Internal email going unexpectedly via Smart Host
Hi! I know that this probably leans towards an Exchange 3rd party question, but thought it is more a send connector/routing configuration issue... I have a new SBS 2011 server and MailMarshal SMTP (6.9.9.4075) installed. MailMarshal is listening on port 97, Exchange SMTP on 25. I have configured the default internet send connector to route through the local MailMarshal smart host as per the Mail Marshal docs for smtp addresses (wildcard *, cost = 1). This is all working fine. I have not yet cut my MX records over, but have tested both inbound and outbound mail and it is working as expected, except for one little thing: My understanding is that Exchange would not route local email for my domain through the smart host, yet it seems it is. If I log into OWA and send a mail to myself, the mail goes via the outbound queue in MailMarshal and not directly back to my mailbox. I would very much like to exclude internal emails from filtering/logging etc. Is this normal or am I missing something...? Thanks! Chris
May 28th, 2012 10:28pm

I wouldn't have expected Exchange to send local mail through the smart host, either. I assume you have an MX record for your domain in your internal DNS records? What server name (it shouldn't be an IP address) is it pointing to?Mobile OWA For Smartphone www.leederbyshire.com email a@t leederbyshire d.0.t c.0.m
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May 29th, 2012 8:42am

Ideally, Exchange won't even try to send messages via a connector (except for the default built in Org connector of course), so that Exchange is routing via this connector, I would question if you have set Exchange for being authoritative for your domain? Exchange will determine if it knows the location of the recipient (internal or external) and then route based on that. If Exchange is NOT authoritative for your Domain, it will attempt to send out to the internet, which your MailMarshal product will route back in.
May 29th, 2012 1:09pm

hi, No, it isn't normal. Internal mail will not use the send connector to route message. How can you make sure that your message is be routed via your smart host? Through the smtp log? All internal messages will be routed via the smart host and then back to mailbox, is it right? Please use the cmd: get-accepteddomain, and then post the result. Tell us your exchange environment. thanks, CastinLu TechNet Community Support
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May 30th, 2012 2:09am

Hi everyone, I really appreciate the responses... Here is the output from Get-AcceptedDomain [PS] C:\Windows\system32>get-accepteddomain Name DomainName DomainType Default ---- ---------- ---------- ------- ramus.local ramus.local Authoritative True Windows SBS External Domain ramus.com.au Authoritative False The way I can tell that the message is going via the SmartHost is that I have sent an email via OWA to myself. I would have expected the email message to be delivered directly to my Exchange mailbox, but instead it is going via the Mail Marshal instance on the same server and then Mail Marshal is using internet DNS/MX records and delivering to my old host. (I haven't yet changed the internet DNS/MX records over to the new system as I do not consider it 100% due to this issue). The bottom line is that the message should not even be touching the Mail Marshal smart host. Exchange should be delivering directly to my sparkly new Exchange mailbox as I understand it. Lee: in answer to your question, there does not appear to be any MX records for my external domain in the local DNS. Bear in mind this is a vanilla SBS 2011 standard install. I have done everything via the wizards, so have assumed that it is as it should be... Any thoughts? Thanks Chris
May 30th, 2012 2:25am

I would certainly try adding an MX record (after all it can be easily removed if something goes wrong, and messages start queueing up). I would have expected SBS to take care of this, since it does most other things. But (having never played with SBS) I can only tell you that with 'normal' Exchange I have always needed to add the domain MX record for myself.Mobile OWA For Smartphone www.leederbyshire.com email a@t leederbyshire d.0.t c.0.m
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May 30th, 2012 9:41am

hi, >>>delivering to my old host Old host? What is it? You have two exchange server, one is new install another is old? Can you tell us more detail information about your environment. thanks,CastinLu TechNet Community Support
May 31st, 2012 4:06am

Hello All Thanks for the help - it turns out the problem has resolved itself, or maybe was related to not having cut over the MX record. Please see my other thread here. Just to answer your question CastinLu, the 'old host' was a cheapy hosted IMAP server. The environment was quite simply a brand new SBS 2011 server with Mail Marshal installed locally. Based on advice from James in the other thread, I set the internet MX record to point to the new SBS server and tested the mail flow. Internal domain mail went direct, not via the smart host connector, external mail went via mail marshal as expected. I am perplexed as to why it has behaved this way, but am just happy that the system is now live. Thank you all for taking the time to respond... Chris
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May 31st, 2012 7:19am

Hello All Thanks for the help - it turns out the problem has resolved itself, or maybe was related to not having cut over the MX record. Please see my other thread here. Just to answer your question CastinLu, the 'old host' was a cheapy hosted IMAP server. The environment was quite simply a brand new SBS 2011 server with Mail Marshal installed locally. Based on advice from James in the other thread, I set the internet MX record to point to the new SBS server and tested the mail flow. Internal domain mail went direct, not via the smart host connector, external mail went via mail marshal as expected. I am perplexed as to why it has behaved this way, but am just happy that the system is now live. Thank you all for taking the time to respond... Chris
May 31st, 2012 7:24am

Maybe it's Mail Marshall that needs to check the mx record? After all, if something is making Exchange send all mail to Mail Marshal (if that's how it works?) then MM will need to do the checking - even for internal mail - and maybe MM doesn't know how to check Active Directory in the way that I assume Exchange would.Mobile OWA For Smartphone www.leederbyshire.com email a@t leederbyshire d.0.t c.0.m
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May 31st, 2012 8:43am

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