This article looks at how to setup your computer as an outgoing SMTP Mail Server, so that you can send mail from Outlook, even when your ISP does not allow you to send mail through their servers unless you are connected to the internet via their network. This is very important for small businesses who do not have Exchange Server but want to use Outlook to send and receive mail and still have their clients receive mail from a “domain” address as opposed to a general mail service address like yahoo.com, hotmail.com, or gmail.com.

So in the example described below, Susan Jones has an e-mail account at an external ISP with address susanj@exchangewise.com. The ISP also hosts the domain www.exchangewise.com but does not allow e-mail accounts to relay mail through their servers unless the mail is sent directly from their web mail client, or the user is connecting to the internet via their network. Attempts to use the ISP’s mail server as the outgoing mail server in Outlook results in mail not being sent with the following error message:

“No transport provider available for delivery to this recipient”, or

“Relaying denied”.

The solution to this problem is to set up Susan’s computer as an outgoing SMTP Mail Server.

You can also do this when:

• Your ISP does not provide an outgoing SMTP Server.
  
  
• Your ISP’s mail servers are unreliable or overloaded.
  
  
• You are limited on outgoing mail to sending small attachments.
  
  
• You cannot send mail when you are travelling/away from your office network.
  

To set your computer as an outgoing SMTP Mail Server, do the following:

1. Open Control Panel and launch Add or Remove Programs.
   
   
2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
   
   
3. Scroll down and click the checkbox on for Internet Information Services (IIS), then click Details.
   
   
4. Make sure that the SMTP Service has been selected as a default and click OK:
   
   
   
   
5. Click Next. You will be prompted to insert the Windows XP disc.
   
   
   
   
6. Once you have done this, click on OK.
   
   
7. Follow the prompts to complete the IIS/SMTP installation.
   
   
8. After IIS is installed open the Administrative Tools folder located in the Control Panel.
   
   
9. Double click to open the Internet Information Services console. Right click the Default Web Site, and choose Properties.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Click the Directory Security tab, click Edit in the Anonymous Access and Authentication Control group.
    
    
11. Clear the Anonymous Access option, and then click OK. Note: Disabling anonymous access will help prevent infections by web-borne viruses and worms.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Click OK again to close the properties for the Default Web Site.
    
    
13. Right click the Default SMTP Virtual Server and choose Properties, then click the Access tab:
    
    
    
    
    
    
14. Click Authentication, clear the Anonymous Access option, select the Integrated Windows Authentication option, and then click OK.
    
    
15. Click Relay, click Only the List Below, click Allow all computers which successfully authenticate to relay, regardless of the list above, and click OK:
    
    
    
    
    
16. Restricting access to the SMTP service to only those clients who authenticate on the server should prevent spam relay through your computer. Click OK to close the properties for the Default SMTP Virtual Server. Close the Internet Information Services console and click Back in the Administrative Tools window to take you back to the Control Panel.
    
    
17. Double click on Mail and click on Show Profiles. Select your Internet mail account profile and click Properties then on E-mail Accounts. Select View or change existing e-mail accounts and click Next:
    
    
    
    
18. In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) enter localhost (if you are using the SMTP service on a different computer on your network, enter the IP address instead).
    
    
    
    
19. Click More Settings to open the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box. Enter a name for your Mail Account as well as a Reply E-mail address (this is usually the same as your outgoing e-mail address).
    
    
    
    
20. Click the Outgoing Server tab. Select the option My Outgoing Server (SMTP) Requires Authentication, select the Log On using option, and enter valid credentials (such as your windows user account login details) in the User Name and Password fields, and click OK. Click Next, then Finish to complete the changes to the account settings.
    
    

Note: If other Users on the network will be using the SMTP service on your computer to send outgoing mail, or you are sending through the SMTP service on another computer, select the Log on Using Secure Password Authentication (SPA) option on the Outgoing Server tab in the Outlook account settings.