Which component is critical for determining recipient address resolution in Exchange 2010?

Recipient configuration plays a crucial role in determining recipient address resolution in Exchange 2010. This component consists of various settings and properties that define each email recipient within the Exchange organization. It includes user mailboxes, distribution groups, contacts, and other recipient types. When an email is sent, Exchange relies on the recipient configuration to resolve the address to the correct mailbox or distribution group.

The address book policies, while important for managing recipient visibility and access, do not directly handle the resolution of addresses in the same way that recipient configuration does. Mailbox databases are essential for storing the actual mailbox content but do not participate in the initial address resolution process. Hub Transport servers are responsible for routing emails but rely on recipient configuration to determine where emails should be delivered.