Configuring Transport Server Properties
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
The property configuration of a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 transport server determines how that server processes messages. You can configure the transport server properties by using the Exchange Management Console or the Exchange Management Shell on a computer that has the Hub Transport server role or the Edge Transport server role installed. This topic provides information about the settings that you can configure for a transport server. The transport server settings that you configure on a Hub Transport server or Edge Transport server apply only to the specific server. The transport server settings aren't shared across other transport servers in the Exchange organization.
In the Exchange Management Console, view and modify the transport server configuration from the transport server property pages. In the Exchange Management Shell, use the Get-TransportServer cmdlet to view the transport server configuration and the Set-TransportServer cmdlet to modify the transport server configuration.
Before You Begin
To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:
- Exchange Server Administrator role
To perform the following procedures on a computer that has the Edge Transport server role installed, you must log on by using an account that is a member of the local Administrators group on that computer.
For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange 2007, see Permission Considerations.
How to View Transport Server Configuration
You can use the Exchange Management Console to view a limited set of transport server properties. You can view all the transport server settings by using the Exchange Management Shell.
To use the Exchange Management Console to view transport server configuration
Open the Exchange Management Console. Perform one of the following steps:
On a computer that has the Edge Transport server role installed, in the console tree, select Edge Transport, and then click the Properties link that is directly under the server name.
On a computer that has the Hub Transport server role installed, in the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and then select Hub Transport. In the result pane, select a server. In the action pane, click the Properties link that is under the server name.
The transport server properties are displayed.
In the release to manufacturing (RTM) version of Exchange 2007, the following tabs are displayed in the properties of Edge Transport servers and Hub Transport servers:
General
External DNS Lookups
Internal DNS Lookups
Limits
In Exchange 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1), the following tabs are displayed in the properties of Hub Transport servers and Edge Transport servers:
General
System Settings
External DNS Lookups
Internal DNS Lookups
Limits
Log Settings
To use the Exchange Management Shell to view transport server configuration
To display the transport server name, whether the message tracking log is enabled, and the external postmaster address for the specified server, run the following command:
Get-TransportServer <Transport Server Name>
Note
The external postmaster address is only used on Edge Transport servers as the sender of system-generated messages. On Hub Transport servers, the Microsoft Exchange Recipient is used as the sender of system-generated messages. For more information, about the external postmaster address, see Managing the External Postmaster Address. For more information about the Microsoft Exchange Recipient, see Managing the Microsoft Exchange Recipient.
To display a list of all properties configured for a specified transport server, run the following command:
Get-TransportServer <Transport Server Name> | format-list
To display a table of selected properties for a specified transport server, run the following command:
Get-TransportServer <Transport Server Name> | format-table Name,ExternalDNSAdapterEnabled,ExternalDNSServer
To view all properties related to a similar area, such as Domain Name System (DNS), you can use wildcard characters with the Format-Table command. For example, to view all DNS-related properties, run the following command:
Get-TransportServer <Transport Server Name> | format-table Name,*DNS*
To view all properties related to a similar area, such as Domain Name System (DNS), you can use wildcard characters with the Format-Table command. For example, to view all DNS-related properties, run the following command:
Get-TransportServer <Transport Server Name> | format-table Name,*DNS*
To view other information that isn't specific to the Hub Transport server role or the Edge Transport server role, such as the Exchange server version, run the following command:
Get-ExchangeServer | format-list
General Properties of Transport Servers
You may use the following methods to view general information about the transport server:
In the Exchange Management Console, use the General tab of the transport server properties. In Exchange 2007 SP1, some of the information that is displayed for a Hub Transport server has been moved to the new System Settings tab. The System Settings tab doesn't exist in Exchange 2007 RTM. In Exchange 2007 RTM, the same information is displayed on the General tab.
Use the Get-ExchangeServer cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. For any modifiable properties, use the Set-ExchangeServer cmdlet. For more information, see Set-ExchangeServer.
General Tab of the Transport Server Properties in the Exchange Management Console in Exchange 2007 RTM
In Exchange 2007 RTM, the General tab of the transport server properties in the Exchange Management Console displays the following information about the server:
The Exchange product version
The Exchange edition
The server roles that are installed on the server
The Exchange server product ID
The status of anti-spam updates. Typically, anti-spam features are only installed on an Edge Transport server. For more information, see Anti-Spam and Antivirus Functionality.
The last modification date
On a Hub Transport server, the domain controller servers and global catalog servers that are used by the Exchange server are displayed. This information doesn't apply to Edge Transport servers.
You can't modify any of these properties. These properties are automatically updated when you modify the computer that is running Exchange Server.
On the General tab, you can also enable or disable the automatic sending of fatal service error reports to Microsoft. The corresponding parameter in the Set-ExchangeServer cmdlet is ErrorReportingEnabled.
Figure 1 shows the General tab for the Hub Transport server properties in Exchange 2007 RTM.
Figure 1 General tab for the Hub Transport server properties in Exchange 2007 RTM
General Tab of the Transport Server Properties in the Exchange Management Console in Exchange 2007 SP1
In Exchange 2007 SP1, the General tab of the transport server properties in the Exchange Management Console displays the following information about the server:
The Exchange product version
The Exchange edition
The server roles that are installed on the server
The Exchange product ID
The status of anti-spam updates
The last modification date
On a Hub Transport server, the domain controller servers and global catalog servers that are used by the Exchange server are displayed. This information doesn't apply to Edge Transport servers.
You can't modify any of these properties. These properties are automatically updated when you modify the computer that is running Exchange Server.
Figure 2 shows the General tab for the Hub Transport server properties in Exchange 2007 SP1.
Figure 2 General tab for the Hub Transport server properties in Exchange 2007 SP1
System Settings Tab of the Transport Server Properties in the Exchange Management Console in Exchange 2007 SP1
Note
In Exchange 2007 RTM, there is no System Settings tab in the transport server properties. This information is located on the General tab.
In Exchange 2007 SP1, the System Settings tab of the transport server properties in the Exchange Management Console displays Active Directory directory service connection information and error report settings for the server.
If you view the System Settings properties for a Hub Transport server, the domain controller servers and global catalog servers that are used by Exchange are displayed. This information doesn't apply to Edge Transport servers.
On the System Settings tab, you can set the option to automatically send fatal service error reports to Microsoft. The corresponding parameter in the Set-ExchangeServer cmdlet is ErrorReportingEnabled.
Figure 3 shows the System Settings tab for the Hub Transport server properties in Exchange 2007 SP1.
Figure 3 System Settings tab for the Hub Transport server properties in Exchange 2007 SP1
DNS Lookups
DNS lookups are used by Exchange 2007 transport servers to resolve a host name to an IP address. Make sure that the server is configured to enable DNS resolution for hosts inside the Active Directory directory service forest and hosts that are outside the Exchange organization. The configuration of the transport server controls the DNS server that is queried to resolve an individual lookup. The transport server properties can be configured to use the DNS server configuration of a local network adapter. The transport server properties can also be configured to query a specific DNS server for host name resolution. If the transport server has more than one network adapter, you can configure DNS lookup to use the configuration of a specific network adapter for external and internal DNS lookups.
DNS lookups are directed to a particular DNS server as follows:
By default, the DNS configuration of a network adapter is selected. To override use of the network adapter configuration, by using the Set-TransportServer cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell, you must set the InternalDNSAdapterEnabled and ExternalDNSAdapterEnabled parameters to
$False
and configure a list of DNS servers to query. You can also use the Exchange Management Console to modify this configuration.The configuration of internal DNS Lookups is used by default.
The configuration of external DNS lookups is used only when a Send connector is configured to use these settings. This setting is enabled on a per-connector basis.
If you configure more than one DNS server address, the first DNS server listed is considered the primary DNS server. Additional entries are considered secondary DNS servers. Secondary DNS servers are queried only when the primary DNS server can't be reached.
If you configure DNS lookups to use the DNS server configuration of a specific network adapter, you must specify the adapter by its GUID. Never apply the network adapter GUID of one server to the transport settings of another server. If you do this, the server can't send mail because it can't locate the network adapter that is referenced by the GUID.
To retrieve the GUID for a network adapter, run the Get-NetworkConnectionInfo cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. This cmdlet must be run locally on the computer for which you want to retrieve the network adapter GUID. The following example shows the output of the Get-NetworkConnectionInfo cmdlet.
[PS] D:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>Get-NetworkConnectionInfo
Name : Intel(R) PRO/1000 MT Network Connection
DnsServers : {10.197.12.19, 10.197.12.20}
IPAddresses : {10.197.21.53}
AdapterGuid : 0d372140-eae6-4350-9ef8-14d9d10061f2
MacAddress : 00:0B:DB:4E:8C:A6
Note
If Exchange 2007 SP1 is deployed on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008, you can enter IP addresses and IP address ranges in the Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) format, Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) format, or both formats. A default installation of Windows Server 2008 enables support for IPv4 and IPv6. For more information about Exchange 2007 SP1 support for IPv6 addresses, see IPv6 Support in Exchange 2007 SP1 and SP2.
External DNS Lookups
When a Send connector is configured to use the external DNS lookup settings on a transport server, it uses the external DNS settings that you configure to resolve host or MX records to IP addresses. The external DNS settings also apply to Receive connectors for the anti-spam agents, such as the Sender ID agent and Connection Filter agent. You can select the DNS configuration of a specific network adapter. Alternatively, you can manually create DNS server entries. You can configure external DNS lookups in the Exchange Management Console and in the Exchange Management Shell.
To use the Exchange Management Console to configure external DNS lookups
Open the Exchange Management Console. Take one of the following steps:
On a computer that has the Edge Transport server role installed, in the console tree, select Edge Transport. Click the Properties link that is directly under the server name.
On a computer that has the Hub Transport server role installed, in the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and then select Hub Transport. In the result pane, select a server. In the action pane, click the Properties link that is directly under the server name.
Click the External DNS Lookups tab. By default, external DNS lookups are configured to use network adapter DNS settings. The network adapter that should be used is set to (All available). Take one of the following steps to configure the external DNS lookups.
To configure the external DNS lookups to use the DNS configuration of a specific network adapter, select Use network card DNS settings as shown in Figure 4, and then click OK. Select an adapter from the list that appears. The DNS settings for that adapter are now displayed on the External DNS Lookups properties.
Figure 4 External DNS Lookups tab on a transport server configured to use a specific network adapter
Warning
Do not select a specific network adapter unless you are logged on locally to the server that you are configuring. If you are configuring a remote server, you must select the (All Available) option.
To configure the external DNS lookups to use a specific DNS server, select Use these DNS servers. Enter the IP address of the DNS server and then click Add as shown in Figure 5, and then click OK.
Figure 5 External DNS Lookups tab on a transport server that is configured to use a manually configured list of DNS servers
Note
Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the External DNS Lookups tab in Exchange 2007 RTM. The External DNS Lookups tab is the same in Exchange 2007 RTM and in Exchange 2007 SP1.
To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure external DNS lookups
To configure the transport server to use a specific network adapter for external DNS lookups, run the following command:
Set-TransportServer <Transport Server Name> -ExternalDNSAdapterEnabled $true - ExternalDNSAdapterGUID 64fb8dba-0d5c-49eb-9ae3-93071551e4d9
To configure the transport server to use a list of DNS servers for external DNS lookups, run the following command:
Set-TransportServer <Transport Server Name> -ExternalDNSAdapterEnabled $false -ExternalDNSServers {192.168.1.1, 192.168.1.2}
Internal DNS Lookups
The internal DNS lookups configuration settings are used to resolve DNS queries for all communications that do not route through a Send connector that is set to use the external DNS lookup settings on a transport server. For example, all messages that are sent between Hub Transport servers in the organization by using the implicit intra-organization Send connector use the internal DNS lookups configuration.
You can configure internal DNS lookups in the Exchange Management Console and in the Exchange Management Shell.
To use the Exchange Management Console to configure internal DNS lookups
Open the Exchange Management Console. Perform one of the following steps:
On a computer that has the Edge Transport server role installed, in the console tree, select Edge Transport. Click the Properties link that is directly under the server name.
On a computer that has the Hub Transport server role installed, in the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and then select Hub Transport. In the result pane, select a server. In the action pane, click the Properties link that is directly under the server name.
Click the Internal DNS Lookups tab. By default, internal DNS lookups are configured to use network adapter DNS settings. The network adapter to use is set to (All available). Take one of the following steps to configure the internal DNS lookups.
To configure the internal DNS lookups to use the DNS configuration of a specific network adapter, select Use network card DNS settings as shown in Figure 6, and then click OK. Select an adapter from the list that appears. The DNS settings for that adapter are now displayed on the Internal DNS Lookups properties.
Figure 6 Internal DNS Lookups tab on a transport server configured to use a specific network adapter
Warning
Do not select a specific network adapter unless you are logged on locally to the server that you are configuring. If you are configuring a remote server, only select the (All Available) option.
To configure the internal DNS lookups to use a specific DNS server, select Use these DNS servers. Enter the IP address of the DNS server, click Add as shown in Figure 7, and then click OK.
Figure 7 Internal DNS Lookups tab on a transport server that is configured to use a manually configured list of DNS servers
Note
Figure 6 and Figure 7 show the Internal DNS Lookups tab in Exchange 2007 RTM. The Internal DNS Lookups tab is the same in Exchange 2007 RTM and in Exchange 2007 SP1.
To use the Exchange Management Shell to configure internal DNS lookups
To configure the transport server to use a specific network adapter for internal DNS lookups, run the following command:
Set-TransportServer <Transport Server Name> -InternalDNSAdapterEnabled $true - InternalDNSAdapterGUID 64fb8dba-0d5c-49eb-9ae3-93071551e4d9
To configure the transport server to use a list of DNS servers for internal DNS lookups, run the following command:
Set-TransportServer <Transport Server Name> -InternalDNSAdapterEnabled $false -InternalDNSServers {192.168.1.1, 192.168.1.2}
Transport Server Limits
The Limits tab of the transport server properties or the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is used to configure the following settings:
Retries These settings determine the interval at which an Exchange 2007 transport server will retry message delivery when a connection failure occurs. The available settings are as follows:
Outbound connection failure retry interval (minutes) Use this field to specify the retry interval for subsequent connection attempts to a remote server where earlier connections have failed. The previously failed connection attempts are controlled by the value of Transient failure retry attempts and the Transient failure retry interval. On a Hub Transport server, the default value is 10 minutes. On an Edge Transport server, the default value is 30 minutes. The valid input range is 1 minute to 28,800 minutes (20 days). The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is OutboundConnectionFailureRetryInterval.
Transient failure retry interval (seconds) Use this field to specify the connection interval between each connection attempt that is specified by the value of Transient failure retry attempts. On a Hub Transport server, the default value is 5 minutes. On an Edge Transport server, the default value is 10 minutes. The valid input range is 1 second to 43,200 seconds (12 hours). The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is TransientFailureRetryInterval.
Transient failure retry attempts Use this field to specify the maximum number of times that a server immediately retries when it encounters a connection failure with a remote server. The default value is 6. The valid input range is 0 to 6. When this parameter is set to 0, the server doesn't immediately try to reconnect. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is TransientFailureRetryCount.
Message expiration This setting determines how long an Exchange 2007 transport server tries to deliver a message before the server removes the message from the queue. If a message remains in the queue for more time, the message is returned to the sender as a hard failure. The default value is 2 days. The valid input range is 1 day to 90 days. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is MessageExpirationTimeout.
Notifications This setting is used to determine how long the server waits before it generates a delivery status notification (DSN) to the sender about a delivery delay. The default value is 4 hours. The valid input range is 1 hour to 720 hours (30 days). The value of Notifications should always be greater than the value of the Transient failure retry interval multiplied by the value of Transient failure retry attempts. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is DelayNotificationTimeout.
Connection restrictions These settings limit the maximum number of concurrent connections that can exist on an Exchange 2007 transport server. You can configure an overall limit. You can also configure a per domain limit. The available settings are as follows:
Maximum concurrent outbound connections Select this option to specify the maximum number of outbound connections that can be open at a time. If the connection limit is reached, the server does not initiate new connections until the number of current connections decreases. The default value is 1000. The valid input range is
1
to 2147483647. If you clear the checkbox next to Maximum concurrent outbound connections, no limit is imposed on the number of concurrent outbound connections. The value of Maximum concurrent outbound connections must be greater than or equal to the value of Maximum concurrent outbound connections per domain. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is MaxOutboundConnections.Maximum concurrent outbound connections per domain Select this option to specify the maximum number of concurrent connections to any single domain. The default value is 20. The valid input range is
1
to 2147483647. If you clear the checkbox next to Maximum concurrent outbound connections per domain, no limit is imposed on the number of concurrent outbound connections per domain. The value of Maximum concurrent outbound connections per domain must be less than or equal to the value of Maximum concurrent outbound connections. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is MaxPerDomainOutboundConnections.
Figure 8 shows the default configuration of the Limits tab for a Hub Transport server. The Limits tab is the same in Exchange 2007 RTM and in Exchange 2007 SP1.
Figure 8 Limits tab for a Hub Transport server
For more information about how to configure these properties, see Managing Message Retry, Resubmit, and Expiration Intervals.
Transport Server Log Settings
The Log Settings tab of the transport server properties or the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is used to configure the following transport log settings:
Note
In Exchange 2007 RTM, there is no Log Settings tab in the transport server properties. You must use the Set-TransportServer cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell to configure the transport server log settings.
Message tracking log These settings control the state of message tracking and the location of the message tracking logs. The message tracking log is a detailed log of all message activity as messages are transferred to and from a computer that is running Exchange. Message tracking is available on Hub Transport servers, Edge Transport servers, and Mailbox servers. The message tracking settings that are available in the Exchange Management Console are as follows:
Enable message tracking log By default, message tracking is enabled on a Hub Transport servers and Edge Transport servers. To disable message tracking, clear the checkbox next to Enable message tracking log. To enable message tracking, select the checkbox next to Enable message tracking log. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is MessageTrackingLogEnabled.
Message tracking log path This field displays the current location of the message tracking logs. To change the location of the message tracking logs, message tracking must be enabled. Click Browse next to Message tracking log path. In the Browse for folder window, browse to the new location where you want to store the message tracking log files. If you want to create a new folder, select a parent folder, click Make New Folder, and then type the name of the new folder. After you make your folder selection, click OK to close the Browse for folder window. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is MessageTrackingLogPath.
All other message tracking log settings can only be configured by using the Set-TransportServer cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. For more information, see How to Configure Message Tracking.
Connectivity log These settings control the state of connectivity logging and the location of the connectivity logs. The connectivity log is a record of the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) connection activity of the outbound message delivery queues to the destination Mailbox server, smart host, or domain. The available connectivity log settings in the Exchange Management Console are as follows:
Enable connectivity log By default, connectivity logging is disabled on Hub Transport servers and Edge Transport servers. To enable connectivity logging, clear the checkbox next to Enable connectivity log. To enable connectivity logging, select the checkbox next to Enable connectivity log. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is ConnectivityLogEnabled.
Connectivity log path This field displays the current location of the connectivity logs. To change the location of the connectivity logs, connectivity logging must be enabled. Click Browse next to Connectivity log path. In the Browse for folder window, browse to the new location where you want to store the connectivity log files. If you want to create a new folder, select a parent folder, click Make New Folder, and then type the name of the new folder. After you make your folder selection, click OK to close the Browse for folder window. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is ConnectivityLogPath.
All other connectivity log settings can only be configured by using the Set-TransportServer cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. For more information, see How to Configure Connectivity Logging.
Protocol log These settings control the location of the protocol logs. A protocol log is a record of the SMTP activity between messaging servers as part of message delivery. This SMTP activity occurs on Send connectors and Receive connectors that are configured on Hub Transport servers and Edge Transport servers. By default, protocol logging is disabled. The protocol log settings in the Exchange Management Console are as follows:
Send connector protocol log path This field displays the current location of the Send connector protocol logs. All of the Send connectors that are configured on the Hub Transport server or Edge Transport server share the same protocol logs. By default, protocol logging is disabled on all Send connectors. You can enable or disable protocol logging on each Send connector by using the Set-SendConnector cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell, or in the properties of the Send connector in the Exchange Management Console.
To change the location of the Send connector protocol logs, click Browse next to Send connectorprotocol log path. In the Browse for folder window, browse to the new location where you want to store the Send connector protocol log files. If you want to create a new folder, select a parent folder, click Make New Folder, and then type the name of the new folder. After you make your folder selection, click OK to close the Browse for folder window. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is SendProtocolLogPath.
Receive connector protocol log path This field displays the current location of the Receive connector protocol logs. All of the Receive connectors that are configured on the Hub Transport server or Edge Transport server share the same protocol logs. By default, protocol logging is disabled on all Receive connectors. You can enable or disable protocol logging on each Receive connector by using the Set-ReceiveConnector cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell, or in the properties of the Receive connector in the Exchange Management Console.
To change the location of the Receive connector protocol logs, click Browse next to Receive connectorprotocol log path. In the Browse for folder window, browse to the new location where you want to store the Receive connector protocol log files. If you want to create a new folder, select a parent folder, click Make New Folder, and then type the name of the new folder. After you make your folder selection, click OK to close the Browse for folder window. The corresponding parameter in the Set-TransportServer cmdlet is ReceiveProtocolLogPath.
Other than enabling or disabling protocol logging, all other protocol log settings can only be configured by using the Set-TransportServer cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell. For more information, see How to Configure Protocol Logging.
Figure 9 shows the Log Settings tab for the Hub Transport server properties in Exchange 2007 SP1.
Figure 9 Log Settings tab for the Hub Transport server properties in Exchange 2007 SP1
When you change the location of the message tracking log directory, the connectivity log directory, the Send connector protocol log directory, or the Receive connector protocol log directory, this change does not copy any existing log files from the old directory to the new directory. The new log directory is active almost immediately after the configuration change, but any existing log files are left in the old directory.
The following permissions are required on the log directory:
Administrator: Full Control
System: Full Control
Network Service: Read, Write, and Delete Subfolders and Files
By default, the Exchange Transport service uses the security credentials of the Network Service user account to create the log directory and apply the correct permissions. If the new log directory does not already exist, and the Network Service account has the rights that are required to create folders and apply permissions at the new location, the new log directory is created and the correct permissions are applied to the new directory. If the log directory already exists, the existing folder permissions are not checked. Whenever you move the log directory, it is always a good idea to verify the log directory and to verify that the new directory has the correct permissions applied to it.
Additional Transport Server Settings
When you use the Exchange Management Shell to configure the transport server, you can modify additional properties that are unavailable in the Exchange Management Console. These properties control settings that relate to the following transport features:
Delivery status notifications
External Postmaster address
Connection rates
Pickup directory
Pipeline tracing
Poison messages
Replay directory
Routing table logging
For more information about how to modify these properties by using cmdlets in the Exchange Management Shell, see the following topics:
For More Information
For more information, see the following topics: