A computer running Microsoft Exchange Server that is dedicated for routing messages to other sites and foreign mail systems using Exchange connectors. Large companies often require servers that are dedicated to message routing because of the high volume of message traffic they experience.
In a typical high-volume site configuration, one server might be optimized as a home server for users mailboxes, another server for dedicated public-folder replica hosting, and a third for providing dedicated messaging connectivity with other sites and foreign messaging systems.
A connectivity server can have one or more connectors installed on it to provide connectivity with Exchange sites, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) hosts, X.400 messaging systems, or Microsoft Mail postoffices. The more connectors you have on a server, the greater its hardware requirements become.
Run the Performance Optimizer wizard once you have installed your connectors on the Exchange server. This will allow your server to take maximum advantage of its particular hardware configuration.