Site Connector/MTA Route Question

[Dries84]

I am faced with a project that may eliminate a WAN connection between 2 Exchange sites (EXCH 5.5 on both sites). Both sites are part of the same Organization. Site A holds the MX & Initial delivery of mail. Site B is attached via Bridgehead Server/Site Connector.

Is it possible to send MTA traffic (emails) via the Internet from Site A to Site B? Would this be done via a X.400 connector? I'm a little confused. If not, then how?

Any information/insight you can provide would be helpful.

Thanks!

 

[AlexIT]

The X.400 connection was specifically designed to communicate from server to server (or client to server.) This is 100x smaller traffic than sending mail via SMTP (began with 64k leased lines/satellite links so they had to minimize traffic.)

If you eliminate the WAN link then you cannot send this traffic...is the WAN link you are removing a VPN connection or leased line? (VPN works fine for X.400 traffic...no change in the servers at all!)

If you truly don't want any connection between the servers, you must re-install Exchange on the Site B (give different MX, new MB's, etc.)

Alex

 

[Dries84]

The WAN connection is currently a lease line.

There is a possible option of VPN but there is a large amount of traffic that currently runs from our site to the NY site. I've heard that VPN can have issues.

On the other hand, I really do not want to send directory sync updates over IMS.

 

[AlexIT]

Ok, you want to eliminate the leased line for cost?

(I don't understand worry about traffic, 64kbps leased line vs 2Mbps VPN...seems like there is more room if you VPN.)

But what to do is put second NIC in each Exchange server, connect only this to a hardware VPN router on each end, then create the VPN tunnel between the two routers (check out Netgear FVS318 for good cheap hardware VPN...$99 each if order online.)

Now only the two servers can communnicate via VPN, no other traffic can go that way, and you don't have to change second Exchange to receive its own mail etc.

Alex