OWA, DNS and Authentication

[ktisdall]

Environment:

Win2k prof sp2 PC, IE5.5sp2, Exch2k sp2 on Win2k server, win2k DC/DNS on separate server, local network - no firewalls or routers.

Issue:

A local LAN user can authenticate to OWA with the URL

http://servername/exchange.

The login prompt is the two-field version since I use basic authentication and have the domain name entered in the basic authentication properties of IIS.

I wanted to have a simpler URL than the server name so in the win2k DC I created the DNS host record pointing the host name OWA to x.x.x.x, the same address as the record for servername.

Using

http://OWA/exchange,

the two-field login prompt appears and can be filled in. Then OWA starts to load and another two-field login prompt appears. Behind it is the OWA mailbox and if I look at the folder list that is available, the public folder is not listed. After I fill out the second login prompt the public folder appears and I can work in OWA.

The only other visible difference in the two login scenarios is that if I use

http://servername/exchange

the realm is servername on the login prompt. If I use

http://OWA/exchange

then the first login prompt has OWA in the realm and the second login prompt has servername in the realm.

What's going on? Why would using one dns address be different than using another (they both point to the same ip address)?

--Kevin