Using iQ.Suite Exchange on the MSX Edge Transport Server

iQ.Suite Exchange can also be used on the Microsoft Exchange Edge Transport servers. The following describes the necessary steps to do so.

Step by Step:

• The Exchange Edge Transport server role was introduced with Exchange 2007. The difference between the Hub Transport server and the Edge Transport server is that the latter is installed in the DMZ. Therefore, the Edge server does not have direct access to the entire Active Directory/Global Catalog. For iQ.Suite this means that it is not possible to use Active Directory objects such as users, groups or OUs.
• To handle this situation, iQ.Suite provides the “LDIF Support” feature (LDIF = LDAP Data Interchange Format). With this feature, iQ.Suite processing is changed so that the iQ.Suite services no longer attempt to contact a Global Catalog server but use a local LDIF file instead.
• To be able to use this feature, you need to enable the “LDIF Support” component during the iQ.Suite setup.

• With “LDIF Support” selected, an LDIF entry is created in the Windows Registry. This entry is to be found under: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Wow6432Node/GROUP Technologies/iQ.Suite/2.0/Config.

• The entry refers to the LDIF file named “iqsuite.ldf” in the “…/GROUP Technologies/iQ.Suite/Config/” directory. This LDIF file is empty by default.

• When using LDIF, the internal iQ.Suite address objects (such as “All Senders/Recipients”) are available in the same ways as with the Active Directory.

• This means that creating iQ.Suite jobs with global address rules (e.g. for processing all emails, incoming/outgoing emails, or internal emails) is possible any time.
• Using single SMTP addresses or SMTP domains (*@domain.com) also works immediately.
• Initially, the “Directory Users” object is empty, as the LDIF file does not contain any entries. This means that this object must not be used in this state.
• To create granular rules based on users, groups, etc., you need to set up an LDIF file that maps the Active Directory.
• To this end, the “…/GROUP Technologies/iQ.Suite/Bin” directory contains the batch file named “ldif.bat”. This file needs to be copied to a computer within the Windows domain where the “Ldifde” program is available. “Ldifde” is the standard Windows command line tool for importing/exporting Active Directory information. Run the ldif.bat file under a user registered in the Active Directory. The program will create the “iqsuite.ldf” file in this directory. The file contains the all of the information required by iQ.Suite. In the next step, copy this file to the Edge server to the “…/Config” directory and then restart the iQ.Suite service.
• iQ.Suite is now able to use objects such as iQ.Suite groups and contacts.