Exchange Server 2003 Interview Questions and Answers - 8

1. What is Front-end Server?

A Front-End server is a Microsoft Exchange server 2003 configuration where servers are used for authentication and fault tolerance.

2. What is Back-end Server?

A Back-End server is a Microsoft Exchange server 2003 configuration where servers are used to hold the users data. There is no special configuration to designate a server as a Backend server.

3. What are the advantages of Front End and Backend architecture?

1. Unified Name Space can have single name space for multiple exchange servers


2. Reduced over head for SSL


3. Firewall – place the Back-end behind the firewall and allow only traffic from frontend

4. How to increase security of the communications between your front- and back-end Exchange servers?

We can increase the security of communication between your frontend and Back-end Exchange Server by placing the Backend behind the firewall and allow only traffic from Front End

5. Which services must be disabled to increase the security of front-end servers?

Recipient Update services, offline address lists, the mailbox management service, and the free busy services are not supported on front end server

6. Which server can be used in place of a front-end server?

ISA server can be used in place of a Front End Server

7. Which is the best clustering Technology for frontend and backend server?

Front-end best work with Network load balancing and Backend best works with the cluster services

8. How to configure Exchange Server 2003 to run as a front end server?

In the Exchange server, remove the Recipient update service and default offline Address list. On the server container right click the server which you want to designate as a Front end server and go to properties and designate the server by selecting this is a front end server. Click ok and finish

9. Does Exchange Server 2003 front-end server support Exchange 2000 back-end server?

Yes, Exchange Server 2003 front-end server support Exchange 2000 back-end server

10. Does Exchange 2000 front-end server support an Exchange Server 2003 back-end server?

Exchange 2000 Server can be used only as a back-end server in a front-end and back-end configuration. However, Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server can be used as a front-end server or a back-end server in a front-end and back-end configuration

11. What all ports are required by front-end server to communicate with back-end servers?

• 443 for HTTPS


• 993 for SSL-enabled IMAP


• 995 for SSL-enabled POP


• 25 for SMTP (including TLS)

12. What are the steps involved in troubleshooting front-end and back-end servers?

1. Make sure that all the appropriate services are started on the front-end and back-end servers. This includes the relevant Exchange services in addition to the World Wide Web Publishing service and SMTP service,

2. If you have a perimeter network, make sure that the appropriate ports are opened

3. Ensure that the front-end server can successfully connect to the global catalog servers and DNS server.

4. If you cannot connect to the back-end server from the front-end server using the hostname with any protocol, try to use the IP address. If this works, verify that you can connect to the DNS server the front-end server is using. Also verify that the name to IP mapping is correct in DNS.

5. If the front-end server is configured with the list of domain controllers and global catalog servers in the registry, verify that the front-end can reach each of those servers exactly as specified in the registry entry.

6. Make sure that the combination of IP address and host header is unique for each virtual server.

7. If you have a load balancing solution for the front-end servers, make sure that the shared IP can be reached from client computers.

8. Administration: If you want to use Exchange System Manager, ensure that the System Attendant service is running. Also recall that you cannot use the Internet Services Manager after deleting the stores on the front-end server.

9. If users complain that the state of read and unread messages in public folders fluctuates, consider the following:

• Was a back-end public folder server added or removed?


• Is authentication enabled on the front-end?


• Are any back-ends that host the folder down?

 13. Which port is used by front-end server to communicate with back-end server?

All communication between the Front-end and Back-end server are TCP port 80, regardless of the port used for communication between the client computer and the front end server

14. What needs to be created on Exchange front-end server for SMTP access to the Exchange organization?

SMTP must be available on the front-end server to allow POP and IMAP clients to submit e-mail messages. You can install SMTP on the front-end server or set up a separate SMTP server. To install SMTP on the front-end server, configure SMTP for internal and external domains

Mail for Internal Domains

For the front-end server to accept mail that is inbound from the Internet, the front-end server needs to know the domains for which it should accept mail. Adding recipient policies for each of your domains tells all servers in the Exchange organization to accept mail for those domains. Additionally, you must enable anonymous access for other SMTP servers on the Internet to successfully route mail to your organization (this is the default setting).

Mail for External Domains

In the default configuration, any SMTP mail that is submitted to your server and addressed to external domains is denied. This occurs because relaying is turned off for all anonymous access (however, authenticated users can still send e-mail to any external domain). Users who try to anonymously submit e-mail to external domains receive an error, such as "550 5.7.1 Unable to relay for suzan@adatum.com." The clients must be configured to use SMTP authentication.

15. What are the important Services that should run on Frontend server?

It depends on the services that we want the frontend server to function

• WWW


• POP3


• Exchange system attend


• Exchange Information store


• IMAP4

 16. What is Smart Host?

A Smart host is a common term for a server that accepts outbound mail and passes it on to a recipient

Smart host are used to connect Exchange Server to an external messaging system. Typical use of a smart host involves relaying outbound SMTP email to a Non-Exchange SMTP host in perimeter networks, or to ISP or hosted service that may offer functionality like mail relaying and spam and virus scanning

 17. What are the considerations for deploying front end and backend server?

• Do not cluster Frontend servers


• One front-end server is reasonable for every four back-end servers. However, this number is provided only as a suggested ratio and starting point


• Load balancing is suitable for front end servers


• Encrypt the communication between Frontend and Backend by IPSec