Configure Exchange 2003 to include POP3 mailbox access

It's probably your POP3 protocol stop.

Go to the Exchange System Manager, then expand Administrative Groups till you get to PROTOCOLS, locate POP3, make sure that it is ON.  Just right click and select START

Hi irwinpks,

Under Exchange System Manager, I don't see Administrative Groups. I have the following...

Global Settings
Recipients
Servers
Connectors
Tools
Folders


This difference may be due to Small Business Server.

SERVERS - (your SERVERNAME) - PROTOCOLS - POP3

Also, I just double-checked that the Microsoft Exchange POP3 service is running and not disabled. This is the one required, as far as I know.

There is another service - a POP3 connector service which is disabled, but this is for pulling mail FROM external POP3 mail servers and placing them into an Exchange mailbox. This is not what we want and I don't believe we require this service to be running.

> SERVERS - (your SERVERNAME) - PROTOCOLS - POP3

Got it. OK. This is already started (running).

I've just reread my last post and realised that my comment "Got it. OK." could be misunderstood. I have not fixed the problem. I was simply referring to irwinpks more detailed steps of finding the POP3 protocol section within Exchange System Manager.

I think I'm missing information....

You currently have Outlook and are using the Exchange Configuration when you have create a new mail account on the client... correct?

Now you want to add a Pop3 mail account to the same client to access the mail on the same Exchange Server?

No. Not add a POP3 mail account. Merely access the existing mailbox (mail account) using a POP3 client. Webmail works fine but some of our staff require POP3 also.

The mail accounts do not want to delete the mail from the server and there is an option to leave the mail on the Exchange server I am sure (but can't recall where). They can then work their way through their numerous email offline when they are in areas with bad connectivity.

This setup (created before I joined the company by outside consultants) has been working fine up until recently. The server has not been restarted and the services appear to be running. Just seems that POP3 is not working. By going through the logical steps of what is required to setup POP3 for the existing Exchange mailboxes, I am not only able to fix the problem, but better support Exchange in future should something like this happen again.

When I Telnet to the Exchange server I get the following:

+OK Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 POP3 server version 6.5.6944.0 (AcmeServer.AcmeDomain.local) ready.

I've replaced the specifics of the server name and domain but you get the idea.

But when I try to login...

user john.doe
-ERR Protocol error.

or if I use the AD domain account
user johndoe
-ERR Clear text passwords have been disabled for this protocol.

Does this help?

Ok...

If working before and nothing has changed, let alone be restarted, then let's look at the SERVICES in the Control Panel. did any MS Exchange service NOT start?

make sure the EXCHANGE FEATURES TAB in AD for the user is configured for POP3 service.

There are five services for Microsoft Exchange started and some that are not (by choice). Before posting I had checked the three Exchange related tabs for several of the AD accounts to make sure that POP3 was configured correctly. POP3 is definitely enabled for those accounts and I would have been surprised otherwise as these were working before and have suddenly stopped.


I am beginning to suspect the culprit may be Computer Associates eTrust - an anti-virus, anti-spam server software. A very unfriendly and unhelpful package, it appears to be blocking things but is not giving me enough information (such as specific port access) or help in rectifying it. So I can't tell if it is blocking POP3 requests.

any chance of turning that service off temporarily to test and see if that is the trouble?

I'm trying that now. :)

ok.. i'm going to turn in for the evening.

I couldn't turn off the CA eTrust as it is stopping quite a lot of viruses and spam that is attempting to get in and we are dealing with production servers. Also, on closer inspection, the CA eTrust is only blocking things on port 80 (HTTP) and port 25 (SMTP). What we are dealing with is using port 110 which is ignored by CA eTrust.

This can be verified by using a Telnet session to access the Exchange server.

Also, I turned on the option which allows clear text passwords so I can test further with Telnet internally. Interestingly, I am getting an error authenticating even though I know what my username and password are. My guess is that the username may need to be in a particular format but I have tried several and am not getting though.

Any suggestions?

The Telnet session currently goes as follows:

+OK Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 POP3 server version 6.5.6944.0 (AcmeServer.AcmeDomain.local) ready.
user john.doe
-ERR Protocol error.
user john.doe
+OK
pass johnspassword
-ERR Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password.


I find it strange that I am seeing an ERR Protocol error on my first command but after that it behaves normally. I am testing just with my own user account for now and it definitely has POP3 enabled in Active Directory. If I can connect with Telnet then it should be no trouble getting things to work in Outlook for the other staff.

\domain\john.doe

try that.

No. It gives an error if I try

user \domain\john.doe
-ERR Protocol error.

but without the leading backslash

user domain\john.doe
+OK
pass johnspassword
-ERR Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password.

The password is being entered in the correct case. Also the problem is occurring for all our staff accounts. So it is not a password typo either. I feel very confident that the password is OK but am not so sure about the format of the user. Also, that initial ERR Protocol doesn't sit well with me. What is that and how do I get more information about it in order to fix it?

irwinpks,

I got in! That article you referred me to mention something I hadn't tried and that was using BOTH the domain account and the mailbox together with the domain. Sure enough it let me in. I will verify that this works with the real staff needing this overseas before closing this question and awarding you the points.

cool!

As a further note to anybody who reads this question in the future, our issue was found to be authenticating with clear text works but authenticating with SPA doesn't. At some point SPA has stopped working but for now, by allowing clear text authentication our remote staff are able to login and get their mail.

The domain/domain_account/mailbox through telnet works fine which is why I awarded the points to that particular comment from irwinpks, as well as all of the help in arriving at a solution. Being able to test the connection from telnet is very handy. Thanks irwinpks for all your assistance.

you're wlecome...thanks for the supplemental followup.