Exchange/domain setup ?s

revo1059 · Post by **revo1059** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:04 am

Ok, I (for the 1st time) ventured into the land of the MS domain and using Exchange. Everything works fine but I want to setup external access to our Exchange server so we can access our emails without having to fire up a VPN tunnel.

Any good reading material/tips on how to setup our system so we can do that? I (think I) know that we have to make some changes to the DC and to the Exchange server, but I have no clue.......

Any pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:09 am

Way beyond me. Just make darn sure you read up and understand all the security issues. You need to be VERY careful if you plan on exposing a server to the Internet, and you need to stay on top of security updates.

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:07 am

revo1059 wrote:Ok, I (for the 1st time) ventured into the land of the MS domain and using Exchange. Everything works fine but I want to setup external access to our Exchange server so we can access our emails without having to fire up a VPN tunnel.

Any good reading material/tips on how to setup our system so we can do that? I (think I) know that we have to make some changes to the DC and to the Exchange server, but I have no clue.......

Any pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks

what version of Exchange? i'll assume 2010 SP2 if you went with the most current. 2007 and 2010 are very similar in that you'll need to configure your send and receive connectors on the Hub server(s). you're probably running all the roles on one box? for external access, you'll need to have an external DNS presence and then put an MX record out there so external senders can find you. as FP said, you need to make sure you don't leave your system open, as an open relay is the devil.

are you using a 3rd party filtering service? if not, you can install the anti-spam agents on the Hub role, or set up an Edge server. it's best to not let mail flow directly into your internal Exchange system...go with an Edge server in the DMZ or even just a Windows SMTP relay locked down via allowed IPs.

for documentation, TechNet will tell you everything. the whitepapers and info is very good, including diagrams how various designs, etc.

good luck!