Exchange Server 2003 SP2 & Domain mail (Setup)

[Unique Touch]

Hi,

I'd like to setup Exchange Server 2003 with SP2 (Trial edition) at home so me and my brotehr can use push email with our windows mobile 5 devices.

I currently have domain email with my hosting packaging for which I have setup up a 2 accounts (me and my brother).

I read that Exchange Server 2003 does not come with a POP connector so I need to change the pimrary MX record for my domain name to point to my home ip adress (static) and keep the secondary MX record as my hosters so that there is no delivery issue should my home connection go down - is this correct?

Do I need to remove the 2 accounts I created with the hosters or will the mails still reach my exhcange at home?

Has anyone done this kind up? If so can you provide any tips or things to avoid?

Many thanks

[samg]

  Unique Touch said:

Hi,

I'd like to setup Exchange Server 2003 with SP2 (Trial edition) at home so me and my brotehr can use push email with our windows mobile 5 devices.

I currently have domain email with my hosting packaging for which I have setup up a 2 accounts (me and my brother).

I read that Exchange Server 2003 does not come with a POP connector so I need to change the pimrary MX record for my domain name to point to my home ip adress (static) and keep the secondary MX record as my hosters so that there is no delivery issue should my home connection go down - is this correct?

Do I need to remove the 2 accounts I created with the hosters or will the mails still reach my exhcange at home?

Has anyone done this kind up? If so can you provide any tips or things to avoid?

Many thanks

You are pretty much spot on.

If you change the primary MX record to your static IP/hostname then mail will go to your mail server and collected. If your connection is down then it will go to the next record (your host) and sit in your old pop inbox.

You could remove your pop accounts and get them to add a relay onto your account, so if any mail misses your server then it sits on there server for a few hours and goes to your IP again.

I personnal would do the first option if your only using a trial, as you will run out of trail and then the mail will be circulating.

You can get a pop connector for exchange, but again only a trial.

Hope this helps

[Unique Touch]

  sam_goffe said:

You are pretty much spot on.

If you change the primary MX record to your static IP/hostname then mail will go to your mail server and collected. If your connection is down then it will go to the next record (your host) and sit in your old pop inbox.

You could remove your pop accounts and get them to add a relay onto your account, so if any mail misses your server then it sits on there server for a few hours and goes to your IP again.

I personnal would do the first option if your only using a trial, as you will run out of trail and then the mail will be circulating.

You can get a pop connector for exchange, but again only a trial.

Hope this helps

Thanks Sam for the info.

If my connection goes down and the mail goes to my hosts (2nd record) - how do I get the emails to my exchange server when they are back up? Or will it automatically resend them once the server comes back up?

How does a relay work and how does that get setup?

Also, when setting up Server 2003, if my domain name is mydomain.co.uk, do i use home.mydomain.local or home.mydomain.co.uk ? Would this effect Exchange Server in anyway?

Thanks

[samg]

  Unique Touch said:

Thanks Sam for the info.

If my connection goes down and the mail goes to my hosts (2nd record) - how do I get the emails to my exchange server when they are back up? Or will it automatically resend them once the server comes back up?

How does a relay work and how does that get setup?

Also, when setting up Server 2003, if my domain name is mydomain.co.uk, do i use home.mydomain.local or home.mydomain.co.uk ? Would this effect Exchange Server in anyway?

Thanks

In answer to your first point: Depends how its setup. If you just leave the secondry host as your host and leave the pop3 mail boxes open all mail will go into those and then you wont be able to forward them onto the exchange once they go into the pop thats it!

If you setup a relay, your host will basically throw them back out into cyber space and they will try the first mx record again, it will go on forever until the exchange is back online or you change the MX record. You ask your host if they do this (they may call it different, if they dont understand!! explain to them ;))

Use .local for the server. The .co.uk isnt ment to be assigned to your server.

[MazX_Napalm]

  Unique Touch said:

Also, when setting up Server 2003, if my domain name is mydomain.co.uk, do i use home.mydomain.local or home.mydomain.co.uk ? Would this effect Exchange Server in anyway?

Thanks

System Manager

Recipients

Recipient Policies

Default Policy

Email Addresses (Policy)

New

SMTP

@mydomain.co.uk

tick the box

Set as default

Ok to everything

Now when an account is created in AD, the @mydomain.co.uk is the primary email address. It will also update existing accounts.

You may want multiples / variations:

John Smith

%1g.%s@my..... = j.smith@my....

%g%s@my.... = JohnSmith@my....

%1g%s@my = jsmith@my....

If it is just a test network get EFS (http://www.chimera.co.nz/). It will pick up email from you domain host (set a catch all email address only) and distribute it to AD as per the recipient email in the header. ERC does standard pop3 accounts.

[Unique Touch]

Thanks Sam!

Cheers Max for the step by step.

Can you explain why I should use .local for the server and not .co.uk ? Or this there somehwere I can read about this?

I can only assume it's to keep DNS / Active Directoy Domain seperate maybe so no confusion?

Thanks

[tomwarren Veteran]

You may want to send out via your domains SMTP server as SenderID will catch the fact you're using your own local SMTP and will spam filter most of your mail on people's hotmail inboxes etc.

As for push mail, I'm running it on my WM5 phone with my Exchange server at home and watch out for GPRS costs cause I used about 12 meg last month for heartbeats and mails alone.....

I'd suggest setting the schedule on the device to collect mail every 4 hours on off peak (say 12am till 8am) and then on peak hours of 8am till 11pm etc that way you won't use any heartbeats from 12am till 8am and it will work out cheaper.

[samg]

Its as the .co.uk is a fully qualified domain (google that for answers)

You CAN use it, but you will run into some DNS issues at some point. .local is the correct way to set it up, so do it right from the beginning.

It does help with the confusion, yes ;)

your server should be called [servername].[domain].local, this includes in thr AD and DNS as well as exchange.

Only the .co.uk should be used for internet use, not your server.

[Unique Touch]

  creamhackered said:

You may want to send out via your domains SMTP server as SenderID will catch the fact you're using your own local SMTP and will spam filter most of your mail on people's hotmail inboxes etc.

As for push mail, I'm running it on my WM5 phone with my Exchange server at home and watch out for GPRS costs cause I used about 12 meg last month for heartbeats and mails alone.....

I'd suggest setting the schedule on the device to collect mail every 4 hours on off peak (say 12am till 8am) and then on peak hours of 8am till 11pm etc that way you won't use any heartbeats from 12am till 8am and it will work out cheaper.

Thanks Cream...12megs is gonna cost a lot for o2's GPRS service. Makes good sense to set a schedule like you suggested.

Do I set Exchange to send out via my domain SMTP? Do you know where I can set this?

  sam_goffe said:

Its as the .co.uk is a fully qualified domain (google that for answers)

You CAN use it, but you will run into some DNS issues at some point. .local is the correct way to set it up, so do it right from the beginning.

It does help with the confusion, yes ;)

your server should be called [servername].[domain].local, this includes in thr AD and DNS as well as exchange.

Only the .co.uk should be used for internet use, not your server.

googled FQDN and make much more sense now as to why to use .local now. nice one Sam.

[Unique Touch]

Sorry for double post but I have another question...

I want to set this up on Friday night.

When should I ammend the MX record and setup the relay with my hoster? Should I do it before or after I've setup Exchange?

How long does it take for the change to take effect?

Thanks

[UnaBonger]

The standard answer for DNS changes is that it takes 24 hours to replicate across the web. Realisticly, it takes maybe half that before you have mail start flowing directly to your exchange box.