Managing Outlook Web Access Virtual Directories in Exchange 2007

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 Topic Last Modified: 2009-01-14

This topic describes how to manage Outlook Web Access virtual directories for Exchange 2007.

Outlook Web Access Virtual Directories

When you install the Client Access server role on your Exchange server, four Outlook Web Access virtual directories are created in the default Internet Information Services (IIS) Web site on the Exchange server. You can manage these virtual directories by using the Exchange Management Shell, the Exchange Management Console, and Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. The following table describes the Exchange 2007 Outlook Web Access virtual directories.

Exchange 2007 Outlook Web Access Virtual Directories

Name	Description
/owa	This virtual directory is used by Outlook Web Access to access mailboxes on Exchange 2007 mailbox servers.
/Public	This virtual directory is used to access public folders by using the Outlook Web Access application for mailboxes that are located on computers that are running Exchange 2007, Exchange Server 2003, or Exchange 2000 Server. Only public folders that are on servers that are running Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000 will be available through Outlook Web Access. Users must connect to the /Public virtual directory to view public folders. Public folders are not available through the URL that is used to log on to an Exchange mailbox by using Outlook Web Access.
/Exchweb	This virtual directory is used with the Outlook Web Access application for mailboxes on computers that are running Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000.
/Exchange	This virtual directory is used by Outlook Web Access when accessing mailboxes on computers that are running Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000. If your organization includes Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 mailboxes in addition to Exchange 2007 mailboxes, all users can access Outlook Web Access through the /Exchange virtual directory. The Client Access server will automatically redirect Exchange 2007 mailbox users to the /owa virtual directory. Note: If the server that hosts the Client Access server role also hosts the Mailbox server role, users who use the /Exchange virtual directory will be redirected to the /owa virtual directory, which cannot be used by Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 mailboxes. If you must support Outlook Web Access access to Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 mailboxes, do not install the Client Access and Mailbox roles on the same Exchange 2007 server.
/Exadmin	This virtual directory can access the same folders that are available through other virtual directories and is used to change administrative settings and properties. Only users who have administrative permissions can access the /exadmin virtual directory.

Configuring Outlook Web Access Virtual Directories

Exchange 2007 supports the following topology configurations:

Exchange 2007 on Client Access servers and Mailbox servers.
Exchange 2007 on Client Access servers and Exchange 2003 or Exchange 2000 on back-end servers.

In most Exchange 2007 deployments, the default Outlook Web Access virtual directories that are created during installation are sufficient for most organizations. You may not have to create new Outlook Web Access virtual directories. Generally, new Outlook Web Access virtual directories are created by businesses that provide hosting or for troubleshooting issues, such as the deletion and re-creation of Outlook Web Access virtual directories.

Perform the following tasks on Outlook Web Access virtual directories, depending on the needs of your organization.

Important:
See "New in Exchange 2007 SP1" later in this topic for information about important differences that relate to viewing and modifying the properties of virtual directories by using the Exchange Management Console.

Create a new Outlook Web Access virtual directory You can use the Exchange Management Shell to create a new Outlook Web Access virtual directory. For more information, see How to Create an Outlook Web Access Virtual Directory in Exchange 2007.

Note:
When the Client Access server role is installed, all the Outlook Web Access virtual directories are installed under the default Web site. All new virtual directories are installed under the default Web site unless a different Web site is specified when the virtual directory is created.

View properties on an Outlook Web Access virtual directory You can use the Exchange Management Shell and the Exchange Management Console to view the properties of an Outlook Web Access virtual directory. For more information, see How to View Properties of an Outlook Web Access Virtual Directory.

New in Exchange 2007 SP1

The steps that you perform to view and modify the properties of virtual directories by using the Exchange Management Console are different depending on the following:

Whether you are running the original release (RTM) version of Exchange 2007 or Exchange 2007 SP1.
Whether you are running the Mailbox server role on the computer that is running the Client Access server role.

Exchange 2007 SP1

Consider the following if you are running Exchange 2007 SP1:

If you are running only the Client Access server role on a computer, you manage the properties of Exchange 2007 virtual directories and legacy virtual directories from the Outlook Web Access tab in the Exchange Management Console. You access the Outlook Web Access tab by clicking Server Configuration, and then clicking Client Access. The default virtual directories are as follows: /owa, /Public, /Exchweb, /Exchange, and /Exadmin.
If you are running the Mailbox server role and the Client Access server role on the same computer, you can only manage Exchange 2007 virtual directories from the Outlook Web Access tab in the Exchange Management Console. You access the Outlook Web Access tab by clicking Server Configuration, and then clicking Client Access. The default Exchange 2007 virtual directory is /owa. In this case, you must manage the properties of legacy virtual directories from the Server Configuration/Mailbox node/WebDAV tab in Exchange Management Console. The default legacy virtual directories are as follows: /Public, /Exchweb, /Exchange, and /Exadmin.
If you are running the Mailbox server role on a computer without the Client Access server role, you must manage the properties for legacy virtual directories from the WebDAV tab in the Exchange Management Console. You access the WebDAV tab by clicking Server Configuration, and then clicking Mailbox. The default legacy virtual directories are as follows: /Public, /Exchweb, /Exchange, and /Exadmin.

Exchange 2007 RTM

Consider the following if you are running Exchange 2007 RTM:

If you are running a computer that is running Exchange 2007 that has the Client Access server role installed, you manage the properties of Exchange 2007 virtual directories and legacy virtual directories from the Outlook Web Access tab in the Exchange Management Console. You access the Outlook Web Access tab by clicking Server Configuration, and then clicking then Client Access. The default virtual directories as follows: /owa, /Public, /Exchweb, /Exchange, and /Exadmin.
If you do not have the Client Access server role installed, you can only view and manage virtual directories by using the Exchange Management Shell or Internet Information Services Manager.

For More Information

For more information about how to install the Client Access server role, see Deploying Server Roles.

For more information about how to access public folders through Outlook Web Access, see How to Enable Users to Access Public Folders from Outlook Web Access.

For information about how to manage Outlook Web Access virtual directories, see:

For information about Outlook Web Access URLs, see Managing Outlook Web Access URLs.

For more information about how to use the /exadmin virtual directory, see Using the Administrative Virtual Root.