In Exchange 2007, is there a way to have a distribution group address auto reply when an email is sent to that address?

My first thought was a transport rule, but I dont think there really is a way. Distribution Groups arent intended for this.

I think you could make it work given Exchange 2007, installed on a Windows 2008 server. You'd need to write a transport rule watch for email sent to the DL, and log an event that includes the sender's address. Then you'd need a scheduled task, triggered by that event (that's the part that needs the 2008 server) that would run a script to send the notification email. Kind of Rube Goldberg, but I think it would work.[string](0..33|%{[char][int](46+("686552495351636652556262185355647068516270555358646562655775 0645570").substring(($_*2),2))})-replace " "

The simpest way to do that is to create a mailbox, make it a member of that group, put an autoreply rule on the mailbox, hide it from the address book, and don't use it for anything else. -- Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." . "sarantal" wrote in message news:e350697e-7bbe-44c3-a0de-fe0fa10cb266... In Exchange 2007, is there a way to have a distribution group address auto reply when an email is sent to that address?Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."

The simpest way to do that is to create a mailbox, make it a member of that group, put an autoreply rule on the mailbox, hide it from the address book, and don't use it for anything else. -- Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." . Can you reply as the DL from a server side rule, and if any member of the DL sends to the DL, will it start a loop?[string](0..33|%{[char][int](46+("686552495351636652556262185355647068516270555358646562655775 0645570").substring(($_*2),2))})-replace " "

No, but you can give the mailbox the same display name as the DL and instruct users not to reply to the message. -- Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." . "mjolinor" wrote in message news:8756ed51-5080-452f-ac28-7cfc296c7c48... The simpest way to do that is to create a mailbox, make it a member of that group, put an autoreply rule on the mailbox, hide it from the address book, and don't use it for anything else. -- Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." Can you reply as the DL from a server side rule, and if any member of the DL sends to the DL, will it start a loop? [string](0..33|%{[char][int](46+("686552495351636652556262185355647068516270555358646562655775 0645570").substring(($_*2),2))})-replace " "Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."

instruct users not to reply to the message. BTDT. Got headache and large dent in desk.[string](0..33|%{[char][int](46+("686552495351636652556262185355647068516270555358646562655775 0645570").substring(($_*2),2))})-replace " "

No dent required. If they reply, it'll just go to the mailbox, where you'll have a delete rule. -- Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems." . "mjolinor" wrote in message news:a6208fb5-ea29-4eaa-9fe5-b3f8f87fcb4b... instruct users not to reply to the message. BTDT. Got headache and large dent in desk. [string](0..33|%{[char][int](46+("686552495351636652556262185355647068516270555358646562655775 0645570").substring(($_*2),2))})-replace " "Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."

No dent required. If they reply, it'll just go to the mailbox, where you'll have a delete rule. -- Fair enough.[string](0..33|%{[char][int](46+("686552495351636652556262185355647068516270555358646562655775 0645570").substring(($_*2),2))})-replace " "

Has anyone actually tried this? Because, I setup a NoReply account which was a member of a distrobution group and i wanted it to send out the reply, becuase if anyone replies to that message it would go to the NoReply and it would be ignored. Great in concept, but everytime I try to get it to actually send the e-mail it doesn't work. To trouble shoot I setup a rule to move the e-mail to a folder and when it comes in to the distrobution group it moves it automatically but when I have the rule reply it does not. I can run it on e-mails that are in the mailbox and it does then, but not automatically. I have already turned on auto replies in the exchange MMC, and can get an accout to auto reply if it is sent directly to it and the rule is modified to agree accordingly. Any help. Thanks.

I have the same issue. I created a Distribution Group and added the dummy mailbox (DM) as a member. When I go into Outlook I can see messages coming into the DM and it does reply back to them automatically IF they are addressed specifically to the DM. However, if they are addressed to the Distribution List the DM receives them, but no Auto Reply is sent out. My rule is pretty simple. Any message received, have the server reply with a template. Again, it works with messages specifically addressed to the DM, but not if it recieves mail as part of the DL. Any thoughts? PS: We had this working by setting up a specific mailbox and had it Auto Reply and Forward to the DL. The problem is the forwarded message was time stamped with GMT and that was bugging the heck out of my manager. PSS: Exchange 2010 Environment with Outlook 2007SP2. I will try to set up the rule with Outlook 2010 and see if that makes any difference to the price of tea in China.

Well same behaviour under Outlook 2010... and if I try to manually force the rule, i get the Rule in Error described in the support KB below. Gotta love Microsquish... they basically tell you to set it up using a local template so you have to keep Outlook running all the time. I mean THEY ACTUALLY TELL YOU THAT! . http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2028839/en-us

Dunno if it's the same in Exchange 2007, but in Exchange 2010 you need to specifically enable this in the EMC for the distribution group. http://www.googlecertified.me/2011/06/exchange-2010-auto-reply-for.html