Configuring Exchange Server 2003 to Coexist with X.400-Compliant Messaging Systems

10/24/2010 4:16:11 PM

There are two primary messaging standards in use for transporting e-mail between foreign messaging systems. The most popular is SMTP, which most people are familiar with. The other is X.400, which is less used in the United States but is prevalent in Europe and Canada. X.400 is a standards-based system that provides a hierarchical addressing structure. Whereas an SMTP address is in the format host@domain, an X.400 address is in the format “c=country;a=administrative management domain;p=private management domain;o=organization;s=surname;g=given (first) name”. An SMTP address of [email protected] in X.400 formatting would look like this:

c=USA;a=;p=LITWAREINC;o=LITWAREINC;s=Meyer;g=Chris

All versions of Exchange Server support the X.400 standard, and Exchange Server 5.5 used X.400 for all internal processing and message delivery. You didn’t even need SMTP addresses with Exchange Server 5.5 unless you were communicating with SMTP-based messaging systems, such as over the Internet.

In Exchange Server 2003, you can configure an X.400 connector to connect any X.400-compliant messaging system. There are two primary uses for the X.400 connector. One is to connect X.400 messaging systems that do not support any other common protocol to Exchange Server 2003. The other is to connect Exchange Server sites that are connected by unreliable bandwidth. Typically, you would use a Site Connector to connect Exchange Server 2003 routing groups, but if the bandwidth is unreliable, you can use the messaging-based X.400 connector, which doesn’t rely on a consistent or permanent link for the connection.

Configuring an X.400 connector is done through Exchange System Manager. There is nothing additional to install, unlike with the Connector for Lotus Notes or the Connector for Novell GroupWise. Before you can configure an X.400 connector, you must first create an X.400 transport stack in the Protocols container on the desired server. This provides the transport that the X.400 connector will use. There are three different types of X.400 transports available in Exchange Server 2003:

TCP/IP X.400 Service Transport Stack Provides an interface for connecting X.400 messaging systems over the standard Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol.
X.25 X.400 Service Transport Stack Provides an interface for using X.25-compliant devices to connect X.400 systems.
RAS Provides an interface for using Remote Access Service (RAS) over a dial-up connection. This option will appear only if RAS is installed on the server.

After you configure the type of transport stack you want the X.400 connector to use, you can then configure the X.400 connector to use the transport stack. This is also done through Exchange System Manager, by right-clicking the Connectors container, pointing to New, and clicking the type of X.400 connector to create. To configure the X.400 connector, you use a series of property tabs, similar to configuring other connectors. If you are connecting to a non-Exchange Server X.400 system, you will need to obtain the necessary information about the destination end of the connector, and the administrator of the other system will need your information. You have to configure both ends of the connector for synchronization to work, so configuring an X.400 connector is usually a cooperative effort between mail system administrators.

Practice: Configuring Exchange Server 2003 to Coexist with Other Messaging Systems

In this practice, you will configure the local side of an X.400 connector that will be used to connect Exchange Server 2003 to a non-Exchange Server X.400 messaging system. Perform these tasks on Server03. Enable the display of Administrative Groups and Routing Groups, if they are not already enabled.

Exercise 1: Create an X.400 Transport Stack

1.	Open Exchange System Manager, and navigate to Server03 in the console.
2.	Expand Server03, and click the Protocols container.
3.	Right-click X.400, point to New, and click TCP/IP X.400 Service Transport Stack.
4.	The Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 1, appears and a default name is given. You do not need to configure the OSI Address Information, so click OK. Figure 1. Configuring a new TCP/IP X.400 transport stack
5.	Expand the Routing Groups container, and then expand First Routing Group. Right-click the Connectors container, point to New, and click TCP/IP X.400 Connector.
6.	On the General tab, shown in Figure 2, provide a descriptive name for the connector. You also have to select the remote X.400 name. This information is provided by the administrator of the other X.400 system. When you click Modify, the Remote Connection Credentials screen, shown in Figure 3, appears, which prompts you to enter the name and password for the remote X.400 system. The password is used to prevent an unauthorized user from creating a connection to a system. Figure 2. Configuring general settings for the X.400 connector Figure 3. Configuring the remote X.400 name and entering its password
7.	When you click the Schedule tab, you see a standard schedule screen. The default setting is Always Update, though you can schedule updating for different times if unreliable bandwidth, toll charges, or other reasons deem it necessary.
8.	Next, click the Stack tab. You have the option of specifying either the DNS name of the remote X.400 host or the Internet Protocol (IP) address. This information is based on the X.400 transport stack configuration on the remote end and must match for the connection to work. Enter an IP address, and then click the Override tab.
9.	The Override tab allows you to configure settings specific to the X.400 connector in a situation where you had multiple connections using the same X.400 transport stack. With only a single X.400 connector, there is nothing you need to configure, so continue by clicking the Address Space tab.
10.	The Address Space tab is identical to the one used to configure the Connector for Lotus Notes. You add address spaces to define the type and format of addresses used through the connector. Create an address space that matches the remote end.
11.	Click the Advanced tab. This tab, shown in Figure 4, allows you to configure link options and message settings. If the X.400 system on the other end is an Exchange Server system, use Allow Exchange Contents to send messages using the Exchange Server 2003 internal Message Database Encapsulated Format (MDBEF). If you are connecting to a non–Exchange Server X.400 system, clear the check box to send in the standard X.400 format. Figure 4. Configuring advanced message settings
12.	Click the Content Restrictions tab. On this tab, shown in Figure 5, you can restrict the types of messages and the allowed size of messages that can pass through the connector. By default, there are no restrictions, but you can define restrictions, if necessary. Figure 5. Configuring content restrictions

You are finished configuring this side of the X.400 connector. If you were connecting to another Exchange Server routing group, you would click the Connected Routing Groups tab and enter the information for the destination routing group or Exchange Server 5.5 site. Once the remote side of the X.400 connection is configured, you are able to transmit messages across the connector.