Nov, 2003 : Intermedia.NET Releases VPN Configurator Wizard

📅 November 12, 2003 - Intermedia.NET (intermedia.net), a providerof Microsoft Exchange and Web hosting solutions for small and medium-sizedbusinesses, yesterday released its Virtual Private Network (VPN) ConfiguratorWizard. The company said the wizard and the VPN connection to Intermedia.NET hostedMicrosoft Exchange server is available free to new and existing customers.

"Port 135 is integral to Microsoft Exchange. Many Internet service providers haveblocked this port for a variety of reasons, creating serious connectivity issues forcustomers. Some users of Intermedia.NET and non-Intermedia.NET hosted MicrosoftExchange shared their frustration with us regarding blocked ports," said AlexanderYevelev, director of sales and marketing at Intermedia.NET.
Port 135 became an issue when discussions between Microsoft and the Department ofHomeland Security resulted in the issuing of an advisory about vulnerabilities inMicrosoft systems. The advisory suggested that Internet service providers considerfiltering TCP and UDP ports 135, 139, and 445 for inbound connectionsunless absolutely needed for business or operational purposes.
"Establishing a VPN connection resolves the Port 135 problem, but the setup of it isvery complicated for non-technical users," said Yevelev. "In response to this issue,we have developed a VPN Configurator Wizard, which is very easy to setup and use anddoes not require any technical expertise."
According to the company, setting up a VPN is a solution to the port 135 problembecause it allows network connectivity with the additional advantage of encryption.
Intermedia.NET's VPN Configurator Wizard consists of three components: port ping,VPN configurator and Outlook profile helper.
Port ping checks whether all necessary ports, needed to access the Exchange server,are open. If port 135 is blocked, VPN configurator is automatically accessed toconfigure the VPN connection on the customer's computer. Outlook profile helpercompletes the setup by creating the Outlook profile and updating files based on theresults of the port ping.