Email sent from Microsoft CRM travels out in two different ways. If it is sent in the Outlook client, using the Outlook email form, it travels out through Outlook and Outlook’s mail server. If it is sent through the web app, through the web email form in the Outlook client, through bulk mail or through workflow, then it goes out through the CRM server connection to an STMP server. We’re going to concentrate on the latter – there are a couple of useful and interesting things to know.
1. Outgoing CRM email does not use Exchange.
It uses a convenient SMTP server. You can configure which SMTP server should be used using CRM server setup. Usually, the SMTP server in the OS on the CRM server is used. Other SMTP servers (such as one on an Exchange server) may also be used.
2. The “Default SMTP Server” is the one on the CRM server
The setup screen that enables you to set the SMTP server is a little misleading (see below). At the top, it asks you to nominate the Incoming Exchange server that will be used. (This lets the CRM server know what server to trust incoming email traffic from.) The next question asks about STMP servers, and offers “the default”. Proximity of these questions means that people often think that the default SMTP server will be the one on the Exchange server. In actual fact, the default option presented here is the SMTP server on the CRM server.
(Thanks for Amit Jain for grabbing this screenshot.)
3. The SMTP server can be changed!
The SMTP server can be changed via registry keys without re-running server setup. Unfortunately, the registry keys are not created if the default SMTP server is selected, so it’s difficult to know what to change. Luckily, our excellent support team have created a KB that describes the keys and values: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906471/en-us (thanks, Dana!)
4. Don’t Forget to Turn the SMTP Server On
One of the most commonly reported errors with sending mail happens because the SMTP server has not been turned on. (“Failed to Initialize Token” tends to be the cryptic message.) above referenced KB also explains how to do this.