General Checklist for Mailflow Issue

Question

A Mailflow issue can be caused by varies of causes. Here I would like to share some Mailflow troubleshooting basics:
For Inbound/Outbound Mailflow
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1. Check whether the MX record is valid.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998082(v=EXCHG.65).aspx
2. Check the blacklist
We need to obtain the following tool to do the check:
http://mxtoolbox.com/
If there is a blacklisting, please contact the providers of Blacklist. They will take a look into the reason behind blacklisting and remove the domain from the blacklist for you.
3. Test the STMP verbs
You can use Telnet command to send a test to the remote domain: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/153119
Or you can simply use Microsoft's remote connectivity analyzer: https://testconnectivity.microsoft.com
4. Check whether the settings are configured correctly on the Receive/Send Connector:
Configure Send Connector Properties
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb629503(v=exchg.141).aspx
Configure Receive Connector Properties
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb690954(v=exchg.141).aspx
5. Check for NDR message
The following article describes how to read and interpret non-delivery report (NDR) delivery status notification (DSN) messages. The causes are mainly defined by
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb232118(v=exchg.150).aspx
6. Referring to Message Tracking logs
Message tracking log has the detailed record of all message activity as messages are transferred to and from the Transport service on Mailbox servers, mailboxes on Mailbox servers, and Edge Transport servers. Any HUB transport server in sender’s site can be
used to run the tracking.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124375(v=exchg.150).asp
http://blogs.technet.com/b/messaging_with_communications/archive/2011/04/22/how-to-track-message-in-exchange-2003-2007-2010.aspx
Thanks,
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Answer 1

Hi
Great collection, thanks for sharing.
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