MX gateway and relay server integration for Microsoft Exchange environments

Pitbull integration with Microsoft Exchange

In environments using Microsoft Exchange, Pitbull integration works on two channels:

• Inbound: DNS MX records point to the Pitbull gateway; Rspamd-based filtering, quarantine and policy engine secure inbound traffic.
• Outbound: Outbound traffic is routed through Pitbull smart host relay via Exchange Send Connector.

Relay Server Configuration

Create a new connector in Exchange Admin Center > Mail flow > Send connectors. Set smart host to relay.pitbull.com.tr, port 587 and basic authentication. Point MX records to Pitbull gateway for inbound; optionally restrict Exchange receive connector to Pitbull IPs only.

Inbound MX Gateway

• Point domain MX records to the Pitbull gateway address (priority 10)
• Rspamd spam, phishing and malware filtering at the gateway layer
• Malicious attachment scanning via ClamAV / Avast REST
• SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks + score breakdown
• Suspicious messages isolated in quarantine; admin-approved release workflow

Outbound Relay Settings

To route outbound traffic to the Pitbull relay on Microsoft Exchange:

Exchange Admin Center:
  Mail flow > Send connectors > [+ Add]
    Name: Pitbull Outbound Relay
    Type: Custom
    Network: Route mail through smart hosts
    Smart host: relay.pitbull.com.tr
    Port: 587
    ☑ Basic authentication
    Username: tenant@pitbull.com.tr
    Password: RELAY_TOKEN
    ☑ Offer basic authentication only after starting TLS

PowerShell:
New-SendConnector -Name "Pitbull Relay" `
  -AddressSpaces "*" `
  -SmartHosts "relay.pitbull.com.tr" `
  -SmartHostAuthMechanism BasicAuth `
  -AuthenticationCredential (Get-Credential) `
  -RequireTLS $true

This configuration passes outbound traffic through the Pitbull outbound filtering engine. SMTP Abuse Radar, per-tenant rate limits and Emergency Outbound Lockdown are activated.

Authentication

• Add Pitbull include to SPF
• Enable DKIM signing from Pitbull panel and publish DNS TXT record
• Start DMARC at p=none and monitor reports

Operational Visibility

Monitor delivery rates, reject reasons, queue status and GeoIP/ASN distribution on NOC screens. Deliver periodic security summaries to management teams with executive PDF reports.