RPC-HTTPs

[Samuel_Lee]

Now that SP3 is out and EV claimed that this will support rpc over https. Here are my questions.

If rpc-https is supported, how will the vault messages be redirected? Is it going to be the same where the vaulted message will be pointed back to the EV server via HTTP and restore the message? My point is that since rpc-https implies that the users will be accessing their email over the internet, will the customers need to open an http hole to allow internet traffic to the EV server?

Thanks,
Sam

[Lee_Allison]

Sam, the Updates.htm file says the following:

"Users will have access to all the main Enterprise Vault features over RPC over HTTP connections:

When using RPC over HTTP connections, users will not be able to view the Enterprise Vault properties of folders or select a different archive or retention category for items being archived."

According to that all EV traffic will be carried over the RPC:HTTP protocol and nothing else should be opened up through the firewalls.

[Mark_Gaston]

Thanks Lee,

If this is the case then i should not need to change any of my ISA publishing rules to allow for the communications to happen. Is this true?

[TonySterling]

Check the section called "Enabling Enterprise Vault access using RPC over HTTP " in the Install and Config guide.


Configuring an RPC firewall policy
On the ISA Server, set up an RPC firewall policy to publish the \rpc virtual directory on the RPC proxy server. Detailed instructions on how to do this are given in the Microsoft article, Using ISA Server 2004 with Exchange Server 2003:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/isa/2004/plan/exchage2003.mspx

In the walk-through procedures described in the article, follow the instructions in Procedure 8, Configure RPC over HTTP for Outlook 2003.

When you have completed the instructions given in the article, do the following to check that the correct port is specified in the RPC firewall policy for redirected requests:

On the Firewall Policy page in the ISA Server Management console, right-click the RPC over HTTP rule that you have created and select Properties.
Click the Bridging tab.
Ensure that Redirect requests to SSL port : 443 is selected. Click Apply and the OK.
Click Apply, to save the changes and update the firewall policy.
Click OK in the Apply new configuration dialog.
Now configure a firewall policy for Enterprise Vault.



Configuring an Enterprise Vault firewall policy
On the ISA Server, create a web publishing rule that forwards requests from the \EnterpriseVaultProxy virtual directory to the internal network.

To create an EnterpriseVaultProxy Web Publishing Rule

In the ISA Server Management console, expand the server name and click the Firewall Policy node.
In the task pane, click the Tasks tab and then click Publish a Web Server.
On the Welcome to the New Web Publishing Rule Wizard page, enter a name for the rule in the Web Publishing Rule name text box. For example, EnterpriseVaultProxy. Click Next.
On the Select Rule Type page, select Allow as the action to take when rule conditions are met. Click Next.
On the Define Website to Publish page, enter the computer name or IP address of the RPC proxy Exchange Server.
Select Forward the original host header instead of the actual one.
Enter /EnterpriseVaultProxy/* in the Path box. Click Next.
On the Public Name Details page, enter the name that external users will use to access the RPC website in the Public name box. This must match what is specified in the external DNS entry. Alternatively, select Any domain name in the Accept requests for box and click Next.
On the Select Web Listener page, in the Web listener box, select the listener that you created earlier, when you configured the RPC firewall policy. Click Next.
On the User Sets page, accept the default value, All Users, and click Next.
On the Completing the New Mail Server Publishing Rule Wizard page, click Finish.
Click Apply to save the changes and update the firewall policy.
In the Apply New Configuration dialog box, click OK.