Exchange 2007 Routing with Unix based SMTP servers
Hello all,Here is the scenario.... we recently ugradeded from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2007. It appears we lost a really nice functionality with the upgrade to Exchange 2007 with our document imaging system and Exchange 2007. With 2003, we had the ability to scan items from our bizhubs, send the scan to an SMTP address, and the scan would magically show up in our document imaging system folders for each individual user the scan was addressed too. With 2007, we can no longer do this. I was not here when Exchange 2007 was implemented and our main Exchange administrator cannot remember much about the old 2003 setup.I boiled it down to the reason this no longer works is because of Exchange 2007's use of the AD site topology for routing. See, the document imaging system server is a Unix box configured as an SMTP server, so I can't or don't know of a way to add it to sites and services since it is not part of the domain......Does anyone know how I could possibly acheive this without that Unix box being on the domain?Thanks in Advance,MDH
October 14th, 2009 11:19pm

On Wed, 14-Oct-09 20:19:37 GMT, mdh1983 wrote:>Here is the scenario.... we recently ugradeded from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2007. It appears we lost a really nice functionality with the upgrade to Exchange 2007 with our document imaging system and Exchange 2007. >ange 2007 was implemented and our main Exchange administrator cannot remember much about the old 2003 setup.>>I boiled it down to the reason this no longer works is because of Exchange 2007's use of the AD site topology for routing. I'm pretty sure that has nothing to do with your problem.>See, the document imaging system server is a Unix box configured as an SMTP server, so I can't or don't know of a way to add it to sites and services since it is not part of the domain......You don't have to.>Does anyone know how I could possibly acheive this without that Unix box being on the domain?When you say that the *nix machine is a SMTP server and that the scansare sent to a SMTP address, are you sure that the SMTP address is acomplete address (e.g. user@domain.com) and not just "user"?Are there NDRs sent to the address of the sender? I'm guessing thatthe Exchange 2007 server rejects the "RCPT TO" command. That puts theder. I'mgoing to guess again and say that the sender doesn't have a mailboxand the NDR is just discarded. If that's the case, what to the SMTPlog files on the *nix machine tell you about the message delivery? Wasthe message delivered successfully to the Exchange 2007 server or not?---Rich MatheisenMCSE+I, Exchange MVP--- Rich Matheisen MCSE+I, Exchange MVP
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October 15th, 2009 4:52am

Unix SMTP does contain complete addresses... they all look like EMAIL GONEWe have tracked the messages via 2007 and the get delivered, but not to the document imaging SMTP. We manage our HT server, but our 'Edge' box is really a hosted exchange at our ISP. Our HT uses a connector to download messages from the hosted box at the ISP. The scanned messages end up getting delievered to the hosted exchange box instead of being routed to the internal SMTP unix box (when using the sample SMTP I listed above) -- hence my thought process behind on the Unix SMTP not being in the site topology, which would affect mail flow in Exchange 2007.Thanks Rich,MDH
October 15th, 2009 4:33pm

On Thu, 15-Oct-09 13:33:36 GMT, mdh1983 wrote:>Unix SMTP does contain complete addresses... they all look like EMAIL GONE>>We have tracked the messages via 2007 and the get delivered, but not to the document imaging SMTP. I'm not sure what that means. Are you saying that the email winds upin the wrong mailbox on Exchange 2007???? messages end up getting delievered to the hosted exchange box instead of being routed to the internal SMTP unix box (when using the sample SMTP I listed above) -- hence my thought process behind on the Unix SMTP not being in the site topology, which would affect mail flow in Exchange 2007.I guess the first question to ask is how are the sending SMTPserver(s) configured to send mail to your domain? Are they routingthat email to your Hub Transport server (i.e. are they using the HTservers as a smart host), or are they just using the MX (or A)record(s) in DNS to find the target server?I'm assuming that the sending servers are on the same company LAN\WANas the Exchange 2007 HT server (ignore the AD site stuff -- Unix isn'tgoing to use it, and the HT servers should be configured to acceptemail from the Unix machines).---Rich MatheisenMCSE+I, Exchange MVP--- Rich Matheisen MCSE+I, Exchange MVP
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October 16th, 2009 5:49am

Hi,From the sceond post,I understand that message should be sent to exchange box and then delivered to your image server,is that true? Or message should be sent from the edge to the SMTP directly?If it is the first scenario,then please try to create a transport rule to forward these emails to SMTP Unix box.If it is the second scenario,then please try to create send connector on Edge box to send email to SMTP Unix box.Regards,Xiu
October 16th, 2009 9:19am

All mail flow works properly, except mail flow to the Unix SMTP. The HT delivers internal mail. We have a send connector that routes outbound external mail to the hosted exchange at the ISP. We have a receive connector that downloands external internal mail addressed to our namespace. Internal and External mail flow work fine. The Unix SMTP is inside our network and on the same subnet as the Exchange server. Anytime anything is addressed to the Unix SMTP namespace, it get sents out to the hosted exchange at the ISP by our HT. The Unix SMTP NEVER sends email to our HT -- its the opposite. When a bizhub scans a document, the email address for a user on the Unix SMTP is used, that email goes to the HT, and is supposed to be routed to the Unix SMTP, which will then deliver the scanned document to an 'inbox' (which is really just a folder for each user) on the document imaging system.I have played around with send connectors -- configuring a smart host for the Unix SMTP for that namespace. However, with that send connector enabled, the HT won't even 'accept' E-mails addressed to the Unix SMTP namespace, it just rejects it. Currently, there is no MX record for the Unix SMTP in DNS, I configured the send connector to use the IP of the server.I looked into transort rules as well, but did not see any conditions that would effectively send mail to the Unix SMTP. I do not have access to the 'Edge' box because it is a hosted exchange box at our ISP.
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October 16th, 2009 3:45pm

On Fri, 16-Oct-09 12:45:59 GMT, mdh1983 wrote:, it get sents out to the hosted exchange at the ISP by our HT. The Unix SMTP NEVER sends email to our HT -- its the opposite. When a bizhub scans a document, the email address for a user on the Unix SMTP is used, that email goes to the HT, and is supposed to be routed to the Unix SMTP, which will then deliver the scanned document to an 'inbox' (which is really just a folder for each user) on the document imaging system.>>I have played around with send connectors -- configuring a smart host for the Unix SMTP for that namespace. However, with that send connector enabled, the HT won't even 'accept' E-mails addressed to the Unix SMTP namespace, it just rejects it. Currently, there is no MX record for the Unix SMTP in DNS, I configured the send connector to use the IP of the server.The use of an additional send connector is the correct way to dealwith this. Sorry if I had the mail flow reversed in my earlier reply.For what reason is the email rejected if you configure that additionalctor? And how many receive connectors do you have? If youhave only one, how is it configured (anaonymous connection, anonymousrelays, IP address reanges, etc.)?---Rich MatheisenMCSE+I, Exchange MVP--- Rich Matheisen MCSE+I, Exchange MVP
October 16th, 2009 8:27pm

I'm not sure why its rejected. From the scanner, it just says error and failed to transmit. I only have the 2 send connectors.... one for the Unix SMTP, and one for the hosted exchange on the ISP to forward outbound mail. I have a receive connector that hooks up to the hosted exchange at the ISP to download external to internal E-mail.The Unix SMTP is configured as an anonymous (non-Windows server) smart host using the IP address to resolve.Do you know of any logs I can check to see why the scans are rejected? I wouldn't think it would be in the logs considering its just dropped.Thanks for your help!
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October 16th, 2009 9:06pm

On Fri, 16-Oct-09 18:06:07 GMT, mdh1983 wrote:>I'm not sure why its rejected. The receive logs for the SMTP protocol on your machine should show youif the connection, the MAIL FROM, RCPT TO, or DATA commands failed.The key to knowing what needs to be done to make it work lies inunderstanding why/how it fails.>From the scanner, it just says error and failed to transmit. I love SMTP client software that provides no clues about failures.ARRGGHHHH!r the Unix SMTP, and one for the hosted exchange on the ISP to forward outbound mail. I have a receive connector that hooks up to the hosted exchange at the ISP to download external to internal E-mail.I'm not understanding this part at all. A receive connector is a pieceof your SMTP server that listens for connections, acts on the commandsit receives, deals with SMTP protocol responses, etc. It doesn't "hookup" with anything, it just "listens." If there's anything the "hooksup" it's the SMTP client that sends the data stream to the receiveconnector.>The Unix SMTP is configured as an anonymous (non-Windows server) smart host using the IP address to resolve.>>Do you know of any logs I can check to see why the scans are rejected? I wouldn't think it would be in the logs considering its just dropped.Unless you've relocated them, you'll find a "SmtpReceive" and"SmtpSend" directory beneath this folder"C:\Program Files\Microsoft\ExchangeServer\TransportRoles\Logs\ProtocolLogke sure the send and receive connectors have "verbose" loggingenabled on their property page.A message will either be accepted or rejected by your receiveconnector. Once it's accepted it may be dropped by an anti-spam agent,an anti-virus agent, or something else, but by examining the protocollog file you'll at least know if the message was accepted for deliveryby your receive connector. If it isn't, then the status code for theaction will be either 4xx or 5xx and you'll see an extended statuscode and maybe some explanatory text. If you see only 2xx and 3xxstatus codes then the message was accepted by the receive connector.If that accepted message isn't delivered then the should be a NDRsent. That NDR will be delivered to the sender of the message -- soit's important to have a mailbox somewhere for that address. Withoutthe NDR you'll have to fall back on message tracking logs, agent logs,and maybe other logs to figure out what when wrong.---Rich Matheisen--- Rich Matheisen MCSE+I, Exchange MVP
October 16th, 2009 10:26pm

Is the SMTP domain the same? It sounds like it is different.You need to create a new accepted domain name for the SMTP namespace used by the Unix system. If it is shared you will need to configure it as an Internal Relay. Basically Exchange will look for the mailbox, if it doesn't see it exchange will then forward it to the send connector which should point it to the unix box. Then create a send connector that will use the unix server as a smart host. The down side to this is that namespace won't get forwarded outside the org since all emails not being found on the local exchange server don't exist will get forwarded to the unix server. May be able to use contacts to resolve that though....SF - MCITP:EMA, MCTS: Exchange 2010, Exchange 2007, MOSS 2007, OCS 2007 -- http://www.scottfeltmann.com
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December 29th, 2009 2:10am

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