In both cases, the autodiscover process will use SSL, so the actual host name queried will be. Outlook can also query SRV records, which is useful when an Exchange server is hosting multiple

This occurs for clients that are both members of the domain, if they cannot reach the domain controller, and for non-members. If the user's email address is john.smith then the autodiscover process will query, and then an HTTP request. These host names are derided from the user's email address. The second method involves the Outlook client making DNS lookups against a number of preset host names. Exchange publishes a URL in to the domain, which the clients query and this tells them where to go to get further information from Exchange for the Autodiscover information. That means they are on the LAN, or connected via a VPN. The first method is for clients that are members of the domain and can reach the domain controller. As the process is constantly being used, it is not something that administrators can simply ignore and configure the clients manually. The Autodiscover lookup takes place frequently in the background by Outlook 2007 and higher, no matter which version of Exchange you are using, so it is possible to get issues with Autodiscover with an Exchange 2003 server involved.

Outlook 2007 and higher uses Autodiscover. Not only does it do the first time configuration of the Exchange client, but they also tell the client whether anything has changed, as well as provide the means to get free/busy information. Primarily designed for hosted Exchange operations, it is used by all Exchange server implementations of Exchange 2007 and higher and is not an optional function. Background on AutodiscoverДЄutodiscover, and its companion, the availability service, are key to the operation of Exchange. Resetting the Autodiscover Virtual DirectoryДЄutodiscover is one of the major pain points for Exchange administrators, but is actually quite easy to troubleshoot and resolve as the main issues with it are well known.Correct Configuration of the Autodiscover Service.

Configuring autodiscover exchange 2010