Exchange not picking up mail from domain

[Kurt Leege]

Running Exchange server 6.5 SBS 2003 with all of the current updates. Quite
suddenly on Friday at around 1 in the morning, our server stopped picking up
mail from our pop accounts on our domain. I've rebooted. All the exchange
services are running - and most interestingly of all, no error messages
appear in the application log, which is usual if for any reason the server
can't connect to the boxes. All of the mail is available in the webmail
boxes on our domain, it's just not making it to the server.

Any thoughts?

[SteveB]

Increase the logging on the POP connector to maximum so you can see more
possible info. In the long run you're much better off to switch to SMTP for
incoming mail as the POP connector was never meant for long term use
especially if you have very many users. Is there a specific reason you can't
use SMTP?

"Kurt Leege" <ku...@dvbny.com> wrote in message
news:OUAX$smgKH...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:27:21 -0500, "Kurt Leege" <ku...@dvbny.com>
wrote:

This is easy. Stop using the dreaded POP connector and switch to
direct delivery via SMTP, the way Exchange is meant to work. It's a
cinch, is faster, more reliable, more fully-featured, and works even
without a static IP (although that is preferred).

[Kurt Leege]

For whatever reason I thought we had to run POP for incoming [and we have
for the 10 years we've been on SBS]. Is there a quick link on how to set up
SMTP for incoming? We use it for outgoing currently.

Thanks,
K

"SteveB" <news...@public.lan> wrote in message
news:ume7sxng...@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

[Larry Struckmeyer[SBS-MVP]]

Sometimes a pop3 message can get stuck if it is corrupted, and the only way
to start the mail flowing again is to logon with a web mail client and delete
the offending message. Unlikely that all the mailboxes in your domain would
have this same problem, but pop3 is unpredictable in handeling mail, which
is why we suggest that you not use it. Without some additional information,
it is impossible to solve the problem you have, but try looking at the first
mailbox in the pop collector and clearing the first message.

For changing to SMTP mail:

here are the main steps, but below is a long post complied from the SBS newsgroup
on the subject:

Have your ISP create an A record pointing to the static IP of your edge device,
and change your MX record to point to that A record.

If you don't have a static IP you will want to use one of the services that
provides a dynamic to static translation.

Then run the connect to the internet wiz and tell it to use SMTP. You can
continue to use both for a few days, then stop the POP3 service.

-
Larry
Please post the resolution to your
issue so others may benefit
-
Get Your SBS Health Check at
www.sbsbpa.com

Install and run the SBS BPA, then fix anything it finds.

www.sbsbpa.com

In regards to the general issues involved, please look at the following:

To use the native ability of SBS Exchange to host your own mail, there are
a few things you should check.
First, be sure your SBS server and all the server apps are fully patched,
including Exchange and ISA. Run the MS Baseline Advisor to be sure. .
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.mspx>

Exchange SP2 is a nice improvement for filtering junk and spam. It allows
for increasing the size of the information store.
<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/downloads/2003/sp2/download.mspx>

Before you install Exchange Server 2003 SP2, please make sure that the following
hotfixes have been installed if you are using in Windows Server 2003.

898060 Installing security update MS05-019 or Windows Server 2003 Service
Pack
<http://support.microsoft.com/?id=898060>

905214 Windows Server 2003 may stop responding when you enable the Sender ID
<http://support.microsoft.com/?id=905214>

More information is documented in the following Microsoft KB article (the
"Required Hotfixes" section):

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Release Notes
<http://support.microsoft.com/?id=906671>

Install or update real-time antivirus for Exchange - many like Trend's Client
Server Messaging for SMB
Install or update an anti spam solution, again Trend, or GFI are often recommended.
You may consider a hardware appliance to take care of this.

You will need either a static IP address for your router/firewall or a service
that collects requests for your FQDN and forwards it to your often changing
dynamic ip address.
http://www.dyndns.com - among others will do this for you.

Contact your ISP and verify that they will support you in this. Verify that
they do not block traffic on port 25. You will need them to create a MX and
a PRT (reverse DNS) record. Some ISP's allow/make you do this yourself on
their management pages for your account. Others set this up for you.

You might want a SPF record designating your mx record as an authorized sender
of mail from your domain.

Have a look at www.openspf.org <http://www.openspf.org>

To avoid missing any mail when you are off line, you can ask your ISP to,
(or change to an ISP who will), create a backup mail server with a lower
priority cache than the record for your mail server. If you are off line,
they will hold your mail until you come back. Ask the folks in New Orleans
about being off line for days, or weeks.

And, you can run the POP connector concurently until you are certain that
there is no more mail at your ISP mail boxes to be retrieved. "Usually"
this is 24 to 48 hours after the correct modifications to your MX record.
You will need to configure your router/firewall to accept inbound connections
on port 25 and forward them to the ip address of your SBS exchange server
on the subnet that you have connected to the router/firewall. In the case
of two nic installations, this should be the second, or "external" nic.

Once all the preparations are done, the last step is to run the CEICW to
set all the settings and tell Exchange what the reply domain address is.
If you have multiple domains you can set up additional SMTP addresses, but
there can be only one default reply address.

______________________

[SuperGumby [SBS MVP]]

my notes may be useful
http://www.supergumby.dyndns.org/sbs/email.htm

"Kurt Leege" <ku...@dvbny.com> wrote in message

news:uZpio7ng...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

[Robbin Meng [MSFT]]

Hello Kurt,

Thanks for your post and others good suggestions.

I agree you should consider moving from POP3 to SMTP and host your own Exchange server mailboxes as long term mail system solution.

Regarding this POP3 connector that cannot download web mails issue, you may refer to the following KB for troubleshooting:

How to troubleshoot the POP3 Connector in Windows Small Business Server 2003 (see the "Troubleshoot the CDO transfer process" part)
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885685/en-us>

More information added:

Migrating from POP3 to SMTP
http://www.amset.info/exchange/pop3-smtpswitch.asp

Switching from POP3 to SMTP
http://msmvps.com/blogs/javier/archive/2004/10/25/16621.aspx

Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Robbin Meng(MSFT)
Microsoft Online Newsgroup Support

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[Kurt Leege]

And it came out that Earthlink had change their pop addy! 3 days of talking
to 4 different tech support people and not one of them thought, 'Oh... this
happened at midnight on Friday - that's when the new server came online' -
unbelievable...

Thanks for all the suggestions. At some point I probably will switch over -
but I might let that wait until we set up a enw server next year.

K

""Robbin Meng [MSFT]"" <v-ro...@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8uOnvn6...@TK2MSFTNGHUB02.phx.gbl...

[Robbin Meng [MSFT]]

Hi Kurt,

Thanks for your posting back and glad to know we have found the root cause. You are welcome.

Please do not hesitate to post in SBS newsgroup if you need any assistance in the future.

Here are some SBS 2003 server articles just for your reference:

Windows Small Business Server 2003 - Deploy
<<http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sbs/bb630238.aspx>>

Windows Small Business Server 2003 Technical Training Guide
<<<http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/sbs/techinfo/training/techtrainingguide/default.mspx>>>

Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices Analyzer
<http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=3874527a-de19-49bb-800f-352f3b6f2922>

The Official SBS Blog
<http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/default.aspx>

Introduction to Windows Small Business Server 2003 for Enterprise IT Pros
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=71211053-CCD6-4F2B-BBD9-5E7B97C232EC&displaylang=en

Cheers.

[Russ SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]]

I'm glad you found this.
I was going to mention this
It's common for ISP's to change things and NOT tell their customers :)

You will be much happier (Faster receiving email) if you switch to SMTP
received email.
Just add up all the mins waiting for the POP3 connector grabbing email you
wait.

Depending on how many people you have this can be in the thousands of
dollars in savings
(in time wasted waiting for email.)

Worried about Downtime? Get backup MX Records from DNSMADEEASY.COM for <15 a
year

So now that you will not only save time and money
and never have to do this "trouble-Shooting" again.

Pull the Trigger and switch your MX Records and Open Port 25 it's painless.

Russ

--

Russell Grover - SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]
Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist
World Wide 24hr SBS Remote Support - http://www.SBITS.Biz
30% OFF Microsoft Online Services -
http://www.microsoft-online-services.com/

"Kurt Leege" <ku...@dvbny.com> wrote in message

news:#u1R8PCh...@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

[Russ SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]]

I second it..
Easier Faster, and more reliable
and Saves your company MONEY!!!!!!!!

Plus you aren't passing passwords in Plain Text over the WAN
(not secure)

:)
Russ

--

Russell Grover - SBITS.Biz [SBS-MVP]
Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist
World Wide 24hr SBS Remote Support - http://www.SBITS.Biz
30% OFF Microsoft Online Services -
http://www.microsoft-online-services.com/

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
<lanw...@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmail.atyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:etmvi55le4j4hoocv...@4ax.com...