Tag: Virtual Directories

Exchange 2010 – Part 16 – Concepts and Management of Outlook Web App and ActiveSync

Concepts and Management of Outlook Web App and ActiveSync

In this post, first, we will explain virtual directories and how they are related to the CAS services.

Next we will help you understand Outlook Web App (OWA) and ActiveSync features.

Last, we will use a Scenario to help guide us in the creation and application of OWA and ActiveSync policies.

Scenario: OWA and ActiveSync Management

First, we will help our IT team gain a greater understanding of OWA and ActiveSync.

Next, we will perform the following OWA management tasks:

  • Adjust the authentication for the virtual directory to allow for Integrated Windows authentication. This allows for single sign-on for internal clients.
  • Disable WebReady Document Viewing for the virtual directory.
  • Create an OWA policy and apply it to a researcher user “Alex Heyne” that will ensure he only uses OWA Lite.

Finally, we will do the following ActiveSync management tasks:

  • Block “Unknown Servers” from the virtual directory.
  • Create an ActiveSync policy and apply to all users in the Chicago OU.

Virtual Directories

Web applications are represented by virtual directories that point off toward physical folders.

  • For example, Exchange Outlook Web App has an OWA virtual directory that points off to a literal folder on your system.

You access the virtual directory through its virtual directory name, not its physical folder name (although the two may be the same.)

You can see virtual directories in IIS and also quickly find the physical location on your system through the Properties of the virtual directory.

Although you have default virtual directories created for you when you install the CAS role, you can create additional virtual directories if you like.

In the EMC, go to Server Configuration -> Client Access. Here you will find owa (Default Web Site). Looking at the properties of OWA, we can see both the internal and external URL’s, as well as a number of tabs used to configure OWA.

Exchange Management Console OWA properties
Click Image to Enlarge

Each of the options in the tabs is part of IIS on the client access role. For the most part, if you want to see the location of the virtual directories and their physical location on the server, we would need to open ISS:

IIS Virtual and Application directories
Click Image to Enlarge

Here, take note that some of the sites are considered Virtual Applications (highlighted in red), as opposed to Virtual Directories (highlighted in green). Sometimes you’ll need to use IIS to configure things like SSL.

But for now, lets look more into OWA in the EMC.

Virtual Directory Settings vs. Policy Settings

Virtual directory settings are made through the Server Configuration node

  • Some virtual directory settings are only found under the Server node, whereas others may be configured in a policy as well.
Policies are created under the Organization Configuration node
  • Policies override virtual directory settings
  • There are default OWA and ActiveSync policies create
  • Only one policy (one for OWA and one for ActiveSync) can be applied to a mailbox at a time and if no policy is applied, the virtual directory settings apply.
Understanding OWA Features:
Virtual Directory Property Tabs:
  • General
  • Authentication
  • Segmentation
  • Public and Private Computer File Access – WebReady Document Viewing
  • Remote File Servers
Policy Setting Tabs:
  • General
  • Segmentation
  • Public and Private Computer File Access – WebReady Document Viewing
Note: Public and Private Computer File Access provides two tabs but you cannot have different settings on each one.
In the EMC -> Server Configuration -> Client Access -> OWA Settings for this virtual directory.
General Tab: shows internal url and external url (informational) -config is actually in DNS
Authentication Tab: Use forms-based authentication. Logon format – Domainusername is secure but not completely secure without SSL.
Use one or more standard authentication methods:
-Integrated Windows Authentication. The client computer has to be a member of the same domain or in a trusted domain.
-Digest authentication for windows domain servers (users have an account in AD)
-Basic authentication (password is sent in clear text). Can be used in a secure way if you use SSL.
Segmentation Tab: you can determine if you wan to enable or disable certain features.
For example “Premium Client” is the full version of Outlook Web App. You can choose to use a “Lite version” of OWA. You can force the lite version of OWA for users of Firefox or Safari. You can disable things like Instant Messaging and Text Messaging.
Public Computer File Access tab:
-Direct File Access – determines how files will be allowed or denied access. If you connect on a “Public” computer, you can enable or disable the ability for users to open file attachments. Direct File Access allows you to allow or block or Force Save of even unknown files.
-In the Private File Access tab: same exact settings as above.
WebReady Document Viewing: allows OWA documents to be converted to HTML and shown in the browsers. You can force docs to be changed to HTML before being opened in a supported application.
You may not want a certain document to be shown in the browser. This provides an opportunity for users to view the document at least even if they don’t have a supporting application.
Remote File Servers Tab: you might want to allow or block file servers here. You can enter the domain suffixes that should be treated as internal.
You have an opportunity to use Policies to override the settings placed on the virtual directory settings.
Under Organization Configuration -> Client Access role.
Provide a new policy name. Enable/disable features -> New. Now after creating the policy, go back and open up the policy. You will have more features available now that the policy has been created. It’s important to consider these items again. If you do not enable direct file access, users will not be able to download attachment files.
Once the policy has been created, you need to apply the policy. Take for example, you wish to apply a new policy to an individual user. Go into Recipient Configuration, pick the mailbox, go to Mailbox Features tab -> Select OWA ->Properties. Now you can choose an OWA mailbox policy to take precedence over the virtual directory settings.
Outlook ActiveSync Features:
Virtual Directory Property Tabs:
  • General
  • Authentication
  • Remote File Servers
Policy Setting Tabs:
  • General (Allow non-provision-able devices -this allows mobile phones to sync even if they do not support policy settings)
  • Password
  • Sync Settings
  • Device
  • Device Applications
  • Other
Note: Some features require Exchange Enterprise Client Access Licenses for mailboxes that have policy setting restrictions
Go to the EMC ->Server configuration -> Client Access -> Exchange Activesync tab properties.
3 tabs:
General tab – internal and external urls
Authentication tab – Basic authentication/certificates
Remote File Servers – same configuration of virtual directories
EMC -> Organization Configuration -> Client Access -> Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Policies
-allow non-provision-able devices
Password tab -> many options here for passwords (length, expiration, require encryption, etc.)
Sync Settings -> Include past calendar items, Include past email items, Allow Direct Push when roaming (you can force it so that roaming users will not get Direct Push). Allow attachments.. etc.
Device tab -> Allow removable storage, allow camera, allow wifi, allow infared, allow bluetooth etc.
Device Appliations tab -> Allow browser, allow unsigned applications (Need enterprise CAL)
Other tab -> (Need Enterprise CAL)
To block unknown servers from the virtual directory (by default is allow), go to the EMC -> Server Configuration -> Client Access -> Exchange ActiveSync Tab -> Virtual Directory Properties. Go to the Remote file servers tab -> Unknown servers by default is set to allow. OWA has the ability to access file shares and SharePoint libraries. If there are no dots in a URL a user clicks, it is considered internal. If there are one or more dots in the URL, then it will only be considered internal if the domain suffix has been added to the configuration.
The following Exchange Management Console Shell commandlet will apply a custom activesync mailbox policy to the OU Chicago:
Get-Mailbox -OrganizationalUnit Chicago | Set-CASMailbox ActiveSyncMailboxPolicy “ASChicago”
So in this post, we reviewed:
  • The feature settings for Outlook Web App and ActiveSync
  • Both virtual directory settings (found under the Server Configuration node) and policy settings (found under the Organization Configuration note)
  • Made virtual directory adjustments and created policies and then applied those to users within our organization using a powershell commandlet.

 

A good majority of the content provided in my Blog’s Exchange series is derived from J. Peter Bruzzese’ excellent Train Signals Exchange Server 2010 Video Disk Series, as well as my own Exchange 2010 lab. Trainsignal.com is an invaluable source for accurate, easy to understand, IT information and training. http://www.trainsignal.com