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Mail routing from E2K3 to external gateway getting stuck on E2K7
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Mail routing from E2K3 to external gateway getting stuc... - 13.Aug.2008 12:52:17 PM
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leesweet
Posts: 18
Joined: 6.Aug.2008
Status: offline
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We have a mix of mail systems, connected via a Unix sendmail server. Some email originates on the E2K3 server and should be delivered to either Unix or Lotus Notes systems. All of these go to the Unix gateway, and then to the final destination. (The E2K3 and E2K7 servers are directly connected with the usual standard Exchange routing group connector created when you install E2K7 and E2K3 is there already.)
This all worked fine for a week for the several mailboxes for our help desk on the E2K3 server; sending to addresses not on the E2K3 server went to the gateway and off to the other email servers. (Both 'unresolved' and 'smarthost' are set to this gateway, gateway.datatel.com.)
After adding the E2K7 server, now emails to addresses *that are not existing in Exchange but are in the local datatel.com domain* get stuck in the E2K7-E2K3 connector queue for 15 minutes and then time out and are sent on to the gateway.
This makes no sense to me at all; I would think the address would be checked against the GAL, found to be missing, and then sent to the 'unresolved' address, the gateway. Why is it trying the E2K7 connector queue at all?
The E2K7 server does have an 'accept' for datatel.com, of course, since some mail goes directly to it from the gateway, but shouldn't the 'unresolved'/'smarthost' settings on the E2K3 override that? If that's the problem, is there a way to change the precedence order of how these are evaluated on the E2K3 server so anything that isn't in Exchange is sent directly to the Unix gateway?
Thanks!
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Lee
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RE: Mail routing from E2K3 to external gateway getting ... - 13.Aug.2008 5:13:03 PM
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leesweet
Posts: 18
Joined: 6.Aug.2008
Status: offline
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Some other details... mail send to the addresses that waits and is eventually sent to the proper address seems to wait a variable amount of time. Anywhere from a tolerable one minute to over twenty minutes.
What are the best tools to use to examine what is going on here? Obviously, it can't be something that simple with these variable times...
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Lee
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RE: Mail routing from E2K3 to external gateway getting ... - 14.Aug.2008 2:44:37 AM
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TXB2
Posts: 53
Joined: 20.Mar.2008
Status: offline
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Hi,
Best thing to run here is the Mail Flow Troubleshooter found under the toolbox in the EMC. It will run through an easy wizard and get you to check various components.
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RE: Mail routing from E2K3 to external gateway getting ... - 14.Aug.2008 8:25:18 AM
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leesweet
Posts: 18
Joined: 6.Aug.2008
Status: offline
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Will give that a try; the mail that was stuck in the connector (03-> 07) finally bounced. But, what's the answer to the original question: Do Exchange connectivity rules override 'unresolved (on this server?) addresses should be sent to xxx' or not?
What's the priority?
I can't see the mail flow troubleshooter analyzing external rules....
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Lee
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RE: Mail routing from E2K3 to external gateway getting ... - 15.Aug.2008 9:10:35 AM
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leesweet
Posts: 18
Joined: 6.Aug.2008
Status: offline
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The troubleshooter only tests internally and then wants an error code. Since the mail bounces eventually because it can't be delivered, this tells me nothing new.
I've seen a couple of posts elsewhere that imply that the default connector between E2K7 and E2K3 servers sometimes doesn't work and you might need to delete and replace it. Does that make sense?
No one has other suggestions?
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Lee
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RE: Mail routing from E2K3 to external gateway getting ... - 15.Aug.2008 9:41:22 AM
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leesweet
Posts: 18
Joined: 6.Aug.2008
Status: offline
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More info after more manual testing... I did some 'telnet 25' hand-mail sending, and email goes both ways between the two servers that way.
Also, mail from the E2K7 to E2K3 works fine. (Outlook client on 7 sends to mailbox on 3 and is received by Outlook client). It's the mailbox on the 3 server can't send to a mailbox on the 7 server only. It's not Internet mail, forget that part. Only Exchange addresses that are destinated for the 7 server from the 3 server that are held in the connector queue on the 3 server.
So, what would be wrong with the connector/other parameters to cause that one thing to not work? Mail sits in the connector queue on the E2K3 server until it times out and it's bounced.
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Lee
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RE: Mail routing from E2K3 to external gateway getting ... - 15.Oct.2008 7:47:11 AM
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leesweet
Posts: 18
Joined: 6.Aug.2008
Status: offline
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I know several other people had this issue, and the answer's always useful for reference.. :)
A consultant finally found the answer in a Google groups posting.
In a E2K3/E2K7 connector pair, the E2K3 server can NOT have the smarthost field filled in. The 'unresolved addresses' field is fine. But using the smarthost field in the SMTP server config on the E2K3 server will cause mail to the E2K7 server from the E2K3 server to enter the connector queue and sit there and bounce in 48 hours.
Note that this requirement means that Internet mail goes to the E2K7 server and then to the Internet. I've not yet taken the E2K7 server down to see what the story is then. Since 'unresolved' is still set to the external gateway address, I surmise/hope mail will then go directly out.
This issue is either a big fat bug or a major undoc'd issue. Thanks to all to replied with suggestions!
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Lee
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