IIS provides the server platform for Microsoft SMTP Service. Like other 115 services, such as FTP and WWW, SMTP Service administered through the Internet Service Manager (ISM). It has a similar look and feel like the other IIS services and managed in the same manner. SMTP Service administered through SMTP Service Manager (HTML).

ISM Display Settings

All IIS services set for the computer displayed in the ISM. A node in the pane of the ISM represents Microsoft SMTP Service. When you select one of the nodes, detailed information about it displayed in the right pane. The following list describes the computer and SMTP Service nodes, as well as the function of the component represented:

  • Computer node – This node displays information about Microsoft SMTP Service, including operational status, the IP address, and the port.
  • SMTP Site node – This node is the main administrative component of Microsoft SMTP Service. It provides access to the property sheets for configuring the virtual server. When you double-click the node, a list of domains and current sessions is displayed.
  • Domains node – This node provides access to the Domain Properties property sheet for creating and configuring domains and displays information about all domains set up on the virtual server. Domains are organizational components of Microsoft SMTP Service.
  • Current Sessions node – This node lists the user, source location, and connection time for each currently connected session.

Default Domain

The SMTP site in the ISM is a virtual server you use to run Microsoft SMTP Service and IIS. It includes a default domain, which is used to stamp messages from addresses that do not have a domain. There is a single default domain, and it cannot be deleted. You can, however, create an alias domain. All alias domains use the default domain to stamp messages.

Mailroot Directory and Default Directories

Setup installs five default directories in the Mailroot directory for Microsoft SMTP Service. The SortTemp directory, not listed below, stores temporary files. The Mailroot directory must be installed on the same drive as Microsoft SMTP Service. The default location is C:InetpubMailroot, but you can designate a different location during setup. If you install the Mailroot directory on an NTFS file system partition, you can move the Badmail and Drop directories to a different partition. The other directories must stay in the Mailroot directory on the NTFS partition.

The following list describes the Mailroot directories and their contents:

  • Badmail – Stores undeliverable messages that cannot be returned to the sender.
  • Drop – Receives all incoming messages. You can change the location provided you do not select a directory already designated as the Pickup directory . You can designate a different Drop directory for each domain.
  • Pickup – Picks up outgoing messages that are manually created as a text file and copied to the directory. As soon as a message is placed in the Pickup directory, Microsoft SMTP Service picks it up and initiates delivery.
  • Queue – Holds messages for delivery. If a message cannot be delivered because the connection is busy or down, the message is stored in the queue and sent again at designated retry intervals.

A common component of Internet sites is mail delivery. Internet messages are generally transmitted and delivered through the use of the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) protocol. Dedicated to the SMTP delivery process, Microsoft SMTP Service allows you to configure your hardware for sending and receiving messages over the Internet. It also provides additional features that enable you to customize your configuration to accommodate unique delivery and security requirements.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the protocol for sending e-mail messages between servers. The SMTP Server in IIS 4.0 provides an implementation of SMTP, but is not a full SMTP server.

Standard Internet Protocol Support

Microsoft SMTP Service provides full support for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and is compatible with standard SMTP mail clients.

Administration Using the Internet Service Manager

SMTP Service uses Internet Service Manager (ISM) and SMTP Service Manager (HTML) for administration, included with Microsoft Internet Information Server version 4.0 (IIS). In addition, SMTP Service uses other Microsoft Windows NT Server administrative features including performance monitoring and event logs. These tools allow administrators to collect usage statistics and examine usage patterns, monitor server performance, and identify potential problems.

Advanced Security

SMTP Service supports use of the Transport Layer Security Protocol (TLS) for encrypting transmissions.

Directed Mail Drop and Pickup

For each configured domain, SMTP Service supports the placement of all incoming messages directly into a Drop directory. This allows SMTP Service to be used as a mail receiver for other applications.

In addition to connecting to a TCP port to send messages, applications can also use a Pickup directory. Once a message is placed in the Pickup directory, SMTP Service delivers the message, thus simplifying the development of external mail services.

Posting Acceptor allows IIS, Microsoft Peer Web Services, and Microsoft Personal Web Server to accept Web content from Microsoft Web Publishing Wizard/API, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Netscape Navigator 2.02 or later through any standard HTTP connection. In conjunction with Microsoft Content Replication System (CRS), Posting Acceptor can also distribute content to multiple servers simultaneously.

Note For additional information on setting up and configuring Microsoft Posting Acceptor, please refer to the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack product documentation.