I am an end user - using Windows XP 2003, SP3, connecting to my company's Exchange Server via VPN over FiOS using the Actiontec router. The VPN makes the handshake just fine. At different intervals during the day, Outlook says "Trying to connect" in the bottom right-hand status bar sometimes for minutes (up to 15). Once connected all the data is synchronized. However, at interniitent points later in the day Outlook will say "Connection lost ..." and "trying to connect . . ." and the end result is that Outlook has to be exited and brought back up or the Outlook session can stay in that state for a long time. Sometimes exiting Outlook and bringing it back up clears the problem. Other times it does not. I've been clicking along just fine for over a year until a couple of weeks ago, then this interniitent problem became persistent. Does anyone know of any reason why an Outlook client would behave this way. What things might I check on my client side to figure out why I am having the problem? Some other users are experiencing the same problems. I've opened port 4500 UDP and 500 UDP on the router for the VPN but that's not resolving the issue.

I have read it could be MAPI sessions, DNS issues, MTU settings and a host of other possibilities. Just trying to pin down any resolution.



Software/Hardware used:
Windows XP Pro, SP3, VPN, Broadband Router