Mail proxy in OSX

Question

Level 1

8 points

Mail proxy in OSX

My exchange mail server provider has given me all the login credentials to access muy emails. However one thing they listed as well as the mail server is a proxy server. I obviously have to access the exchange server through the proxy. In Outlook on the PC this is simply inserted in the outlook settings. However I cannot find it in Outlook 2011 for Mac. I also cannot find a way of doing this for the mail app.

Obviously there are the proxy settings under sytem preferences but I don't want all traffic going through their proxy server, simply my email connection.

The Outlook help gives the following (not so useful) help response:

"Ask your Microsoft Exchange account administrator to tell you which proxy server to use to connect to the Microsoft Exchange server. For information about how to configure a connection to a proxy server, see Mac OS Help."

Can anyone help?

Thanks,

Howd00

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 19, 2011 3:32 PM

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Answer 1

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,638 points

Jul 19, 2011 3:56 PM in response to howd00

My guess would be to set up your smtp server in Mail Preferences to Password and enter the details.

Mail Preferences, Accounts, select account, Account Information, Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) select Edit SMTP server list, Advanced, select smtp server from list and set authentication to password.

My other guess would be the SOCKS proxy in network settings.

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Answer 2

howd00 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 19, 2011 4:10 PM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks for the help but I have an exchange mail server that I am trying to connect to, not a SMTP/POP/IMAP server.

The SOCKS proxy setting is surely going to affect all network traffic not just the connection to the mail server?

H

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Answer 3

Asatoran

Level 4

2,532 points

Jul 19, 2011 4:38 PM in response to howd00

Unlike Outlook for Windows, there does not appear to be any Exchange Proxy settings in Outlook on Mac. 😟 Macs have always been the b@$tard child for Microsoft so they didn't give Entourage/Outlook for Mac all the features of Outlook for Windows. 😠 (Google shows that this proxy question is asked often, but no solutions.)

The Exchange proxy was a way to access the Exchange server without a VPN. Can you access the Outlook Web Access (OWA) webpage for your server? If so, then try pointing Outlook to the OWA URL.

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Answer 4

howd00 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 19, 2011 5:00 PM in response to Asatoran

That's pretty much what I thought. I have OWA and my iphone uses that server for activesync however I have checked with the provider and they have told me not to use that one in outlook. I actually use that OWA server as the proxy server.

I still think there must be some way around it though. The provider is Easyspace and on their support section they say the following:

"Easyxchange does work in Microsoft Entourage. Unfortunately however, Easyspace does not support or offer assistance with the configuration of this mail client. For help setting up your account please see the microsoft How-TO"

Of course going to Microsoft how to then sends me on to the OSX help section which is close to useless. I'm trying as much as I can to find out from Easyspace if they will tell me how it works with Entourage. Obviously if it will work for Entourage it ought to work for Outlook 2011.

H

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Answer 5

Asatoran

Level 4

2,532 points

Jul 19, 2011 5:44 PM in response to howd00

...Obviously if it will work for Entourage it ought to work for Outlook 2011.

Outlook 2011 is a complete rewrite. It's not an "update" to Entourage. (Which IMHO is a good thing for various reasons. 😉 ) So it wouldn't surprise me if a feature like this is different.

Also, I think Outlook 2011 dropped support for Exchange 2003, since like OSX Mail, they use the Exchange Web Services protocol, introduced with Exchange 2007. Entourage (and iOS devices) didn't use EWS which is why Entourage works with Exchange 2003. And Exchange 2007 introduced the Client Access Server roles, which seems to have taken over some of what Exchange Proxies were doing.

I'm suspecting that Easyspace may still be on Exchange 2003, or if they are on Exchange 2007 or 2010, they left the old proxy servers in place and haven't upgraded the front-end or DMZ servers to the new Exchange roles. The statement that their servers do work with Entourage give some evidence of this. In any case, they don't seem to be "Mac friendly." If they were, they'd be on Exchange 2007 and have more info for Mac users, instead of pointing you back to Microsoft. And they'd realize that unlike Windows users, where you "need" to give them a copy of Outlook 2007, OSX's apps have built-in support for Exchange 2007/2010 so Easyspace wouldn't have to spend aany addtional money on the Outlook licenes like they have to with the Windows customers. (How can they not like more profit? 😝 )

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Answer 6

Apr 27, 2012 6:35 AM in response to howd00

Hi howd00

Did you ever get this working? I'm having exactly the same problem?

Thank you,

Matt

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Answer 7

howd00 Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 27, 2012 7:37 AM in response to Matt Peel

It turned out for me that Easyspace were running an old 2003 exchange server. They had no intention of upgrading it either. I ended up redirecting my mail elsewhere and now use Cobweb who i wish i'd gone for in the first place. Asatoron was spot on.

Hoe that helps, even if it doesn't fix the problem.

Howd00

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Answer 8

Apr 27, 2012 7:42 AM in response to howd00

Yes, this figures. Wow, a 10 year old mail server. They are sure getting their money's worth out of this. Unfortunately, they are about to lose my money as I will also move.

Thank you for your quick reply.

Matt

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Answer 9

Nov 14, 2012 12:36 PM in response to Matt Peel

Matt,

See my reply in another thread https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4424118 for a possible solution.

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