XADM: How to Configure a Routing Group Connector (267992)

MORE INFORMATION

To create a Routing Group connector, you must have more than one routing group. The routing groups to be connected can be members of the same administrative group or of different administrative groups. To create a Routing Group connector, you must have been assigned at least the Exchange Administrator role in the administrative group where the new routing group or connector will exist. Because Routing Group Connectors are uni-directional, you must have been assigned Exchange Administrator permissions to the remote administrative group to create a bidirectional routing group connector to a routing group that is outside the local administrative group.

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.
2. In the left pane of Exchange System Manager, expand the administrative group that you want, and then expand the Routing Groups container.
3. Click the routing group for which the connector is to be created.
4. In the right pane of Exchange System Manager, right-click Connectors, point to New, and then click Routing Group Connector.
5. Type a name for the connector in the Name box on the General tab.
6. In the Connects this Routing Group with list, click the destination routing group to connect to.
7. On the General tab, click the Add button to select the local bridgehead servers that can send mail over this connector.
8. In the Add Bridgehead box, click the SMTP virtual server instance that will manage the outgoing messages. Click OK.
   
   NOTE: The choices for the local bridgehead depend on the number of member servers in the source routing group. You can add more than one local bridgehead server for load balancing purposes.
9. On the Remote Bridgeheads tab, click Add to select a remote bridgehead server in the destination routing group.
10. In the Add Bridgehead box, click the SMTP virtual server (remote bridgehead) that will receive the incoming messages, and then click OK.
    
    NOTE: The choices for the remote bridgehead depend on the number of member servers in the destination routing group.
11. In the Properties box, click OK to accept the connector setup. The Routing Group connector created in the preceding steps is a one-way connector from the source routing group to the destination routing group.
12. You receive the following message:

    Do you want to create the Routing Group connector in the remote routing group?

    If you click Yes, a Routing Group connector is created in the other direction. If you click No, you must manually create the connector in the other direction.

In Exchange 2000, you can set up multiple one-way or two-way Routing Group connectors between the same routing groups. This is different than how site connector setup works in Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 and earlier.

If you already have one two-way Routing Group connector and are in the process of creating a second two-way Routing Group connector between the same two routing groups, the message mentioned in step 11 does not appear. This behavior is by design, as there is already a path back from the other connector in the form of the first two-way Routing Group connector that you already created. Consequently, you must remember to manually create the connector in the other direction, if you want one.

Additional Configuration on a Routing Group Connector

In addition to the basic connector setup, you may want to add special restrictions and options concerning delivery and content for the connector.

Delivery Restrictions

During the setup of a Routing Group connector or when you access the properties for a Routing Group connector, the Delivery Restrictions tab allows you to specify who is allowed access to this connector. By default, the connector accepts messages from everyone.

To access the properties of the Routing Group connector that you set up, right-click the connector, and then click Properties.

• On the Delivery Restrictions tab, the Accept messages from everyone setting is the default. You can choose to reject messages from everyone.
• For very specific restrictions on the use of the connector by specific individuals, you can select specific individuals from whom the connector will accept or reject messages. In the Accept Messages From and Reject Messages From lists, you can specify users. Click Add for these sections, and from the Select Recipient box, select the specific individuals from the directory.

Content Restrictions

Use the Content Restrictions tab to specify whether the connector restricts messages based on their priority: High, Normal, and Low. By default, a connector allows all message priorities.

To access the properties of the Routing Group connector that you set up, right-click the connector, and then click Properties.

• On the Content Restrictions tab, all of the priorities are checked by default. You can click to clear any of the priorities, for example, High, Low, or High and Low. Clearing a check box causes messages with those priorities to not be accepted by the connector.

Delivery Options

The Delivery Options tab is a new addition to the Routing Group connector and provides two scheduling features: scheduling the times when the connector is available, and scheduling the time when the connector is available for messages larger than a particular, specified size.

To access the properties of the Routing Group connector that you set up, right-click the connector, and then click Properties.

• On the Delivery Options tab, the connection time is set to Always Run by default. You can change this setting by choosing among the options provided in the list. To create your own custom schedule, click Customize.
• By default, the Use different delivery times for oversize messages check box is clear. If you click to select this check box, you can set the size that defines an oversized message (default value: 2000 KB). You can then set a separate schedule for the oversized messages by using the separate list options available. To define a custom schedule, click Customize.