Oriensoft XpressHost™
-
Hosted Exchange Features
This is an ever
growing collection
of FAQ's and
technical articles
designed to help you
with problem
resolution as
quickly as possible.
Some of the most
frequently asked
questions in the
Exchange and Outlook
section are below.
What are some
features and
benefits of Exchange
Server ?
Features and
Benefits
Here are some of
the key features
of Exchange Server
and Microsoft
Outlook 2000.
Messaging
• Share e-mail
with co-workers,
customers,
partners, and
suppliers.
• Get e-mail over
the Internet.
• Organize
incoming e-mail
into folders or
flag e-mail from
important clients.
Scheduling
• Keep a calendar
of appointments.
• Share daily
schedules to
easily plan
meetings.
• Delegate
schedules to
administrative
assistants to keep
you up-to-date.
Contact
management
• Track and
organize all your
business and
personal contacts.
• Share all
customer
information and
correspondence,
such as e-mail,
documents, and
meeting notes in a
public folder.
Task management
• Create daily
to-do lists and
check them off
when you’re done.
• Delegate and
assign tasks
through e-mail.
Team folders
• Set up
workspaces for
teams to share
project-related
messages, files,
schedules, tasks,
and applications.
• Set rules so
that only team
members can gain
access to the
folder.
Online forms
• Standardize
paper forms, put
them online, and
route them to
people who need to
see them. Vacation
requests,
timecards, and
help-desk requests
are just a few
examples.
• Mobile users can
save money and
time by submitting
expense reports
while out of the
office.
File searching
• Search Outlook
folders and
messages to find
misplaced e-mail.
• Search through
your company’s
public folders to
find lost entries.
Remote
messaging
• Log on from the
road with the same
functionality as
if you were
sitting in the
office.
• Retrieve
messages over the
Internet from any
browser.
Offline
capabilities
• Work offline
with your e-mail,
contacts, tasks,
schedules, and
applications.
• Synchronize
folders and
applications when
reconnecting with
the network
Unified
messaging
• Integrate
e-mail, voice
mail, and fax
messaging so all
your
communications are
available within
Outlook.
• Have anywhere,
anytime access to
all your messages.
How to Connect to
your Exchange Server
from the Outlook
client ?
Briefly, the
following needs to
be done:
-
Download and run
the "Modify Hosts
File" Utility from
the Microsoft
Outlook 2000
Helper Files page.
Instructions are
on that page.
-
If
you have not used
Outlook before:
configure a new
profile to connect
to the Exchange
server. You can do
it by clicking on
Outlook icon.
OR
If you currently
use Outlook to
receive Internet
mail: reconfigure
existing profile
to use "Corporate
or Workgroup"
e-mail option in
Outlook > Tools >
Options.
How to connect to
Exchange server
through proxy or
firewall ?
To connect to the
Exchange server
hosted by
Oriensoft XpressHost
from
behind a firewall or
proxy you need to
open ports
135, 1225,
and 1226 in
the firewall/proxy.
Running your
existing mail server
concurrently with
Exchange ?
If you want to
receive Internet
E-mail to a certain
domain in your MS
Exchange mailboxes,
then you need to
register this domain
as an Inbound SMTP
domain using the
Inbound Domain page.
However, if you do
not want to switch
your domain over
just yet, then we
offer third-level
domain, in the form
"@Your_Username.control
panel.com".
If you register a
subdomain of control
panel.com (for
example,
resi14.control
panel.com) as an
Inbound Domain, then
we make the
necessary changes
both on
oriensoft.com DNS
server and on your
MS Exchange server,
and you will be able
to start receiving
Internet E-mail to
this subdomain
immediately after
the registration.
For domains not
related to control
panel.com, you will
have to make sure
that your domain's
MX records point to
the Exchange
server's IP address. For
this you can use oriensoft.com DNS
Server management
system if you host
your DNS with us. If
you do not, then you
will need to make
the change to your
DNS if you
administer it your
self or you will
need to contact your
DNS provider, which
is usually your
Internet Service
Provider. They can
make the change for
you.
Please note: The DNS
changes can take
anywhere from 48
hours to one week to
propagate across the
Internet. During
this time, we
recommend that you
periodically connect
to your old mail
server to pull any
mail that may have
been directed there
instead of to the
Exchange server.
After one week, you
will not need to do
this any longer.
How to make Public
Folders available
offline ?
In order for Public
Folders to be
available offline,
you need to drag the
folder into your
Favorites folder
(right under Public
Folders), then
right-click this
folder (in
Favorites) and go to
the Synchronization
tab, then choose the
correct setting
there.
Each user needs to
do this, even though
it is the same
folder. Also, when
the folder is
dragged to
Favorites, it is
just a link really,
it is not actually
copied anywhere.
Anything you place
in the main folder
under "All Public
Folders" will also
be in the "copy" of
the folder under
Favorites. Also, if
you delete the
folder (which is
just a link) from
the Favorites
folder, this will
not delete the
actual folder.
How to Migrate to
our Shared Exchange
Server ?
The
exact process will
vary based on what
mail system you are
using, what mail
client is in use,
the expertise of
your staff, and
other similar
issues.
PRE-MIGRATION
(each step can be
taken without
affecting the
existing mail
system)
-
Create Oriensoft
XpressHost Account
-
For testing
purposes, you can
set up one or two
mailboxes. To test
Internet mail, you
will need to set
up a temporary
Inbound Domain
(for instance, a
domain you own but
do not use for any
purpose) or you
can set it up
automatically in
Oriensoft
XpressHost's
Inbound Domain
screen, which uses
your Oriensoft
XpressHost account
name.control
panel.com. For
instance, if your
Oriensoft
XpressHost account
is "lexcom", then
the third- level
domain would be
lexcom.control
panel.com and you
can receive e-mail
at this domain.
-
Add all mailboxes,
distribution
lists, top-level
folders, custom
recipients, and
inbound domains in
Oriensoft
XpressHost. This
is to set up the
infrastructure so
that it is ready
for migration.
-
You need to ensure
that each Outlook
user is configured
in Outlook's
Corporate/Workgroup
mode (instead of
the Internet Mail
Only mode). This
is explained in
our Knowledge
Base, but
basically consists
of running the
"Reconfigure Mail
Support" function
in Outlook 2000.
In Outlook 98, you
have to run
Outlook setup
again. Both
Outlook 98 and
2000 require the
Outlook CD be
available.
-
You need to set up
name resolution
for our Exchange
server. The name
of our Exchange
server needs to
resolve to an IP
address. There are
two ways to do
this:
-
Each Outlook
user adds a line
to their Hosts
file. This is
described in our
Knowledge Base
or
-
Add it to your
company's DNS as
exchangeserver.company.com
(exchangeserver
= our Exchange
server name;
company.com =
your domain).
Each user adds
your company's
domain to their
DNS search order
if it is not
already. Again,
this is
explained in our
Knowledge Base.
For
more details, see
"How to Connect to
your Exchange Server
from the Outlook
client" in our
Knowledge Base
FOR PEOPLE MIGRATING
FROM ANOTHER
EXCHANGE SERVER
(if you were using
POP3 or Internet
Mail, you can skip
this section)
MIGRATION (these
steps need to be
coordinated)
-
The MX record in
DNS for the
company is changed
to point to our
Exchange server
-
Each Outlook
client needs to
change the
Exchange server
name and Mailbox
name in the
"Microsoft
Exchange Server"
in Outlook
services.
POST-MIGRATION
-
Users can import
mail and addresses
from the old mail
system.
-
For people who
were on another
Exchange server
and exported their
old mailbox to a
PST file, you will
need to add a
Personal Folder
service under
Tools/Services
specifying the PST
file that you
exported. At this
point, you could
import the
messages in the
PST file back into
Exchange, but we
recommend you
leave them in the
PST due to upload
times and the
storage space they
will take up on
the Exchange
server. When you
import from a PST
file to Exchange,
you lose
Exchange's
"single-instance
storage" feature.
Username and Domain
empty in startup
dialog box ?
We
have developed a
utility that will
fix this. See our
Microsoft Outlook
2000 Helper Files
page for
instructions on
downloading and
running this utility
(Logonfix.reg).
See
this article on
the Microsoft
support site if you
want to read a
detailed paper on
this.
What is the URL for
Outlook Web Access (OWA)
?
If
you are on
EHOST001, use
https://ex2000.oriensoft.com.
Type in your
Exchange Alias in
the logon box,
then your Windows
NT username and
password (and
"exch1" for the
domain if it asks
for that) in the
gray dialog box
that comes up
next.
If you are on
EHOST002, use
https://owa.oriensoft.com.
Type in your
Exchange Alias in
the logon box,
then your Windows
NT username and
password (and
"exch2" for the
domain if it asks
for that) in the
gray dialog box
that comes up
next.
If you are on
EHOST003, use
https://owa3.oriensoft.com.
Type in your
Windows 2000
username and
password and
"exch003" for the
domain in the gray
dialog box that
comes up next.
Both of these URLs
use HTTPS, a
Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL)
implementation of
HTTP. We recommend
bookmarking the
appropriate link
in your browser.
Alternatively,
users can access a
mailbox with a URL
such as http://mail.yourdomain.com.
This URL however
does not use the
SSL implementation
of HTTP and is
therefore less
secure.
What is a Top-Level
Folder ?
The
term "Top Level
Folder" is perhaps
confusing when one
looks at the public
folders view in
their Outlook
client. It appears
to be a third level
folder at a glance.
That is because the
Exchange Server
retains ownership of
certain folders that
are created during
the installation
set-up process.
The "Top Level
Folders" are created
under "All Public
Folders". When you
set up a Top Level
Folder, you also
need to set
permissions to it in
Oriensoft
XpressHost. This is
done by selecting
the Edit button next
to the Folder in
Oriensoft
XpressHost's Top
Level Folder page.
To add additional
folders under the
Top Level Folders,
you need to use the
Outlook client.
Connecting to
Microsoft Exchange
Server
For configuration,
you may also
reference this
page with
step-by-step
configuration
instructions and
helpful screen
shots.
Outlook 2000 Helper
Files
We have developed
several utilities
that can assist
with setting
Outlook 2000 up to
connect to our
Exchange servers.
These are at the
Microsoft Outlook
2000 Helper Files
page. The
utilities include
one that modifies
the local HOSTS
file and one that
optimizes client
performance over
the Internet by
resetting the RPC
Binding Order.
Users of Microsoft
Exchange can use
any of the
following clients
to access their
account:
If you are on
EHOST001 or
EHOST002, use
https://owa.oriensoft.com.
Type in your
Exchange Alias in
the logon box,
then your Windows
NT username and
password (and
"exch2" for the
domain if it asks
for that) in the
gray dialog box
that comes up
next.
If you are on
EHOST003, use
https://owa3.oriensoft.com.
Type in your
Windows 2000
username and
password and
"exch003" for the
domain in the gray
dialog box that
comes up next.
Both of these URLs
use HTTPS, a
Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL)
implementation of
HTTP. We recommend
bookmarking the
appropriate link
in your browser.
Alternatively,
users can access a
mailbox with a URL
such as http://mail.yourdomain.com.
This URL however
does not use the
SSL implementation
of HTTP and is
therefore less
secure.
For questions not
covered in the
Knowledge Base,
our Exchange
support staff is
available to
assist you.
Create a support
ticket on
http://support.oriensoft.com
Response time is
typically 1 - 2
hours. In your
e-mail message
please provide
your username and
any information
available on your
end. These details
can help us to
more quickly
facilitate the
problem
resolution.
