OSX and M$ Exchange Server

tismey

tismey

Official Bartender
Has anyone had any joy using OSX with Microsoft Exchange to read/send email? It's the last thing I need my work PC for, and I'd really like to be able to get rid of the horrible grey Dell box.
I have Outlook installed on my Virtual PC, but the missing networking functionality means I can't connect to the Exchange server, even though I can see it across the network.

I've read a couple of things in various places claiming that you can configure Mail to read Exchange mail, but doesn't give any hints on HOW (and I have a feeling that it wouldn't be possible to send mail this way). Entourage isn't Exchange server-savvy as far as I can tell (despite some rumours that it would be), and as far as I know there's no OSX version of Outlook yet (same rumours suggest there won't be).
 
I've managed to suss out 3 possible ways of connecting to an Exchange server, by the way, but they all have slight drawbacks.
1) is Outlook 2001, which works properly (that IS what it's designed for, after all), but you have to run it in Classic and it crashes within 2 seconds of connecting, which is fairly pointless. Might just be my setup, and I'd be interested to hear from anyone who is using it successfully under 9.2.1 Classic.
2) is Mail, which surprisingly works if you set it up as an IMAP account, but treats all the Outlook appointments/contacts like emails, which is a little unhelpful (you can't really complain though, cos it wasn't designed for them)
3) is Entourage 10, which I HAVE finally managed to get to work (IMAP account again). Downside to this is that it still can't use the appointments etc. But at least it just ignores them, rather than doing mental things to them. It is, unfortunately, also really ugly compared to Outlook.
 
I've been using Outlook in Classic under X for a couple of months. Seems to work as well as under 9, so it is possible to do. It is not an elegant application in any case. I hope their next release (I'm currently using version 9 build 1808) is better. The main problem I have is the incredible length of time it takes to do a remote synchronization (download of new email).
 
I trashed my Outlook profile and started again, and it will now stay open for a while, although it still has a tendency to crash. But at least I can use it.

Unfortunately, if I try to use my Calendar, it crashes it. <sigh> There's a few people on the newsgroup who've had the same problem, but no solutions as yet.

It turns out the Entourage/Mail solution is no good, as you can't SEND mail through it. Poo.
 
I am also trying to use MS Outlook 2001 under Classic (9.1.1) and it doesn't crash at all.

The login window dialog shows up (asking user, passwd and 'domain'). As a domain I use the DNS name of the exchange server here.

It seems to work but afterwards it says that the MS Exchange Server is unavailable. Retrying after that brings no results. I can choose to work offline but then it shows a dialog: "The set of folders could not be opened. The information store could not be opened." click on ok and outlook quits.


Has anybody encountered this behaviour?
I can ping the exchange server with no problems.


dani++
 
Yeah, I just finally got it working now with a suggestion I saw here. In System Preferences/Network, add the Exchange server to Search Domains.
 
I have added our exchange server to the search domains of both os9 and osX. I have also upgraded to 9.2.1 (and also to get rid of those annoying classic startup messages).

It still refuses to connect, even thought it only refuses when you have correctly entered user and passwd information.

I can easily ping the exchange server and the name resolution is ok. Maybe a port scan should tell me something? Could anyone do a portscan of their exchange server and tell of any significant ports being open?
 
Originally posted by PassY
http://www.mozilla.org

a great program for all sort of platforms, and it has a mail function for connections to a exchange server or internet mail.
Click to expand...

No, dani needs connectivity to the Exchange Server, not POP mail. If that were the case, you could use even the built-in Apple Mail. And if you mean the OWA, under Exchange 5.5, which we use, it simply sucks.

dani, under Search Domains in System Preferences/Network, in what form is the Exchange server? I have the actual hostname of the machine. Maybe even the IP address will work, but make sure it is the fully-qualified domain name, as in exchange.your-company.com.
 
This thread has gone quiet, but I wonder if anyone on it (or not on it) had any other tips. My university doesn't 'officially' support OS X and since I've got a work around there's only so much time they are prepared to give this issue.

When I first started using OS X I could access my exchange mail using the mail app. Then, when IT services moved my mail across to another machine, everything stopped working. They claim that there should be no difference (the setup is the same etc.) BUT bizarrely, I can still access no problems using Outlook (or any other IMAP client) in OS 9. I've tried adding my exchange server to the search domains (as suggested earlier in this thread) but this makes no difference. Nor can I get any job by fiddling around with the account options (switching on and off SSL or adding the local domain in the account prefix section). Any advice--even highly specific questions I could ask my administrator--would be greatly appreciated.

Maxwell
 
The latest OS 9 is 9.2.2 which is an update from 9.2.1 and 9.1.x and 9.x. You should upgrade to that and see if that fixes anything.

Also, I remember seeing somebody log into their company exchange server through a web page. Is this an option in your work environment? It was like www.company.com/exchange and then it looked like an Outlook Web interface. I don't know how full featured it was, but I know it could at least be used for sending/receiving mail and address book.
 
As an added service, my agency has turned on some sort of switch in the Exchange server which allows me to get to my inbox, calendar, and contacts from any arbitrary web browser in any location on the net. See https://exchange.nsf.gov for the entry. It's not very full featured, but does let you keep up with your inbox, delete and reply to mail. I have found it to be very handy when out of the office.

>>>Larry
 
Thanks Danny and Larry for replies.

Just to clarify. I've had no problems with OS 9. Outllook Express, or any other IMAP client, talks just fine to the exchange server. It's mail.app or any other IMAP client in OS X where things go wrong.

I have used the service Danny and Larry both mention. It is a bit clunky, but it's great when you're travelling about as you get all your mail folders etc. on any web browser. (Apologies to those who can't bear something nice to be said about a bit of MS software :) .)
 
I have the same problem.

Here is the Psuedo solution.

You can use Outlook 2001. However, it MUST run in classic.
The caveats to this are remote access, unless you can dial into your network.
Although, DigiTunnel has a VPN product which works with PPTP, and allows
Classic apps to access the VPN.

The logon problems you are having is in the third blank. The domain name being asked for is not the .com domain, but rather the NT security domain.
For example, while my domain is domainname.com, my NT security domain,
is DOMAIN. The two are unrelated. When you log onto the Windows computers, you have DOMAIN listed in the third drop down box.

IMAP works everywhere but in X? Ok, that is friggin weird. Try using the IP address for the Exchange server as the name of the IMAP server. I know it doesnt help you to hear this, but mine works fine. I am using IP address, rather than name, but I have a complicated DNS architecture. I would however, ask them to confirm that IMAP is running. IMAP must be enabled, they might well have forgotten to restart the IMAP service. Moving Exchange is not easy, and there are many small mistakes and easy things to forget. Be nice about it though, NT geeks hate to be wrong.
 
I'm still trying to puzzle out why I can readily access an exchange server from OS 9 (or a client running in classic) but not under OS X.

Here's what I've found out. I know that OS 9 supports NTLM authentication (which is the authentication my MS Exchange server asks for). An Apple Knowledge Base article on OS X 10.0 Mail notes that it requires ClearText authentication on an IMAP server. (That's what mail.mac.com uses, if I understand thing aright.) The Apple KB article says if you can't gain acess to IMAP email then switch to POP (yeah right) or get the administrator to enable cleartext authentication.

Can anyone tell me what part of the system would deal with NTLM authentication? Is it the client or the OS? And if it's the client is there an OS X client that supports NTLM authentication. (OR, of course, am I barking up the wrong tree.)

maxwell
 
check the MS site, i DL'd this last week.
Maybe that will help.

Come to think of it, since there is no acceess to the IMAP server from outside my network, I have enabled clear text...

that could be it.
 
Hi I run my laptop at the office with OS X 10.1.4 I have no problems linking to the exchange server.

9.2.1 and 9.2.2 do not allow me to link in via TCP/IP unless I creat a host file. The exchange server is a 2000 server which has DNS services running without it 2000 server will not work.

Appletalk services work fine as well but 9.2.1 and 9.2.2 have real problems working over TCP/IP.

Also one more tip make sure that you change the sleep settings for classic in the system Prefs. Panel to never. This stopped my crashing problems in Outlook 2001.

You can also link in via pop3 if you wanted just make sure you have a static IP address and ask your admin to clear your IP on the IP relaying list.

Starbuck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top