OWA/Exchange/Apache

[José Enrique Díaz Jolly <enrique () podernet com mx>]

I don't know for sure if this is the appropriate group for posting such a 
question, but I have had some troubles trying to find the appropriate way for 
reverse proxying an OWA.

The architecture I am trying to use is to reverse proxy an OWA running on the 
same server as the Exchange. What I have tried to do is either using ProxyPass 
or Rewrite Rules to reverse proxying my OWA. I have had no success even when I 
have found several "recipies" all of them that work successfully with oter 
applications.

I have configured my Apache on a server located on my DMZ, pointing through 
DNS webmail.domain.com as the external address, my internal address with no 
name and on the splitted horizon DNS a name for the OWA server. After all that 
I have added an /etc/hosts record pointing back to owa server but with the 
name of the external webserver listening to webmail name.

I wonder If someone has achieved successfully such a schema for exposing owa 
without using the "seems to me too insecure" front-end/back-end that the 
Redmond's company proposes.

the configuration in general lays as follows:

DNS:

webmail.domain.com              A       200.x.y.z       ; this address is listened
                                                        ; by Apache as Reverse 
                                                        ; Proxy

Internal splitted DNS:
owaserver.domain.com            A       172.16.w.v      ; The OWA


/etc/hosts
webmail.domain.com      172.16.w.v

This last one as is suggested on several recipies for the inner side of apache 
"translates" the propper name.

The apache configuration I think right now has  no sense as it works with 
several other applications served as well by other Apaches. But the question 
is where is the trick on the OWA+IIS configuration? I have tried using or 
forcing the different server names on the header section but still something 
is wrong. I have tried to seek get the whole configuration through a proxy 
that resolves not what is on my internal network and everything worked, but 
this was because my browser was able to "map" my OWA server from inside the 
network, but if I try to get it thro a fully internet connection I can get 
authentication but not the wished results. Can anyone point me to the propper 
direction? Please?


-- 

 " 'Tis true; there's magic in the web of it!"
                William Shakespeare, Othello (III.iv.69)

"The river is within us, the sea is all about us." -- T.S.E. 
===============================================================================
José Enrique Díaz Jolly                         e-mail: enrique () podernet com mx
                                                   Fax: +52 (55) 5212-0360
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@(#) $Id: signature,v 1.6 2003/09/06 04:29:31 enrique Exp $

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