When should I run the Configure Internet Mail Wizard?

Applies To: Windows SBS 2008

You should run the Configure Internet Mail Wizard immediately after you set up your Internet address. Doing so will improve the reliability of your e-mail delivery and your server performance.

When you run this wizard, your server configures additional settings that enable you to send e-mail over the Internet. By default, the Internet send connector uses DNS (Domain Name System) to find each host to which it sends mail. Windows SBS 2008 handles all message queuing. If Windows SBS 2008 cannot locate a destination mail server, it continues to try to send messages until the SMTP server comes available or until the retry period expires. At this point, the originating sender receives a non-delivery receipt (NDR). This process can impact the performance of your server. Additionally, most e-mail servers view as spam, messages that are sent from servers with dynamic IP addresses. As a result, if your Internet gateway uses a dynamic IP address, it could be blocked. If your server is blocked, senders will receive NDRs for outgoing mail.

After you configure a smart host, Windows SBS 2008 sends outgoing mail to the smart host. The smart host handles message queuing and retries sending the mail. This prevents outbound e-mail from being blocked, and improves the performance of your server.

For information about how to configure a smart host, see Configure or view outbound Internet e-mail options. For information about using the Internet Address Management Wizard, see Setting up your Internet address