Evolution and the Global Catalog Server - Debacle

[Peter Robinson]

> I could really use a hand on this one:
>
> I'm running Evolution (on F10 PR/Rawhide) with the Exchange Connector,
> and have always had incredible problems browsing my employer's Exchange
> Global Address List. I picked up what I believe is the Global Catalog
> Server by using Outlook 2007 and going through all of the motions to
> find it there.
>
> When I plug in that server name from outside of my company network, I
> get squat.
>
> When I use the same configuration from _inside_ the company network, it
> seems to work fine.
>
> So, why can't Evolution see this from outside, but Outlook 2K7 can when
> configured using RPC over HTPPS? I won't even begin to ask why I need to
> know and enter the Global Catalog Server name in the first place since
> Outlook seems to be able to find this out on its own using pretty much
> the same way of connecting.
>
> Ideas? This couldn't be as simple as needing a different GC server or
> knowing that I need a specific TCP port open. It doesn't make sense that
> this works with one but not the other...

Outlook some how tunnels the queries through the RPC over HTTP
connection that is used by Outlook 2007. But as evolution doesn't use
that interface but rather uses the Outlook Web Access interface to
talk to the server its not actually using the RPC over HTTP interface.
This might be supported using the MAPI connector that is in
development as it actually uses that protocol but I haven't had a
chance to  test it. I'm not sure if there's a defined interface for
querying GC over the OWA interface but I suspect as the OWA server can
talk to the domain it doesn't need one.

Your better going to the evolution lists on http://mail.gnome.org for
the definitive answer.

Peter