We run a Small Business Server box and it primarily provides our email via Exchange Server 2003.

Recently, our ISP indicated that our server was relaying or forwarding spam messages. I have tried a number of different things to correct this, and I would like to share a few of the steps of I have taken.

  1. Ensure that Exchange SMTP is not acting as an open relay. You can run a test at http://www.spamhelp.org/shopenrelay/
  2. Use SMTP Authentication (if you are forwarding mail through an SMTP smart host).
  3. Enable Recipient Filtering on the SMTP Virtual Server. Link here. KB Article here.
  4. Enable SMTP Tarpit Time. Link here.
  5. Enable Connection Filtering on the SMTP Virtual Server. You might use something like the Spamhaus ZEN list to start with.
  6. Enable Message Logging (so that you can get an idea of where spam is coming from).
  7. Disable Non Delivery Reports (NDRs). How to here.
  8. Don’t allow anonymous access to your Default SMTP Server.
  9. Run trojan/virus scans on your server and on your Client PCs (including remote Clients).
  10. Install and run the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer.


On a slightly unrelated note, some nefarious characters kept trying to login to our server via Remote Desktop. I have defended against these attacks by using a program called 2x SecureRDP. This ‘filters’ incoming RDP connections and stops repetitive RDP attacks before they occure.

I hope some of this information has been useful to you.

With regard to my recent posts about using legacy mass forms, I would like to let you know how Autodesk responded to some feedback I gave them.
Basically, I used the Feedback Form at this link to make the following suggestion to Autodesk:

The 2009 massing tool should be available in the project environment, as well as the 2010 conceptual massing tool. Although there is a workaround (pasting a 2009 mass into a 2010/2011 project), this is not desirable. Please reinstate an option for the 2009 massing tool, which includes simple sweep and extrusion forms.

A subject matter expert at Autodesk responded with the following:

Thank you for contacting us. Being able to access older massing operations in the project environment as well as the new massing tools could be a valuable addition to help users transition to the new massing tools. In 2011 the massing tools have been updated to give more flexibility in making changes to forms once they have been created. Sketches can be altered using the “dissolve” functionality. This does not totally replace the old massing functionality but does offer some flexibility over the tools in 2010.

I will be sure to pass along your feedback to the development team.

I recommend that you post any sincere feedback and recommendations using this the abovementioned feedback form. Clearly, Autodesk are monitoring and evaluating this feedback.

Here is the problem:

An elevation crop region is not visible. It cannot be turned on using any of Visibility/Graphics settings. The problem is not anything to do with the ‘Show Crop Region’ switch. There are no Filters applied. Using the ‘Reveal Hidden Elements’ lightbulb, uncropping the view and then selecting all visible elements DOES NOT select the Crop Region (when you filter the selection, the Crop Region shows up as ‘Other’).

So, what do you think? Where is this Crop Region?

I noticed that there were Design Options present in the project. However, there are NO Properties with regard to Design Options while in the Elevation view (Properties Palette), OR while selecting the ‘Elevation Head’ in a Plan View.

However…selecting the Elevation circle (or square) itself yields ONE property – ‘Visible in Option’. Yay, we have found the problem!


This problem can also be diagnosed by attempting to add the Elevation Head to another Design Option – the following error results:


This shows how Revit views Elevations in a somewhat ‘cascading fashion’ – ie. Elevation (circle) as a parent of the actual Elevation (head).

Yet another example proving that it pays to know What Revit Wants.

By ‘legacy mass forms’, I mean the nice, simple kind – sweeps with editable profiles, extrusions with sketches and the like.

The problem with 2010 and 2011 massing is that you cannot create these nice and simple forms in the conceptual massing environment in a project.

The answer? Simply download the file below. It contains a 2009 version mass. Copy this mass to a 2010 or 2011 project and you now have access to the simple sweep and extrusion tools! You can create new sweeps within this mass and have all kinds of legacy mass fun.

Download the file from this link

EDIT the above link will let you download 2009 mass family for Revit