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From: Aznan on 1 Jun 2010 23:00 We have just migrated from Mdaemon to Exchange 2007 SP2 and i'm still a newbie to Exchange 2007 Administration. I would like to create a distribution list that contains lists (> 1000) of external email addresses. The email addresses from this particular distribution list is very dynamic whereby it changes very frequently. That said, i will need to create an automated process to ensure that the email addresses on this distribution list is always up to date. My question: Is there a way to create a distribution list by importing a list of external email addresses from a CSV file ? What is the best way to maintain a distribution list that has external email addresses? (is it by creating a Mail Contact via Exchange Management Console > Recipient Configuration and then adding those email addresses to a Distribution list?) Please advise and thanks in advance Aznan Nagor The International School of Penang (Uplands) Malaysia
From: Ed Crowley [MVP] on 2 Jun 2010 01:13 A distribution group does not have SMTP addresses as members. It can have mail-enabled contacts as members, though. Therefore, you would have to create a mail-enabled contact for the SMTP address, then add the distinguished name of the contact to the member attribute of the distribution group. Certainly someone who knows PowerShell or VBScript could craft a script that does this. One trick, however, would be cleaning up contacts that are no longer members of the distribution group. -- Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." .. "Aznan" <aznan(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:B2C20177-8988-4729-9242-D5AC384A2426(a)microsoft.com... > We have just migrated from Mdaemon to Exchange 2007 SP2 and i'm still a > newbie to Exchange 2007 Administration. > > I would like to create a distribution list that contains lists (> 1000) of > external email addresses. > > The email addresses from this particular distribution list is very dynamic > whereby it changes very frequently. That said, i will need to create an > automated process to ensure that the email addresses on this distribution > list is always up to date. > > My question: > > Is there a way to create a distribution list by importing a list of > external > email addresses from a CSV file ? > > What is the best way to maintain a distribution list that has external > addresses? (is it by creating a Mail Contact via Exchange Management > Console >> Recipient Configuration and then adding those email addresses to a > Distribution list?) > > Please advise and thanks in advance > Aznan Nagor > The International School of Penang (Uplands) > Malaysia
From: Aznan on 2 Jun 2010 13:09 Hi, thanks for your post, very much appreciated but need some clarifications. I have managed to find a way to use powershell to bulk import the contacts. Question1: My question based on your reply that reads "A distribution group does not have SMTP addresses as members. It can have mail-enabled contacts as members, though. Therefore, you would have to create a mail-enabled contact for the SMTP address, then add the distinguished name of the contact to the member attribute of the distribution group" Is this how normally most Exchange Admins maintain/manage their Distribution lists that has external email addresses or i am doing something odd here? Is there any other better ways of doing it or is this the best and normal practise amongst most orgs? Question 2:- You mentioned mail-enabled contact. I went to create mail contact via Exch Mgmt Console > Recipient Configuration > Mail Contact > New Mail Contact. Is this how we create mail-enabled contact? Question 3:- I created a mail contact with external email address using the step above and am a bit confused cause when i go to the Properties of the contact that i have created and selected "E-Mail Addresses" Tab it has the external email address that i have entered but however it also automatically creates an "Alias" entry that contains firstname and lastname followed by the domain name which makes a valid smtp email address? is this an email address? can i ignore the Alias email address or do i have to delete it? If i add this contact to a DL and when anyone sends to this DL , will the sender get a non delivery bounce email since alias is not a valid mailbox ? Sorry some of my questions may seem something that is obvious, please assume i know nothing about Exchange. Thanks in advance -- Aznan The International School of Penang (Uplands) Malaysia "Ed Crowley [MVP]" wrote: > A distribution group does not have SMTP addresses as members. It can have > mail-enabled contacts as members, though. Therefore, you would have to > create a mail-enabled contact for the SMTP address, then add the > distinguished name of the contact to the member attribute of the > distribution group. Certainly someone who knows PowerShell or VBScript > could craft a script that does this. One trick, however, would be cleaning > up contacts that are no longer members of the distribution group. > -- > Ed Crowley MVP > "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." > .. > > "Aznan" <aznan(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:B2C20177-8988-4729-9242-D5AC384A2426(a)microsoft.com... > > We have just migrated from Mdaemon to Exchange 2007 SP2 and i'm still a > > newbie to Exchange 2007 Administration. > > > > I would like to create a distribution list that contains lists (> 1000) of > > external email addresses. > > > > The email addresses from this particular distribution list is very dynamic > > whereby it changes very frequently. That said, i will need to create an > > automated process to ensure that the email addresses on this distribution > > list is always up to date. > > > > My question: > > > > Is there a way to create a distribution list by importing a list of > > external > > email addresses from a CSV file ? > > > > What is the best way to maintain a distribution list that has external > > addresses? (is it by creating a Mail Contact via Exchange Management > > Console > >> Recipient Configuration and then adding those email addresses to a > > Distribution list?) > > > > Please advise and thanks in advance > > Aznan Nagor > > The International School of Penang (Uplands) > > Malaysia > > . >
From: Ed Crowley [MVP] on 2 Jun 2010 16:49 1. I don't claim to know how "most" admins do this. Techniques vary. Your idea is certainly one used by some of them. 2. Yes. 3. The MailContact has two addresses. One is the target address (-ExternalMailAddress attribute), and the other is the "internal" address, what you're calling the alias address. Just leave it alone. 3a. When the contact is a member of a distribution group, mail sent to the distribution group is routed to the target address of the contact. If that address is invalid, mail will, of course, bounce. -- Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." .. "Aznan" <aznan(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:D4F869DE-EE5B-4C94-B391-D07AB7F5931C(a)microsoft.com... > Hi, thanks for your post, very much appreciated but need some > clarifications. > > I have managed to find a way to use powershell to bulk import the > contacts. > > Question1: > My question based on your reply that reads "A distribution group does not > have SMTP addresses as members. It can have mail-enabled contacts as > members, though. Therefore, you would have to create a mail-enabled > contact > for the SMTP address, then add the distinguished name of the contact to > the > member attribute of the distribution group" > > Is this how normally most Exchange Admins maintain/manage their > Distribution > lists that has external email addresses or i am doing something odd here? > Is > there any other better ways of doing it or is this the best and normal > practise amongst most orgs? > > Question 2:- > You mentioned mail-enabled contact. > I went to create mail contact via Exch Mgmt Console > Recipient > Configuration > Mail Contact > New Mail Contact. > > Is this how we create mail-enabled contact? > > Question 3:- > > I created a mail contact with external email address using the step above > and am a bit confused cause when i go to the Properties of the contact > that i > have created and selected "E-Mail Addresses" Tab it has the external email > address that i have entered but however it also automatically creates an > "Alias" entry that contains firstname and lastname followed by the domain > name which makes a valid smtp email address? is this an email address? can > i > ignore the Alias email address or do i have to delete it? > > If i add this contact to a DL and when anyone sends to this DL , will the > sender get a non delivery bounce email since alias is not a valid mailbox > ? > > Sorry some of my questions may seem something that is obvious, please > assume > i know nothing about Exchange. > > Thanks in advance > -- > Aznan > The International School of Penang (Uplands) > Malaysia > > > "Ed Crowley [MVP]" wrote: > >> A distribution group does not have SMTP addresses as members. It can >> have >> mail-enabled contacts as members, though. Therefore, you would have to >> create a mail-enabled contact for the SMTP address, then add the >> distinguished name of the contact to the member attribute of the >> distribution group. Certainly someone who knows PowerShell or VBScript >> could craft a script that does this. One trick, however, would be >> cleaning >> up contacts that are no longer members of the distribution group. >> -- >> Ed Crowley MVP >> "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." >> .. >> >> "Aznan" <aznan(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:B2C20177-8988-4729-9242-D5AC384A2426(a)microsoft.com... >> > We have just migrated from Mdaemon to Exchange 2007 SP2 and i'm still a >> > newbie to Exchange 2007 Administration. >> > >> > I would like to create a distribution list that contains lists (> 1000) >> > of >> > external email addresses. >> > >> > The email addresses from this particular distribution list is very >> > dynamic >> > whereby it changes very frequently. That said, i will need to create an >> > automated process to ensure that the email addresses on this >> > distribution >> > list is always up to date. >> > >> > My question: >> > >> > Is there a way to create a distribution list by importing a list of >> > external >> > email addresses from a CSV file ? >> > >> > What is the best way to maintain a distribution list that has external >> > addresses? (is it by creating a Mail Contact via Exchange Management >> > Console >> >> Recipient Configuration and then adding those email addresses to a >> > Distribution list?) >> > >> > Please advise and thanks in advance >> > Aznan Nagor >> > The International School of Penang (Uplands) >> > Malaysia >> >> . >>
From: Aznan on 4 Jun 2010 12:55
Thank you very much for the direction Ed, very much appreciated. -- Aznan The International School of Penang (Uplands) Malaysia "Ed Crowley [MVP]" wrote: > 1. I don't claim to know how "most" admins do this. Techniques vary. Your > idea is certainly one used by some of them. > 2. Yes. > 3. The MailContact has two addresses. One is the target address > (-ExternalMailAddress attribute), and the other is the "internal" address, > what you're calling the alias address. Just leave it alone. > 3a. When the contact is a member of a distribution group, mail sent to the > distribution group is routed to the target address of the contact. If that > address is invalid, mail will, of course, bounce. > -- > Ed Crowley MVP > "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." > .. > > "Aznan" <aznan(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:D4F869DE-EE5B-4C94-B391-D07AB7F5931C(a)microsoft.com... > > Hi, thanks for your post, very much appreciated but need some > > clarifications. > > > > I have managed to find a way to use powershell to bulk import the > > contacts. > > > > Question1: > > My question based on your reply that reads "A distribution group does not > > have SMTP addresses as members. It can have mail-enabled contacts as > > members, though. Therefore, you would have to create a mail-enabled > > contact > > for the SMTP address, then add the distinguished name of the contact to > > the > > member attribute of the distribution group" > > > > Is this how normally most Exchange Admins maintain/manage their > > Distribution > > lists that has external email addresses or i am doing something odd here? > > Is > > there any other better ways of doing it or is this the best and normal > > practise amongst most orgs? > > > > Question 2:- > > You mentioned mail-enabled contact. > > I went to create mail contact via Exch Mgmt Console > Recipient > > Configuration > Mail Contact > New Mail Contact. > > > > Is this how we create mail-enabled contact? > > > > Question 3:- > > > > I created a mail contact with external email address using the step above > > and am a bit confused cause when i go to the Properties of the contact > > that i > > have created and selected "E-Mail Addresses" Tab it has the external email > > address that i have entered but however it also automatically creates an > > "Alias" entry that contains firstname and lastname followed by the domain > > name which makes a valid smtp email address? is this an email address? can > > i > > ignore the Alias email address or do i have to delete it? > > > > If i add this contact to a DL and when anyone sends to this DL , will the > > sender get a non delivery bounce email since alias is not a valid mailbox > > ? > > > > Sorry some of my questions may seem something that is obvious, please > > assume > > i know nothing about Exchange. > > > > Thanks in advance > > -- > > Aznan > > The International School of Penang (Uplands) > > Malaysia > > > > > > "Ed Crowley [MVP]" wrote: > > > >> A distribution group does not have SMTP addresses as members. It can > >> have > >> mail-enabled contacts as members, though. Therefore, you would have to > >> create a mail-enabled contact for the SMTP address, then add the > >> distinguished name of the contact to the member attribute of the > >> distribution group. Certainly someone who knows PowerShell or VBScript > >> could craft a script that does this. One trick, however, would be > >> cleaning > >> up contacts that are no longer members of the distribution group. > >> -- > >> Ed Crowley MVP > >> "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." > >> .. > >> > >> "Aznan" <aznan(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > >> news:B2C20177-8988-4729-9242-D5AC384A2426(a)microsoft.com... > >> > We have just migrated from Mdaemon to Exchange 2007 SP2 and i'm still a > >> > newbie to Exchange 2007 Administration. > >> > > >> > I would like to create a distribution list that contains lists (> 1000) > >> > of > >> > external email addresses. > >> > > >> > The email addresses from this particular distribution list is very > >> > dynamic > >> > whereby it changes very frequently. That said, i will need to create an > >> > automated process to ensure that the email addresses on this > >> > distribution > >> > list is always up to date. > >> > > >> > My question: > >> > > >> > Is there a way to create a distribution list by importing a list of > >> > external > >> > email addresses from a CSV file ? > >> > > >> > What is the best way to maintain a distribution list that has external > >> > addresses? (is it by creating a Mail Contact via Exchange Management > >> > Console > >> >> Recipient Configuration and then adding those email addresses to a > >> > Distribution list?) > >> > > >> > Please advise and thanks in advance > >> > Aznan Nagor > >> > The International School of Penang (Uplands) > >> > Malaysia > >> > >> . > >> > > . > |