technical solutions and commentary

One of the compinent of Small Business Server that seems to be plagued with problems is the POP3 Connector. I can’t count the number of times I have been called with questions on the configuration and troubleshooting of this component. A lot of time (= money) could be saved if we could convince those small businesses using SBS with a full-time internet connection to use direct mail delievery to Exchange.

Sometimes you just can’t convince people saving money is a good idea. Other times small business owners don’t understand what the pros and cons of using the POP3 connector is — as IT Pro’s we really need to do a better job of explaining this to  them.

Then there are the times where getting a DSL/Cable connection to a business is nearly imposible and using a leased line to too expensive. That is the scenario when it is a good idea to use the POP3 Connector to dialup an ISP and retrieve email — thats really that it was design for.

If you run into issue with the POP3 Connector there is a really good troubleshooting guide from Microsoft here:
KB 885685: How to troubleshoot the POP3 Connector in Windows Small Business Server 2003