Frequently asked questions about the Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router

Q1: What is Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router?

A1: Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router is a software component that creates an interface between a Microsoft Dynamics CRM deployment and the organization's messaging system. The E-mail Router routes qualified email messages to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system as email activities and fully integrates with different messaging systems, such as Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Exchange Online, POP3, and SMTP. The E-mail Router includes the functionality for sending email through any desired SMTP provider and for receiving email from Microsoft Exchange Server or from a POP3 server. Additionally, the Forward Mailbox feature remains available.

For more information about how to implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router, see the following article:
    Microsoft Dynamics CRM: How to configure the On-premise and Online E-mail Router in different deployment scenarios
    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8ea05b4e-825a-4db1-ad59-d894aa5ef33e

Q2: Should I have Microsoft Exchange Server installed in my Active Directory domain?

A2: You do not need to have Microsoft Exchange Server installed to send and to receive email messages from Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You can use  external or in-house SMTP and POP3 services to send and to receive email messages.

Q3: Where can I install Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router?

A3: You can install Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router on a Windows Server-based computer that is not running Microsoft Exchange Server (if that server meets the system requirements). However, Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router does not have to be installed for users to send or to receive email. You can use Microsoft Office Outlook for these purposes.

For more information about Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router system requirements, see the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Implementation Guide. To download the guide for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, visit the following Microsoft Download Center webpage:
     http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1ceb5e01-de9f-48c0-8ce2-51633ebf4714

To download the guide for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, visit the following link:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=200050  

Q4: What Microsoft Exchange Server versions are supported with E-mail Router?

A4: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 E-mail Router supports Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. However, you must install the latest Update Rollup version for Microsoft Dynamics Server and E-mail Router to support Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 with Update Rollup 2.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 E-mail Router supports Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010.

For more information about the latest Microsoft Dynamics CRM Update Rollup, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
     http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949256  

For more information about Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2010, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
     http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979611  

Q5: How can I improve E-mail Router performance within large deployments?

A5: You can improve E-mail Router performance by implementing the following recommendations:

• Apply the latest Update Rollup for both Microsoft CRM Server and E-mail Router.
• Avoid TCP/IP port exhaustion
   For Windows Server 2003: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa560610(BTS.20).aspx  
   For Windows Server 2008: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=12AC9780-17B5-480C-AEF7-5C0BDE9060B0  
• Follow the recommendation in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article: 
   Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 slows to unacceptable levels when you process email messages by using the Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router
   http://support.microsoft.com/kb/959248  

Q6: How can I achieve high availability for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router service?

A6: You can achieve high availability for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router service by deploying on multiple computers by using Windows Server clustering technology.

For more information about clustering E-mail Router service, see the Implementation Guide:
    Dynamics CRM 4.0 Implementation Guide: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1ceb5e01-de9f-48c0-8ce2-51633ebf4714  

Dynamics CRM 2011 Implementation Guide: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=200050   

Q7: How can I measure the performance of Exchange E-mail Router?

A7: You can use MSCRMEmail Performance Objects in Performance Monitor to monitor the servers on which Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-Mail Router is installed. MSCRMEmail Performance Objects measures the performance of the following objects:

• Incoming email messages delivered
• Incoming email messages discarded
• Incoming email messages potentially corrupted
• Incoming email messages processed
• Incoming email messages processed per second
• Incoming email messages undelivered
• Incoming mailbox access attempt failures
• Incoming mailbox access attempts
• Outgoing email messages delivered
• Outgoing email messages processed
• Outgoing email messages processed per second
• Outgoing email messages undelivered
• Service configuration refreshes
• Service configuration scheduling cycles
• Service provider load failures
• Service providers aborted
• Service providers executed
• Service providers failed
• Service providers refreshed
• Service providers removed
• Service providers started

Q8: How can E-mail Router be part of my backup plan?

A8: All settings for Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router are stored in configurations files and in the Organization database. You should regularly make backups of the Organization database and of the following files:

• Microsoft.Crm.Tools.EmailAgent.Configuration.bin
• Microsoft.Crm.Tools.EmailAgent.SystemState.xml
• Microsoft.Crm.Tools.EmailAgent.xml
• EncryptionKey.xml (if it exists)

Q9: Does Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router support Microsoft Exchange Server with self-signed certificate?

A9: The Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router does not support self-signed certificates. You must implement a signed certificate on the server that runs Microsoft Exchange Server.

For more information about the Microsoft Dynamics CRM E-mail Router and SSL certificates, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954584 

Q10: Can I disable Tracking Token or Smart Matching?

A10: In Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, you can disable the Tracking Token through the System Setting and under the Email tab. To disable Smart Matching, see the instructions in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958084

In Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, you can disable the Tracking Token and Smart Matching from the System Settings under the E-mail tab. 

    Note We recommend that you consider using at least one of these mechanisms for tracking email.

Q11: How can I configure the E-mail Router with Exchange Online?

A11: This is covered in the article below:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2708706