SMTP error 550 5.7.1: User unable to relay message to a specific domain

      cmills@example.com on 8/29/2005 1:35 PM
           You do not have permission to send to this recipient. For assistance, contact your system administrator.
           <My.Exchange2000.server.com #5.7.1 smtp;550 5.7.1 Requested action not taken: message refused> "

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VIEW MEMBER FEEDBACK TO THIS ASK THE EXPERT Q&A.

I've seen this quite a bit over the years, but I have found that with SMTP 550 5.7.1 errors it is tricky to find the root cause. Here are some things to check:

• Do you have the latest service packs on the Exchange 2000 server in question? See Microsoft Knowledge Base article 283287, XADM: Users receive random 5.7.1 and 5.7.3 NDRs.

• Do you have a Cisco PIX firewall in the environment? If so, see my expert answer, Error: 'You do not have permission to send to this recipient'.

Otherwise, have a look at Microsoft Knowledge Base article 895853, How to troubleshoot mail relay issues in Exchange Server 2003 and in Exchange 2000 Server. Scroll down to the "Possible causes of NDRs that contain error code 5.0.0, 5.7.1 or 5.7.3" section.

MEMBER FEEDBACK TO THIS ASK THE EXPERT Q&A:

Download Microsoft's Metaedit 2.2 and install it. Open Metaedit 2.2 on your Exchange server and use the search feature. In the search window, type in the domain the user can't send to (i.e., for "bobdole@gmail.com," search for "gmail"). Backup Metabase and then delete any entry for the domain in question. After that, make sure to browse through Active Directory and confirm that the domain in question isn't assigned to any email addresses for users or distribution lists. If so, delete the email addresses. This should resolve the problem.
—Chris H.

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