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neal2206Flag for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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Default SMTP Virtual Server to another Exchange server always retrying

I have added a 2nd Exchange 2003 server to one already working fine.  When I move a mailbox from the main one to the new one I can send email from this mail box but not to it.  The emails get "stuck" in the Default SMTP Virtual Server for this new server.  The error seems to be "The default server did not respond to a connection attempt"  ndr reports "Delivery to the following recipients has been delayed"  What can I do to get this connection to work? - It is created automatically so I do not seem to have any control over it.
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Mestha
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Can you telnet to the other server?

telnet server 25

Some AV software will block internal port 25 traffic, so this will show if that is happening.
Also ensure that you do NOT have a smart host on the SMTP virtual server. If you do (to use your ISPs SMTP Server for example) then move it to an SMTP Connector.

-M
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Hi
Yes.  Works fine - I can send emails ok this way, from another server and the main Exchange server
Also - I have not setup any SMTP to work externally for this new server yet, as I want to get internal emails working first
Have you checked that there is no smart host on the SMTP virtual server?
No restrictions on connection, anything like that?

It should just work, unless there is outside interference. The classic is AV software on the machine itself getting in the way, or a firewall. Something like that.

For external email you don't have to do anything. By default the server will try and send email out directly by DNS, and for inbound email sent to the first server would be passed to the second server automatically by Exchange, over SMTP.

If you want email from the second server to leave via the first, which can make things more straight forward for email routing and DNS, then configure an SMTP Connector with the existing server as the only bridgehead and email will only leave through one point.

-M
What is a smart host?  How do you check there is one?

There is no AV software on the second Exchange Server yet, just on the first. No firewall's enabled.  They are on different subnets but routing works fine so this should not be the problem - you can ping - map drives between the two

So what happens when it just does not work?  I've not done anything clever - just done a basic install then service pack - several reboots!
I would hope that you would know if you had set a smart host.
A smart host is used when you send email via another server - often the ISPs server, rather than directly using DNS records.

ESM, Servers, <your server>, Protocols, SMTP. Right click on the default SMTP VS and choose Properties. Click on the tab Delivery and then Advanced. Ensure that smart host is blank.

AV on the source server could be the cause of the problem. Which AV is it? If it is McAfee then it is very much likely the source of the problem.

Ping means nothing when it comes to diagnostics, and cannot be relied upon. It just says something is responding, nothing more.

-M
There was an old smarthost entry which has now been removed.  Following that, the queue connection was forced and mail routing seems to working correctly.
Thanks
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Mestha
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