How to Modify the Default SMTP Banner

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Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Shell to modify the default Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) banner. The SMTP banner is the SMTP connection response that a remote SMTP messaging server receives after it connects to a Receive connector that is configured on a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 computer that has the Hub Transport server role or the Edge Transport server role installed.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

  • Exchange Organization Administrator role

To perform the following procedures on a computer that has the Edge Transport server role installed, you must log on by using an account that is a member of the local Administrators group on that computer.

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Note

You cannot modify the default SMTP banner by using the Exchange Management Console. To modify the default SMTP banner, you must use the Exchange Management Shell. For more information about how to use the Exchange Management Shell, see Using the Exchange Management Shell.

Working with the SMTP Banner

You control the SMTP banner by using the Banner parameter in the Set-ReceiveConnector cmdlet or the New-ReceiveConnector cmdlet. The default value of the Banner parameter is empty. The empty default value of the Banner parameter is represented by the value $null. When the Banner parameter is not specified on a Receive connector, or the Banner parameter is specified with the value of $null, a remote SMTP messaging server that connects to that Receive connector receives the following response:

220 <Servername> Microsoft ESMTP MAIL service ready at <RegionalDay-Date-24HourTimeFormat> <RegionalTimeZoneOffset>

When you specify a value for the Banner parameter on a Receive connector, a remote SMTP messaging server that connects to that SMTP Receive connector receives the following response:

<220 RemainingBannerText>

Note

The replacement SMTP banner text string must always start with "220 ". As defined in RFC 2821, the default "Service ready" SMTP response code is 220.

You may want to modify the default SMTP banner for Internet-facing SMTP Receive connectors on an Edge Transport server so that the server name and messaging server software are not disclosed by the SMTP banner.

Modifying the Default SMTP Banner

To use the Exchange Management Shell to modify the default SMTP banner

  • Run the following command:

    Set-ReceiveConnector <ConnectorIdentity> -Banner "<220 RemainingBannerText>"

    For example, to modify the SMTP banner on an existing Receive connector that is named "From the Internet" so the SMTP banner displays "220 Contoso Corporation", run the following command:

    Set-ReceiveConnector "From the Internet" -Banner "220 Contoso Corporation"

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Set-ReceiveConnector.

For More Information

For more information about Receive connectors, see Receive Connectors.