Run the ExportEdgeConfig.ps1 script after you have installed and configured the Edge Transport server role. You should also run the script to back up the server whenever you make any configuration changes as described in the XML file description that is shown here.

The following information is exported from the backed-up server and stored in the intermediate XML file:

• Transport server-related information and log file path information. The following file paths are imported:
  
  • ReceiveProtocolLogPath
    
  • SendProtocolLogPath
    
  • MessageTrackingLogPath
    
  • PickupDirectoryPath
    
  • RoutingTableLogPath
    
• Transport agent-related information that includes the status and priority settings of each transport agent
  
• All Send connector-related information. If any Send connectors are configured to use credentials, the password is written to the intermediate XML file as an encrypted string. You can use the -key parameter with the ImportEdgeConfig.ps1 and ExportEdgeConfig.ps1 scripts to specify the 32-byte string to use for password encryption and decryption. If you do not use the -key parameter, a default encryption key is used.
  
• Receive connector-related information. To modify the local network binding and port properties, you must modify the configuration information in the answer file that is created in the validate configuration step.
  
• Accepted domain configuration
  
• Remote domain configuration
  
• Configuration settings for anti-spam features. The following information is imported:
  
  • IP Allow list information. Only the IP Allow list entries that were manually configured by the administrator are exported.
    
  • IP Block list information
    
  • Content filter configuration
    
  • Recipient filter configuration
    
  • Address rewrite entries
    
  • Attachment filter entries
    

Run the ImportEdgeConfig.ps1 script after you have performed a clean installation of the Exchange 2007 Edge Transport server. This step validates the existing information in the intermediate XML file and creates the answer file. The answer file specifies the server-specific information that is used during the next step in the cloned configuration process when you import the configuration on the restored server. The answer file contains entries for each source server setting that is not valid for the server. You can modify these settings so that they are valid for the server. If all settings are valid, the answer file contains no entries.

The ImportEdgeConfig.ps1 script performs the following tasks during the validation step:

• The script verifies that the data paths and log paths can be created on the server. If the paths cannot be created, a blank path is inserted into the answer file.
  
• For each Send connector in the XML file, the script adds a blank entry for the source IP address in the answer file.
  
• For each Receive connector in the XML file, the script adds a blank entry for the local network bindings in the answer file.
  

You must manually modify the answer file to provide the following information about server-specific settings:

• Fill in the data paths and log paths. If these paths are left blank in the answer file, the paths that are configured in the intermediate XML file are used in the next step when you import the configuration on the target server.
  
• For each Send connector entry, fill in the source IP address. If this field is left blank, an error occurs in the import configuration step.
  
• For each Receive connector entry, fill in the local network bindings. If the local network bindings are left blank, an error occurs in the next step when you import the configuration on the target server.
  

Run ImportEdgeConfig.ps1 script to restore the server to a specific configuration. After you run this script, the server’s configuration matches the settings in the intermediate XML file and the answer file.

Important:
It is a best practice to back up the existing server configuration before you run the import configuration process, so that if the restoring operation fails, the server can be restored to the previous stable state.

This step uses the server-specific information that is provided in the answer file. If a setting is not specified in the answer file, the data in the intermediate XML file is used. Before the script modifies the configuration, the script validates the data in the intermediate XML file and the answer file.

The following configuration settings of the target server are modified during the import configuration step:

• Transport agent configuration.
  
• The existing connectors on the target server are removed, and the connectors that are present in the intermediate XML file are added.
  
• The existing accepted domains are removed, and the accepted domain entries in the intermediate XML file are added.
  
• The existing remote domains are removed, and the remote domain entries in the intermediate XML file are added.
  
• The existing IP Allow list entries are removed, and the IP Allow list entries in the intermediate remote domains file are added.
  
• The existing IP Block list entries are removed, and the IP Block list entries in the intermediate remote domains file are added.
  
• The following anti-spam configuration is cloned to the target server:
  
  • Content filter configuration
    
  • Recipient filter configuration
    
  • Address rewrite entries
    
  • Attachment filter entries
    

Run the EdgeSync process after you restore the server's configuration. To perform recipient lookup and message security tasks, the computer that has the Edge Transport server role installed requires data that resides in the Active Directory directory service. EdgeSync is a collection of processes that are run on a computer that has the Hub Transport server role installed to establish one-way replication of recipient and configuration information from Active Directory to the ADAM instance on an Edge Transport server. The Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync service copies only the information that is required for the Edge Transport server to perform anti-spam tasks and the information about the connector configuration that is required to enable end-to-end mail flow. The Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync service performs scheduled updates so that the information in ADAM remains current.

The cloned configuration backup and restore process does not duplicate the Edge Subscription settings of a server. The certificates that are used by the Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync service are not cloned. You must run the EdgeSync process separately for each Edge Transport server. The Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync service overwrites any settings that are included in both cloned configuration information and in EdgeSync replication information. These settings include Send connectors, Receive connectors, accepted domains, and remote domains.

Edge Transport servers that have Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed include the transport configuration object in the information that is written to the intermediate XML file. Therefore, the settings of the transport configuration object on the target server will have the same values as the source server after the intermediate XML file is imported.

Table 1 describes the attributes that are associated with the transport configuration object and the default values for the release to manufacturing (RTM) version of Exchange 2007 and for Exchange 2007 SP1. You configure this object on both Hub Transport servers and Edge Transport servers. However, many attributes apply only to Hub Transport servers and configuring those attributes on an Edge Transport server will have no effect.

Table 1   Transport configuration attributes and default values

Note:
If the Edge Transport server is subscribed to the Exchange organization later, the value of the InternalSMTPservers attribute is overwritten during the EdgeSync process. For more information, see Preparing to Run the Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync Service.