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Asked: 2014-09-06 07:53:46 +0800 CST

How do I configure and verify my mail is routing between two Administrative Groups in Exchange 2003?

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I adopted an environment that is having an issue with email routing where emails are delayed due to too many hops. Some of my users are able to send/receive with no delivery delays, but many of my users are experiencing send/receive delays both internally and externally.

All my email comes through a hosted spam filter, then it's forwarded to us.

Our environment has two Administrative Groups, CurrentGroup and OldGroup. These accept emails for multiple domains. All our emails are supposed to come through OldGroup, which has our smart-host (I'm assuming the previous IT team was trying to migrate from one to the other, but never finished the project).

OldGroup is connected to CurrentGroup using a Routing Group connector with the following servers as remote bridgeheads:

  • BACK-END1
  • BACK-END2
  • BACK-END3
  • BACK-END4

OldGroup has two SMTP connectors. The 1st SMTP connector goes to remote.partner.com (which is hosted in a different facility); all mail going here is forwarded through the partner's smarthost via public IP, with the local bridgehead SMART-HOST. The 2nd SMTP connector is supposed to route all out-going email using DNS with the local bridgehead SMART-HOST.

CurrentGroup is also connected to OldGroup with a Routing Group connector, with the remote bridgehead SMART-HOST. I made this change last night and it seemed to help, but I'm still having delivery problems.

CurrentGroup has one SMTP connector forwarding all mail through the smarthost SMART-HOST with the following local bridgeheads:

  • BACK-END1
  • BACK-END2
  • BACK-END3
  • BACK-END4

Here is a logical view: enter image description here

Here is an example of my Exchange System Manager View: enter image description here

On the Default SMTP Virtual Server service for all the servers, I've set up the smart-host value to be SMART-HOST.

I believe the problem lies somewhere between the Routing Groups. I'm not sure these are properly configured. Do I need an SMTP Connector from my CurrentGroup pointing to my OldGroup through SMART-HOST? and from OldGroup to CurrentGroup through the backend servers? How do I configure and verify my mail is routing between two Administrative Groups in Exchange 2003?

exchange-2003

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    I would make the following changes:

    • Remove any smart hosts set on SMTP virtual servers. Your smart hosts should be set on the SMTP connectors, not on the SMTP virtual servers themselves. A smart host set on an SMTP virtual server will cause all traffic sent by that virtual server to be sent to the specified smart host (even if the virtual server is just named in an SMTP connector that has no smart host specified).

    • Grab a copy of WinRoute to examine your gateway address routing table (GWART). It will help you visualize what Exchange is trying to do.

    • Remove the SMTP connector from the CurrentGroup' Administrative Group (AG). You don't need an SMTP connector in theCurrentGroupAG for email to be delivered fromCurrentGroupservers to the Internet through theSMART-HOSTserver located in theOldGroupAG, so long as the address space on theSMTP Connectorconnector in theOldGroup` AG isn't scoped to the AG level.

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