Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2008-11-13

This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Shell to create a new Foreign connector for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

A Foreign connector can only be installed on an Exchange 2007 computer that has the Hub Transport server role installed. A Foreign connector uses a Drop directory to send messages to a local messaging server that does not use the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) as its primary transport mechanism. These messaging servers are known as foreign gateway servers. Examples of foreign gateway servers include Lotus Notes and third-party fax gateway servers. The address spaces that are assigned to a Foreign connector may be SMTP or non-SMTP.

Note:
After you create a new Foreign connector, you must restart the Microsoft Exchange Transport service (MSExchangeTransport) for the changes to take effect.

Before You Begin

Before you perform this procedure, read Foreign Connectors for a detailed description of the information that you must provide to create a Foreign connector.

Determine the specific usage for this connector so that you can correctly configure the connector attributes. All Foreign connectors require a name, an address space, and a Drop directory. The name identifies the connector. The address space is the domain or domains to which this connector sends messages. The Drop directory specifies the location where the Hub Transport server deposits the message files that are destined for the foreign gateway server. For more information about the Drop directory, see How to Configure the Drop Directory of a Foreign Connector.

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

  • Exchange Organization Administrator role

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Note:
You cannot create a new Foreign connector by using the Exchange Management Console. To create a new Foreign connector, you must use the Exchange Management Shell. For more information about how to use the Exchange Management Shell, see Using the Exchange Management Shell.

Procedure

To create a new Foreign connector by using the Exchange Management Shell, use one of the following procedures. The interactive mode prompts you for only the required parameters and uses the default settings for all other parameters.

To use the interactive mode of the Exchange Management Shell to create a new Foreign connector in the release to manufacturing (RTM) version of Exchange 2007

  1. At the Exchange Management Shell command prompt, type New-ForeignConnector, and then press ENTER.

  2. At the Address Spaces[0]: prompt, type the address space to which this connector will send messages. The complete syntax for entering each address space is as follows:

    Copy Code 
    <Connector Scope>:<Address Space Type>:<Address Space>;<Address Space Cost>

    The connector scope controls the availability of the connector to other Hub Transport servers in the organization. If you specify a value of Local, the connector can only be used by other Hub Transport servers in the same Active Directory site. If you omit the connector scope qualifier, the connector can be used by all Hub Transport servers in the Exchange 2007 organization.

    The address space type may be SMTP, X400, or any other text string. If you omit the address space type, an SMTP address space type is assumed. If you omit the address space cost, a cost of 1 is used. For example, the following address space entries are equivalent:

    • SMTP:contoso.com;1

    • contoso.com;1

    • SMTP:contoso.com

    • contoso.com

    For SMTP address space types, the address space that you enter must be RFC 1035-compliant. For example, *, *.com, and *.contoso.com are permitted, but *contoso.com is not permitted. For X.400 address space types, the address space that you enter must be RFC 1685-compliant, such as o=MySite;p=MyOrg;a=adatum;c=us. For all other values of address type, you can enter any text for the address space. If you enter a non-SMTP address space that contains the semicolon character ( ; ), you must specify the address space cost.

  3. When you are finished entering the address space, press Enter.

  4. At the Address Spaces[1] prompt, do one of the following:

    • If you want to configure additional SMTP address spaces for this connector, enter another address space and press Enter. Repeat this step for each additional address space that you want to configure for this connector.

    • If you are finished entering address spaces, don't enter an address space at the Address Spaces[1] prompt. Press ENTER to continue.

  5. At the Name: prompt, type a name for this connector, and then press ENTER to create the connector and display the connector summary.

To use the interactive mode of the Exchange Management Shell to create a new Foreign connector in Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1)

  1. At the Exchange Management Shell command prompt, type New-ForeignConnector, and then press ENTER.

  2. At the Address Spaces[0]: prompt, type the address space to which this connector will send messages. The complete syntax for entering each address space is as follows:

    Copy Code 
    <Address Space Type>:<Address Space>;<Address Space Cost>

    The address space type may be SMTP, X400, or any other text string. If you omit the address space type, an SMTP address space type is assumed. If you omit the address space cost, a cost of 1 is used. For example, the following address space entries are equivalent:

    • SMTP:contoso.com;1

    • contoso.com;1

    • SMTP:contoso.com

    • contoso.com

    For SMTP address space types, the address space that you enter must be RFC 1035-compliant. For example, *, *.com, and *.contoso.com are permitted, but *contoso.com is not permitted. For X.400 address space types, the address space that you enter must be RFC 1685-compliant, such as o=MySite;p=MyOrg;a=adatum;c=us. For all other values of address type, you can enter any text for the address space. If you enter a non-SMTP address space that contains the semicolon character ( ; ), you must specify the address space cost.

  3. When you are finished entering the address space, press Enter.

  4. At the Address Spaces[1] prompt, do one of the following:

    • If you want to configure additional SMTP address spaces for this connector, enter another address space and press Enter. Repeat this step for each additional address space that you want to configure for this connector.

    • If you are finished entering address spaces, don't enter an address space at the Address Spaces[1] prompt. Press ENTER to continue.

  5. At the Name: prompt, type a name for this connector, and then press ENTER to create the connector and display the connector summary.

To enter a complete command in the Exchange Management Shell to create a new Foreign connector in Exchange 2007 RTM or Exchange 2007 SP1

  • Run the following command:

    Copy Code 
    New-ForeignConnector -Name <ConnectorName> -AddressSpaces <AddressSpaces> <Other Optional Parameters>

    For example, suppose you want to create a new Foreign connector that has the following settings:

    • The connector sends messages to the SMTP address space named Contoso.com and all subdomains. The address space cost is 5.

    • The connector sends messages to the X.400 address space o=MySite;p=MyOrg;a=contoso;c=us. The address space cost is 1.

    • The connector is assigned on two Hub Transport servers that are named Hub01 and Hub02.

    • A maximum message size of 20 MB is allowed on this connector.

    To create a new Foreign connector named "Contoso.com Foreign Connector" that has these settings, run the following command:

    Copy Code 
    New-ForeignConnector -Name "Contoso.com Foreign Connector" -AddressSpaces "*.contoso.com;5","X400:o=MySite;p=MyOrg;a=contoso;c=us;1" -SourceTransportServers "Hub01","Hub02"

For More Information

For more information, see Foreign Connectors.