BizTalk Server 2013 R2: Installation and Configuration – Install and configure SMTP Server Feature (optional) (Part 4)

Posted: January 7, 2015  |  Categories: Administration BizTalk
Tags: BizTalk BizTalk Server 2013 R2 Configuration Installation SMTP

This next posts will focus on installing the BizTalk prerequisites and perform the necessary configuration on the BizTalk Server machine.

Before installing BizTalk Server or its prerequisites, make sure you have installed the latest critical Windows updates from Microsoft.

Install and configure SMTP Server Feature (optional)

Again in the previous step “BizTalk Server 2013 R2: Installation and Configuration – Enable Internet Information Services (Part 2)” I mentioned that we should install the SMTP Server feature, why?

If you wish to configure BAM Alerts, you must have configured SQL Server Database Mail feature (we will see how to accomplish that afterward) and I will intend to configure this features using your local SMTP Server.

Note: This type of configuration is optional and you don’t need to install the local SMTP Server, you can and you should configure SQL Server Database Mail feature using an external SMTP.

If you didn’t previously install SMTP Server then you should follow these steps:

  • Start by running the “Server Manager”, if it is not already open, from either:
    • On the Windows taskbar, click the Server Manager button
    • On the Start screen, click the Server Manager.
  • Under the “Manage” menu, select “Add Roles and Features” (or press “Add roles and features” under the Dashboard panel)
  • On the Before You Begin screen, click “Next”
  • On the Installation Type screen, select “Role-based or Feature-based Installation” and click “Next”
  • On the Server Selection screen, select the appropriate server, leave the default options and click “Next”
  • On the Server Roles screen, click “Next”
  • On the Features screen, select “SMTP Server” and click “Next”
    • If prompted, click “Add Features”, and then click “Next”
  • On the Confirmation screen, select “Restart the destination server automatically if required” and click “Install”:
  • When the installation completes, the wizard reflects the installation status on the Results screen
  • Click “Close” to exit the wizard.

To configure the SMTP Server you should follow these steps:

  • Press the “Windows key” to switch to the Start screen and type “IIS 6.0 Manager” on the Start Search box, click on “Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Manager” option.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 Start Screen configure the SMTP Server IIS 6 Manager
  • Right-click on the SMTP Server ([SMTP Virtual Server #1]) and select “Properties” to open the properties window
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp iis 6 virtual server

Note: For the purpose of this installation, we will assume that email only can be generated from this machine. If the application that generates the email runs on a separate server, you need to grant relaying access for that server in IIS SMTP.

  • On the Properties windows, click on the “Access” tab and click “Relay…” under “Relay restrictions”
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp IIS 6 virtual server properties access
  • On Rely Restrictions windows, click” Add…”
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp IIS 6 virtual server properties access relay
  • On Computer window, enter 127.0.0.1 for the address and then click “OK”
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp IIS 6 virtual server properties access relay restrictions
  • The Connection setting controls which computers can connect to the SMTP server and send mail. By granting only localhost (127.0.0.1) access limits only the server itself the ability to connect to the SMTP server. This is a requirement for security, it prevents the SMTP server from being an open relay and being used to send unsolicited spam email by other computers on the internet, which could lead to the SMTP server being blacklisted.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp IIS 6 Manager Access Relay restrictions
  • On the Properties windows, click on the “Delivery” tab and click “Outbound Security…”
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp IIS 6 virtual server properties delivery
  • On the Outbound Security windows, select “Basic authentication” and enter the login credentials you use for your Exchange or personal account (Gmail, Live and so on). Click “OK” to continue.
    • If required, enable “TLS encryption”
    • This will be the account that will send the emails.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp IIS 6 virtual server properties delivery outbound security
  • On the Outbound Security windows, click “Advanced…”. Enter the SMTP server URL you got in the previous step in the Smart host edit box and then click “OK” to continue.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp IIS 6 virtual server properties delivery advanced delivery
  • On the Outbound Security windows, click on “Outgoing connections…” and set the port of your server
    • Limit number of connections to: When the checkbox is selected, this option specifies the total number of simultaneous outbound connections to all remote domains that can exist at one time. The default is 1,000 connections. The minimum is 1.
    • Time-out (minutes): Specifies the time allowed before an inactive connection is closed. The default is 10 minutes.
    • Limit number of connections per domain to: When the checkbox is selected, this option limits connections to any single remote domain. The default is 100 connections. This number should be less than or equal to the value for the Limit number of connections to option.
    • TCP port: Designates the TCP port used for outgoing transmissions. The default is port 25. The outgoing port setting can be the same as that for incoming transmissions or it can be different.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp IIS 6 virtual server properties delivery outbound connections
  • Click “Ok” twice to apply the settings on the SMTP local server
  • Right-click SMTP Virtual Server #1 again, and then restart the service to pick up the new configuration.

Verify Your Installation

The next step is to verify if the SMTP is successfully configured by using the simple Telnet Client.

If you don’t have Telnet Client installed, then you need to:

  • Start by running the “Server Manager”, if it is not already open, from either:
    • On the Windows taskbar, click the Server Manager button
    • On the Start screen, click the Server Manager.
  • Under the “Manage” menu, select “Add Roles and Features” (or press “Add roles and features” under the Dashboard panel)
  • In the Features Summary section, click “Add features”.
  • In the Add Features Wizard, select Telnet Client, and then click “Next”.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 add roles and features features Telnet Client
  • On the Confirm Installation Options page, click “Install”.
  • When installation finishes, on the Installation Results page, click “Close”.

To send a test email:

  • Open a command prompt window by pressing the “Windows key” to switch to the Start screen, type “cmd” and then click on “Command Prompt” option from the Search menu.
  • Type the following sequence of command:
telnet localhost 25
Helo serevr
mail from:email
rcpt to:email
data
put the body of the email message
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 smtp telnet mail test

Related links

Author: Sandro Pereira

Sandro Pereira lives in Portugal and works as a consultant at DevScope. In the past years, he has been working on implementing Integration scenarios both on-premises and cloud for various clients, each with different scenarios from a technical point of view, size, and criticality, using Microsoft Azure, Microsoft BizTalk Server and different technologies like AS2, EDI, RosettaNet, SAP, TIBCO etc. He is a regular blogger, international speaker, and technical reviewer of several BizTalk books all focused on Integration. He is also the author of the book “BizTalk Mapping Patterns & Best Practices”. He has been awarded MVP since 2011 for his contributions to the integration community.

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