Assuming you have registered a domain name already (like mycompany.com), have
it currently hosted with an ISP, are using associated email addresses (like
), and have a static IP address for your Internet
connection (ie, cable or DSL)... You can easily move from POP3 email
addresses to pure Exchange email addresses without changing your address.

With this scenario, it is a matter of changing the MX records to point to
your static IP address at your office, open port 25 on the firewall and
direct to the Exchange server - be sure the server is secured with all its
patches, AV (like Trend Micro ScanMail), and (optionally) set IMF for
Exchange 2003 SP2 BEFORE setting Exchange to receive mail directly. One more
note, be sure to have your static IP address resolve to your external mail
server name (ie, mail.mycompany.com resolves to x.x.x.x and x.x.x.x resolves
to mail.mycompany.com). I would make the changes for all this on a Friday
afternoon to allow for DNS replication over the weekend. That's the basics of
it anyway.

If you are still using your ISP's domain name in your email addresses, then
you need to decide if switching to mycompany.com email addresses is what you
want to do. Personally, I believe it is well worth it - having used and
administered many Exchange servers at several organizations. Exchange
provides a LOT more control and flexibility for your email and scheduling
needs than POP3 alone. POP3 and Exchange mailboxes as a combo (like you are
doing now) just complicates matters for you.

Alternatively for the calendaring issue, you could create a separate account
in Exchange called "Master Calendar", set the permissions on the account to
allow everyone (or select people) to create/modify/delete/see only the
calendar item in the mailbox, then add it as a second account to view from
within Outlook. The Public Folder Calendar option works great too and will
have less adminitrative needs. Likewise, you can create a Public Contacts and
Tasks lists in the Public Folders too - and set specific permissions (either
group or individual) on every list or folder too!

Another suggestion: Use Outlook 2003, configure it for cache mode (after
switching purely to Exchange mailboxes), and set the Junk E-mail options
appropriately (most like the "High" setting lately) to work with IMF for
controlling SPAM.

Good luck!

TimothyS - [MCP]
Systems Administrator

"Anna B" wrote:

Can you tell me what needs to be done to configure Exchange to send external
messages through our ISP? I believe the issue is that we do not want to have
to change our e-mail addresses. Alternatively, is there a way to configure
this to put the items on our "exchange" calendar and leave it as is?

It is definitely a problem because when we receive an "invitation" to a
meeting, and then we "accept", the address is not recognized and the "accept"
is sent back to the sender. Then, the mail system is defaulted over to the
"Exchange" server, so that the next time you send out an e-mail, it tries to
send it there, and it is again sent back.

I am trying to get our IT person out here in a couple of days and I would
like to know all of the options. Thanks so much for your help.



"Brian Tillman" wrote:

Anna B wrote:

The person's name is mine. We have a local folder containing calendar
items, and then a "mailbox calendar" containing calendar items.

Then you're using Exchange and the "mailbox" is your Exchange mailbox. You
should be using your mailbox as the delivery location. That's the only way
to share calendars.

When
I try to "invite someone to a meeting, it seems to me that when I
accept, the appt would apply to the "mailbox" calendar as opposed to
my personal calendar, however, it goes to the personal calendar.

Because you have your delivery location set to a PST instead of the Exchange
mailbox.

Is there a reason why we need both calendars? We do
have a POP e-mail system, which is our main system, and then a
Microsoft exchange e-mail system, which was set up for the use of
this calendar.

Why not have Exchange be the maiin mail system? It can easily be configured
to send external messages through your ISP. A log of your problems would go
away, in my opinion, if you were to do this.
--
Brian Tillman