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:


******************************************************************
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.
******************************************************************

The following event may also be seen in the Application Log:



******************************************************************
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...
******************************************************************

Resolution

To confirm presence of Transport service

In services.msc, scroll down
If services.msc does not show any services that start with "Microsoft Exchange", the box being examined is not a Microsoft Exchange server.
There is no need for SMSMSE on this machine.
If services.msc displays one or more services that start with "Microsoft Exchange", but not "Microsoft Exchange Transport", this Microsoft Exchange server does not have the Hub or Edge role.
There is no need to enable Symantec Premium AntiSpam on a machine with no inbound SMTP mailflow.

To check the validity of license file

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

To check for improper entries in bmiconfig.xml

At the cmd prompt, to navigate to the default folder containing bmiconfig.xml, type:
```
cd "C:\Program Files\Symantec\SMSMSE\7.10\Server\SpamPrevention"
```
To check for improper entries, type:
```
find "/path-to/" bmiconfig.xml
```
If the Windows find tool locates one or more entries, fix these entries with Event ID 514 error messages in the application log after upgrading Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange.
Try to enable Premium AntiSpam again.

To verify Access to Hostnames

Verify that a connection is possible to https://aztec.brightmail.com:443
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).
Try to enable Premium AntiSpam again.

To verify DNS resolution for aztec.brightmail.com

At the cmd prompt, type:
```
nslookup aztec.brightmail.com
```
If nslookup does not provide any IP addresses for aztec.brightmail.com, or displays "Non-existent domain", then the DNS server is not resolving the name. When name resolution works normally, the nslookup program should provide one or more IP addresses for aztec.brightmail.com.

To verify file "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:

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)
If the folder 'etc' does not exist, create under \Server a folder called etc
If the file trusted.cert does not exist, copy the 'trusted.cert' file from the installation files into the \Server\etc folder
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.
License Premium AntiSpam in SMSMSE, again, via the SMSMSE Console
Enable Premium AntiSpam

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.

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.