Problems with email

[JPFSanders]

Hi,

I just installed SBS 2003 for a customer, the main goal of the deployment was to have a cheap exchange server.

Now this exchange server is giving me a big headache.

The customer does have a DSL line without a static IP address, and he also had a ISP with POP3 accounts, the domain is named let's say: "customerdomain.com" the MS domain is named: "city.local"

So, I need to use the POP connector in Exchange to retrieve the email from the POP3 accounts that sit on the ISP's email server, and deposit it on the local "city.local " exchange accounts.

Also I have to use the exchange server to forward all the outgoing emails to the ISP's MTA via smart host configuration. For that in the advanced delivery options I'm using "mail.ispemailserver.com" as the FQDN and as the smart host name.

The user profiles are configured to have two addresses, one "username@city.local" and another: "username@customerdomain.com"

If I try to email from home to "username@customerdomain.com" it works file, the email reaches the pop account on the ISP, exchange catches it and retrieves it to the local mailbox at my customer's server. That works like it always does.

But here comes the funny part... if I'm connected to the local exchange server at my customer's premises, and try to email to "nonexistinguser@customerdomain.com" I do not receive an NDR the email just dissapears...

But it get's even better, I see lots of emails sitting on the queue of the exchange server not being delivered to valid and working email addresses... Exchange says that the remote server did not accept the connection.

I'm starting to get desperate, so I will really appreciate any help or at least some guidelines about tracking what's going on inside exchange.

 

[ShackDaddy]

Instead of setting up that smarthost field in the Advanced Settings of the SMTP Virtual Server, use the Default Small Business SMTP Connector in the Connectors area of the Exchange config.

Then ask the ISP if they require authentication to accept relays of mail. If you don't feel like asking them, it would be easy to configure outbound authentication on the connector using any of the valid pop account usernames and passwords.

I'm guessing that your smarthost isn't accepting mail from you due to lack of authentication or something.

The other thing I thought of is that many ISPs block outbound port 25 traffic except to their own server, and perhaps the server you are using as a smarthost isn't actually the one they want you to use as a smarthost. A good conversation with them about why they aren't relaying mail for you would probably resolve this if my previous suggestions don't close the issue.

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting

 

[58sniper]

I'm using "mail.ispemailserver.com" as the FQDN and as the smart host name.

Not sure why you'd want the server to impersonate the ISP's server. Set the FQDN to the correct info for YOUR domain.

But here comes the funny part... if I'm connected to the local exchange server at my customer's premises, and try to email to "nonexistinguser@customerdomain.com" I do not receive an NDR the email just dissapears...

One of the caveats with using a smarthost is the increased grief when troubleshooting. NDRs don't always work right, and neither do delivery receipts.



Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP

 

[JPFSanders]

Instead of setting up that smarthost field in the Advanced Settings of the SMTP Virtual Server, use the Default Small Business SMTP Connector in the Connectors area of the Exchange config.

Sorry, I'm confused, what default small business SMTP Connector????

In the connector area there is only the POP3 connector and a SMTP faxmaker connector (Yes Fax maker 12 is installed in this server)

Then ask the ISP if they require authentication to accept relays of mail. If you don't feel like asking them, it would be easy to configure outbound authentication on the connector using any of the valid pop account usernames and passwords.

Yes they do require authentication, I had already supplied a valid username and a password in the config.

I'm guessing that your smarthost isn't accepting mail from you due to lack of authentication or something.

The other thing I thought of is that many ISPs block outbound port 25 traffic except to their own server, and perhaps the server you are using as a smarthost isn't actually the one they want you to use as a smarthost. A good conversation with them about why they aren't relaying mail for you would probably resolve this if my previous suggestions don't close the issue.

I spoke to the ISP this morning and they say that they are not blocking anything. I have confirmed via telnet that their SMTP server is accesible.

 

[JPFSanders]

Not sure why you'd want the server to impersonate the ISP's server. Set the FQDN to the correct info for YOUR domain.

Well, the reasoning behind it was more or less like this: the DNS server is being used just for internal use only, if I set the FQDN of the local server to a local name ie: "servername.city.local" the remote SMTP server won't be able to RDNS the name as it doesn't exist on the public DNS space.

One of the caveats with using a smarthost is the increased grief when troubleshooting. NDRs don't always work right, and neither do delivery receipts.

I know, I have never used a smarthost to send emails, only to hold emails at the ISP in case of trouble. All of this headaches with the smarthosting is because the customer feels more confident this way and because there is no static IP.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I have an exchange server behind a dynamic IP some servers out there may think I'm sending SPAM if they can not RDNS isn't?

To date I have never worked in such a constrained environment, also I never have worked with this SBS monster before. Prior to this installation I always was in control of the DNS/SMTP etc.

Also I'm not an Exchange expert by any means, I have only work on the user-side administration of exchange.

 

[JPFSanders]

My trouble continues...

I have come to realize today that some NDR's are indeed being processed by the exchange server, it is that somehow the outgoing emails are being routed through Faxmaker!

So the problem is: every time that I send an email it sits on the exchange queue and does not get delivered, on the queue I can see a message saying that there was some problem connecting to the remote server. After a while (once the delivery expires) I get an NDR on the public folder that has been configured for Faxmaker fax delivery.

Faxmaker is configured on this server to pickup faxes using a USB modem, there is a user on the AD (faxuser) which is being used to deliver the faxes to an exchange public folder where other users will review the faxes.

So, I can not send anything at all, and the NDR that I can receive come through the Faxmaker public folder in the form of attachments inside a Faxmaker's report of a failed fax...

Have any of you seen anything like this before?

 

[ShackDaddy]

I would make a quick call to GFI on this.

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting

 

[JPFSanders]

I would make a quick call to GFI on this.

Well the person that originally installed the server did install a trial of Faxmaker 12. According to GFI Faxmaker 12 fully supports SBS 2003, however it has badly messed up Exchange.

What I did is to leave the mailboxes on the exchange server, make them the default delivery folders, but use the smtp/pop3 accounts from the ISP as the default account for sending/receiving.

When the customer sends or receive emails they go in/out via the ISP but they can still use the calendaring+public folders which is what they want exchange for.

Yes I know it is a very lame solution, but not a bad one I think as a temporal measure while I get time to remove Faxmaker or even reinstall the server.

So to be continued...

 

[JPFSanders]

Oops forgot to mention, so far many thanks to you guys ShackDaddy and 58sniper, your help is much appreciated.

 

[JPFSanders]

Well, the saga continues...

I have managed to get the exchange server to behave, now emails get delivered just fine and do not sit on the queue forever. the smarthost is now working perfectly and the POP3 connector works fine too.

However there is still a glitch, a serious one though.

Each time an user tries to send an email to the external email space IE: <username>@companyname.com

this happens, the sender address gets this notification:

*********************************************************
ERROR FAX REPORT
*********************************************************

Status: Failed
Date/Time: 22/08/2007 20:12:37
Description: You are not a FAXmaker user. Please contact your FAXmaker administrator.

*********************************************************



<email's text body goes here>

Pretty much what seems to happen is that anything sent to @company.com is intercepted by faxmaker who thinks is a fax addessed to him, it doesn't matter wether the email address is a valid one (assigned to some user on the AD) or not.

I'm really puzzled by this, I can not find a single instance in exchange where it may pickup <whatever>@company.com.

I have re-read over the past few days MS documents about how to smarthost, some exchange books, etc.

I also have tried to check the exchange configuration piece by piece.

Any Ideas?

I would be eternaly grateful.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ShackDaddy]

Are there any Faxmaker services in the services list on the server? If not, then there is some sort of event-sink still programmed into the SMTP processor. Have you called GFI to talk to them about removing their sink/service?

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting

 

[JPFSanders]

Are there any Faxmaker services in the services list on the server? If not, then there is some sort of event-sink still programmed into the SMTP processor. Have you called GFI to talk to them about removing their sink/service?

There are only two Faxmaker system services, I'm going to try to disable those to see what happens.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing left on the Exchange server that is related to Faxmaker.

I took out everything including the Faxmaker SMTP connector.

The problem with this server and this customer is that I did not build the server, nor did I install the software. While SBS is a legitimate copy Faxmaker I learned is not.

I tried to explain to the customer this fact. No joy he says that has been working before and should work again...

I'm on the middle of all of this... If it wasn't because I need the job I will send all of this to F... well you know.

I have used the infamous "smtpreg.vbs" script to list the event sinks and I do not see anything that I recognize as Faxmaker related.

I keep wondering from where Faxmaker is intercepting all the messages.

 

[JPFSanders]

Well,

Problem fixed.

It was effectively one of the faxmaker system services intercepting the email.

I have re-done the entire faxmaker configuration in a sane manner and it works like a charm now.

Thank you all!