Configure DNS for Remote Access

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Applies To: Windows Essential Business Server

In this task, you register records in the public Domain Name System (DNS). These records enable users in your organization to access your network through Remote Web Workplace and through e-mail services such as Outlook Web Access and Outlook Anywhere. Use the procedures in this topic to configure DNS records for the following:

  • The Remote Web Workplace URL (for example, remote.adventure-works.com) that you specified during installation for users to access your network remotely.

  • The Exchange Server Autodiscover service, which is used by mobile devices and client computers that are running Microsoft Outlook 2007 to connect automatically to Exchange Server.

You may need to contact your DNS host provider for help with configuring these records.

Configure DNS for Remote Web Workplace

First, ping the fully qualified domain name for the Remote Web Workplace URL (for example, remote.adventure-works.com) to determine whether it resolves to the public (external) IP address of the Windows EBS Security Server. (If you deployed the Security Server behind an existing firewall, the name should resolve to the external address of your firewall.) If it does not, you must configure the public DNS record before users in your organization can access network resources from remote computers.

To configure DNS for Remote Web Workplace

  1. Register a canonical name (CNAME) record in the public DNS that corresponds to the first DNS label in your URL for Remote Web Workplace. For example, if your URL is remote.adventure-works.com, register a CNAME record named “remote” in the adventure-works.com zone.

  2. Configure the record to point to the host (A) record corresponding to the external address of the Security Server (or of your existing firewall).

Configure DNS for Exchange Server

The Exchange Server Autodiscover service is a Web service that configures and maintains server settings for client computers that are running Office Outlook 2007 and for supported mobile devices. The Autodiscover service is deployed on the Messaging Server when you install Windows EBS. You also need to do additional configuration for clients and mobile devices running Outlook 2007 to connect automatically to Exchange Server features such as the offline address book and Unified Messaging. If your DNS host provider supports service (SRV) resource records, you can configure an SRV record for the Autodiscover service so that these automatic connections take place.

For more information about the Exchange Server Autodiscover service, see “White Paper: Exchange 2007 Autodiscover Service” (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=153367).

To configure DNS for the Exchange Server Autodiscover service

  1. In your external DNS zone, remove any host (A) or canonical name (CNAME) records for the Autodiscover service.

  2. Add a service (SRV) resource record for the Autodiscover service, using the following parameters:

    Service

    _autodiscover

    Protocol

    _tcp

    Port

    443

    Host

    RemoteName (for example, remote.adventure-works.com)

Tip

At this time, you should review other public DNS settings for your network that may affect e-mail delivery. For example, to ensure that recipients do not block your e-mail messages from Exchange Server, configure a reverse DNS entry in the public DNS. To do this, create a pointer (PTR) record for the external address of the Security Server that points to your SMTP domain name.