Exchange Domain Names

Hello

In order to obtain emails via smtp through Exchange is it a prerequisite that a company obtains a domain name? I gather there is no other way around it unless they use the pop3 connector, but I prefer to use smtp. I assume it can't be done without a registered domain name as Exchange obviously requires a domain name to setup smtp.

Many thanks for any responses,
Jeff

 

An e-mail address needs a domain name as it is an integral part of that address. Specifically the part of the address after the @ is the domain name.

An SMTP server is by definition, the server that handles the mail for a specific domain or group of domains. Communication between SMTP servers is purely at the domain level. All the SMTP service does is pass mail to the server that hosts the mail for that particular domain.

So if you e-mail to john.doe@someplace.com, your mailserver will look up the MX record for the domain someplace.com via DNS. The MX record will tell the server the IP address of the SMTP server that hosts that domain's e-mail. You server will then send the mail to that server. Your server has no interest in the part of the address before the @.

Once the mail hits the server hosting the domain mail, that server then sorts the mail - putting it into the mailbox for the entity john.doe. The recipient then uses a different protocol (IMAP or POP) to retrieve the e-mail from that mailbox.

 

Thanks Reggie

1) Am I correct to assume that with a pop3 connector a domain name is not required because it is simply retrieving pop3 emails?

2) Also, whereas the Exchange server stores emails via smtp, with a pop3 connector the emails are downloaded from the Exchange server and stored on the users PC?

3) By using smtp, if Company (A) Exchange server sends to Company (B) Exchange server, am I correct to say that the emails simply go direct from A to B. However, with relay, emails are sent to the ISP from (A) and then re-routed to (B)?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

A domain name is still needed, but it is hosted by the ISP hosting the POP3 mailbox. If you want a unique part of e-mail addresses after @ then you need a domain. Otherwise you share a domain - such as someone@yahoo.com.

Exchange server store e-mail via a database (used to be a Jet database). SMTP = Simple Mail Transport Protocol. It's all in the name. SMTP is just the protocol servers use to pass e-mails back and forth.

No - a POP3 connector simply allows an Exchange server to pull e-mails out of POP3 mailboxes as this is often a cheaper alternative used by some ISP that don't offer an SMTP feed. Actually, most POP3 connectors pull the messages out of the mailbox and then push it to the server via SMTP.

The set up of clients - to use either IMAP, POP3 or Web access is independent of the POP3 connector. You can use all three for client access whether or not a POP3 connector is in place.

That's correct

 

I should also add that you need a domain on an internal network, for Exchange to work, but for this you can use a .local domain.

 

Thanks Reggie

So basically, to confirm, the pop3 connector on an Exchange server pulls emails down from the ISP pop3 mailbox, whereas if Exchange isn't using pop3 then the emails are simply retrieved direct to the Exchange server via smtp?

When a client accesses their Exchange mailbox they view their emails in Outlook which lie on the Exchange server. With the pop3 connector then, is this still the same?


As I thought Outlook stores the emails rather than Exchange when a pop3 connector is used. Therefore, the pop3 connector is only used to retrieve emails from the pop3 ISP mailbox, and they are NOT stored on the client PC when pulled down from Exchange?

Hope this makes sense!!!

Regards,
Jeff

 

• The Exchange POP3 connector - pulls domain mail out of an ISP's mailbox. This option was originally only available for SBS version of Exchange.
• Exchange is an SMTP server - Other servers push mail to the Exchange server via SMTP.
• Outlook in POP3 mode - Outlook pulls the mail out of the Exchange mail box and stores it locally in a PST file. In this mode Outlook pushes outgoing e-mails to the Exchange server via SMTP.
• Outlook in IMAP mode (default Outlook mode for Exchange) - The e-mails stay on the server and Outlook acts a portal to view and manipulate those e-mails.

The key thing is that POP3 and SMTP are just protocols used to transfer mail. They define this instructions and commands that one system uses when it passes e-mails to another. POP3 is used to pull e-mails from a single mailbox. SMTP is used to push e-mails to a server (either from a client or another server).