Setting Up Kerio Connect and MailEssentials – KerioConnect Support

Overview

This article provides information on how to configure Kerio Connect and MailEssentials.

Note: Any issues with the installation and configuration of IIS SMTP is outside of GFI’s support scope.

IMPORTANT: If you face any issues or have any specific questions, either when setting up a new environment with Kerio Connect & MailEssentials or with an existing setup, please first try to isolate the issue/question to either Kerio Connect OR MailEssentials. Since we have different teams supporting Kerio Connect and MailEssentials, it is important that you select the right product when you create the support ticket with us, so the ticket can be handled without delays. As explained below, it is critical to make sure that Kerio Connect works with an IIS SMTP relay server first without MailEssentials and only then, try to add MailEssentials to the setup. When creating the support ticket, mention clearly how you isolated the issue/question to either Kerio Connect or MailEssentials - this is critical to avoid delays.

Preconditions

Kerio Connect and MailEssentials must be installed on separate servers.
There should be mail flow before installing MailEssentials, so the first phase is to make sure the IIS SMTP is working.
Incoming emails need to be received first by MailEssentials, so MX records must be pointing to the IIS SMTP server.

Configuration Procedure

Enable IIS SMTP Service.
1. Install IIS SMTP Service via Server Manager or PowerShell.
  - If installing via Server Manager, refer to the Create the SMTP Server document on Microsoft's BizTalk site.
  - If installing via PowerShell, use the following command:
    
    Install-WindowsFeature -Name SMTP-Server -IncludeAllSubFeature -IncludeManagementTools -Restart
2. After installing IIS SMTP, go to services.msc — Start > Run > services.msc — and change the Startup type of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol service to Automatic and then start the service, as shown below.
Create SMTP domain(s) for the purpose of relaying email.
1. Open Control Panel > Administrative Tools and launch IIS 6.0 Manager.
2. Expand the local computer > SMTP Virtual Server > Domains.
3. Right-click the Domains > New > Domain.
4. Select Remote and click Next.
5. Type the Kerio Connect domain and Finish.
  
  Note: All domains that will be relayed to this server must be added, or you can also add the top-level domain to save time. Example: *.com.
Enable email relaying to Kerio Connect.
1. Double click the newly added domain to open the properties.
2. Select “Forward all mail to smart host”, enter the Kerio Connect hostname or IP, and click OK.
  
  Note: If using the IP address instead of the hostname, the IP address must be enclosed in brackets.
Secure your SMTP email-relay server.
1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. Right-click on Default SMTP Virtual Server in the left panel and select Properties.
3. From the Access tab, select Relay > Only the list below and add the IP address of Kerio Connect.
  - Please note that depending on your environment and setup, you may need to only add the internal IP or only the external IP or both of them. Misconfiguring this option may result in relay failures
4. If you wish to add authentication for Outbound relay, go to the Security tab > Outbound Security.
Enable Kerio Connect to route emails via the IIS SMTP server.
1. Open Kerio Connect Administration > Configuration > SMTP Server > SMTP Delivery.
2. Click Add and input the hostname or IP address of the IIS SMTP Server. Specify the appropriate condition, port, and credentials if required.
3. Click OK and Apply.
  
  For more information, please refer to Configuring the SMTP Server.
  
  Note: Before proceeding to install GFI MailEssentials, verify that your new mail relay server is working correctly. Test both Inbound and Outbound emails and make sure that they are received.
Install MailEssentials by following the procedure in the installation guide.