Using Outlook with Exchange Server

[Markus]

I have a client that uses Outlook with Exchange server. I do not have
Exchange Server, and so the options in my outlook menu are different than
theirs.

I am trying to find where I could direct them in the Outlook menus to find a
reference to the Outgoing server port for email.

In my Outlook it is:
Tools/Options/Mail Setup tab/Email Accounts

Then you get a list of accounts and can choose Change to see the values for
that email account. When you choose Advanced tab, it provides info on the
port numbers being used for Out and Incoming mail servers.

Can anyone tell me how I can find this same info using the Outlook menu if
Outlook is running thru Exchange Server? I found an Advanced tab, but it
does not have this info.

Thanks for any and all help on this,
Mark

 

[Diane Poremsky {MVP}]

There is no outgoing port setting for exchange.

 

[K. Orland]

You don't need an outgoing port number with Exchange. Why do you ask? Is the
user unable to send email or experiencing any issues?

 

[Markus]

Port 25 is sometimes blocked by some ISP to reduce spam issues. For my
clients not using Exchange, I step them thru the Outlook screens to allow
them to locate the port that is now working with OL and use that same port in
an email program I wrote. I have a client using Exchange that is having
trouble getting a connection with SMTP server, and I thought the most likely
reason is that Port 25 is blocked.

Course, I am not familiar with Exchange, so maybe I am off base on this.
Maybe others here could help me out with more info on it.

Am particularly curious on how Exchange sends email if a port is not
specified, but OL without Exchange requires ports to be specified.

I have written a program to cycle thru some other port options if a SMTP
connect fails when sending email with my program, and am planning to try this
out with this client.

Appreciate any insight on this,
Mark

 

[K. Orland]

When Outlook is set to connect to Exchange, it polls. Read here for more
information on that:

http://groups.google.ca/group/micro...k=st&q=outlook+udp+k.+orland#35836cd8d50558fb

You didn't mention what version of Exchange, what version of Outlook, and
how the user is connecting to Exchange. Are they on the same LAN, connecting
remotely via VPN, another method perhaps?

 

[Markus]

Thanks. Guess I need to get more info from the client.

My program attempts to directly connect to an smtp server,
defaulting to using Port25. It does not actually go thru OL. I am not sure
how
Exchange might affect this attempt, or if it would.

I have adjusted the program to allow the user to select other ports to send
the
email. I will experiment with other ports this week and see what I get.

Will check back here with the results, and probably more questions.

Thanks again,
Mark

 

[Diane Poremsky {MVP}]

Is exchange the SMTP server you are attempting to connect to? A properly
configured Exchange server will not accept mail from unauthenticated
senders. It may use a SMTP connector will accept inbound mail from anonymous
senders but only deliver to addresses hosted on the exchange server, or a
firewall or edge server collects the inbound mail and authenticates with the
Exchange server.

 

[Markus]

Diane,

I gave the client the option in my email program of using other port
numbers, and eventually one did work. The email was sent out, and we
received it here.

I believe the port restriction on sending email is at the ISP, where some
ISPs have started rejecting any attempt to send email out port 25 cause
spammers often use this port for broadcasting email.

Changing the port seemed to solve the problem, and setting it up as an
option to use other ports means I do not need to step clients thru screens in
Outlook to see what port is being used successfully by OL now.

To answer your question, the SMTP server to send email to is the one our ISP
uses, and they do not block any port, tho they have a preference list. From
the results, it appears IT may have set up exchange, or maybe the ISP for the
client, was blocking outgoing email on port 25.

Thanks for your input,
Mark

 

[Markus]

As I expected, port 25 was the problem. See my reply to Diane here.

Fortunately, I did not need to work through exchange, and was able to
program the email send directly.

Thanks again for you input,
Mark