Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2007-07-02

After you install the Hub Transport server role on a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 computer, you must configure Send connectors and Receive connectors to enable the Hub Transport server to send and receive messages to the Internet by relaying through the Edge Transport server.

You configure Send connectors in the Organization Configuration node of the Exchange Management Console or by using the Exchange Management Shell. The Send connector is stored in the Active Directory directory service as a configuration object. When a Hub Transport server delivers a message that is sent to a recipient whose e-mail address is in the address space configured on a Send connector, the Hub Transport server routes the message to the Send connector source servers for delivery. You can specify multiple source servers for the connector. If you configure more than one source server for a Send connector, messages that are sent to the address space defined on the connector are load balanced across those servers. No load balancing occurs across multiple Send connectors that have the same address space.

You configure Receive connectors in the Server Configuration node of the Exchange Management Console or by using the Exchange Management Shell. The Receive connector is stored in Active Directory as a child object of the server. By default, during installation, two default Receive connectors are configured on every Hub Transport server.

This topic provides information about the required connector configuration for the Hub Transport server.

Connector Configuration

In Exchange 2007, Receive connectors represent an incoming connection point for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) communications. Send connectors represent a logical gateway through which all outgoing messages are sent. For end-to-end mail flow, the Hub Transport server must have connectors that support mail flow to and from the Internet by relaying through the Edge Transport server, and to and from other Hub Transport servers in the organization. The following connectors are required on the Hub Transport server:

  • A Send connector that is configured to send messages to the Edge Transport servers in the perimeter network for relay to the Internet   The address space for this connector is typically "*." This Send connector is created automatically when the Edge Transport server is subscribed to an Active Directory site. If an Edge Subscription is used, the Edge Transport server is configured as the source server for the Send connector. Hub Transport servers use routing calculations to implicitly route e-mail to the Internet through the Edge Transport server. If you do not create an Edge Subscription to complete end-to-end mail flow, you must manually create a Send connector to the Edge Transport server and create a Send connector from the Edge Transport server to the Internet.

  • A Receive connector that is configured to accept messages from all remote IP addresses through SMTP port 25   This connector typically accepts connections from all IP address ranges. The usage type for this connector is Internal. This connector is created automatically during setup. This connector only accepts mail from other Exchange servers that are part of the same Exchange organization. By default, this connector does not accept anonymous submissions.

  • A Receive connector that is configured to receive messages from all remote IP addresses through SMTP port 587   This connector is used to accept SMTP connections from non-MAPI clients. This connector typically accepts connections from all IP address ranges. The usage type for this connector is Internal. This connector is created automatically during setup.

You do not have to create any connectors for mail flow between Hub Transport servers. Implicit connectors exist between Hub Transport servers in the Exchange organization. These connectors are automatically computed based on the Active Directory site topology.

Configuring Receive Connectors

By default, when you install the Hub Transport server role, two Receive connectors exist. No additional Receive connectors are needed. The default Receive connectors do not require a configuration change. The usage type and configuration of these connectors is described in Table 1.

Table 1   Default receive connector configuration on Hub Transport servers

Connector name and usage type Configuration

Client Servername. This Receive connector accepts SMTP connections from all non-MAPI clients, such as POP and IMAP.
  • Status: Enabled.

  • Protocol logging level: None.

  • Connector fully qualified domain name (FQDN): Servername.forestroot.extension

  • Bindings: All available IP addresses. The server accepts mail received through any network adapter on the Hub Transport server.

  • Port: 587. This is the default port for receiving messages from all non-MAPI clients for SMTP relay.

  • Remote server IP address range: 0.0.0.0-255.255.255.255. The Hub Transport server accepts mail that is sent from any IP address.

    Note:
    In Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1), the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) address range 0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0.0.0.0-ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:255.255.255.255 also exists for remote servers.

    If Exchange 2007 SP1 is deployed on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008, you can enter IP addresses and IP address ranges in the Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) format, IPv6 format, or both formats. A default installation of Windows Server 2008 enables support for IPv4 and IPv6. For more information about Exchange 2007 SP1 support for IPv6 addresses, see IPv6 Support in Exchange 2007 SP1 and SP2.
  • Available authentication methods: Transport Layer Security (TLS), Basic authentication, Exchange Server authentication, Integrated Windows authentication.

  • Permission groups: Exchange users.

Default Servername: This Receive connector accepts connections from Edge Transport servers to receive messages from the Internet and from other Hub Transport servers.
  • Status: Enabled.

  • Protocol logging level: None.

  • Connector FQDN: ServerName.forestroot.extension

  • Local server Receive connector bindings: All available IP Addresses. The server accepts mail received through any network adapter on the Hub Transport server.

  • Port: 25.

  • Remote server IP address range: 0.0.0.0-255.255.255.255. The Hub Transport server accepts mail that is sent from any IP address.

    Note:
    In Exchange 2007 SP1, the IPv6 address range 0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0.0.0.0-ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:ffff:255.255.255.255 also exists for remote servers.

    If Exchange 2007 SP1 is deployed on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008, you can enter IP addresses and IP address ranges in the IPv4 format, IPv6 format, or both formats. A default installation of Windows Server 2008 enables support for IPv4 and IPv6. For more information about Exchange 2007 SP1 support for IPv6 addresses, see IPv6 Support in Exchange 2007 SP1 and SP2.
  • Available authentication methods: TLS, Basic authentication, Integrated Windows authentication.

  • Permission groups: Exchange users, Exchange servers, Legacy Exchange servers.
Note:
Any Receive connector that is responsible for accepting connections from Edge Transport servers or other Hub Transport servers must have the Exchange Server authentication method assigned to it. The Exchange Server authentication method is the default authentication method when you create a new Receive connector that has the Internal usage type.

Configuring Send Connectors

By default, no explicit Send connectors exist on the Hub Transport server. To enable mail flow to and from the Internet through an Edge Transport server, you create an Edge Subscription. When you subscribe an Edge Transport server to the organization, the Send connector that is required to send messages to the Internet when it relays through the subscribed Edge Transport server is automatically created. You must perform manual configuration of this connector if you decide not to use an Edge Subscription.

To complete Send connector configuration by using an Edge Subscription and the Microsoft Exchange EdgeSync service, follow these steps:

  1. Install the Hub Transport server role.

  2. On the computer that has the Edge Transport server role installed, export the Edge Subscription file. If you use Edge Subscription on more than one Edge Transport server, each server requires a separate subscription file.

  3. On the computer that has the Hub Transport server role installed, import the Edge Subscription.

  4. Verify that synchronization was successful.

The data that is replicated to Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) includes the Internet Send connector. The Send connector is stored in Active Directory and the configuration settings are written to the local ADAM instance on the Edge Transport server. The Edge Transport server is configured as the source server for the connector. The connector is also configured to use domain name system (DNS) MX records to automatically route messages. When the Hub Transport servers in the organization send e-mail to an Internet recipient, they route the message to the Edge Transport server for relay to the Internet.

To manually complete Send connector configuration, follow these steps:

  1. Create a Send connector to send mail from the organization to the Edge Transport server for relay to the Internet. Select Internal as the connector usage type. Use "*" (all domains) as the address space. Select to route all messages through a smart host. Enter the Edge Transport server address or FQDN as the destination. Configure Basic authentication or Externally Secured as the smart host authentication mechanism. Select one or more Hub Transport servers as the source server for the connector.

  2. Perform manual configuration of the required connectors on the Edge Transport server. For more information, see Configuring Edge Transport Server Connectors.

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