Error message: "Symantec Premium AntiSpam registration failed. The product will not receive definition updates", on Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange.

Products

• Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange

Issue/Introduction

After installing a Symantec Premium AntiSpam license to Symantec Mail Security for Exchange (SMSMSE) the following error message is displayed:

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Symantec Premium AntiSpam registration failed. The product will not receive definition updates

Do the following:
1. Ensure that a valid, up-to-date Premium AntiSpam license is installed.
2. Verify that DNS can resolve aztec.brightmail.com.
3. Allow outbound secure https through firewall (port 443).
4. If using proxy server, see documentation for manually running register.
5. Retry registration by enabling Premium AntiSpam within the product.
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The following event may also be seen in the Application Log:

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Eventid: 353
Source: Symantec Mail Security
Category: Symantec Premium AntiSpam
Description: There was an error on the server <<servername>>. Symantec Premium AntiSpam registration failed. The product will not receive spam definition updates. Do the following: 1. Insure that an up to date premium antispam...
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Resolution

Note to Exchange 2007/2010/2013 users

The above error will occur if attempting to license and/or enable Premium Anti spam if the hub or edge roles are not present.  This is because the Premium Anti Spam requires SMTP Transport.  Symantec Premium Anti Spam can only be implemented on Exchange 2007/2010/2013 Hub or Edge roll servers.

Note to users of version 7.9.x and earlier

The certificate used to register the Premium Antispam license expired at the beginning of June 2020. If using 7.9.0 or earlier, see Premium Antispam Registration fails when installing license or enabling Premium Antispam on version 7.9.0 or earlier. For more information on EOS dates, see Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange End of Service (EOS) dates by versions.

Make sure that the license file is valid.

To check the validity of the license file

1. Open the Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange console, click Admin then Licensing.
2. In the right pane, under License Information, verify that the license is valid.

To fix the problem if the license is valid

1. Check the Bmiconfig.xml file, and repair it if needed.
   For details, read Event ID 514 error messages in the application log after upgrading Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange.
2. Examine the Conduit.log file.
3. Try to enable Premium AntiSpam again.

Verify Access to Hostnames

1. Verify that a connection is possible to https://aztec.brightmail.com:443
2. If a proxy server is used, configure the proxy server to allow the Exchange server direct access.
   For details, read How to manually register the license for Premium AntiSpam with Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange (SMSMSE).
3. Try to enable Premium AntiSpam again.

To verify DNS resolution for aztec.brightmail.com

1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, in the Open text box, type cmd and then click OK.
   A cmd.exe window opens.
3. At the command prompt, type nslookup aztec.brightmail.com and then press Enter.
   The nslookup program should provide one or more IP addresses for aztec.brightmail.com.  If the nslookup program does not provide any IP addresses, or "Non-existant domain" is seen, then the DNS server is not resolving the name.

Verify that a file called "trusted.cert" exists and has not been modified

The message details "Error retrieving Trusted Certificate location from configuration file." may appear in the windows application event log as Event 412:

1. Look for the presence of this file in C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\<version>\Server\etc 32-bit system or C:\Program Files (x86)\Symantec\SMSMSE\<version>\Server\etc 64-bit systems (default installation path of SMSMSE)
2. If the folder 'etc' does not exist, create under \Server a folder called etc
3. If the file trusted.cert does not exist, copy the 'trusted.cert' file from the installation files into the \Server\etc folder
4. If the file trusted.cert exists, the last modified date will match the install date for the product. If not, then replace the file with an unmodified version.
5. License Premium AntiSpam in SMSMSE, again, via the SMSMSE Console
6. Enable Premium AntiSpam

Verify that the bmiconfig.xml was created correctly during installation

1. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Symantec\SMSMSE\<version>\Server\SpamPrevention 64-bit system
2. Locate the file bmiconfig.xml, right click and open with notepad
3. Look for the tags
   <loadpoint>C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\6.0\Server</loadpoint>
   <logdir>C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\6.0\Server\logs</logdir>
   <spooldir>C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\6.0\Server\spool</spooldir>
   <statsdir>C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\6.0\Server\stats</statsdir>
   <configdir>C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\6.0\Server\SpamPrevention</configdir>
   <clientCert>C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\6.0\Server\etc\cert.pem</clientCert>
   <trustedCert>C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\6.0\Server\etc\trusted.cert</trustedCert>
4. Verify each path is correct, in some cases they will be filled out as "pathto\basedir" instead of the full filepath.

 

If the file paths are not filled out correctly

1. Open the registry editor (Start -> Run, Regedit).
2. Find the following registry folder:

32-bit systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Symantec\SMSMSE\<version>\Server\Components\SMTP\BMIConfigInit

64-bit systems: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Symantec\SMSMSE\<version>\Server\Components\SMTP\BMIConfigInit

3. In the right pane, locate the value BMIConfigInit, right click it and choose Delete.
4. Restart the Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange service. The bmiconfig.xml file should now contain the correct values

 

 

 

 

Additional Information

The SMSMSE Administration Console uses the command line tool register.exe for registering the SPA license.  Use the following KB article to get more details from the command line on the source of the error:  How to Manually License Premium AntiSpam for Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange (SMSMSE). If there are error messages displayed by the tool, search the SMSMSE KB articles for the error message.