How can I configure my Exchange 2000 Server to send outbound email to an external SMTP server?

A. Exchange 2000 has two options for routing outbound mail to an external SMTP mail server. If you are in a single-server, single organizational Exchange environment (small office/home office--SOHO), you can configure Exchange with a single update:

1. Start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Exchange System Manager snap-in (Start, Programs, Microsoft Exchange, System Manager).
2. Expand the organization and expand the server.
3. Expand the server's Protocols branch, then expand the SMTP branch.
4. Right-click Default SMTP Virtual Server, and click Properties.
5. Select the Delivery tab.
6. Click Advanced to bring up the Advanced Delivery dialog box.


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7. In the Smart host field, enter the DNS name of the external SMTP server (or its IP address).
8. IF you use the DNS name, make sure you also click Configure for external DNS Servers or the system won't find the external SMTP server.
9. Click OK to exit all the dialog boxes.
10. Use the following statements to stop and restart the SMTP service:
    
    

    C:\> net stop smtpsvc
    
    C:\> net start smtpsvc
    
    

If you are in a multiserver, multiorganizational Exchange environment, you need to use the SMTP Connector, but it's not much more complicated than in a SOHO environment:

1. Start the MMC Exchange System Manager snap-in (Start, Programs, Microsoft Exchange, System Manager).
2. Expand the organization, the routing group, and then the Connectors branch.
3. Right-click the Connectors branch, and select New, SMTP Connector.
4. On the General tab, provide a name for the connector (the external SMTP server's name would be useful), and select "Forward all mail through this connector to the following smart hosts."





5. Enter the external SMTP name.
6. Under Local bridgeheads, click Add and select a server in the Exchange organization.
7. Select the Address Space tab.
8. Click Add.
9. Select the SMTP address type.
10. Under E-mail domain, leave the default asterisk (*) and click OK.
11. Under Delivery Options, there are other connection options. If you are on a leased/DSL connection, use "Always run" for Connection Time because you'll always have a connection.
12. Click OK.

After using either method, you should have external mail capability.

If you put the IP address of the smart host in the smart host box, it will not be able to use the smart host because it will try to do a reverse lookup on the smart host first before using it, and will not route mail when it fails in the reverse lookup. If however, you put the IP address of the smart host in square brackets, like this \[192.168.0.2\], exchange server 2000 will not attempt any kind of dns lookups of it's own, and will leave it to the smart host.