Topic Last Modified: 2009-02-11

The Microsoft Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer examines the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) domains that appear in Exchange Server 2003 recipient policies.

If the Best Practices Analyzer detects a period (.) at the end of an SMTP domain name or two consecutive periods in an SMTP domain name, the tool generates one of the following warning messages, as appropriate:

A period appears after an SMTP domain name

Recipient policy '<PolicyName>' appears to contain at least one SMTP address with a period at the end (e.g. @domain.com.). This is known to cause mail flow issues. Configured SMTP address(es): '<SMTP address>'.

Two consecutive periods appear in an SMTP domain name

Recipient policy '<PolicyName>' appears to contain at least one SMTP address with two consecutive periods (e.g. @domain..com). This is known to cause mail flow issues. Configured SMTP address(es): '<SMTP address>'.

If you have many SMTP domains listed in an Exchange 2003 e-mail address recipient policy, it may be difficult to locate a typographical error in the list of domains. However, if an SMTP domain name contains unintentional extra periods, Exchange cannot receive e-mail for the particular SMTP domain.

In Exchange 2003, e-mail address recipient policies perform two basic functions. They specify the messaging domains for which Exchange will accept mail, and they specify the e-mail addresses that are stamped on the particular user objects to which the policy applies.

Exchange 2007 separates the Exchange 2003 e-mail address recipient policy functionality into the following components:

• E-mail address policies (EAP)
  
  
• Accepted Domains
  
  

Exchange 2007 e-mail address policies define the e-mail proxy addresses that are stamped on recipient objects. Accepted domains define the SMTP namespaces for which an Exchange organization routes e-mail. When you configure an accepted domain policy, you can link it to an e-mail address policy so that Exchange will generate recipient e-mail addresses for the particular SMTP domain. Every e-mail address policy must be linked to an existing accepted domain. This is to make sure that Exchange Transport servers can correctly route e-mail messages that are sent to the e-mail addresses that are defined by the e-mail address policy.

To address this issue, correct any typographical errors that the Best Practices Analyzer finds.

To modify an Exchange 2003 recipient policy

1. Start the Exchange System Manager tool.

2. Expand Recipients, and then click Recipient Policies.

3. In the details pane, right-click the recipient policy, and then click Properties.

4. Click the E-Mail Addresses (Policy) tab.

5. In the Generation rules list, click the e-mail address that you want to modify, and then click Edit.

6. In the Address box, remove any extra periods, as appropriate, and then click OK two times.

7. Right-click the policy, and then click Apply this policy now.

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