Mail flow configuration

ensuring mail can flow properly within your organization may include a variety of items include accepted domain configuration, email address policies, send and receive connectors.

Accepted domain type configuration

Send connectors deliver mail to the next hop

• to internet using DNS MX or smarthost
• to smart host
• edge transport server or some form of anti/spam/anit virus server
• partner mail server with stronger security ,custom email size, etc

No send connector by default to send outside

Mailbox servers by default have implicit invisible send connectors that allow them to communicate with others within the organization based upon the AD site topology.

• for mail to flow outside your organization you must configure a send connector

Creating new send connector

* denote to all domains.  Also can specify a partner fqdn

editing send connector

Add caption

DNS settings to allow inbound emails

MX records must be created for nay domain you wish to receive email on.  Transport servers should be prepared to accpet email on that domain.


if multiple companies that accepted mail on exchange server, would need to have record for each one.

Mailbox configurations

Mailbox configuration methods

use EAC to configure a single user or select more than one user and perform a "bulk edit" change

using the EMS may offer you greater flexibility with cmdlets

• get-mailbox
• set-mailbox

common mailbox configuration options

individual mailbox quota settings and/or deleted item retention settings.  

• mailbox settings overrides mailbox settings and takes precedence.  retention settings not available on individual mailboxes.

sent and received message size restrictions

send as and/or send on behalf of settings

specific policy settings or features enabled (UM, EAS, etc)

Maximum message receive size

using EMS

Mailbox Maximum message 

Database

every email that goes to your mailbox server must go into a DB and this creates challenges because of the huge variety of messages exchange handles.

email goes to memory then written into to transaction log then committed to DB.

best to use DAG if cost is a factor then use above is old recommendation. Modern times use DAG feature for HA and resiliency.


use the exchange 2013 mailbox server role requirements calculator to help you determine your storage needs

standard edition support 5 databases

enterprise edition support 50 databases (down from exchange 2010 - 100 databases)

default MB folder path

chk = checkpoint log
jrs = spare logs
E01 = current log



Creating new DB

DB details

Edit DB

circular logging allows DB to grow but the tranactions logs are overwritten to conserve disk space. Used for DBs that are not critical and loss of emails  can be tolerated
Only Full backups can be performed.  For restores, only mail from the last backup can be restored.
transaction logs are not being built up and restore to point in time not possible.

background database maintenance does DB checksumming to validate the state of the DB.

mount/dismount a DB

Moving MB

creating recipients

Mail-enable using PS

Migrate to different databse