Configure Exchange server in on-premises ? what is requirement

Question

I want configure the exchnage server on-premises, then what reuirement like mx record or if suppose mail communication external server then what will do on premise ?

Please guide us

Answer 1

Hello @KESHAV SAWANT ,

According to your description, you want to configure the Exchange server for external network email communication. I suggest that you configure it according to the following three aspects:

1.External mail flow requires the following configuration:

·MX records: You need to create an MX (Mail Exchange) record in your DNS settings that points to the public IP address of your Exchange server. This record tells other mail servers where to deliver email messages for your domain.

·SPF records: Consider publishing SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records in DNS to specify which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. This helps prevent email spoofing and improves email deliverability.

·Send connector to internet: When you install the first Exchange Server 2016 or Exchange 2019 server, the server can't send mail outside of your Exchange organization. To send messages outside of your Exchange organization, you need to create a send connector.

2.External access requires configuring DNS records

3. Finally open ports 443, 993, 995, 25,80

For specific operations, please refer to the link below：

https://learn.microsoft.com/zh-cn/exchange/mail-flow/connectors/internet-mail-send-connectors?view=exchserver-2019

https://learn.microsoft.com/zh-cn/exchange/plan-and-deploy/post-installation-tasks/configure-mail-flow-and-client-access?view=exchserver-2019

Answer 2

Configuring Microsoft Exchange Server on-premises requires careful planning and consideration of various requirements. Here are the key requirements and considerations:

1. MX Record: You need to create an MX (Mail Exchange) record in your DNS settings that points to the public IP address of your Exchange server. This record tells other mail servers where to deliver email messages for your domain.
2. External Communication: Ensure that your Exchange server has a public IP address or is behind a firewall/NAT device with port forwarding configured to forward SMTP (port 25) traffic to the Exchange server. If your Exchange server is behind a firewall, you need to configure firewall rules to allow incoming SMTP traffic from the internet to reach the Exchange server. Obtain a valid SSL/TLS certificate for your Exchange server to enable secure communication (HTTPS) with clients and other mail servers. This certificate should match the hostname used for accessing Exchange services (e.g., mail.example.com).
3. Domain Configuration: Configure your Exchange server to accept email for your domain(s). This involves adding accepted domains and configuring email address policies. Ensure that your internal DNS infrastructure is configured to resolve external domain names (e.g., example.com) to their public IP addresses.
4. Internet Connectivity: Ensure that your Exchange server has reliable and continuous internet connectivity to send and receive emails. Consider redundant internet connections for high availability.
5. SPF Record: Consider publishing SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records in DNS to specify which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. This helps prevent email spoofing and improves email deliverability.
6. Reverse DNS (PTR) Record: Some email servers perform reverse DNS lookups to verify the sender's identity. Ensure that your ISP configures a reverse DNS (PTR) record for your Exchange server's public IP address.
7. Security and Compliance: Implement security best practices to protect your Exchange server from unauthorized access, malware, and spam. This includes regularly applying security updates and patches. Configure Exchange server settings for compliance with industry regulations and company policies regarding email retention, archiving, encryption, and data protection.
8. Testing and Monitoring: Perform thorough testing of your Exchange server configuration to ensure that it can send and receive emails successfully. Set up monitoring and alerting to detect and respond to issues promptly, such as email delivery failures or abnormal server behavior.

Details at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/plan-and-deploy/plan-and-deploy?view=exchserver-2019

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hth

Marcin