Managing Mail Contacts and Mail Users

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

Mail contacts are mail-enabled Active Directory directory service objects that contain information about people or organizations that exist outside your Exchange organization. Mail contacts are ideal for representing people external to your Exchange organization who do not need access to any internal resources.

Mail users are similar to mail contacts. Both have external e-mail addresses, contain information about people outside your Exchange organization, and can be displayed in the GAL and other address lists. However, unlike a mail contact, mail users have Active Directory logon credentials and can access resources to which they are granted permission. If a person external to your organization requires access to resources on your network, you should create a mail user instead of a mail contact.

To learn more about mail contacts and mail users, see Understanding Recipients.

This topic lists the management tasks that you can perform for mail contacts and mail users, and includes links to topics that will help you complete the tasks. Unless otherwise noted, these tasks can be performed by using the Exchange Management Console or the Exchange Management Shell.

Important

There are two types of mail contacts in Exchange 2007: mail contacts and mail forest contacts. Mail forest contacts are read-only recipient objects that are updated only through Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) or a similar custom synchronization. You cannot remove or modify a mail forest contact by using the Exchange Management Console or the Exchange Management Shell.

• How to Create a New Mail Contact

  If you use the Exchange Management Console for this task, the New Mail Contact wizard will guide you through the process of creating a new mail contact. If you use the Exchange Management Shell, you will use the New-MailContact cmdlet.

• How to Mail-Enable an Existing Contact

  If you use the Exchange Management Console for this task, the New Mail Contact wizard will guide you through the process of creating a new mail contact. If you use the Exchange Management Shell, you will use the Enable-MailContact cmdlet.

• How to Remove a Mail Contact

  If you use the Exchange Management Console for this task, you will need to select the mail contact from the Recipient Configuration node, and then click Remove in the action pane to remove the contact. If you use the Exchange Management Shell, you will use the Remove-MailContact cmdlet.

  Important

  When you remove a mail contact, not only is the Exchange-related configuration deleted, but the associated contact in Active Directory is deleted as well.

• How to Disable E-Mail for a Mail Contact

  Disabling a mail contact removes all Exchange attributes from the Active Directory contact object. The contact will no longer be mail enabled, but it will remain in Active Directory. If you use the Exchange Management Console for this task, you will need to select the mail contact from the Recipient Configuration node, and then click Remove in the action pane to disable the mail contact. If you use the Exchange Management Shell, you will use the Disable-MailContact cmdlet.

• How to Create a New Mail-Enabled User

  If you use the Exchange Management Console for this task, the New Mail User wizard will guide you through the process of creating a new mail user. If you use the Exchange Management Shell, you will use the New-MailUser cmdlet.

• How to Disable Mail for a Mail-Enabled User

  Disabling a mail user removes all Exchange attributes from the Active Directory user object. The user will no longer be mail enabled, but it will remain in Active Directory. If you use the Exchange Management Console for this task, you will need to select the mail user from the Recipient Configuration node, and then click Remove in the action pane to disable the mail user. If you use the Exchange Management Shell, you will use the Disable-MailUser cmdlet.

• How to Update a Recipient's Address and Phone Information

  This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Console and the Exchange Management Shell to update a recipient's address and phone information in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

  If you use the Exchange Management Console for this task, you will use the Address and Phone tab of the mail user or mail contact properties. If you use the Exchange Management Shell, you will use the Set-Contact or the Set-User cmdlet.

For More Information

• To learn more about mail contacts and mail users, see Understanding Recipients.

• For more information about using the Exchange Management Console, see Using the Exchange Management Console.

• For more information about using the Exchange Management Shell, see Using the Exchange Management Shell.