Question : ETRN Backup for SBS 2003 Mail

Hi

We have an SBS 2003 Installation and use SMTP for email.

We are trying to set up a backup system for collecting Email when our Internet/Static IP address goes down.

The company who host our Domain ,this-domain.com, and have offered us an ETRN service which we have never used. I was given the following info when we purchased ETRN.

An IP address of 194.xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
A username and password
A second preference record of 20   xxx.xxx.net

With this info how do we configure this on SBS2003/exchange 2003 or is it possible to simply collect the email on a non-domain laptop with outlook/3G connection?

Answer : ETRN Backup for SBS 2003 Mail

hi

I am not familiar with ETRN service.

However if you are planning to collect emails when your Exchange server goes down, here's the general overview of the solutions which are available.

a) Your Exchange Server will be running on FQDN - mail.domain.com - which will resolve to IP - 194.xx.yy.zz
194.xx.yy.zz  is your public IP

Your scenario
MX 10 -194.xx.yy.zz

You need to create a backup MX with priority 20
MX 20 - 1.2.3.4 (example)

This MX 20 should point to some type of back-up MX service.

we use one called mxsave.
www.mxsave.com
Costs us $5 a month

the way to setup = sign-up for a Backup MX service.
Follow the instructions on how to set-up backup MX

They will ask you to configure a MX 20 with 1.2.3.4 > which will point to their mail-server.

Typically they will collect all your emails for a period of 14-days (doesnt matter how many emails, limits are only on time - not size)

When your primary exchange server comes online - MX Save will start delivering emails to your primary MX

in the meantime, you can go online to a web based console and see all the emails which came during this period.

--
How to test it.
a) Setup MX 20
b) Create and setup www.msave.com - account > pay for it etc.
c) On your Exchagne Server - STOP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol Service.
> this will route all your emails to mxsave.
Login to mxsave after 10/20 mins to see if you can see the *lost* emails.

d) Start SMTP service on exchange.
e) Log back in MxSave after 30 mins to see if the queue is empty.
f) Login to exchange to see if those lost emails are delivered to respective mailbox.

hope this helps.

thanks
Sunny


Links
http://www.mxsave.com/