Unable to Receive External E-mail and the StartTLS Verb Is Not Advertised in Exchange 2007

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

This topic explains how to use the Add or Remove Programs tool in Windows Server 2003 or the Server Manager tool in Windows Server 2008 to resolve a problem in which you do not receive external e-mail messages in a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007-based environment.

In this case, you experience the following symptoms:

  • You cannot receive e-mail messages from the Internet.

  • When you telnet to port 25 on the Exchange 2007 server and then run the EHLO command, the STARTTLS verb does not appear in the list of advertised commands.

  • The following event is logged in the Application log on the Exchange server:

    Log Name:

    Application

    Source:

    MSExchangeTransport

    Event ID:

    1032

    Task Category:

    SmtpReceive

    Level:

    Error

    Keywords:

    Classic

    Description:

    Receive connector <IP Address>:25 requires Transport Layer Security (TLS) before the MailFrom command can be run, but the server can't achieve it. Check the authentication settings of this connector.

This issue occurs when the SMTP service is installed on a server that is running the Hub Transport role.

When Exchange is installed on a server, the SMTP service cannot be installed. However, programs that are installed later may install the SMTP service as part of their installation. The SMTP service must not be running on an Exchange server that is running the Hub Transport role.

Before You Begin

To perform this procedure, the account you use must be delegated membership in the local Administrators group. For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, stop, and then disable the SMTP service. Then, restart the Microsoft Exchange Transport service. Alternatively, remove the SMTP service, and then restart the computer.

To stop and then disable the SMTP service

  1. On the computer that is running the Hub Transport role, click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.

  2. In the Services snap-in, right-click Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and then click Properties.

  3. Click Stop, and when the service has stopped, click Disabled in the Startup type list. Then, click OK.

  4. In the list of services, right-click Microsoft Exchange Transport, point to All Tasks, and then click Restart.

To remove the SMTP service in Windows Server 2008

  1. Start the Server Manager tool.

  2. Click Features, and then click Remove Features.

  3. In the Features list, click to clear the SMTP Server check box.

  4. Click Next, and then follow the steps to complete the Remove Features Wizard.

  5. Restart the computer.

To remove the SMTP service in Windows Server 2003

  1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK.

  2. In the Add or Remove Programs dialog box, click Add/Remove Windows Components.

  3. Click Application Server, and then click Details.

  4. Click Internet Information Services (IIS), and then click Details.

  5. Click to clear the SMTP Service check box, and then click OK two times.

  6. Click Next, and then after the service has been removed, click Finish.

  7. Restart the computer.

For More Information

For more information about Exchange 2007 system requirements, see Exchange 2007 System Requirements.

For more information about how to use Telnet to test SMTP communication, see How to Use Telnet to Test SMTP Communication.