In which I (partially) solve a problem with MS Exchange 2007

So, here's the situation.  I've been happily using the Evolution email/calendar software with Ubuntu GNU/Linux for several Ubuntu releases for some time now.  Of course, this was with the MS Exchange 2003 that my workplace uses.  No problem, using the exchange connector plugin for Evolution.

Earlier this year we were upgraded to Exchange 2007, whereupon everything changed - I was no longer able to access the mailserver or calendar.  Aha! I thought, I'll find an appropriate plugin for Evolution.  Well, that was a little easier to say than achieve.  Firstly, many websites refer to an apparently now unavailable plugin named Brutus.  Secondly, after I identified the plugin to use (evolution-mapi), it didn't seem to work.

And there the situation remained, with me plodding on, using Outlook Web Access, until this week, when I finally chanced across this blog entry: Using Evolution with Exchange 2007.  This blog article outlined how to install a more up-to-date plugin from source.  I did this, and from a state where Evolution crashed upon authenticating my Exchange account, I reached a state, where the authentication merely failed:

Authentication failed. MapiLogonProvider:MAPI_E_NETWORK_ERROR

This flummoxed me for a bit, until I thought I ought to check what server address my office XP PC was using for Outlook.  Lo and behold! a server I'd never heard of before.  Once that was entered, I was able to get an email account working.

Unfortunately, it would seem that only email and tasks are so far working - opening the Calendar hangs Evolution.  Still, progress of sorts.

Update: Calendar works with a VPN connection.

[Ubuntu GNU/Linux 9.10 (Karmic Koala); Evolution 2.28.1; Microsoft Exchange 2007]