Microsoft Outlook, and Exchange 2003

Okay, I have installed Active-directory, and exchange server 2003 on my server and got it all setup and working so that I can send e-mail (through OWA).  Now I want to make my outlook 2003 client work with the exchange server.

I closed outlook, went to control panel, and then double-clicked on "mail", and from there added a new profile and pointed it to the exchange server.  When I enter my username, and click on "Check Name" it automatically does the query and changes my username to "'Travis Howle'", and changes the server address to the FQDN.  So I know it can query LDAP, or whatever correctly.

However, once I save the profile and try to open outlook I get an error message saying "Unable to open your default e-mail folders.  You must connect to your Microsoft Exchange Server computer with the current profile before you can synchronize your folders with your offline folder file."

I've tried to disable the cache client side on the profile, and still no luck.  It's acting as if it cannot access the exchange server.  I've turned the firewall off on the server, so I know that the ports are not being blocked server-side, however if any ports need to be open client-side, for like RPC they aren't.

By the way, this server is not local it is remote. Meaning that I connect through it over the internet.

I've looked in numerous locations on MSDN and cannot find the answer, any of your help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Travis

Let me guess, you aren't logged into the domain controller for your user account?

Start Menu -> Run -> CMD [Enter] -> "net use <IP Adress>/IPC$"

Type in your e-mail box login credentials in the login box and hit 'OK'.

IP Address is the IP of the remote exchange server, run the above on the local machine.

Keep in mind that this computer (the machine I'm on now) is not a member of the domain.

Also, when I run those commands you typed all I get was an error saying that "System error 67 -- The network name cannot be found."

I have the firewall off on the server, but maybe some services aren't running, I'm not sure.



I typed in the run dialog \">\\<IPAddress>\  And then tried to connect to \IPC$

I logged in as Administrator, but still outlook throws the same error.  MAybe I did it wrong.

Try this link: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=156304

Are you trying to access the administrators e-mail box?

Login as the e-mail account's user on the domain controller.

PS - Check out the Event View under Admin tools in control panel for more information on the problem. And post it here (Server *AND* client).  


 

When I directly type in \IPC$">\\<IP>\IPC$ it gives an error saying "... is not accessible.  You might not have permission to use this network resource.  Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.  Incorrect Function."

It never gives me a chance to login, and when I run the "net use" command it says that its connected, and status is ok.

Server Event Logs:
I see nothing really relevant in the event logs.  Not sure what to look for though.

Client Event Logs:
I see nothing really relevant in the event logs.  Not sure what to look for though.

***** Have you read this: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=156304

That article won't work, I can't even start Outlook.  It just starts, and as soon as I see the splash screen I get the error message.

Manip wrote:

Try this link: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=156304

That article won't work, I can't even start Outlook.  It just starts, and as soon as I see the splash screen I get the error message.

By the way, this server is not local it is remote. Meaning that I connect through it over the internet.

That's probably the key point. Outlook 2003 will try to use MAPI by  default to connect to the Exchange Server. MAPI is an RPC based protocol, and many ISPs block RPC (if it's even open through your firewall).

That's how Outlook typically works when using a LAN (eg, if you do nothing special, you'll be using MAPI).

If you really mean you're wanting to use the Outlook Client to an Exchange Server over the Internet, I think you probably want to set up RPC over SSL, more commonly called RPC over HTTP.

http://search.msn.com/results.asp?co=20&RS=CHECKED&FORM=SMCB&ba=0&v=1&q=rpc+http+outlook

The use of HTTP as the RPC transport makes Outlook/Exchange more location-, proxy-, and firewall-friendly.

There should really be a firewall between The Internet and your Exchange Server/AD domain as well, and firewall traversal is typically the tricky part.

HTH!

If you setup a firewall between your exchange server and your AD there are a lot of portsro you will have to open on your firewall to get things through.  Those ports are listed @ Microsoft, don't have the link in front of me but search for front end mail server and it will list the ports.

TristanK wrote:

That's probably the key point. Outlook 2003 will try to use MAPI by  default to connect to the Exchange Server. MAPI is an RPC based protocol, and many ISPs block RPC (if it's even open through your firewall).

That is the conclusion I came to yesterday. He was nice enough to give me access to his server; according to the logs when he tries to connect it is as if his connection never reaches the exchange server even with the 2k3 firewall down.

Even though *my* ISP blocks that port (why?) he does not believe his one does because they are too small of an ISP... But I am not so confident. I must admit I didn't try RPC via HTTP or SSL instead used IMAP4 which, except calender suited what he needed from the server.

Caaaaarn (that's Australian for "come on") - you don't run firewall-less servers on the Internet, really, do you?

I'll preface all this with: I haven't supported Exchange/Outlook for A Long Time. So grains of salt may be required.

135 (the RPC endpoint mapper) was the port associated with the Blaster attack, and we typically recommend that it's blocked at the perimeter (btw, ISA can do RPC publishing for MAPI, there, that's my sales pitch for the year done!).

Outlook can be configured in several different ways, but if your mail profile tells it that it's going to be using an Exchange Server, it'll try to use that as the primary store.

If you're happy using just IMAP, delete the contents of the current mail profile (eg, remove all the accounts, or delete the profile through Control Panel/Mail), then create a new profile with just IMAP and a Personal Folders (PST) file.

That'll probably work, but as you mentioned, you don't get the full Everything Experience.

Back on MAPI (eg, regular client access): My $0.02 - get the client computer on the same LAN as the server. If it works there, you're good. If it doesn't work there, troubleshoot it as a local connectivity/settings issue, without The Internet in the picture.

Once you've got it working on the LAN, set up RPC/HTTP, and go roaming. Exchange/Outlook aren't configured/optimized for Internet Roaming out of the box (the out of box experience is primarily focused on users on a LAN with Exchange - that may change...?) so some assembly is required for RPC/HTTPs.

Once it's set up, it's fantastic, and it works from basically anywhere. Until then, don't expect the Internet to be port 135-friendly, and as a plea to all troubleshooters out there - please, please, please, don't be turning off any firewalls between the Internet and your server - even for testing, it's probably going too far. Just work out what you need to expose, and expose only the minimum amount of surface area possible.

I have a similar problem. I log on to the Exchange server through Outlook for one profile on my laptop without difficult. I set up a separate Windows login and profile for my wife who logs into the same server with her id. The settings in Control Panel Mail are the same. When I do a check ID on her account, I get a "can't access exchange error. But, I can RDP or OWA access her account. Any suggestions?