Exchange Gurus: I need help to my weird setup.

[aceO07]

I have an odd situation. I'm using Windows 2003 Small Business Edition. I'm new to Exchange server.

Now I've gotten my previous issues figured out. My next step is to get Outlook Web Access working the way I want. It does work now, if I grant * IP access to the Default Web Site.

However I want to make the OWA webpage be the default webform that comes up with I go to my site, ie exchange.mysite.com, instead of going to exchange.mysite.com/exchange. Also, I would like to disable the default welcome page that is shown.

Thanks in advance.

----- Original Post - Resolved - New Post Above -----

We have an email provider already and don't want to convert to Exchange Server for email just yet. Our email provider does not provide Exchange services.

For now, we want to use Exchange Server to provide collaboration features like group scheduling and contacts inside Outlook. We will eventually use Exchange to handle our email.

We also have 2 remote staff members that want to use Outlook outside the office, however our ISP/email provider does not allow access outside of the office network (except through webforms). I setup Exchange server using the POP3/SMTP connectors to handle these two accounts without having Exchange be the email server. I also want to use RPC over HTTP to let these 2 workers use Outlook to access Exchange to get their emails.

My problems/questions.
1(solved). How do I make sure that the accounts, which are purely for collaboration features, do not send email? They will have primary email account set up in Outlook for their original ISP email account.
2. How do I turn off Exchange's SMTP/POP3 services without messing anything up? None of the users will be using it that way. It will either be by Outlook or RPC/HTTP. I just don't want random people to connect to those ports. Would it be easier to just block them so people can't connect to them?
3. How do I get RPC over HTTP to work? I have certs set up. I can use Outlook via webforms (though I did specifically turn that option OFF during the internet/email setup!). The server is accessible from outside by it's registered domain name. Outlook is set up for RPC/HTTP. I have tried to access it through external network with Outlook and there is data going back and forward from the 2 computers. However, it doesn't connect and Outlook is offline. I don't know where to get detailed error report.

Any help with any of my questions/problems would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks RebateMonger

 

[aceO07]

Update/Bump.

I figured out #1. Disable exchange server in the send/receive group options of Outlook.

Still looking for answers for the other two.

 

[RebateMonger]

My experience is that you should immediately switch to full Exchange email. Using Exchange in a "half-turned-on mode" is going to cause you ongoing problems and make your life MUCH more complicated than if you simply implement full Exchange in your office.

I now refuse to set up an SBS Server without full Exchange functionality. Earlier attempts to allow clients to do half-hearted implementations cost them tons of money and problems.

If you don't know Exchange really well, you'll have problems doing a half-implementation. And if you DO know Exchange, you'd never do what you are trying to do.

Here are the comments of three or four SBS MVPs to somebody who asked this same question on UseNet.

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There are complete instructions for setting up Outlook RPC over HTTPS on your "Remote Web Workplace" web site, available on every SBS 2003 Server. It gives very specific instructions. Be sure to follow EVERY step, or it won't work.

The instructions are found in the "Configure your computer to use Outlook via the Internet" link on the main RWW page.

Using Outlook via the Internet

If you are using Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2003, you can connect to the computer running Windows® Small Business Server through the Internet using the feature called RPC over HTTP. This means you can remotely access your server e-mail account from the Internet when you are working outside your organization's firewall. You do not need security-related hardware or software (such as smart cards or security tokens), and you do not have to establish a virtual private network (VPN) connection to the server.

Comparing RPC over HTTP and Outlook Web Access
When using RPC over HTTP to access your mailbox, you get the full functionality of Outlook 2003. For example, you can work offline, use Microsoft Office Word 2003 as your e-mail editor, and easily organize your mailbox.

To use Outlook via the Internet:

Ensure that the following requirements have been met on the client computer:

Verify that the computer is running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 or later
Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
The version of the operating system and service pack is displayed under System. If you do not see a service pack version, there is no service pack installed.
Verify that Windows update Q331320 is installed on the computer (not required if you are running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later)
Click Start, click Control Panel, and then open Add or Remove Programs.
Under Currently installed programs, search for the item Windows XP Hotfix (SP2) Q331320.
If the item is not present, go to the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=18651) and follow the instructions to download and install it.
Verify that the computer is running Outlook 2003 or later
Open Outlook.
Click the Help menu, and then click About Microsoft Office Outlook. The version number appears at the top of the box.
Verify that the computer trusts the certificate used by the server
Open Internet Explorer, and then in the address bar type:
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://xxxxx.xxxxx/remote"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://xxxxx.xxxxx/remote"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://xxxxx.xxxxx/remote"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://xxxxx.xxxxx/remote">https://xxxxx.xxxxx/remote</a></a></a></a>

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:
If the certificate is trusted, a certificate warning does not appear. In this case, continue with step 1 under Ensure that you have an Outlook profile configured for the server.
If the certificate is not trusted, a warning appears. Click View Certificate, click Install Certificate, and then follow the instructions.
Ensure that you have an Outlook profile configured for the server
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
If you are viewing Control Panel in the default Category view, switch to Classic view, and then double-click Mail.
If you are viewing Control Panel in Classic view, double-click Mail.
In the Mail Setup dialog box, click Show Profiles. If your profile appears in the list, select your profile, click Properties, click E-mail Accounts, select View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next. If your profile does not appear, open Outlook and follow the instructions to create a profile before proceeding.
If Microsoft Exchange Server does not appear in the list, the existing profile is not associated with a Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail account. Click Cancel, and then click Close. Continue with step 3 to add a profile.
If there is an existing Microsoft Exchange Server profile, continue with step 3 under Configure the computer for RPC over HTTP.
Click Add. The New Profile dialog box appears.
In the Profile Name box, type a name for the new profile, and then click OK. The E-mail Accounts dialog box appears.
Under E-mail, select Add a new e-mail account, and then click Next. The Server Type dialog box appears.
Click Microsoft Exchange Server, and then click Next.
Continue with step 4 under Configure the computer for RPC over HTTP.
Configure the computer for RPC over HTTP
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
If you are viewing Control Panel in the default Category view, switch to Classic view, and then double-click Mail.
If you are viewing Control Panel in Classic view, double-click Mail.
In the Mail Setup dialog box, click E-mail accounts, click View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next.
In the E-mail accounts dialog box, click Microsoft Exchange Server, and then click Change.
In the Microsoft Exchange Server box, type the local name of the Exchange server:
xxxxx.xxxxx.xxxxx


In the User Name box, type the user name that you use to log on to the Remote Web Workplace. Do not click Check Name.

In the Exchange Server settings page, click More Settings.
On the Connection tab, under Exchange over the Internet, select Connect to my Exchange mailbox using HTTP, and then click Exchange Proxy Settings. The Exchange Proxy Settings dialog box appears.
Under Use this URL to connect to my proxy server for Exchange, type the following URL:
xxxxx.xxxxx.xxxxx

Select Connect using SSL only, and then select Mutually authenticate the session when connecting with SSL.
In the Principal name for proxy server box, type the following text:
msstd:xxxxx.xxxxx.xxxx

Select On slow networks, connect using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP.
Under Proxy authentication settings, select Basic Authentication.
Click OK, and then click OK again. Click Next, and then click Finish. Click Close.
In the Mail dialog box, if Always use this profile is selected, choose the newly configured profile.
Open Outlook and type your Windows Small Business Server user name (in the format DomainName\user name) and password. You can now work with your Outlook mailbox.

 

[aceO07]

RebateMonger, I stepped through everything you pasted. I also printed out the directions from the remote webpage from our server, which is the same steps but easier to read. Unfortunately, I still can't connect. The status is still offline. I get error 0x8004011D when I'm trying to send/receive. "The server is not available, contact your administrator if this condition persists." The client is communicating with the server, I can see the network lights on both computers going. At some point, there's a problem.

It is possible for Outlook(same client) to connect to the Exchange server on the LAN. However, I can't get it to do RPC/HTTP over external network.

 

[aceO07]

I've also looked over the Microsoft document "Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 RPC over HTTP Deployment Scenarios".
Did scenario "How to Deploy RPC over HTTP for the First Time on Exchange Server 2003, No Front-End Server, Back-End on Global Catalog Server".

Went through all those steps as well, since it's Small Business edition all the steps were completed for me already, I just verified everything.

My next step is to go through the trouble shooting @ http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2003/library/ex2k3rpc.mspx

 

[aceO07]

Yay. I got it!

Sheesh! My anti-Internet Explorer brain missed the part about using IE to verify/install the certificate. I had assumed it was just a step to verify the existance of the certificate. I've been using Firefox for that step to check!

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: aceO07
Yay. I got it!

Sheesh! My anti-Internet Explorer brain missed the part about using IE to verify/install the certificate. I had assumed it was just a step to verify the existance of the certificate. I've been using Firefox for that step to check!

Almost EVERY time somebody can't get Outlook RPC over HTTPS to work, it's because they didn't install the certificate on the client PC.

It sucks, because there's no warning of what the problem is. I know, because I've made this mistake MORE than once, as recently as this month. And I should know better.....

 

[aceO07]

Bump^. New questions. Read first post.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: aceO07
However I want to make the OWA webpage be the default webform that comes up with I go to my site, ie exchange.mysite.com, instead of going to exchange.mysite.com/exchange. Also, I would like to disable the default welcome page that is shown.

Try this method (from a UseNet Microsoft post).

 

[aceO07]

Great. Thanks a lot RebateMonger. I never thought of using the google group newsgroups as a resource. I'll start looking into more now.

Thanks again. You've been a great help!

 

[Mavtech]

For my Exchange server, I put a link to the front page of OWA on the main front page of my website. This way, I just type in my website name and then click the link.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Mavtech
For my Exchange server, I put a link to the front page of OWA on the main front page of my website. This way, I just type in my website name and then click the link.

Yeah, there's a couple different ways to do it. Depends on the end result you want. And if you are running ISA Server, ISA can take care of this by itself with no other web site changes.

 

[lazybedone]

Displaying your IP address could make you more prone to viruses and malwares. Whatever device you are using, it is still better to use VPN to be more secured.