By default, exchange servers recognize if an email address is local.  If this is the case, the server does not send the email across the public internet.  This is a default of most email servers.

If you wish to test sending and receiving across the public internet we recommend using our round trip email monitor + a 3rd party email account such as Gmail.

Our Round trip email monitoring requires the use of POP3 or IMAP protocols either at your location or at the 3rd party (gmail).

There are three ways to test this with Round trip:

Test Outbound

  1. Set up SMTP to send the email from our external monitoring locations via your SMTP server by entering the SMTP server address. (This tests that your SMTP server is working)
  2. Enter an email address to send the email to (gmail.com for example)
  3. Enter the gmail POP3/IMAP server address so the monitoring location can retrieve the email from the SMTP server.

Test Inbound

  1. Set up SMTP to send the email from our external monitoring locations via gmail SMTP server by entering the gmail SMTP server address.
  2. Enter an email address to send the email to (an account in your system)
  3. Enter your POP3/IMAP server address so the monitoring location can retrieve the email from the SMTP server.

Test Outbound and Inbound

  1. Set up SMTP to send the email from our external monitoring locations via your SMTP server by entering the SMTP server address.
  2. Enter an email address to send the email to (gmail.com for example)
  3. Setup the gmail account to auto forward back to your POP3/IMAP email account on your server.
  4. Enter your POP3/IMAP server address so the monitoring location can retrieve the email from your server.

Test ActiveSync

ActiveSync protocol also performs a round trip.  Active sync DOES test the ability to send an email from a remote device (our monitoring locations)  and to retrieve an email from the server by that remote device.  But it does not send the email from one active sync server to another because the sending and receiving account are the same account on the same server, so it finds the shortest route to a local address does not require sending the message to the public internet until the message is retrieved from a remote device (our monitoring locations).

Here is the difference between Round Trip and ActiveSync- you can see email move across multiple servers using a 3rd party email provider such as gmail, while the email resides on 1 server using activesync:

3rd Party Round Trip Email Path

  1. Dotcom-Monitor “email client” sends a message across the public internet
  2. Customer’s SMTP Server forwards the message to 3rd party account on the public internet
  3. 3rd part (gmail) email server Receives the message
  4. 3rd part (gmail)  Auto forwards to Customers Email Server across the public internet
  5. Dotcom Monitor “email client” requests email from Customers POP3 or IMAP server across the public internet (or directly from the 3rd party gmail, if you do not auto forward)

ActiveSync Email Path

  1. Dotcom-Monitor “email client” sends a message across the public internet
  2. Customers ActiveSync Server forwards the message and finds the account is local so it sends it straight to the account, not sending it out to the public internet
  3. Dotcom Monitor “email client” requests email from Customers ActiveSync Server across the public internet