ExchangeIt Usage Guide 1.2

From Nitix Knowledgebase

Introduction

What is ExchangeIt!?

ExchangeIt! provides collaboration services running as a fully integrated service on a Nitix-powered server. ExchangeIt! works seamlessly with Microsoft® Outlook® to help you create, organize and share information quickly and easily.

Thanks to its complete integration into the Nitix server operating system, ExchangeIt! is able to take full advantage of advanced Nitix technologies such as NetIntelligence, idb, and System ER. This makes ExchangeIt! an easy collaboration system to set up, maintain and backup.

Outlook + ExchangeIt! - What do they do?

In order for Microsoft Outlook to work with ExchangeIt! a small Outlook plug-in, developed by Net Integration Technologies and available free of charge, needs to be installed on every workstation that requires ExchangeIt! functionality. (ExchangeIt! licenses are handled on the server).

When you use ExchangeIt! with the Microsoft Outlook mail client, the following features are added to Outlook’s functionality:

• Schedule Sharing: Personal Outlook calendars can be shared with other ExchangeIt! users.

• Group Schedules: Shared calendars can be created for multiple users (or Nitix“teams”); each team member will have access to the shared calendar. These shared calendars are the equivalent of shared public resources and can relate to people or to conference rooms and other meeting resources such as video projectors.

• Meeting Invitations: Users can schedule meetings with other users and also book conference rooms and other meeting resources. Invite users to meetings; when they accept, the event appears in their calendar. View the free/busy times for meeting invitees and resources when scheduling a meeting.

• Contact List Sharing: Share personal contact lists with other users.

• Group Contact Lists: Maintain shared contact lists, including distribution lists to which everyone can access and contribute.

• Task List Sharing: Share personal task lists with other users.

• Group Task Lists: Maintain shared task lists to which all users or team members can contribute.

• Journal Sharing: Share personal Outlook journals with other users.

• Notes Sharing: Share Outlook notes with other users.

• Group Notes Sharing: Maintain shared notes folders to which all users or team members can access and contribute.

• Access Control Lists and Shared Folder Permissions: Give other users or teams permission to view, edit or change calendars, contact lists, notes, journals and task lists. Each user or team can have “Read,” “Read/Write” or “Read/Write/Admin” rights to a folder.

• Outlook Synchronization: Information contained within Outlook Personal Folders (with the exception of deleted items and email messages) is uploaded and synchronized with the ExchangeIt! database. This yields the following advantages:

Backup – if a workstation’s Outlook data is lost, it can easily be resynchronized from the server. The ExchangeIt! database is also backed up by the idb backup system on the Nitix-powered server.

RoamingAccess – Outlook will have your synchronized Personal Folders even if you are on a different computer.

WebAccess – ExchangeIt! data is synchronized with the Nitix WebMail web based mail and collaboration interface. This allows easy access to modify a user’s Outlook data from any browser.

Purpose Of This Usage Guide

This Usage Guide will focus on the use of Outlook 2000, Outlook 2002, Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 with ExchangeIt! Please refer to your Microsoft Outlook manual for the Outlook-specific functionalities not covered in this manual.

ExchangeIt! Installation

There are TWO stages to installing and configuring ExchangeIt!.

1. Install and configure your email client.
2. Install and configure your ExchangeIt! client plug-in.

Please Note: In order to use ExchangeIt!, you must have an ExchangeIt! license for the user account on Nitix.

Software Requirements: ExchangeIt! requires Microsoft Outlook 2000, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2003 or Microsoft Outlook 2007, running on a Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista platform. ExchangeIt! is not compatible with any version of Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook 98 or other mail packages.

Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2000

You need to have Microsoft's Web Publishing Wizard installed in order for the free/busy services to work with Outlook 2000 on Windows 2000. If this has not already been installed on your computer you can download the installation file from: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=22658

Configuring Email

If you are already using Outlook 2000 for your email in Internet mode, select Tools > Accounts. Click Add > Mail. The Internet Connection Wizard screen will appear. Jump to Step five (5).

If this is your first time using Outlook 2000, start at step one (1).

1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2000. Corporate Mode Microsoft Outlook is not supported. Please go to Tools > Options > Mail Delivery and click Reconfigure Mail Support to reconfigure Outlook to "Internet Only" mode. [If you are unsure how to accomplish this, please refer to your Office 2000 documentation].
2. The User Name screen will appear.
3. Enter your Name and Initials. Click OK.
4. The Internet Connection Wizard screen will appear.
5. Enter your Display name (this is the name that will appear on your outgoing email). Click Next.
6. Enter your Email Address. Click Next.
7. The next screen will ask, “My incoming email server is a ____ server.” Select "IMAP" from the server drop-down list.



• We recommend that you use an IMAP email server. However, ExchangeIt! will work with POP3 email servers, but you may lose your ability to have your mail remotely accessible.
8. Enter the name of your incoming mail server (this is the name of the Nitix-powered server).
9. Enter the name of your outgoing mail server (this is the name of the Nitix-powered server).
10. Click Next.
11. Enter your Account name and Password (password is optional). Ensure that the Log on Secure Password Authentication (SPA) is not checked.



12. Click Next.
13. Select which method you want to use to connect to the Internet (local area network).
14. Click Next.
15. Click Finish.

Directory Services Setup

1. In Outlook, select Tools > Accounts.
2. Select Add > Directory Services.
3. The Internet Connection Wizard screen will appear.
4. Enter your Internet directory (LDAP) server name (this is the name of the Nitix-powered server). Click Next.



5. It will ask, “Do you want to check Addresses using this directory service?” Click Yes.



6. Click Next.
7. Click Finish.
8. Click Close.
9. Close Outlook.

Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2002

Configuring Email

If you are already using Outlook 2002, select Tools > Accounts, then click Add > Mail. The Internet Connection Wizard screen will appear. Jump to Step five (5).

If this is your first time using Outlook 2002, start at step one (1).

1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2002.
2. The Outlook 2002 Startup screen will appear.
3. Click Next.
4. The Account Configuration screen will appear.
5. Click Yes.
6. Click Next.
7. The Email Accounts screen will appear, asking you to select your email server type. Select "IMAP".



• We recommend that you use an IMAP email server. However, ExchangeIt! will work with POP3 email servers.
8. Click Next.
9. Enter your User Information, Server Information, and Logon Information.



Ensure that the Log on Secure Password Authentication (SPA) is not checked.

10. Click Next.
11. Click Finish.
12. The User Name screen will appear. Enter your Name and Initials. Click OK.
    • The User Name screen only appears if it your first time using Outlook.

Directory Services Setup

1. From Outlook, select Tools > Email Accounts.
2. The Email Accounts screen will appear.



3. Under Directory, choose Add a new directory or address book.
4. Click Next.
5. Select Internet Directory Service (LDAP).



6. Click Next.
7. Enter the Server name.



8. Click Next.
9. The Add Email Account screen will appear, asking if it is okay to exit Outlook. Click OK.
10. Click Finish.

Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

Configuring Email

If you are already using Outlook 2003, select Tools > Accounts, then click Add > Mail. The Internet Connection Wizard screen will appear. Jump to Step five (5).

If this is your first time using Outlook 2003, start at step one (1).

1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2003.
2. The Outlook 2003 Startup screen will appear.
3. Click Next.
4. The Account Configuration screen will appear.
5. Click Yes.
6. Click Next.
7. The Email Accounts screen will appear, asking you to select your email server type. Select "IMAP".
   • We recommend that you use an IMAP email server. However, ExchangeIt! will work with POP3 email servers.
8. Click Next.
9. Enter your User Information, Server Information, and Logon Information.



Ensure that the Log on Secure Password Authentication (SPA) is not checked.

10. Click Next.
11. Click Finish.
12. The User Name screen will appear. Enter your Name and Initials. Click OK.
    • The User Name screen only appears if it your first time using Outlook.

Directory Services Setup

1. From Outlook, select Tools > Email Accounts.
2. The Email Accounts screen will appear:



3. Under Directory, choose Add a new directory or address book.
4. Click Next.
5. Select Internet Directory Service (LDAP).



6. Click Next.
7. Enter the Server name.



8. Click Next.
9. The Add Email Account screen will appear, asking if it is okay to exit Outlook. Click OK.
10. Click Finish.

Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2007

1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2007.
2. Click Tools, then Account Settings. The Account Settings screen with display.



3. From the E-mail tab, click New...
4. The Auto Account Setup window will display. Select the Manually configure server settings... check box and click Next.



5. The Add New E-mail Account window will display. Make sure that Internet E-mail radio button is selected, then click Next.



6. In the Internet E-mail Settings, enter your User Information, Server Information, and Logon Information.



Ensure that the Log on Secure Password Authentication (SPA) is not checked.

7. When you are done, click Next, then Finish.

Installing Client Plugin

You must be logged in as the Administrator to install the ExchangeIt! plugin. Installing the plugin using a user account may not install the plugin properly. You must configure Outlook before installing the ExchangeIt! plugin.

1. Go to where you placed the ExchangeIt! plugin.
2. Double-click the ExchangeIt! plugin.
3. The ExchangeIt! Plugin for Microsoft Outlook Setup: License Agreement window will be displayed. <li>Click I Agree to accept the license.
4. The ExchangeIt! Plugin for Microsoft Outlook Setup: Installation Folder window will be displayed.
5. Click Install to install the ExchangeIt! plugin in the default destination, or select a different folder by using the Browse button, then click Install.
6. Once installation is complete, click Close.

Configure Outlook to use ExchangeIt!

1. Open Outlook.
2. The ExchangeIt! Login window will be displayed:



3. Select the Message Store you wish to have synchronized. The default store is “Personal Folders.”
4. Enter the name of your Nitix-powered server. The default name is calendar.
5. Enter your User name and Password.
6. Click OK.

To Enable Synchronization

1. From the Outlook Tools menu, select Options.
2. Click on the ExchangeIt! tab.
3. Ensure that "Automatically synchronize with server every..." is checked.



4. Choose how often you wish the ExchangeIt! server and Outlook to synchronize data.
5. Click OK.

Using ExchangeIt!

Sharing Information with Outlook Folders

ExchangeIt! enables you to share any of your Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, or Journal files in your Personal Folders with other user(s). These shared folders are only open to those who are given permission by the creator or the "owner" of the folder. (By default, no one but you has permission to access your Personal Folders).

If you are part of a Nitix “team account” you can also create shared folders in the Public Folders. These shared folders are useful if you want to allow other team members to see information such as an office-wide boardroom calendar or staff contact list.

For more detailed information on sharing folders, please see the ExchangeIt! Usage Guide.

To Share Information Using the Personal Folder

1. Right-click on the Outlook Personal Folder you wish to share (i.e. Calendar, Tasks, Contacts, Journal) in either the Outlook Shortcuts or Folder List and select "Properties". If you wish to create a new folder to be shared, right-click on Personal Folders' and select "New folder..."
   • See the ExchangeIt! Usage Guide for more details.
2. Click on the ExchangeIt! Permissions tab.
3. Click Add.
4. Choose a user from the drop-down list with whom you wish to share the information.



5. Select a Permission Level to grant to that user from the drop-down list. Permission levels are used to grant different levels of access to users viewing public folders:
   • Read allows users to view information.
   • Read/Write allows users to view and add information.
   • Read/Write/Admin allows users to view and add information, modify permissions, and to create and delete subfolders.
6. To add more than one user at a time, click Apply and repeat steps 3-5. Continue to the next step.
7. Click OK.

To Share Information Using the Public Folder

1. Right-click on a team folder of which you are a team member in the Outlook Public Folder list in either the Outlook Shortcuts or Folder List and select "Properties". If you wish to create a new folder to be shared, right-click on the team folder of which you are a team member in Public Folders and select "New folder... "
   • New folders cannot be created under the Public Folders parent folder. You can only share and create new folders under team account files, or if another user has shared his or her file with you.
   • See the ExchangeIt! Usage Guide for more details.
2. Click on the ExchangeIt! Permissions tab.
3. Click Add.
4. Choose a user from the drop-down list with whom you wish to share the information.



5. Select a Permission Level to grant to that user from the drop-down list.
6. To add more than one user at a time, click Apply and repeat steps 3-5. Continue to the next step.
7. Click OK.

Team Access

Public Folders are automatically created for every team account on Nitix. All members of the team have full (Read/Write/Admin) access to the folder.

To Remove or Change a User’s Permissions

1. Right-click on the Outlook folder in the Outlook Shortcuts or Folder List and select "Properties".
2. Click on the ExchangeIt! Permissions tab.
3. Select the user name.



4. Use the Permission Level drop-down menu to change the permission, or click Remove to remove that user’s permissions for that folder.

To View Information in Public Folders

1. Double-click on Public Folders in the Folder List.



2. Double-click on the user name of the person whose information you wish to access.
3. Click on the Folder you wish to access. Public Folders will only appear in the Folder List if you have been granted permission to access information in the public folders. Information in Mail folders and Deleted Items cannot be shared.

To View the Permissions for a Public or Private Folder

1. Right-click on the Outlook folder in the Outlook Shortcuts or Folder List and select "Properties".
2. Click on the ExchangeIt! Permissions tab.
3. Here you will be able to view all users who have access to that folder and what Permission Level they have.

To Copy Information From a Public Folder to Your Private Folder

1. Open the folder containing the information you wish to copy.
2. Highlight the information you want, using the Ctrl key to select more than one item.
3. Right-click on the highlighted items and drag the mouse over the destination in your Folder List. If you have Admin permissions for a Public Folder, using the left mouse button instead of the right will move the information instead of copying it, thereby removing it from the public file.

To Copy a Public or Private Folder

1. Right-click on the Outlook folder in the Folder List and select Copy “folder name”.
2. The Copy Folder screen will appear.
3. Select the destination folder from the list.
4. Click OK.
5. The folder will appear as a sub-folder of the destination folder.
6. Permissions are not transferred when a folder is copied due to the manner in which Outlook performs Copy and Move operations.

To Move a Public Folder

1. Right-click on the Outlook folder in the Folder List and select Move “folder name”.
2. The Move Folder window will appear.
3. Select the destination folder from the list.
4. Click OK. The folder will appear as a sub-folder of the destination folder, and the original folder will be deleted from the public folders.

• You can only move a folder if you have Read/Write/Admin access to the folder.
• Permissions are not transferred when a folder is moved due to the manner in which Outlook performs Copy and Move operations.

Viewing Another User's Folders

In order to view another user’s Personal Folder or item, that user must first give you (at least) read-only permission to that folder/item.

After they have given you permission, you must subscribe to the folder/item before it will appear under your Public Folders list (for more information on subscribing to folders, see: ExchangeIt! Folder Subscriptions below. Once subscribed to, you will be able to view and have access to that folder/item under the name of the user/team sharing the folder with you.

ExchangeIt! Folder Subscriptions

Outlook does not automatically show folders/items in Personal or Public Folders that have been shared with to the user. Once a folder administrator gives another user access to the folder, before that shared folder will appear in the user’s Public Folders, he or she must subscribe to it.

Subscribing to shared ExchangeIt! folders

1. In the Public Folders list, right-click any folder. If you do not see Public Folders in your Folder List, right-click on any folder in your Personal Folders such as Calendar.
2. Click on Properties.
3. Click on the ExchangeIt! folder tab.
4. In the Synchronization area of the ExchangeIt! folder tab, click on the ExchangeIt! Folders... button.



5. Find the shared folder/item that you wish to subscribe to by either scrolling through the Folder name list of available shared folders, or by typing the name of the folder/item into the Query field and clicking on the Query button.
6. Click the folder/item you want to subscribe to.



7. Click Subscribe. The folder will now appear in your Public Folders list.

Unsubscribing from shared ExchangeIt! folders

1. In the Public Folders list, right-click the folder/item you want to unsubscribe from.
2. Click on Properties.
3. Click on the ExchangeIt! Folder tab. In the Synchronization area of the ExchangeIt! Folder tab, click on the ExchangeIt! Folders... button.
4. Find the folder/item you wish to unsubscribe from by either scrolling through the “Folder name” list of available shared folders, or by typing the name of the folder/item into the Query field and clicking on the Query button.
5. Click the folder/item you want to unsubscribe from.
6. Click Unsubscribe. The folder/item will now disappear from your Public Folders list.

Important Note It is not possible to unsubscribe from your standard Outlook folders, such as your primary calendar or journal, as this is required to synchronize to WebMail.

Using your ExchangeIt! Calendar

Calendar

The Calendar folder allows you to keep track of your daily schedule as well as schedule meetings with others. Figure 16 is a screenshot of a typical calendar in daily view. This view allows you to see your schedule for a particular day, along with your Task pad. As you can see, you can create meetings and appointments with the Calendar folder.

Create a Meeting Request Using Free/Busy

You need to have Microsoft's Web Publishing Wizard installed in order for the free/busy services to work with Outlook 2000 on Windows 2000. If this has not already been installed on your computer you can download the installation file from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=22658

The link above will take you to the Web Publishing Wizard for Windows 98 and Windows NT, which also works with Windows 2000. It is the correct version for ExchangeIt! calendaring. The Web Publishing Wizard is not required for Outlook 2002 or later.

1. Click on the Calendar folder from the folder List.
2. On the monthly calendar, double-click on the date on which the meeting is to occur. An Appointment Window will appear.



3. Enter the meeting date, start and end times in the bottom section. In the Subject field, enter the subject of the meeting. In the Location field, type the location of the meeting.
4. If desired, type additional information about the meeting in the text section. Attachments can be added in this field.
5. Click on the Scheduling tab.
6. Click on the Invite Others button. Select the names of individuals who should attend the meeting. Names can be put in the Required or Optional attendee boxes.
7. Click OK when finished.
8. On the Scheduling screen, the attendees are listed on the left and their availability is shown in colored lines on the right. This is the only information that others will see on your calendar.



9. At this point, you can change the meeting date, start or end time depending on attendee availability. The AutoPick button to the left of the meeting times can be used to let Outlook select the next available time that all of the attendees have a free slot with enough time to schedule your meeting.

Under Options you can manually refresh free/busy information.

10. After completing the meeting request, click the Send button.
11. The meeting request is then emailed to all invited attendees. Invited attendees have the option of Accepting, Declining, or Tentatively Accepting the meeting invitation.

Receiving and Responding to a Meeting Request

Meeting requests are emailed to you from the requester. To reply to the meeting request:

1. Click the Reply button.
2. Enter your response to the individual. You can choose to either Accept, Decline, or Tentatively Accept the meeting invitation.
3. Check the Send the Response Now option and click OK. Meetings that are accepted are automatically entered onto an attendee’s calendar.

Booking Resources

Outlook can be used for booking all kinds of resources, such as meeting rooms, projectors or whatever resources needs to be shared in your organization. Simply create a new shared Calendar folder under Public Folders and name it as the resource (i.e. Boardroom). In this calendar, you can view the resource’s availability and reserve the resource for meetings or other events, thereby eliminating overlapping appointments. You can also “invite” this resource when creating a Meeting Request and the meeting will be entered into the resource’s calendar.

Someone must “own” the resource calendar in order to accept meeting requests; otherwise, the meeting will not be entered into the resource’s calendar. The better alternative is to make the meeting request from the resource’s calendar. This will automatically have the booking appear in the calendar of the resource.

ExchangeIt! Unbound

This section of the Usage Guide is intended to give users and administrators additional insight into how ExchangeIt! and the Outlook plug-in work to allow for your items to be synchronized.

The Outlook plug-in client is required in order for Outlook to synchronize folders properly with the ExchangeIt! server. The plug-in enhances Outlook’s native capabilities by communicating with the ExchangeIt! server to send and receive data corresponding to the folders and their contents based upon Access Control Lists (ACLs). ACLs are used between the Outlook plug-in and the ExchangeIt! server to properly share folders and their contents to other users.

It is probably best to understand the behavior of the plug-in and how it interacts with Outlook to accomplish these tasks to allow you to best take advantage of ExchangeIt!’s capabilities.

Understanding the installation process

Installation of the plug-in is a straightforward process. However, it is recommended that the plug-in be installed using an administrative account because many workstations are deployed such that regular users are restricted from installing / uninstalling software.

To allow for multiple users to work on the same workstation, the plug-in creates separate profiles for each user based upon their Windows login. Once the plug-in installation has occurred, each time a new user logs onto Windows and opens Outlook (but has not previously configured the ExchangeIt! client) they will be asked to configure the client.

All the settings that are entered during this first time login may be later modified by selecting the Tools Menu of Outlook, then selecting Options. This will pop up a dialog box that has an ExchangeIt! tab. Selecting this tab will show the user the ExchangeIt! settings and allow the user to modify them.

There are 6 settings fields:

1. Message Store
2. Server
3. User Name
4. Password
5. Automatic Synchronization (only appears if selected from the Outlook Tools -> ExchangeIt! dialog box) <li>Synchronization Period

Message Store

Outlook is capable of using multiple Message stores. Most users will only have one open and available. The default Outlook message store is called “Personal Folders.” Some of the more advanced Outlook users may have multiple Message stores. This field allows them to select the message stores that the ExchangeIt! plug-in is able to detect in Outlook based upon availability of folders that it can share such as calendar and tasks. For almost all users, selecting Personal Folders is best. Please refer to Microsoft Outlook’s documentation for further information on the use and setup of Message stores.

The selection of the Message store tells the plug-in that this is the Message store for which the user will be synchronizing to the ExchangeIt! server.

Server

This field selects the ExchangeIt! server for which you wish to communicate with for synchronization. The default name is “calendar.” This is a private DNS entry set by Nitix when ExchangeIt! is enabled. In most installation cases, this default name will be sufficient. However, if the workstation is not receiving its DNS from the Nitix-powered server running ExchangeIt!, the server name will need to be modified to the name being resolved by the local DNS server. Using the ExchangeIt! server’s IP address will also work, but if the local IP address of the server is dynamic, it may pose problems later if the IP address changes.

User name and password

The user needs to enter their username and password. This needs to be a valid account on the Nitix-powered server hosting the ExchangeIt! server. Although it is possible to modify the username after the initial installation, it is highly recommend that you don’t attempt to do so. If you wish to switch usernames, it is best to go through an uninstall and reinstall process rather than simply switching usernames, as many folders will be obsolete and other folders with appear with confusing results to Outlook.

Enable Automatic Synchronization

By default the automatic synchronization is enabled. Disabling this option will prevent the plug-in from communicating with the ExchangeIt! server. For the times that you may wish to disable the synchronization (i.e. working off-line), disabling this option will stop messages that may appear warning you that it is unable to communicate with the ExchangeIt! server.

Additionally, you will want to have this option disabled for users that you don’t wish to use ExchangeIt!. Disabling this option will prevent the plug-in from requesting the user information each time the user opens Outlook (if they aren’t utilizing ExchangeIt!), since clicking cancel at the request only disables the ExchangeIt! plug-in during that particular Outlook session.

Synchronization Period

The synchronization period sets the intervals (e.g., every minute) at which the ExchangeIt! server and the Outlook plug-in synchronize data between Outlook and the server.

Access Control Lists and Permissions (ACLs)

The ExchangeIt! server provides access to items based upon permission set on a folderby- folder basis. Permissions on a folder are inherited by its sub-folders and can be overridden.

The following describes the 3 permission levels and what they imply to the end-user with respect to the items within the folder and the folder itself.

Read-Only permissions

Items within the folder:

Users that have been granted read-only permissions to a folder are only allowed to view items in the folder. They do not have the ability to synchronize any modifications of items to the server. This means that the user can attempt to add, delete or edit the items, but all the modifications will be lost when the folder resynchronizes with the server, as the server will deny all changes forcing the plug-in to delete any additions, or edits, and retrieve the original (including items that were deleted).

The Folder:

Users that have been granted read-only permissions to a folder do not have the ability to synchronize the deletion of the folder or the creation of sub-folders. If the user attempts to delete the folder, the plug-in will retrieve the folder from the server during subsequent synchronizations. Any sub-folders that the user attempted to create will be deleted. Users are able to view the permissions set for the folder but will not be able to modify the ACL for that folder.

Read/Write permissions

Items within the folder:

Users that have been granted read/write permissions have the ability to read, add, delete and edit items within the folder. Any modification of the items within the folder will be synchronized with the server and then propagated to all other users that have permissions to the folder.

The folder:

Identical to the read-only permission level, users that have been granted read/write permissions to a folder do not have the ability to synchronize the deletion of the folder or the creation of sub-folders. If the user attempts to delete the folder, the plug-in will retrieve the folder from the server during subsequent synchronizations. Any sub-folders that the user attempted to create will be deleted. Users are able to view the permissions set for the folder but will not be able to modify the ACL for that folder.

Read/Write/Admin permissions

Items within the folder: Users that have been granted read/write/admin permissions have the same capabilities as those with read/write permissions.

The folder:

Users that have been granted read/write/admin privileges have the ability to create and delete any sub-folders (unless they don’t have read/write/admin privileges of the subfolder they are attempting to delete), and the folder itself (only if they also have read/write/admin permissions to the parent folder). In addition to the ability to view ACL information for the folder, the user has the ability to make ACL modifications.

Viewing of items marked “Private” requires Read/Write/Admin permissions. If a user has administrative privileges on Nitix itself, he/she will have read/write/admin permissions to all ExchangeIt! folders, including private items, whether or not they have been shared to that user.

Synchronization

The ExchangeIt! server and the Outlook plug-in work together to synchronize data between Outlook and the server. Unlike some other groupware/collaboration tools, the data is not accessed directly from the server. Instead, when the user edits, creates, deletes, or any way modifies the folders or folder contents, they are working with data that is locally resident. This implies that, at all times, there are at least two copies of the item (one locally, one on the server, and possible one or more to copies in other users’ Outlooks) unless the item has not been synchronized yet. Using this approach has several benefits: The server has a copy that can now be automatically backed up by the Nitix powered server; users are able to see and modify items off-line.

Because of the design, there are several important things to realize and keep in mind.

1. Sharing of data is a two step process

1. Modifications to the folders and their contents first need to be synchronized between the server and the user that made the modification.
2. The modification is synchronized between the server and the other users to whom the folder is shared with.

2. Because the folder(s) and its contents are actually locally resident in Outlook and the server, modifications, copying and moving items is actually a “deletion” of the previous item(s) / folder(s), then the “creation” of the new item(s) / folder(s).
3. If a user’s permissions to see a folder are removed, this is treated as a delete by the Outlook plug-in.

User Licenses

All licenses for ExchangeIt! are controlled on the ExchangeIt! server itself. Licenses are allocated per user. Each user that is licensed is allowed access the ExchangeIt! server from up to three IP addresses simultaneously. The IP addresses are tracked, aged, and obsoleted automatically by the server. This allows each user the capability to simultaneously log in from different workstations, or to migrate from workstation to workstation. Thus remote users have the ability to work remotely on their laptop, yet still access the ExchangeIt! features when they use a desktop at the office.

The licenses can be assigned in two different ways. Users can be assigned a static ExchangeIt! license or have their license drawn from a pool of available dynamic licenses.

When users are assigned a license statically, their usernames will automatically appear in the list under the ExchangeIt! Folder tab. Additionally, their license will not be redistributed to another user. Static license assignment and re-assignment must be done by the Nitix administrator using the Web Configuration.

If the user is to use a dynamic license, the user will only appear in the ACL after having recently connected to the ExchangeIt! server. Thus, if you have more users than you have licenses, it is still possible to utilize ExchangeIt!, but you must manually track who is accessing ExchangeIt!, otherwise, users may at some point not be able to access and synchronize anymore because not enough licenses are available.

It is recommended that the licenses be allocated statically as this will avoid confusion should there be more users than there are licenses available, and it will also avoid confusion in the ACL set in the ExchangeIt! Folder tab when usernames don’t appear and disappear.

Sharing of your Personal Folders

All folders originating from a user’s Message store will automatically be shared and synchronized to the server with read/write/admin privileges to the user. This allows for the user to migrate to different workstations and have full access to their Personal Folder contents (except Mail and Deleted items). If the user wishes to share the contents to other users, they must explicitly do so by modifying the ACL set in the ExchangeIt! Folder (by right-clicking on the folder and selecting the ExchangeIt! Folder tab). Remember that ALL of the folder’s contents are shared (except Mail and Deleted items), so make sure there aren’t items in there you do not wish to share prior to setting the ACL in the ExchangeIt! Folder tab.

Team Folders

Team and Public Folders:

With the integration of ExchangeIt! into the core of Nitix, users are able to take advantage of Nitix’s team accounts.

Team folders work like any other folder – the only difference is that the team members are automatically granted full read/write/admin privileges to the team folders. Using team folders is one way for team members to work collaboratively by creating sub-folders containing tasks, notes, or any of the other shareable content without having to have someone designated as “hosting” the team’s data. The team folders will be synchronized to each of the team members utilizing ExchangeIt!.

It is also possible to create sub-folders for a team that you can share to other users or teams. This is useful for allowing other teams or users access to certain contents without allowing them access to everything. For example, you can create a team on the Nitix powered server called “facilities” with only a few members on that team. Create a calendar sub-folder called “main boardroom” with read-only permissions granted to everyone. This allows you to have members of the team “facilities” administer the bookings for the “main boardroom.” Thus, everybody will have the ability to see when the “main boardroom” is in use, while only members of “facilities” will be able to modify it. Of course this is just one specific example, you can setup the permissions and teams in a multitude of ways to handle proper administration and access to company resources.

Teams and the ACL:

The concept of teams can also help to facilitate sharing of folders and the setting of permissions. Under the ExchangeIt! Folder tab, all teams and users will appear. You can set the ExchangeIt! Permissions to any combination of users and teams. Setting the permission level for a team implies that everyone that is a member of that team is granted that permission level. In all cases, individual user permissions on a given folder override any team permissions for that user.

For example, if there is a team with everyone in the company called “everyone,” and a sub-team called “finance,” you can choose to share your contacts at read-only permission level to “everyone” AND share it with read/write privileges to “finance.” So even though members of the “finance” are also members of “everyone,” they will have read/write permissions while everybody else has read-only permissions. If someone assigns a particular user reader only access and the user is a member of “finance” then this will override their team permission settings.

Public Folders

If a user has been granted access to another person’s folder, and has subscribed to that folder, a new parent folder will appear in the user’s Folder List called “Public Folders.” Beneath the “Public Folders” one or more sub-folders listed by the team name or the username of the user sharing the folder will appear.

Creating folders directly under Public Folders

The only way to create folders directly beneath “Public Folders” is:

a. another user shares one or more of their personal folder(s) with you b. being a member of a team c. another team has shared one or more folders with you

Folders will not appear unless they have been subscribed to. Although it may appear that users are able to create folders that are directly parented by “Public Folders,” this is in fact not possible. When the plug-in resynchronizes with the ExchangeIt! server, all “created” folders and any content will be removed (read deleted) by the plug-in.

Deleting folders directly under Public Folders

Your ability to delete folders is dictated by the permissions you have been granted on the ExchangeIt! Folder tab. Because no one has permissions at the “Public Folders” level (by design), you will not be able to completely remove folders directly parented by “Public Folders”. Remember that to delete the folder itself you need to have read/write/admin privileges to the folder as well as to the parent.

If the user deletes a folder for which they have read-only permissions, the folder and all of its contents will be restored when the user is resynchronized.

If the user deletes a folder for which they have read/write permissions, the folder will be restored when the user resynchronizes. The user can delete contents and these items will not be restored when the user is resynchronized.

If the user deletes a folder for which they have read/write/admin permissions, the folder and all its contents, as well as any sub-folders for which they have read/write/admin privileges will be deleted.

Notice that these permission levels will be obeyed by all sub-folders as well. Thus a deletion will force a deletion of all contents and sub-folders to maximum extent possible given the permissions of the user deleting.

Uninstalling ExchangeIt!

Exiting Outlook and then running the uninstall from the “Add/Remove programs” of Windows will uninstall the ExchangeIt! plug-in. Because of the design of ExchangeIt! to work locally with Outlook, all the Public Folders that have been shared with the user will still be present in Outlook. The user will need to open Outlook and manually delete the Public Folders to get rid of all the content.

For a “clean” re-install of the plug-in, the following steps should be taken:

1. Exit Outlook
2. Uninstall the plug-in
3. Open Outlook and delete “Public Folders”
4. Exit Outlook
5. Re-install the plug-in

Upgrading/Updating the Plug-in

Simply installing the new upgrade (1.05 or higher) will automatically upgrade any existing plug-in. An uninstall of the previous plug-in is not required.

Calendars, Free/Busy, and Meeting Requests

Outlook is mostly capable of using standard formats for the updating and requesting of other Outlook users’ Free/Busy information and booking of meetings. This allows people to book meetings with other users (or resources), and instantly see when people (or resources) are available.

ExchangeIt! extends this capability by providing a locally hosted Free/Busy server. Without the locally hosted Free/Busy server, users wishing to utilize this feature would have to send their information to one of the Internet hosted servers. Using an Internet hosted server can bring a host of potential problems.

The plug-in utilizes Outlook’s native capability to talk to a Free/Busy server by automatically filling in the appropriate address tag in the Free/Busy options during installation.

ExchangeIt! and the Outlook plug-in utilize standard protocol and standard formats for the transport of data and communications between Outlook and the ExchangeIt! server. Because of these standard implementations, there are a few things that the system administrator and the users need to know and understand.

Most of the functionality utilized is native to Outlook. Unfortunately, Outlook doesn’t handle some of the standards very well.

Meeting Requests

In particular, Outlook has problems with the receiving of meeting requests from Internet standard “iCalendar” meeting requests. Note that these are issues with Microsoft Outlook and not due to the installation of the ExchangeIt! plug-in. The presence of the plug-in does not alter this behavior. These are some known issues with Outlook (see the references below for more information).

The work-arounds that we recommend for the sending of meeting requests (so they can be received properly) are as follows:

If everybody is using Windows and Microsoft Outlook:

1. From Outlook’s Tools Menu: Preferences Tab-> Calendar Options Disable the “when sending meeting requests over the Internet, use the icalendar format.

1. From Outlook’s Tools Menu: Mail Format Tab “Compose in this message format:” should be selected to “Rich Text”.
2. From Outlook’s Tools Menu: Mail Format Tab -> Internet Format “When sending Outlook Rich Text messages to Internet recipients, use this format:” should be selected to “Send using Outlook Rich Text format”.

If there is a mixture of Outlook 2000 and Outlook 2002 and other clients, there will be some incompatibilities. To reduce complications we suggest the following when you are creating the meeting request:

1. Do not enable the “reminder”.

1. In the “To” box, type the recipient’s email address, and then doubleclick the email address.
2. In the Email Properties dialog box, in the Internet format box, change the option from “Let Outlook decide the best sending format” to “Send Plain Text only.”

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;218376

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;284392

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307313

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