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Jared
Asked: 2011-07-01 19:52:27 +0800 CST

Google Apps as mail host (external) for Exchange 2007 (internal)

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I am sure this has been done but after about 2 days of wasted time researching, I'm just not getting what I need.

What's happening is that we are using Google Apps for our email (MX servers are pointed to GApps) and then I am downloading each user's mailbox ([email protected] as hosted on GApps) through POP3 connector on SBS 2008 Exchange. I can send email to other domains just fine through our ISP's smart host.

My problem is this: I have setup a user account on SBS for User1 ([email protected]) and therefore she has a local mailbox on Exchange. I don't have a user account for Mr. President ([email protected]) as he wants to continue using IMAP of GApps for his Mac. User1 cannot send any emails to President. But User1 can send emails to any other user with an account on SBS 2008.

I have tried setting the Hub Transport Accepted domain for domain.net to "Internal Relay" while domain.local is set to "Authoritative" and as the default accepted domain.

Exchange gives me this error: The recipient's e-mail address was not found in the recipient's e-mail system. Microsoft Exchange will not try to redeliver this message for you. Please check the e-mail address and try resending this message, or provide the following diagnostic text to your system administrator.

550 5.1.1 RESOLVER.ADR.RecipNotFound; not found

Any ideas as to what this problem is? I would prefer that even mail sent to [email protected] be sent through the smart host and then get received by GApps and then get pulled through POP3 for Exchange...

I understand that what I want possibly negates Exchange's purpose and increases bandwidth requirements, but my business case for this is IF exchange were to fail, we will have ALL our inbox intact on Google Apps. And of course, if there were a virus sent from one of our workstations, it would be better if it passes through Google Apps first before it gets to Exchange (whereas in the default configuration, it just sends it directly to the Exchange mailbox and never goes through the internet).

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1 Answers

  1. @Jared: I don't mean any disrespect but honestly I don't know why companies bother to pay for and use Exchange at all if they're not going to use it the way it's intended. You've got a configuration that is more cumbersome to setup, manage and troubleshoot, all under the guise that you're "protecting" yourself from some unforeseen future failure that in all likelihood isn't going to happen. If you don't trust Exchange, or the server, or your internal infrastructure or yourself then get rid of Exchange completely and stop flogging yourself with this unsustainable scenario.

    I know that the POP connector comes from MS but I think it was a bad idea on their part as it gave companies a reason to implement scenarios like you have, which in my opinion, are more trouble than they're worth.

    Have you considered bringing your email "fully" in house and doing away with the current implementation? You'd make administration a lot easier and you can always build in the required level of redundancy and availability.

    You've spent 2 days looking for a solution to a problem that wouldn't exist if you were using Exchange the way it was intended to be used. All of the reasons you stated for implementing this scenario can be addressed internally.

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