Networking HowTos
Networking HowTos

Configure Exchange 2010 to use a Smart Host

January 26, 2013 Exchange Server, Microsoft

This howto guide will step you through the process of setting up your Microsoft Exchange 2010 Server to send emails via a smart host.
The use of a smart host can be useful when the Exchange server cant directly send emails to external mail server. This might be due to firewall rules, ISP filters, or DNS issues.
Configuring Exchange 2010 to use a Smart Host when sending emails:
Open up the Exchange Management Console.
Exchange Management Console
Once loaded, expand the options on the left hand side of the management console window.
Microsoft Exchange
Expand “Organization Configuration” and select “Hub Transport”.
Exchange Hub Transport
On the right hand side, you should see the hub transport options.
Click on the “Send Connectors” tab.
Exchange Send Connector
Right click your existing send connector, and select “Properties”.
Send Connector Properties
The send connectors properties window will pop up.
Click on the “Network” tab at the top of the properties window.
Exchange Send Connector Network Properties
You have two options here for methods of sending emails. The first is to use the DNS system to route emails, and the second is to send emails via a smart host.
Select the “Route mail through the following smart hosts” option.
Exchange send connector routing
Once selected, the “Add” button and the Smart host listing section will become enabled.
Click “Add”.
Add smart host
The smart host screen should appear.
Add Smart Host Screen
You can either specify the smart host address using the IP address:
Add Smart Host using IP address
or via the fully qualified domain name:
Add Smart Host using Domain Name
Once done, press “OK”.
This will take you back to the previous screen, and your newly added smart host should now appear in the Smart Host listing.
You can add more than one smart host if needed.
Smart Host listing screen with newly added smart host
You will notice at the bottom, there is a authentication option, which by default is “None”. The authentication options apply to all the smart hosts listed. If your smart host server(s) requires authentication, click the “Change” button.
Smart Host Authentication option
The following smart host authentication settings screen will appear.
Smart Host Authentication Screen
The two options that will generally be used are “None” and “Basic Authentication”.
Smart Host Authentication selection
Select “Basic Authentication” for the username and password fields to become enabled.
Smart Host Authentication with no details
Enter in the username and password as required by your smart host server.
Smart Host Authentication with details
If your smart host server requires basic encryption over TLS, ensure the “Basic Authentication over TLS” tick box is ticked.
Click “OK” to go back to the send connector’s network configuration screen.
You can see that the authentication is now set to “Basic authentication”.
Displaying authentication option selected
Click the “OK” button at the bottom of the send connector properties windows to apply the changes.
Exchange smart host configuration completed
All outgoing emails that would go through that send connector will now go out via the specified smart host.
If you need to send the emails to the smart host on a port other than port 25, please read the following ‘how to’ article:
Change Exchange Smart Host Port Number

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