XFOR: Mail May Not Flow from One Exchange 2000 Server to Another

Mail sent from one Exchange 2000 server and destined for another Exchange 2000 server may almost immediately be set to a retry state in the default SMTP virtual server queues. The messages may subsequently not be delivered.

The General tab of the default SMTP virtual server's properties in Exchange System Manager may also show an incorrect IP address for the second or destination server.

There may be an entry for the second Exchange 2000 Server in a Hosts. file located on the first Exchange 2000 server.

1. Remove the entry for the second server in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers\Etc\Hosts. file, and then save the changes.
   
   NOTE: The file, Hosts., has no file extension. Another option for this step is to rename the Hosts. file to Hosts.old.
2. Clear out the Domain Name System (DNS) Resolver cache by running the following command from a command prompt:
   ipconfig /flushdns
3. Refresh all Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) leases, and then re-register DNS names by running the following command from a command prompt:
   ipconfig /registerdns
4. Start the Services Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, click Start, click Run, type Services.msc, and then click OK.
5. Right-click the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service in the Services MMC, and then click Restart to restart the SMTPsvc.

In most cases, it is not necessary to have an entry for another Exchange 2000 server in the Hosts. file.

For more information on configuring the Hosts. file, please refer to the instructions in that file, or refer to Windows 2000 Online Help.