multiple POP3 email domains and Exchange?

[mingtmak]

A client is implementing SBS 2003 in their environment. Currently they retrieve their email from 3 POP3 locations. 2 off-site and 1 on-site.
CompanyA.com
CompanyB.com
CompanyC.com
Users have the 3 accounts setup in their Outlook. Each of them have 3 different email addresses. One for each company.
No existing Exchange server or domain, but would be utilizing it once the new server is in.

Is it possible to have Exchange 2003 receive those messages and place them in the newly created exchange accounts while at the same time be able to select the account for outgoing messages?
i.e. send out from either companyA.com, companyb.com, companyC.com when desired?
OR
If email received to johnsmith@companyA.com be able to reply from johnsmith@companyA.com and when email received to johnsmith@companyB.com be able to reply from johnsmith@companyB.com?

What would be best practice in this situation?

- Jon

 

[SkreeM]

Hi Jon.

Initial best practice is to have the 3 domains changed to SMTP and delivered direct to exchange if thats possible for you ... POP3 inbound does work but smtp gives you more options for spam/virus filtering, mailing lists etc.

her's a link to details of a way to get people able to choose which domain to send mail from .. this was recently posted in the exchange server forum

URL:

http://www.tek-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=955

Skr

 

[markdmac]

I believe the link intended above was meant to be to my post in this thread: thread955-1358153.

After you setup your Exchange server in SBS what you will want to do is modify the Recipient Update Policy to add each of the domains to the list that Exchange is responsible for. This will allow your server to accept mail for each of the company domains. You will need to change public DNS MX records for each of those domains to point to your Exchange Server public IP. Finally, use the advice I provided in above thread to setup IMAP connections to the diffent accounts so the users can select a "from" account when sending mail.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

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[mingtmak]

When you change the public DNS MX records, does the exchange/SBS box HAVE to sit on the outside of the network?
Or can the SMTP traffic be forwarded through a router to the SBS box?

At the moment, SBS server is sitting inside the network with a private IP address on it's single NIC.

With the POP3 connector available with SBS, is this multiple email domain functionality possible?
This would only be a temp solution as the 15 min interval for polling the POP server is too long. (unless you can change this). Does it allow you to send from a specific account?

- Jon

 

[58sniper]

No - it must sit on the network. Your current setup is fine.

Third party POP3 connectors, such as the one in GFI's Mail Essentials, allows for much shorter polling times.

However - when you have a POP3 connector delivering to an Exchange mailbox, the clients aren't typically configured for POP3 accounts. Thus, no option to define who messages are from. Exchange will use the default SMTP address.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[markdmac]

no option to define who messages are from

To add to this, you CAN however add IMAP connections at the client side which will give you the option to choose the account a message is from.

I hope you find this post helpful.

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.