When you use Outlook with an Exchange Server with MAPI, server connectivity is needed for directory queries as well as message store access. A quick way to check which servers Outlook is communicating with is to use the Microsoft Exchange Connection Status dialog box. This option is not obvious to the user; however, it’s simple to view. In Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 or Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 you hold the CTRL button down while right-clicking the Outlook icon in the task bar. On the drop-down menu click Connection Status. This opens the Microsoft Exchange Connection Status window, as shown in Figure 1. In this example, dc1.mojavemedia.com (DC1) in my lab is both a domain controller (DC—in this case the Global Catalog) and Exchange Server.
Normally, either Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2003 will automatically find another Global Catalog server on its own, if the one it’s connected to become unavailable. This is a quick way of verifying that Outlook is establishing client-server communications. The Reconnect button will force Outlook to attempt to find a Global Catalog server and its mailbox server. If it’s already connected to those, it will disconnect and reconnect (as the button name suggests).