How to Configure an SMTP Connector to a Non-Exchange Messaging System

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This topic describes how to configure an SMTP connector to a non-Exchange messaging system.

Before You Begin

To successfully complete the procedure in this topic, ensure that your environment meets the following requirements:

  • You have an existing Windows network, including an Exchange organization and Active Directory deployment.

  • You can connect to TCP port 25 on the remote SMTP host. Use telnet.exe to verify that the remote SMTP host is responding with a welcome message when you connect. For details about how to test SMTP connectivity using telnet.exe, see Interoperating with and Migrating from Other Non-Exchange Messaging Systems to Exchange Server 2003.

  • You have Exchange Administrator permissions to configure connector components in the Exchange organization.

  • In Exchange System Manager, you have selected the Display routing groups and Display administrative groups options on the properties page for the organization object.

Procedure

To configure an SMTP connector to a non-Exchange messaging system

  1. Start Exchange System Manager from the Microsoft Exchange program group.

  2. In Exchange System Manager, expand Administrative Groups, expand the First Administrative Group container, expand Routing Groups, and then expand the First Routing Group container.

  3. Right-click the Connectors container, point to New, and then click SMTP Connector.

  4. On the General tab:

    1. In the Name text box, type the name that you want to assign to this connector instance, for example, Connector to non-Exchange messaging system. (You can use a more descriptive name that clearly identifies the messaging system that you connect to.)

    2. Select the option Forward all mail through this connector to the following smart hosts and, in the corresponding text box that becomes available, type the name or IP address of the server to which all outgoing mail is routed for DNS resolution and mail delivery. If you enter an IP address, it must be enclosed in brackets, [ ], for example [192.168.202.101]. Brackets are not necessary if you specify the smart host by name.

      However, if you use DNS to route outgoing SMTP messages to their destinations, select the option Use DNS to route to each address space on this connector. In this case, you must ensure that all remote SMTP hosts are registered in mail exchanger (MX) records in DNS.

    3. Under Local bridgeheads, click Add, and then in the Add Bridgehead dialog box, select the Exchange server and SMTP virtual server that you want to use for this connector, and click OK. You can specify multiple bridgehead servers per SMTP connector.

    4. Make sure the Do not allow public folder referrals check box is not selected. This setting only applies to SMTP connector instances that connect to another routing group in the same Exchange 2003 organization.

    SMTP connector General tab settings

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  5. On the Address Space tab:

    1. Click Add to add an address space for the remote SMTP system.

    2. In the Add Address Space dialog box, select SMTP, and then click OK.

    3. In the Internet Address Space Properties dialog box, in the E-mail domain text box, type the domain name that corresponds to your legacy system. For example, if non-Exchange users have an e-mail address of <user>@legacy.fabrikam.com, type legacy.fabrikam.com. Click OK.

      Important

      You must specify detailed SMTP domain information to route only those SMTP messages for recipients that exist in the non-Exchange messaging system over this connector instance. If you accept the default setting of (*), all SMTP messages, including all outbound Internet messages, will be routed over this connector instance.

    4. Under Connector scope, verify that Entire organization is selected, allowing all Exchange users to communicate with the users in the non-Exchange messaging system. If you select the Routing group option instead, each connector is restricted to the local routing group.

    5. Verify that the option Allow messages to be relayed to these domains is not selected. This option enables Exchange to relay incoming messages through the SMTP connector to the domains that have their address spaces listed on this tab. The default is to block relays, except from those users and computers that are able to authenticate. If your SMTP virtual server is on the Internet, you should leave relaying disabled to prevent your server from being used to propagate unsolicited commercial e-mail.

    Configuring the SMTP address space

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  6. On the Connected Routing Groups tab, ensure that no routing groups are specified, because this connector instance is not used to connect to another Exchange server in the organization.

  7. On the Delivery Restrictions tab, the default is that no restrictions are applied to this connector. Alternatively, you can restrict the connector to specific users or reject messages from specific users.

  8. On the Content Restrictions tab, verify that messages with High, Normal, and Low priority are allowed to be delivered through the connector. Also verify that the options for allowing System messages and Non-system messages are enabled. System messages are delivery reports and non-delivery reports; non-system messages are regular messages from users, groups, and contacts.

    Content restrictions for an SMTP connector instance

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  9. On the Delivery Options tab:

    1. Under Connection time, the default is that the connector is configured to Always run. You can use this option to specify times when messages are sent through the connector by either selecting one of the standard values in the list or clicking Customize to create your own schedule.

    2. Select the Use different delivery times for oversize messages check box if you want to specify delivery times based on message size. In Oversize messages are greater than (KB), type the size, in kilobytes (KB), of messages you want to designate as oversized. The default is 2000 KB. Under Connection time, specify times when oversize messages are sent. In the current test environment, it is not necessary to enable this feature.

    3. By default, the Queue mail for remote triggered delivery option is not selected. You can use this option to hold mail for clients that connect periodically to download messages. Click Add or Remove as necessary to select Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 accounts that will be allowed to trigger delivery in this domain. In this case, the client issues an ATRN or TURN command. The SMTP service then starts sending messages to the client domain. In the current test environment, it is not necessary to enable this feature.

    Delivery options for an SMTP connector instance

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  10. On the Advanced tab:

    1. If the remote SMTP host does not support Extended SMTP (ESMTP), select the Send HELO instead of EHLO check box. By default, Exchange uses the EHLO command to start the SMTP session, which is an ESMTP command. Use this option to send the standard SMTP HELO start message instead.

    2. If the remote SMTP host requires authentication, click the Outbound Security button to configure outbound security and provide the authentication credentials required by the remote domain.

    3. If the remote SMTP host sends e-mail messages to Exchange 2003 without queuing the mail for remote triggered delivery, verify that the Do not send ETRN/TURN option is selected. The ETRN and TURN commands allow the local SMTP service to request that the remote server starts processing its mail queues for SMTP messages to the Exchange 2003 organization that are waiting at the remote SMTP host. If the remote SMTP host queues the mail for remote triggered delivery, select the Request ETRN/TURN when sending messages option, and configure the corresponding properties, such as connection times. You can also request dequeuing from a server other than the one to which the message is being sent with the Request ETRN/TURN from different server option.

    Advanced options for an SMTP connector instance

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  11. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box and apply the settings.