Set RPC for Microsoft Outlook RPC over HTTP

As you learned in the 11th chapter, most RPC over HTTP settings are actually done on the server side. At the client, you will need to verify that your server has Microsoft Windows XP. If you use SP1, you will need to use the Q331320 patch, which is included in the SP2 and updated version. You also need to communicate between front-end and back-end servers for your users, run Exchange Server 2003 on Windows Server 2003, and run Windows Server for all global directories and domain controllers 2003, so that your server and the client can be used properly.

Note: The Office data kit includes data that uses the Custom Installation Wizard to do a large amount of RPC over HTTP settings, which makes it possible for you to make a seamless operation when configuring for some or all users.

The settings that are made for RPC over HTTP are associated with separate profiles and can only be applied to each profile's separate Exchange Server account. You can modify these settings by using similar interfaces that you can use, but the settings themselves are different (remember that you must have installed your Exchange Server and global directory as described in Chapter 11).

The key to using RPC over HTTP for Outlook settings is to create a separate simple check box to connect to my Exchange mailbox using HTTP, as shown in Figure 13-4. (By using the tool | Email account command to edit an account, you can get this check box.) This check box appears when you run Outlook 2003 in your system and you encounter prerequisite requirements for establishing a contact with an Exchange server. If any of these components are missing or not configured, this check box will not be displayed.

Figure 13-4 Link label for applying RPC over HTTP

After selecting the check box, of course, it is time to use it correctly. The Exchange Proxy Settings dialog box appears (shown in Figure 13-5) when you click the Exchange Agent Settings button. Whether you need to use SSL or not, you can specify a URL for your Exchange server (this is used for a standard Exchange Server 2003 installation and will have the same name as the back-end server). For maximum security, you should verify that the link uses SSL only, and that you can authenticate the session to each other when the check box with the SSL link is selected. This joint can provide maximum protection against deception and eavesdropping. Other settings actually have little to do with security controls. When connecting to my proxy server for Exchange control, it is a special case of using this authentication.

Figure 13-5 The Exchange Proxy Settings dialog box.

Other tips for using Outlook 2003 RPC over HTTPS support

Here are two other useful things to note about Outlook 2003 RPC over HTTPS support. The first is that you can implement a user-interface control to change RPC over HTTPS. This is a useful feature if you have a user client that is not installed and you want to confirm it, or if you have configured it to prevent users from making changes to the configuration. The specific action is to add the Enablerpctunnelingui value to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\POLICIES\MICROSOFT\OFFICE\11.0\OUTLOOK\RPC. When this value is set to 0, the user interface (UI) is hidden. When the value is set to 1 o'clock, or if the current setting is not changed, the user interface (UI) is visible when Outlook in your computer starts running and encounters the operating system operation requirements.

Another useful one is that after the initial Outlook 2003 configuration, you can open the use of RPC over HTTPS on the expiration date. To implement functionality, you need to use the Custom Maintenance Wizard in the Office Resource Installation Toolkit, which allows you to make changes to the configuration types and to automatically update the installation Office settings as they are configured as item files. For more information on customizing the Maintenance Wizard, you can view the Microsoft site by using custom Maintenance to update Outlook 2003.