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Hi, 

We are currently using Smartermail for our company emails and want to use Exchange 2007 instead. We have set up exchange server in the office and replicated all the email accounts on the exchange server. Instead of changing DNS settings and getting rid of Smartermail altogether, we want Smartermail server to forward everything to the Exchange server (with the default Smartermail spam filtering). I tried the domain forwarding option to test if it works alright. Added IP Adress of the exchange server and the domain to forward. Sent a test email to myself. I have outlook profile configured to receive from both the exchange server and the smartermail server using POP. Strangely, I got 2 copies of the email. One each on both accounts. I was expecting this to only receive on my exchange account.

Is there something I am doing wrong here? Please advise.

Thanks,

Hiral 

 BUMP!

Did you set up domain forwarding to the Exchange server and leave the same domain in SmarterMail? Maybe there's something with that. Otherwise, nothing comes to mind... 

If you simply want to forward mail to your exchange box then no problem using the domain forwarding feature in SM4.  If you intend to have those messages "scrubbed" of spam using SM's built in anti-spam features *no dice* as it stands today. 

We are testing SM as a smtp gateway for Exchange *using* SM's built in anti-spam features right now as well.  There are limitations related to the built in anti-spam controls and currently at this time SM recommends using third party anti-spam for your smtp gateway domains.  I don't have official word, but would presume the lack of spam controls on forwarded domains is b/c SM doesn't have user CFG's for the forwarded domains to decide how to handle the spam actions.

I really need to use the built in anti-spam features for my smtp gateway customers and our own domain, so what it looks like is this (we have been running for a couple of weeks just fine):

1. Have a SM domain with all your users.  Be sure to not use aliases - one user account per address (your exchange box should handle aliases via distribution groups).
2. Do not use the domain forwarding feature in SM
3. Create a recipient policy on your Exchange box to accept mail not only from your Internet domain, but also for a 2nd domain name that isn't published in DNS (for example we use "forwarded.[your email domain].com"
4. On your SM server in windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts add a host entry that includes a pointer to forwarded.[your domain].com.  Technically you could use DNS, but this way is a little more subtle (the idea is your exchange box really doesn't have an external presence - all mail comes in from SM). 
5. In each of your mailboxes in SM forward the message to user@forwarded.[your domain].com.  Do not delete the message! (see why below)
6. Use a folder clean-up feature to clean up these SM boxes so they don't fill up your server
7. Your choices for anti-spam actions are alter the subject line and delete the message (do not use send to JunkMail folder - a copy of the spam message will get forwarded down with this option)

I have an open ticket with SM regarding the oddities of spam message header info for forwarded emails in particular.  I think it's important that the email header include the spam detail line, and for some reasons this info is not written in the email header on forwarded messages if you choose to delete the message (kind of odd because forwarded messages will have the subject line altered if that's the action you choose, and the subject line is part of the email header too).  SM is looking into this - hopefully they can confirm the behavior that I have documented for them.

If SM would write the X-SmarterMail-Spam: header on all forwarded mails that would really help.  If this was the case I would just delete the messages after forwarding.

Steve

 Hi daflookie

 Did you get any answer from SmarterTools?

 

Regards

 I'mpretty sure that functionality had been added to v5.5

Hi all.

I too would like to use this functionality.  I currently use ArgoSoft which has a MailBag feature.  It allows me to add a domain with no user accounts, checks all incoming messages regardless of recipient (unless using a whitelist), and then forwards them all on to a server that I specify.  I love this functionality as it allows me to offer low-cost spam and virus filtering for some of my clients with their own Exchange servers.

Is it possible to do this in SmarterMail 5.5 as I've been looking and can't find a way.  It's key that I just add a domain without any users for it to scan and forward all mail on elsewhere.

I've looked at the BackupMX idea but if I understand it correctly it won't meet my needs, as no mail will be delivered directly to the target server, it will all come to mine first for scanning.  No higher MX records will exist.

Thanks,

Dave

You can add a domain forward in your SmarterMail server to the exchange server. It will operate exactly as you want it to. It will accept all mail for that domain and then forward it to the other server. It will do GreyListing, SMTP Blocking, Anti-Virus, and Outgoing SMTP Blocking.

If you want to have SmarterMail filter email for your exchange server, you can do this.

 You will need to create all of the mailboxes that exist in Exchange (with the same domain) in SmarterMail.

 For each mailbox, you will need to autoforward the mail to: username@exchange.example.com

 Then configure exchange to accept email for exchange.example.com.

 Lastly, configure domain forwarding for exchange.example.com to go to the exchange server's IP address.

 So, it will work like this:

  SMTP In --> SmarterMail --> Local Delivery to username@example.com --> Spam Filtering --> Autoforward to username@exchange.example.com --> domain forward for exchange.example.com --> SMTP Out to Exchange server

Can you please explain why SA and Bayesian Filtering is only used for local deliveries and not for forwarding? There doesn't seem to be much logic in it except to cut down on server resources. But if Admins have a choice to enable/disable it then everyone would be happy.

 

 These are still used for Spam Filtering. Its just that the Filtering Action isn't performed unless it is a local delivery.

Right, that was my question. Programatically I am sure you can have SA/SM bayesian filter incoming messages (ie set a spam score and add a header) even if they are not set for local delivery. So the question is, why did you guys choose to make this a limitation?