Outlook Web Access - Common Problems?

Hey Everyone,

After about a year of discussion, my company has decided to take a look at setting up Outlook Web Access (OWA). I was wondering:

1) Who out there is using it
2) What your general impression of it is
3) Number of users, issues with proformance, problems you might have
4) Suggestions before I start moving forward with implimenting it

Background:
Small 50 Users SBS2000 Network, but only a half dozen users for OWA (mostly Sales and upper staff members). SBS 2K server is a Dell 2500, Dual PIII/1.3 Gig, 1 Gig RAM, (4) 36 Gig HDs in Raid, running Exchange as it's only Apps. Web server is on a RH9 box with FTP. Total users on Exchange is 41.

Any pre install suggestion you can make will be most helpful,

Thanks!
MrCoffee

If you are using the new OWA that comes with Exchange 2003, it is quite nice. The older clients IMHO, aren't worth much.

My recommendations are:

1) Do NOT run OWA on your exchange server.
2) Put the OWA server on an isolated network that is only allowed to talk to the exchange server and ONLY on the ports necessary for it to pull mail. This network should NOT be publically accessible.
3) Use a reverse proxy server on a DMZ segment to actually serve up the requests. Be careful to only allow it to connect to your OWA server.

The basic idea is to separate it as much from possible from direct outside access and as much as possible from your exchange server.

What Exchange Version do you run?

I HIGLY recommend that you take an extra PC and that you install Windows 2003 Server with OWA on it. (Note: Exchange 5.5 don’t install on Windows 2003 so you got to use W2K if you dare). I recommend Windows 2003 because OWA use IIS and everyone know W2K ISS is full of holes.

And for sure, put this server in your DMZ zone of your firewall with your other Web server!

Ok, well now I guess that poses some problems for me. First of all, SBS 2000 includes a full version of Exchange 2000, SQL 2000, ISA 2000, etc. But the apps can't be used or placed on a different server from the SBS Domain controller. :S

Since we are running SBS, that limits how I can set up the OWA. So it cant be put in the DMZ, it cant be put on a secondary server, etc.

Hmmmmmmmmmm. :(