Configuring Microsoft Exchange Software

Some Internet firewalls do not accept the TCP/IP port numbers that Microsoft Exchange Server uses for Remote Procedure Call (RPC) communication, in which case, add port 135 to your firewall. You must then configure Microsoft Exchange to use the ports that your firewall will permit.

Use Registry Editor at your own risk. The following procedures involve editing your Registry. Before you modify your Registry, back up the Registry files. Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that can require you to reinstall Microsoft Windows NT. It may not be possible to solve problems arising from using Registry Editor incorrectly.

After you configure your Microsoft Exchange Server, you must create Netlet rules (Section "Netlet" in Chapter 2, Administration Console) for the Location Service on port 135 and the three remaining services: Information Store, Directory, and System Attendant. You must restart your computer for these changes to take effect. The Netlet rules for the three remaining services must map to the ports that you chose when you configured Microsoft Exchange. You create the rules for these four services in the Netlet page of the Administration Console.

To Configure the RPC Port for Microsoft Exchange Directory Service

1. From the Microsoft Windows NT program, start Registry Editor by running the command:

   Regedt32.exe

2. Under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, go to the subkey SYSTEM\Current controlSet\Services\MSEXchangeDS\Parameters

3. Add the following registry value as the DWORD value, which must be in decimal, that specifies the port to be used:

   TCP/IP port

   The RADIX should be set to decimal when you enter the value.

4. Quit Registry Editor.

To Configure the RPC Port for Microsoft Exchange Information Store Service

1. From the Microsoft Windows NT program, start Registry Editor by running the command:

   Regedt32.exe

2. Under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, go to the subkey SYSTEM\Current controlSet\Services\MSEXchangeIS\Parameters

3. Add the following registry value as the DWORD value, which must be in decimal, that specifies the port to be used:

   TCP/IP port

   The RADIX should be set to decimal when you enter that value.

4. Quit Registry Editor.

To Configure the RPC Port for Microsoft Exchange System Attendant Service

To administer an Exchange server across a firewall, you must configure the Microsoft Exchange Server to use a specific port on the computer that is running Microsoft Exchange Server. Clients always connect to port 135, the endpoint mapper, and then ask what port they should use for the Directory and Information Store Services.

1. From the Microsoft Windows NT program, start Registry Editor by running the command:

   Regedt32.exe

2. Under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, go to the subkey SYSTEM\Current controlSet\Services\MSEXchangeSA\Parameters

3. Add the following registry value as the DWORD value, which must be in decimal, that specifies the port to be used:

   TCP/IP port

   The RADIX should be set to decimal when you enter that value.

4. Quit Registry Editor.

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   Caution -

   Assign ports with numbers 2000 or above.

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You only need to change the Registry on the computer running Microsoft Exchange Server. Clients always connect to port 135, the RPC endpoint mapper, and then ask what port they should use for the Directory and Information Store Server.