EV 10 - Attachment links point to internal server address instead of FQDN

[EG_it_Support]

 Good Afternoon,

We have installed Symantec Enterprise Vault 10 and noticed that all archived attachments are replaced with http://servername/EnterpriseVault links.

Clicking these links inside the company LAN works fine to view the attachments.

Taking the laptop to the internet using Outlook RPC-over-HTTP, it doesn’t work, as naturally, “servername” is not resolvable there.

Symantec Support told me on the telephone, that this functionality requires the installation of the Symantec EV Outlook Plugin, however, in the evaluation phase we were told the installation of the plugin is only required for advanced functionality like pst archiving - we do not want to install it unless it is absolutely required.

Is there a way to replace the http://servername/EnterpriseVault links with https://webmail.ourdomain.com/EnterpriseVault links - somewhere in the configuration menus, registries or policies, or by hacking config files?

This would make the attachements accessible without any EV plugin installation, a simple change of some characters in the links and all be good.

FYI, We have tried the following settings:

Default Exchange Desktop Policy - Advanced – Outlook
RPC Over HTTP Connection - use proxy
RPC over HTTP Proxy URL - http://webmail.domain.com/EnterpriseVault
Web Application URL - https://webmail.domain.com/EnterpriseVault
 

Default Exchange Desktop Policy - Advanced – OWA
External Web Application URL - https://webmail.domain.com/EnterpriseVault
Web Application alias – blank

 web.config:

<add key="EnterpriseVault_WebDAVRequestHost" value="localhost"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_LogEnabled" value="false"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_LogFolder" value="C:\Program Files\Enterprise Vault\OWA 2007\logs"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_LogMailboxes" value="mailbox@domain.local"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_RestoreWaitMaxIterations" value="30"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_RestoreWaitSleepTime" value="2000"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_HttpWebRequestTimeout" value="30000"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_WebDAVRequestProtocol" value="http"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_WebDAVRequestVirtualDirectory" value="exchange"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_ExchangeWebServicesUrl" value="https://localhost/ews/exchange.asmx"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_ExternalWebAppUrl" value="https://webmail.domain.com/enterprisevault"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_UseExternalWebAppUrl" value="true"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_ExternalHostNames" value="webmail.domain.com"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_ExternalIPAddresses" value="10.xx.yy.zz"/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_VaultServiceAccountUPN" value=serviceuser@domain.local/>

                               <add key="EnterpriseVault_ResourceVersion" value="v10.0.0.1316"/>

[LCT]

If you are using RPC over HTTPs the following are not supported:

1. Links to attachments

2. Link to view original items

The reason is that Outlook using RPC over HTTPs has no way of translating the link i.e. http://evserver.domain.local/enterprisevault to https://webmail.domain.com/enterprisevault for the above embedded into the shortcuts.

All other EV functions should work as expected i.e. retrieval, restore. Search and Archive Explorer need EV server being published so you would do this via an ISA server for example.

I spent a long time testing this whilst working for SYMC support and it never worked and probably never will.

[Percy_Vere]

For EV 10 the client is a HTTP one rather than DCOM so it's jst an Outlook add-in basically. If you install one client and it works then it's a good test.

In the Desktop Policy / advanced / Outlook, do you have a Proxy set and if so a URL for RPC over HTTP?

[EG_it_Support]

The reason is that Outlook using RPC over HTTPs has no way of translating the link

and this is why i want to find out how to put the correct (external accessible) link into the email in the first place, and not some http://internalservername :)

[EG_it_Support]

i tried these settings, but they didnt change the links in the archived emails. i tried with freshly archived mails.

Default Exchange Desktop Policy - Advanced – Outlook
RPC Over HTTP Connection - use proxy
RPC over HTTP Proxy URL - http://webmail.domain.com/EnterpriseVault
Web Application URL - https://webmail.domain.com/EnterpriseVault
 

[LCT]

The answer to that is NO.

SYMC Engineering support and Microsoft looked into this whilst I was testing and there's NO WAY!!! Hence it is NOT supported. If you want to retrieve the attachment then you MUST retrieve the archive message first.

There is a long winded internal doc that I wrote whilst I was at SYMC.

If you want to add and push this then I would suggest adding this "feature" to the Enhancement Request and have your fingers crossed :)

[Percy_Vere]

Try using your internal URL in the proxy value. Another option is to publish an external URL that maps to the internal URL.

[JesusWept3]

Why don't you just use link translation?

[JesusWept3]

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc995120.aspx

[JesusWept3]

Link translation will convert embedded links fine

[JesusWept3]

Durp sorry, thought this was OWA not Outlook

[LCT]

The link translation only works for Search and Archive Explorer with Outlook Anywhere and OWA. It doesn't work for the embedded links within the shortcuts for Outlook Anywhere. The embedded links within the shortcuts are embedded with the default webappurl. Outlook (not the EV client) has no way of translating this. If you hover the mouse over the links you can see the URL at the bottom of the page. You can try and open a big can of worms by changing the default webappurl to use the external webappurl (by hacking SQL) then it would work. As you know, you are not supposed to change the default webappurl (it is no longer the default webappurl) that's why it was taken out of the admin console in the recent EV version so that people can't change it. If you changed the default webappurl this would affect not just for a single user, a policy or a provisioning group but the entire EV site and the knock on affect is not ideal, and that's why I didn't mention it earlier. You would have make changes to the following: 1. configure internal (split) DNS, 2. enable HTTPs for EV servers and IIS 3. Buy SSL certificates 4. Recreate all the existing shortcuts 5. Internal users will calling shortcuts with https . . . And the list can go on All of the above equals VERY MESSY!!!! :)

[LCT]

No worries JW2. I probably didn't explain well enough the first time. I have updated/edited my response, hope it makes sense? Cheers

[EG_it_Support]

thanks for that reply - i don't see it that messy.

we already have split-dns for most of our systems, we already have everything on HTTPS, we already have web publishing on ISA, we have SSL certs, etc. even single sign on works (i tested by copying the URL from the mail and changing the first part manually).

all that's missing is changing a bunch of characters in the links and everything would work fine, i absolutely not understand why this is not customizeable in the gui. i don't see the drawbacks of using FQDN links in the archived messages - why does the software limit us to do so?

any hint where i can find the defaultwebappurl in the sql db?

[EG_it_Support]

Durp sorry, thought this was OWA not Outlook

no prob ;)

[Percy_Vere]

The defaultwebappurl is in the siteentry table of the Directory DB. 

[LCT]

Indeed it is in the SiteEntry table of the EnterpriseVaultDirectory database. In the DefaultWebAppUrl column put your external webappurl including the /enterprisevault at the end i.e. https://webmail.domain.com/enterprisevault. Restart your EV services, start archiving a few test messages and then test. You need test ALL functionality internally and externally (not just the attachment links in Outlook Anywhere) and make the necessary changes to accommodate the change of the default webappurl.

Hope that helps and Good Luck!!! :)

[EG_it_Support]

Hello,

i just wanted to post a follow up on this.

installing the Outlook Plugin, as suggested by some users and also the Symantec Technical Support, does not solve the problem.

the outlook plugin does allow you to open the mail in it's original form (which actually is useful for forwarding archived mails, yes:). but it does not change the embedded attachment links in the preview pane of outlook - which 99% of our users use mainly.

So, the only real solution to our problem was indeed modifying the database directly and put in the URL string as we want it to be. we tested everything and can't find any drawbacks, the system works perfect, so again we just wonder why there is no option to do this change via the GUI.

Case closed.

[EG_it_Support · Accepted solution]

i need to post another follow-up.

after installing EV myself (productive installation was done by outsourcing company) i found that there is a checkbox in the initial configuration wizard, at the "computer alias" screen: it's called "Add Domain Suffix" and if this is left checked, we get attachement links with FQDN inside.

so there is absolutely no need to change the database content manually, EV just needs to be installed correctly. duh....

[LCT]

Yes indeed you are correct it would, as the DefaultWebAppUrl is being constructed using the details you entered when you run the Configuration Wizard. It is http://computeralias.domainsuffix/enterprisevault. i.e. http://evserver1.domain.local/enterprisevault or http://evserver1.domain.com/enterprisevault etc. depending on how DNS is setup with the domain suffix. The DefaultWebAppUrl is then being used to embed into shortcuts, attachment links etc. However, for Outlook and Outlook Anywhere, this would only work internally and even if you implement Link Translations via the ISA or TMG server to use externally, the embedded links (i.e. links for attachments) would still be your DefaultWebAppUrl.

Now, in your orignal post regarding using the the ExternalWebAppUrl which is https://webmail.domain.com/enterprisevault so that you can retrieve the attachments via Outlook Anywhere externally then you will need to change the DefaultWebAppUrl manually as you have discovered.