Force Outlook 2003 to use RPC over HTTP on a Lan

Check this answer please:
http://www.petri.co.il/testing_rpc_over_http_connection.htm

I hope it help you

Naser

Particularly here:

http://www.petri.co.il/configure_outlook_2003_to_use_rpc_over_http.htm

Thanks, I've read these pages. I cant chanhge the IP filtering as its only one site at he end of a VPN tunnel that would need to access the exchange server using HTTP. The main office and other sites aren't configured to use RPC over HTTP.

Thanks

I may have resolved this, need to test yet when i'm at the site. I looked at the following link about rpc binding order

http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;325930&spid=2520&sid=1337

I think adding ncacn_http to the rpc binding order may resolve this. I will test and let you know. In the mean time an other comments / suggestions are welcome

All you need to do is enable both options for slow and fast connections. My laptop uses RPC over HTTPS permanently, as does my desktop.

Just make sure that the DNS resolves correctly so that the SSL certificate works.

Simon.

I have both fast and slow connections enabled. When im external and start outlook with the switch /rpcdiag i can see the HTTPS connections fine. When i'm on the LANI see TCP connections.

DNS resolves correctly. What connections do you have running outlook /rpcdiag are they HTTPS or TCP?

cheers

When I am running internally or externally, all connections are https. No TCP/IP involved. I bounce between being offsite and onsite with no configuration changes to the Outlook client.

While you say that DNS resolves correctly, have you actually tried to browse to the RPC folder on the DNS name to see if it works?

https://mail.domain.com/rpc (where mail.domain.com is the name on the certificate). You should get an error after entering credentials: "HTTP Error 401.3 - Unauthorized: Access is denied due to an ACL set on the requested resource."

Simon.

Yep RPC over HTTP works. No pop-ups asking for certificate connecting to https://mail.domain.com/rpc, prompts me for login. That side's is all fine. There's no errors it just seems to use TCP connections on the LAN and not HTTPS. I see that setting Outlook to use HTTP for fast or slow connections should be the answer but hoped there was a reg hack that would force Outlook to only use HTTP.

I have deployed the feature about a dozen times, and haven't required any kind of registry hack. It is odd that it works internally and not externally. I find that it either works or doesn't.

Any restrictions on the http virtual server?
Are you running frontend/backend or single server?

Simon.

Outlook works internally and externally using RPC over HTTP but i noticed when on the LAN it doesn't go via HTTP.

The setup is that the office is connected via a VPN tunnel to the main site where the exchange server is. When the user is in the remote site it is not connecting via HTTP it just sees there is a direct route if you like and doesn't use HTTP. This is a problem as the link is slow and causes messages to pop-up saying requesting data from server. I want to force it HTTP as this appears to handle the slow connection better. There is no problem with RPC over HTTP config, it works.

I do the same thing... I deploy RPC over HTTPS on all laptops that move around. It doesn't matter where they are, it uses RPC over HTTPS.

Clarification on exactly where it does work - for http connections...

Externally (over the Internet) - Yes
Internally on the same LAN as the Exchange server?
Internally over the VPN from the remote office?

Where does the VPN terminate? On the firewall, further inside?

Simon.

Externally (over the Internet) - Yes
Internally on the same LAN as the Exchange server - No
Internally over the VPN from the remote office - no

Where does the VPN terminate? On the firewall

Cheers