RPC over HTTP proxy problems

[age]

Hi, I am trying to set up RPC over HTTP in a front end / back end scenario on Windows 2003 / Exchange 2003 and am having all sorts of problems despite following the docs to the letter. My current issue is this:

I am trying to edit the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Rpc\RpcProxy\ValidPorts registry key as it currently only contains entries for the back end server and I have read posts that suggest it should contain entries for back end, front end and public fqdn aswell.

My problem is that something is resetting this key back to it's default settings each time I change it. On Exchange 2007 there is a registry key that can be changed to stop this happening, but I can't find the Exchange 2003 way of stopping it. Can anybody help?

Many thanks!

 

[TechyMcSe2k]

A managed front-end server that is running Exchange 2003 with SP1 scans the Active Directory directory service for managed back-end servers at 15-minute intervals. If the managed front-end server discovers a new managed back-end server during the scan, the managed front-end server adds the managed back-end server to the setting that is stored in the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\RPC\RpcProxy\ValidPorts

If a subsequent scan does not find the managed back-end server that is listed in the ValidPorts subkey, the information for that managed back-end server is removed from the registry.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/841652

Here is a another read:

http://www.amset.info/exchange/rpc-http-server.asp

_______________________________________
I hope any help I give leads to great successes.
MCSE, MCSA, MCTS, CCA, VCP, CCNA

 

[age]

Hi, thanks for your reply. The amset.info link is one of the sites I've been using to set this up. It is a front end / back end scenario with different internal and external domain names. I have set up DNS so the external name resolves internally. My ValidPorts registry entry does NOT look like this:

Key:
server-fe = Front-end Exchange Server
server-be = Back-end Exchange Server
server-dc = Domain Controller with Global Catalog
domain.local = Internal domain name
mail.external.com = External certificate/domain name

(remember: single line before saving as a registry file)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Rpc\RpcProxy]
"ValidPorts"="server-fe:100-5000;
server-be:6001-6002;
server-be.domain.local:6001-6002;
server-dc:6001-6002;
server-dc.domain.local:6001-6002;
server-be:6004;
server-be.domain.local:6004;
server-dc:6004;
server-dc.domain.local:6004;
mail.external.com:6001-6002;
mail.external.com:6004;
server-dc:593;
server-dc.domain.local:593;
server-be:593;
server-be.domain.local:593;
mail.external.com:593;"

So I need to edit the key to add the missing information but every 15 minutes the additional information that I add is going to be overwritten. Can I stop this from happening?

Thanks again!

Adrian.

 

[TechyMcSe2k]

Are you making these changed on the Front-end?


_______________________________________
I hope any help I give leads to great successes.
MCSE, MCSA, MCTS, CCA, VCP, CCNA

 

[age]

Hi, yes on the front-end. If I amend the key to put in entries like I've posted above, as many articles suggest you do, it automatically gets changed to just having entries for the back-end server, so it becomes:

server-be:6001-6002;server-be.domain.com:6001-6002;server-be:6004;server-be.domain.com:6004;

So how do I stop active directory overwriting the changes that I need to make to this registry key?

Many thanks!

Adrian.

 

[age]

Hi again, also, when setting up a split DNS so that the mail.external.com address resolves internally to an internal IP, should it resolve to the front-end servers internal IP or the back-end?

Thanks again for your help!

Adrian.

 

[TechyMcSe2k]

Age: sorry, that external would point to Front End



_______________________________________
I hope any help I give leads to great successes.
MCSE, MCSA, MCTS, CCA, VCP, CCNA