Additional Tasks
Processes like directory synchronization can always
be improved. It may be necessary to begin replicating additional
directory fields or perhaps force some field strings. As more Active
Directories are brought onboard, some code-work will be needed and this
is a good opportunity to make those “tweaks” necessary for additional
services or simply to hard-code certain system settings.
As we mentioned earlier, public folder replication
and free/busy data replicates easily within the same organization.
Between organizations, additional processes are required in order to
replicate the data or provide access to scheduling availability.
Exchange Server Inter-Organization Replication
The Exchange Server Inter-Organization Replication
tool is a free download from Microsoft and provides the software and
documentation needed to replicate free and busy information as well as
public folder content between different Exchange organizations (as
needed). By adding this component to Exchange environments that have
synched directories, you will be able to restore public folder
replication including free/busy data between disjointed Exchange
organizations. The tool consists of two programs: the Replication
Configuration program (exscfg.exe), and the Replication service (exssrv.exe).
The Replication Configuration program creates a configuration file for
setting the replication frequency, logging options, folders to be
replicated, and accounts to be used. The Replication service
continuously updates information from one server (designated as the
Publisher) to one or more Exchange servers (designated as Subscribers).
This tool can be downloaded directory from
Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=e7a951d7-1559-4f8f-b400-488b0c52430e&displaylang=en
Internet Free/Busy
Outlook 2000, 2002 and 2003 users can also take
advantage of a feature called Internet Free/Busy. In this scenario, the
user’s Outlook program is hard-coded to publish the user’s free/busy
information to a specific web location such as
ftp://Contactserver/Freebusy/MKirves.vfb or
http://Contactserver/Freebusy/MKirves.vfb. Remember that no real
data is published there, just blocks of time and a single digit to
denote whether the person is free or busy during that time.
For lookups, this location is added to the user’s
contact or mailbox information in the address list that way other
Outlook clients know where to go to find the Free/Busy information for
that user. This is also a field that could potentially be incorporated
and forced with MIIS.
Here are some links that offer some guidance on
using the Internet Free/Busy with Outlook:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/196484
http://www.saas.nsw.edu.au/solutions/outlook/free-busy.html
http://www.outlookexchange.com/articles/joycetang/article5a.asp#2
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