Unable to forward messages to external email address

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John Gray
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Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by John Gray »

Environment:
  • Exchange Server 2007 64-bit (by definition!), using Mailboxes (no PSTs), the previous server ran Exchange Server 2003 (32-bit);
  • clients on XP Pro using Outlook 2003 (converted very recently from Outlook 2002/XP)
I have set up a Server-side Rule (real data changed!)

Code: Select all

Apply this rule after the message arrives
sent to <user's internal email address>
   and received <after 23 January 2010>
forward it to <external email address>
except if from <external email address>
   or except if it is an Out of Office message
but it never sends any incoming email to the external email address.

It's possible to cause ALL incoming emails for the user to be sent to the external email address for that user by setting up a Mail Contact in Exchange Server Manager, and then the Delivery Options in the Mailbox's Mail Flow features, but that's far too inflexible, and requires me to go into ESM to turn it on and off.

This sort of transfer rule worked trivially in Outlook 2002/XP, and I'd like to do the same in Outlook 2003.

Any brite ideas, anyone? Thanks!
John Gray

Venison is quiet deer, and quite dear.

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John Gray
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Re: Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by John Gray »

Oh, something I forgot to mention - it may be relevant?
Outlook 2003/Exchange Server 2007 is using Cached Exchange Mode, and one of the side-effects is that it produces an OST file on the PC hard disk for each user.
John Gray

Venison is quiet deer, and quite dear.

JoeP
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Re: Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by JoeP »

Joe

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John Gray
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Re: Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by John Gray »

JoeP wrote:Are you allowing a relay? You might want to check Exchange 2007: How to allow relay exceptions | Network Administrator | TechRepublic.com.
Thanks, Joe. I think I have bnow got it to work by ticking a couple of seemingly unrelated settings...

Allow Automatic Forwarding/Replying to the Internet

As a secure default Exchange doesn’t allow sending automatic forwards, replies and Out of Office Assistant Messages to the Internet. The security in this is that there can’t be created any mail loops and that Exchange doesn’t reply to any spam messages which might lead to spam attacks. If you still want to disable this behavior after careful consideration you can do this in the following way;
Exchange 2007:

1. Open Exchange Management Console
2. Expand Organization Configuration-> Hub Transport
3. In the right pane select the Remote Domains tab
4. Right click Default and choose Properties
5. On the General tab you can set which type of Out of Office Messages you will allow
On the tab named “Format of original message sent as attachment to journal report:” you can enable or disable the automatic replying/forwarding.

I would never have guessed a connection unless I'd been told!
(And I also checked that my Exchange Server hasn't become an open relay...!)
John Gray

Venison is quiet deer, and quite dear.

JoeP
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Re: Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by JoeP »

As usual Microsoft have managed to obscure something that should be in plain sight.

I guess now you'll have to regularly check that your Exchange Server is not being abused.

Joe
Joe

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John Gray
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Re: Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by John Gray »

We are now seeing messages where someone is trying to use us as a relay, which are rejected by our antispam solution. They come from MAILER-DAEMON@ourdomain.org.uk, with subject "Returned mail: response error" and reason "NDR returned from address ouruser@ourdomain.org.uk never sent to with this server". I hope all I need to do is to find a way to auto-delete them!

(I've checked our mail server with Check Open Relay, and it seems OK...)
John Gray

Venison is quiet deer, and quite dear.

JoeP
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Re: Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by JoeP »

Good luck. Can you set a rule to auto-delete that specific NDR?

Joe
Joe

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John Gray
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Re: Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by John Gray »

I thought I couldn't, but it seems that I didn't click Apply (v. necessary -in Hexamail Guard - ask Claude!), and so there were acres of them appearing until I noticed and re-added the selection criteria. Hope that it is now well.
John Gray

Venison is quiet deer, and quite dear.

JoeP
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Re: Unable to forward messages to external email address

Post by JoeP »

Ah, the pesky Apply button.

Joe
Joe