Managing Outlook Web Access

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

This topic provides an overview of administration for Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Exchange 2007 Outlook Web Access offers significant improvements over earlier versions. These include new features for administering Outlook Web Access and a user interface that offers richer functionality and is easier to use. For more information about the improvements in Outlook Web Access, see Client Features in Outlook Web Access.

New features, such as segmentation and explicit logon, are available only when you use an Exchange 2007 computer that is running the Client Access server role to connect to an Exchange 2007 server that is running the Mailbox server role.

Tools for Managing Outlook Web Access

Table 1 lists the tools that you can use to configure and manage Outlook Web Access in Exchange 2007.

Table 1   Tools for managing Outlook Web Access

Tool Description

Exchange Management Console

This graphical user interface is used to manage an Exchange 2007 organization. The Exchange Management Console can be used to manage the most common settings for Outlook Web Access.

Exchange Management Shell

This command-line interface for Exchange Server and the associated command-line plug-ins automate administrative tasks and management for many features that are not included in the Exchange Management Console.

Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

IIS Manager is used to manage user access to the Outlook Web Access virtual directories, for example, simplifying the URL and forcing users to use an HTTPS address.

Web.config

Some Outlook Web Access settings, such as the ConnectionCacheSize and MaxRequestLength values, must be configured by modifying Web.config because these settings are specific to ASP.NET. Web.config should be modified only by using tools such as Notepad. If you modify web.config by using IIS, you will corrupt the file.

Registry Editor

Some Outlook Web Access configuration settings, such as the PublicClientTimeout, TrustedClientTimeout, and SSLOffloaded values must be configured by using Registry Editor.

Warning

   Incorrectly editing the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Problems resulting from editing the registry incorrectly may not be able to be resolved. Before editing the registry, back up any valuable data.

Administrative Tasks for Managing Outlook Web Access

Table 2 lists the configuration and management tasks that you can perform for Outlook Web Access.

Table 2   Configuration and management tasks for Outlook Web Access

Task Description Link

Configure the virtual directories that are created for Web access to Exchange content

When you install the Client Access server role on your Exchange server, four virtual directories are created in the default Internet Information Services (IIS) Web site on the Exchange 2007 server.

For more information about how to configure these virtual directories for Outlook Web Access, see Managing Outlook Web Access Virtual Directories in Exchange 2007.

Simplify the Outlook Web Access URL

By using IIS Manager, you can simplify the Outlook Web Access URL that users use to access Outlook Web Access. For more information about how to simplify the Outlook Web Access URL, see How to Simplify the Outlook Web Access URL.

Modify attachment handling settings

You can configure what types of attachments can be accessed by using Outlook Web Access and how those attachments are displayed.

For more information about how to modify attachment handling settings for Outlook Web Access, see Managing File and Data Access for Outlook Web Access.

Configure authentication methods

You can configure authentication methods, such as standard and forms-based authentication, for Outlook Web Access.

For more information about how to configure authentication for Outlook Web Access, see Managing Outlook Web Access Security.

Modify language and character handling settings

You can configure the default language and character settings for an Outlook Web Access virtual directory.

For more information about how to configure the language and character settings for Outlook Web Access, see How to Configure Language Settings for Outlook Web Access.

Configure Gzip compression settings

Gzip enables data compression. By using Gzip, you can improve performance for users who are using Outlook Web Access over slow network connections.

For more information about how to configure Gzip compression, see How to Configure Gzip Compression Settings.

Disable Web beacons

Outlook Web Access prevents senders from using Web beacons in junk e-mail messages to retrieve e-mail addresses.

For more information about how to disable Web beacons, see How to Control Web Beacon and HTML Form Filtering for Outlook Web Access.

Configure segmentation settings

You can enable or disable specific Outlook Web Access features according to the needs of your organization.

For more information about segmentation of Outlook Web Access features, see How to Manage Segmentation in Outlook Web Access.

Configure Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services and Windows file share integration

Windows SharePoint Services and Windows file share integration is a new feature in Outlook Web Access Premium that provides access to documents in Windows SharePoint Services document libraries and Windows file shares.

For more information, see Configuring Windows SharePoint Services and Windows File Share Integration for Outlook Web Access.

Monitor Client Access servers

Monitoring tools and techniques let you determine your system's health and identify potential issues before a problem occurs.