X.400 Connector

You can use an X.400 Connector to establish an X.400 messaging route between two Microsoft Exchange Server sites or between a Microsoft Exchange Server site and a foreign X.400 system. An X.400 messaging route defines the path that an X.400 message follows to reach its final destination. It allows the message transfer agents (MTAs) in both sites or systems to communicate. A foreign X.400 system is a messaging system other than Microsoft Exchange Server that complies with the 1984 or 1988 X.400 standards.

You can configure multiple X.400 Connectors, each using different transport types. For example, one connector can use Transport Class 0 (TP0)/X.25 and operate only during the day, while another can use Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and operate all the time.

When an X.400 Connector is used to connect two sites, one server in each site is configured to provide the communication link. These servers are known as messaging bridgehead servers.

Before you install the X.400 Connector, you need to do the following:

• Determine which type of MTA transport stack you will use to connect to the site or foreign system. The MTA transport stack can be X.25, TCP/IP, or Transport Class 4/Connectionless Network Protocol (TP4/CLNP).
• Install the network transport protocols that will be used by the MTA transport stack and test the connection. For example, if you use TCP/IP, you would install TCP/IP on each server and then use ping to test the connection.
• Obtain the address of the site or foreign system.

To set up an X.400 Connector, you complete these tasks:

• Install and configure an MTA transport stack on the messaging bridgehead servers in your site and the corresponding transport software on the server in the foreign system.
• Configure the X.400 Connector to communicate with the other site or foreign system.
• Configure the other site or foreign system to communicate with the local server.
• Test the X.400 connection.

Note   Before you install an X.400 Connector, verify that the servers in your sites and in the foreign system are installed and running correctly, and that all required Microsoft Exchange Server services have been started.