Exchange Server Testing

I am in the process of setting up an Exchange server and I was wondering how I test the server before I migrate all the email addresses to it? If the server does not have email@domain.com, does this mean I can test it by emailing to it's external IP address? or how can I setup a test account.

I need to configure and test the server, then migrate the email addresses from another mail server currently controlled by the ISP.

Any ideas?

Hi,

When you say Migrate, do you mean you want to transfer the mailboxes and all the content to the new exchange system or do you mean that you want to just add the e-mail addresses onto this new exchange system ?

For testing, you can just create some users and send test e-mails between the e-mail users on the system, then you can try to send an e-mail externally to a "foreign" system. To test internal, its easier to do this through Telnet and issue the SMTP commands to simulate it coming from an external source to ensure that the server is accepting e-mail from external. This will test the system for incoming, internal & external delivery. Once this is done, just change the MX record in DNS to point to this new server.

Cheers

Smurf,

After this post I found and developed ways for testing. I simply registered a new external domain for testing. Originally, I did not see how I could test sending mail to user@domain.com when it was in use and pointing to another mail server. Currently, I am able to send/receive mail to local domain users; however, I am unable to send mail to external domains. I will have to look into this further.

Do you know if there is a way to create a user that has a mailbox but does not have network access? This is Exchange 2007. Each time I create a mailbox, Exchange communicates to the Domain Controller and creates a user account that has network access. Any ideas?

I don't beleive there is a way to do that, Exchange relies on Active Directory in order to operate therefore it will create an account in AD.

To send a test e-mail using Telnet to test, see this link www.rdpslides.com/webresources/FAQ00035.htm

So, if there must be a network login created with each mailbox, what is the best way to disable that users ability to log into the network? without loosing the ability to check their mail?