Exchange without fixed IP


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i have a question to our proffesionals at neowin.

i have a domain and i have Exchange 2003.

How can i manage to get it running without having a fixed IP adress (they are tooo expensive here - over 100$ a month) i tried to get it running with using no-ip clients but couldn't figure it out.

any ideas?

is it possible haveing a linux based server (with fixed ip) to foward the request to my no-ip ? :blink:

i would be thankfull for an idea....

thanks

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You cannot use a dynamic IP with these third party tools with a configuration has if you had a Static IP.

I had the exact same problem as you.

You cannot because the DNS servers that point out to the MX record for your mail server take about 6 hours at least to replicate, meaning that every time you rebooted or lost your connection, or even had to do an IP renewal with your ISP you would lose several e-mail messages for several hours.

The solution that is working perfectly for me is to have an ISP hosting my accounts, my Exchange server retrieves this messages with a third party tool that is pretty much free for several months (GFI mailessentials), and even tough you can send messages with a dynamic ip, it is not recommended because of anti-spam systems that will blacklist you if you use a dynamic IP.

The solution then is to configure a SMTP connector for outbound mail that will foward your e-mail to the smtp server of your ISP.

It is way worst than having a Static IP, but in my case it is also very expensive, in this way I only pay about 20 USD/year for 5 mail accounts and I can benefit from all the capabilities of Exchange internally.

I also use << spam >> with my server, but that is for me to have outlook web access to it.

  Quote
You cannot because the DNS servers that point out to the MX record for your mail server take about 6 hours at least to replicate, meaning that every time you rebooted or lost your connection, or even had to do an IP renewal with your ISP you would lose several e-mail messages for several hours.

A mail exchanger (MX) record contains only a hostname (mailserver.mydomain.com). It's the host (A) record (mailserver = www.xxx.yyy.zzz) that needs to be dynamically updated as your external IP address changes. If you set up your router/firewall with a conduit for SMTP (aka pinhole/port mapping) to your Exchange server it should work.

The catch is finding a dynamic IP service that supports MX records. Last one I had (long time ago) only supported host records and not mail exchanger records. Also, your ISP may monitor and/or filter SMTP traffic to prevent you from running a mail server. See http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...&Product=exch2k for more info. :huh:

Edited by MadDog

MadDog - I stand corrected.

UnaBonger - System Manager, in connectors create new connector, call it mail connector for example. In the general tab select foward all mail to the following smarthosts. There you either put the hostname of your ISP smtp server (e.g. smtp.isp.com) or it's IP in this format [www.xxx.yyy.zzz].

Don't forget to go to the advanced tab and set the outbound security with your user name and password.

It's sort of like configuring outlook for sending e-mail.

HERE'S A GREAT ALTERNATIVE:

This works in a pinch when your ISP won't let you run SMTP, or if you've got a dynamic IP:

1) Move your MX record to your ISP or other web host.

2) Configure your ISP or other web host for a mail "catch-all"--that is, let it receive any mail to your domain into one mailbox.

3) At your server, set up Exchange and configure it to relay its outbound messages thru your ISP's SMTP server.

4) Create your user accounts with email addresses that match what you finally want (like bob.denham@domain.com -- even though your MX record is hosted off-site)

5) Visit http://www.chimera.co.nz. Download their E.F.S product. This is a program which runs in the background (or as a service) and it pulls messages from a POP3 mailbox, then routes them to your internal SMTP engine (in your case Exchange).

6) If wanted, pay $50 to register the E.F.S. program, and let it run.

It works just perfectly in a bind. I've been caught at customer sites where their ISP won't let them host SMTP, but they want Exchange. Works flawlessly.

Dont know if it helps but this is how i do it.

1. Setup free account with << spam >>.

2. Change the record with your registration/hosting company to forward requests to your no-ip address. (I use ukreg and they allow this, dont know if all hosting/domain registration companies do)

3. Setup email forwarding with your registration/hosting, directing all e-mail to 1 pop3 account.

4. Use EFS as mentioned above to collect mail from pop3 account and forward to the smtp port on your exchange server.

5. Write an executable in visual basic to launch EFS and click the enter button.

6. Create a windows service to launch the vb executable "path>\sc.exe create "Service Name" binPath= "C:\Your Program.exe"

Simple and free.

I run dns on the server and bypass my isp for outgoing mail, you could just use your isp mail account for outbound.

Beef

I'll agree with that. Basically, you'd have two programs running (your VB app and EFS) instead of just running EFS because you don't want to spend $50. Obviously I'd recommend spending $50.

@Cream: I looked at that Mapilab one, it looks most excellent, but it's pricey. It does look a lot like the built-in POP3 connector in SBS2003 though, only better.

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