Set Up Your Own SMTP Server
By Jim Kinkade
Tight restrictions imposed by some Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) are often the biggest
frustrations for our customers, especially those
using Email
Marketing Director software. One solution
for this roadblock is to set up, configure and
manage the mail server that's built-in to most
operating systems.
Operating systems using Windows 2000, XP Pro,
the 2003 Server and certain business versions
of Microsoft Vista have a Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol (SMTP) virtual server built
into the system's Internet Information Service
(IIS). Here's how to set this up.
Correction: Apparently
Microsoft removed the SMTP and POP3 capabilities
from the Internet Information Services of the
Vista operating systems.
IIS SMTP virtual server
The built-in IIS SMTP virtual server is easily
configured, but first may need to be installed.
To install from the Windows OS disc:
- Click Start >
Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.
- Click Add/Remove
Windows Components.
- Find Internet
Information Services in the list and check.
DO NOT uncheck any other options that are already
installed.
- Double click
IIS and ensure that SMTP is checked, click OK.
- Click next and
follow the prompts.
Some of the buttons and settings found in the
IIS properties window are ignored in this tutorial.
They are not important to this initial configuration.
Please refer to Microsoft Help for further details.
Once IIS is installed:
- Click Start >
Control Panel > Administrative Tools >
Internet Information Services.
- Expand the directory
tree until the Default SMTP Virtual Server is
listed.
- Highlight it,
and click the Properties Icon in the toolbar,
or right mouse click and click properties to
open the properties window.
Even though there are five tabs, only the General
and Access tabs are discussed here.
General tab
The properties window opens to the General tab,
the default IP address says "all unassigned."
This is where the IP address for SMTP server is
specified.
- Click Advanced
- Click Add
- Select the IP
address for this computer, it is likely the
only one listed
- Click OK.
Access tab
The Access tab is where authentication procedures
are enabled, which ensure that the SMTP server
is not listed as an Open Relay.
- Click the Relay
button
- Ensure "Only
the list below" is checked
- Click Add
- Ensure "Single
computer" is checked and add the IP for the
Email Marketing Director computer, even if it
is the same computer on which the SMTP will
reside
- Ensure the IP
is now listed and that Access status is Granted
- Click OK.
Once the properties are configured, start the
IIS SMTP server. In the IIS service manager, highlight
the Default SMTP Virtual Server and click the
Play button in the toolbar, or right mouse click
and click start. If it starts, the server is working
and will accept email messages from the program.
If it doesn't, something else may already be using
or blocking port 25.
Open port 25
To determine if the port is already in use, open
a command prompt and type "nestat -ano" and enter.
This displays all the ports in use and the process
ID of what is listening. Note the process ID (PID)
and then open the task manager on the problem
computer. Match the PID with the executable tied
to that port. If the process is not obvious, simply
enter it into a search engine online to find out
more about it. Some typical applications might
be the Windows security manager, another SMTP
server, or an anti-virus program. Get with a network
administrator to assist with freeing up the port,
or assigning a different port that might be available.
ISPs are mostly concerned with providing Internet
access to as many of their customers as possible.
In order to do this, they limit high volume traffic
like bulk email message sending through their
SMTP servers. Sending your email messages through
a properly configured SMTP server bypasses possible
tight restrictions the ISPs put in place. -- Arial
Software
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