When I'm not at my desk, I use a VPN connection to access my work Exchange server.

On my current PDA/phone, a Dopod 838Pro, it effectively takes three steps to connect to Exchange - step 1, connect to the net, step 2, connect to the VPN, step 3 connect to Exchange. I then have to manually synchronise the folders before doing a manual disconnect so I don't have a long data session active.

Has anyone had experience using the iPhone 3G to access an Exchange server (push not enabled on the server) via a VPN? I know that the iPhone OS allows for a PPTP VPN connection, and for hitting an Exchange server for email; can you set it to automatically use the VPN when syncing with Exchange? Does it auto-disconnect when the sync finishes?

And do calender items synch cleanly as well as email?

When using Exchange, calendar, contacts and email all sync perfectly.
Using it through a VPN however, I am unsure.

On your current phone, do you have to connect to the VPN every time you want to check your email? What if you check your email multiple times a day?

Excellent!

Ah well ...

Yep, every time. I suppose I could leave it connected, but it draisn the battery terribly.

And it's as flakey as all hell, believe me. Given I've had no issues with my MBA (or the off-site desktops, or my home PC when I used to VPN in from there) I blame the VPN implementation on my unoffical Windows Mobile ROM

I'm hoping I can set up the iPhone to check every 15 or 30 minutes but to disconnect the VPN and data connectsion when idle to save data and battery life.