Outlook 2003 hung when connect to Exchange Server 2003

[LucasYew]

HI Guys,
I am having some issue on launching outlook 2003 it hung when connecting to Exchange Server 2003. In my environment, I have 2 domain connect to each other with A.com and B.com in different country. 2 different site with same org for exchange 2003. User trying to connect using outlook from location A1 to B.com with B site name and B login ID and password then the outlook start hung. But I am able to connect from different location A2 to B.com with B site name and B login ID and password. I am able to ping B exchange server from location A1 and A2. Able to do telnet to B exchange server with port 25 from location A1 and A2. Then get a complete trace using a tracert on location A1 and A2. From the 3 troubleshooting step, it show that connection from location A1 to B exchange server with B domain is successful but it just hung out when login using outlook. This is more strange that some time can access and some time hung. I am guessing that the connection from location A1 to B exchange server with B domain is slow but how to check? Is there any other tools to troubleshoot? FYI, no issue on connecting location A2 to to B exchange server with B domain using outlook. I am using Windows Server 2003 SP2 with Exchange Server 2003 SP2 in cluster mode.

"LucasYew" <LucasYew.3yyzja@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:LucasYew.3yyzja@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> HI Guys,
> I am having some issue on launching outlook 2003 it hung when
> connecting to Exchange Server 2003. In my environment, I have 2 domain
> connect to each other with A.com and B.com in different country. 2
> different site with same org for exchange 2003. User trying to connect
> using outlook from location A1 to B.com with B site name and B login ID
> and password then the outlook start hung. But I am able to connect from
> different location A2 to B.com with B site name and B login ID and
> password. I am able to ping B exchange server from location A1 and A2.
> Able to do telnet to B exchange server with port 25 from location A1 and
> A2. Then get a complete trace using a tracert on location A1 and A2.
> From the 3 troubleshooting step, it show that connection from location
> A1 to B exchange server with B domain is successful but it just hung out
> when login using outlook. This is more strange that some time can access
> and some time hung. I am guessing that the connection from location A1
> to B exchange server with B domain is slow but how to check? Is there
> any other tools to troubleshoot? FYI, no issue on connecting location A2
> to to B exchange server with B domain using outlook. I am using Windows
> Server 2003 SP2 with Exchange Server 2003 SP2 in cluster mode.
>
>
> --
> LucasYew
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> LucasYew's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/76919.htm
> View this thread:
> Outlook 2003 hung when connect to Exchange Server 2003
>
> http://forums.techarena.in
>


This doesn't appear to be an SBS question.

However, from what you posted, it sounds like it could be either a firewall
is blocking necessary ports (there are about 29 ports for domain
communications), or a slow or saturated link.

Is Outlook set to use Cached Mode?

Is there a GC in both Sites? To help logons in such scenarios, it may be
helpful to also add a replica DC of the other domain locally, otherwise,
once the GC is contacted, it refers toa DC in the client's domain to
validate credentials. If the Sites are not setup properly, the line is
saturated, or there are firewall blocks, expect problems.

When you connect using OWA to the mailbox server (to the cluster name), does
it connect?

Any errors in the Event logs on the client side or on the Server?

Keep in mind, that using ping doesn't help resolve Exchange connectivity
issues such as this.

To test connectivity, you can try rpcping utility.

How to use the RPC Ping utility to troubleshoot connectivity ...Discusses
how to use the RPC Ping utility to troubleshoot connectivity issues for
Outlook. The PRC Ping utility is included with the Windows Server 2003 ...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831051

XCLN: How to Use RPCPing to Test RPC CommunicationThe RPC Ping Utility can
be used to confirm the RPC connectivity between the computer running
Microsoft Exchange Server and any of the supported Microsoft ...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/167260


--
Ace

This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties or guarantees and
confers no rights.

Please reply back to the newsgroup or forum for collaboration benefit among
responding engineers, and to help others benefit from your resolution.

Ace Fekay, MCT, MCTS 2008, MCTS Exchange, MCSE, MCSA 2003 & 2000, MCSA
Messaging
Microsoft Certified Trainer

For urgent issues, please contact Microsoft PSS directly. Please check
http://support.microsoft.com for regional support phone numbers.

[LucasYew]

Thanks Ace

FYI, i am trying to use outlook /rpcdiag cmd to track the connectivity and the result as below:

server name______type______interface________conn________status_______req/fail________avg resp_________
ABC---------directory-------------------connecting-------prompt for login ID

ABC---------directory-------NIC-----------TCP/IP------established--------3/2-------------343 ----- after login (outlook not responding)

ABC-----------mail----------------------connecting-------------------------------------------------- after login (outlook not responding)

ABC---------referral---------------------connecting-------------------------------------------------- after login (outlook not responding)

ABC------public folders------------------connecting-------------------------------------------------- after login (outlook not responding)


After the outlook hung it prompt error msg as "Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. The set of fodlers could not be opened."

Is there any tools to track where the connectivity was drop when contacting exchange server or AD for authentication? Because the final resolution was force one of the communication path from client to Exchange and AD authentication for option1. By default from my environment, the routing path can be either option1 or option2 and that is why some time succesful connect to outlook and some time not.

Diagram of routing path:
option1----Location A route to location B route to location C---------------- no problem
option2----Location A route to location C---------------------------------- slow response and hung
option3----Location B route to location C---------------------------------- no problem

"LucasYew" <LucasYew.3zd9fb@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:LucasYew.3zd9fb@DoNotSpam.com...
>
> Thanks Ace
>
> FYI, i am trying to use outlook /rpcdiag cmd to track the connectivity
> and the result as below:
>
> server
> name______type______interface________conn________status_______req/fail________avg
> resp_________
> ABC---------directory-------------------connecting-------prompt
> for login ID
>
>
> ABC---------directory-------NIC-----------TCP/IP------established--------3/2-------------343
> ----- after login (outlook not responding)
>
>
> ABC-----------mail----------------------connecting--------------------------------------------------
> after login (outlook not responding)
>
>
> ABC---------referral---------------------connecting--------------------------------------------------
> after login (outlook not responding)
>
> ABC------public
> folders------------------connecting--------------------------------------------------
> after login (outlook not responding)
>
>
> After the outlook hung it prompt error msg as "Cannot start Microsoft
> Office Outlook. Unable to open the Outlook window. The set of fodlers
> could not be opened."
>
> Is there any tools to track where the connectivity was drop when
> contacting exchange server or AD for authentication? Because the final
> resolution was force one of the communication path from client to
> Exchange and AD authentication for option1. By default from my
> environment, the routing path can be either option1 or option2 and that
> is why some time succesful connect to outlook and some time not.
>
> Diagram of routing path:
> option1----Location A route to location B route to location
> C---------------- no problem
> option2----Location A route to location
> C---------------------------------- slow response and hung
> option3----Location B route to location
> C---------------------------------- no problem
>
>
> --
> LucasYew

Re-reading your original post, you said it sometimes can and sometimes
cannot connect. You believe the line is slow. I was first thinking there
were some sort of firewall blocking necessary traffic, but if you are saying
that it 'sometimes' works, then I wouldn't totally discount the firewall. I
have one customer that has an office in a university. They need to go
through their proxy server. Sometimes they would call me and say they can't
connect to Outlook. I would remote into their machine and see that it can't
connect. And this was with a previously created profile that works. Other
times they can connect fine, and there;s nothing wrong on the server side
because I would be able to do a quick test connection using my laptop's
Outlook.

This can be difficult to rule out, and you will have to work with the
networking group (if that isn't your group), and ask questions regarding the
firewall, proxy, the VPN used to connect to both locations.

If it is truly a firewall block issue, I would suggest to use RPCPing to
test Exchange-client communications, as well as Portqry.

How to use the RPC Ping utility to troubleshoot connectivity ...Discusses
how to use the RPC Ping utility to troubleshoot connectivity issues for
Outlook. The PRC Ping utility is included with the Windows Server 2003 ...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831051

Download details: PortQry Command Line Port Scanner Version 2.0Dec 11, 2003
.... Download PortQryV2.exe, a command-line utility that you can use to help
troubleshoot TCP/IP connectivity issues.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloadS/d...displaylang=en

Download details: PortQryUI - User Interface for the PortQry ...Aug 2, 2004
.... Download PortQryUI.exe, an add on User Interface utility for PortQry.
http://www.microsoft.com/DownLoads/d...displaylang=en

Also, what type of lines and speeds exist to the internet at each location?
Go to DSL reports and run a speed test from each side.
http://www.speedtest.net/
www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

Also, if they are in the same organization (same forest), and you are seeing
this connection going up and down or the fact that sometimes it works, and
sometimes it doesn't, I would also see if there are any AD replication
problems occuring. Check the DC's event logs.

Ace