<chapter id="usage-exchange">
<title>The Ximian Connector for Microsoft Exchange</title>
<para>
The Ximian Connector for Microsoft Exchange allows Ximian
Evolution clients to access accounts on Microsoft Exchange 2000
servers. It is available through Ximian Red Carpet in its own
channel, but cannot be used without a license file. The license
file may be purchased from the Ximian online store at <ulink
url="http://store.ximian.com">store.ximian.com</ulink>. Unlike the
regular Ximian Evolution client, the Ximian Connector for
Microsoft Exchange is proprietary software and source code is not
available.
</para>
<para>
The Ximian Connector offers a significant price advantage over
other Exchange access methods for Linux and UNIX systems:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Dual Computer Installation:</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The purchase of a second computer for each client imposes
a very heavy expense burden and is exceptionally
inconvenient.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Dual Boot or Virtual Machine:</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Installation of multiple operating systems in a dual boot
or virtual machine configuration (such as VMWare) also
increases licensing and administration costs. Users
often complain that such a system is inconvenient, slow,
and not integrated with the rest of their operating
system.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Outlook Web Access:</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Outlook Web Access is a web interface for Exchange
servers, but works best in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Outlook Web Access also is
not integrated with the rest of the host operating system
and offers only limited groupware functionality.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
<para>
The Ximian Connector offers a low cost, fully integrated, option
for Exchange 2000 server access in heterogeneous client
networks. This chapter will explain how to install, configure, and
use it.
</para>
<warning id="licensing">
<title>Exchange Client Licenses</title>
<para>
Each user will need a valid Microsoft <application>Exchange</application>2000 server
account and license.
</para>
</warning>
<sect1 id="features">
<title>Connector Features</title>
<para>
<application>Ximian Connector</application> supports the most
often used features of <application>Microsoft
Exchange</application>:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
General
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Remote <application>Exchange</application> Information Store</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Allows you to access mail, address book (including
Global Address List folder), and calendars, and task
folders on an <application>Exchange
2000</application> server from
<application>Evolution</application>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Palm synchronization</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Supported for Contacts and Calendars on Exchange.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Mail
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Viewing Mail in <application>Exchange</application>Folder</term>
<listitem>
<para></para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Sending Email via Exchange Protocols</term>
<listitem>
<para>
You may use the Microsoft Exchange mail transport
protocol to send email. Make sure that the address
you have entered as your email address is exactly
the one that the Exchange server has on file. This
may be "yourname@exchange-server.ximian.com" rather
than "yourname@ximian.com.a"
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Calendar
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Meeting Request/Proposal</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Allows <application>Evolution</application> users to
schedule meetings and view attendee availability for
other users (<application>Evolution</application> or
<application>Outlook</application> users) on
<application>Exchange</application>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Adding iCalendar Meeting Requests to Calendar</term>
<listitem>
<para>
If you receive an iCalendar meeting request and add it
to your calendar, it will be saved to your
<application>Exchange</application> calendar.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Contacts
</para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Address Completion</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Supported for your <application>Exchange</application>
Contacts folder. Not yet supported for the Global
Address List.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Adding vCards to Address Book</term>
<listitem>
<para>
If you receive a vCard attachment and click
<guibutton>Save in Address Book</guibutton>, it will
be saved to your <application>Exchange</application>address book.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>New Address Book entries can be created on
<application>Exchange</application> from received email
messages with a single click</term>
<listitem>
<para>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
There are, however, some features which are not available:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Access to shared and public folders is not
available, although the Global Address List is
available.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Journal and Notes components are not available.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Work Offline (disconnected mode) support is not functional.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
"Recall Message" function does not work yet.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Creation of an automatic "out-of-office" reply messages
is not available.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="install">
<title>Installing the Connector</title>
<para>
To install the Ximian Connector, run Ximian Red Carpet by
selecting <menuchoice><guimenu>System</guimenu><guimenuitem>Get
Software</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. Subscribe to the Ximian
Connector for Microsoft Exchange channel, select the Ximian
Connector for Microsoft
<application>Exchange</application>2000, and click the
<guibutton>Install</guibutton> button. You can also install
the Connector by downloading the individual packages from
ftp.ximian.com if you wish.
</para>
<para>
Once you have installed the software, you will also need to
install a license file. The license file is the verification
that you have paid for a license to use the Ximian
Connector. You can get the license file from the the Ximian
online store at <ulink
url="http://store.ximian.com">store.ximian.com</ulink>. You
will need a browser with strong (128-bit or greater) encryption
to access the store. When you purchase a Ximian Connector
license, the store will mail you the license file with
instructions for installation. Once installed, the license file
unlocks the Ximian Connector functionality and you may connect
to an <application>Exchange</application>server.
</para>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="configure">
<title>Configuration</title>
<para>
Once you have installed the Connector, you need to set up access
for your <application>Exchange</application>account on both the
<application>Exchange</application>server and within Evolution.
</para>
<sect2 id="config-server">
<title>Exchange Server Configuration</title>
<para>
Check with your system administrator to ensure that:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
You have a valid account on the <application>Exchange</application>server.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para> You are permitted to access the account with
WebDAV. This is the default setting for the
<application>Exchange</application>server, so unless
your system administrator has specifically turned it
off, no changes should be necessary.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
The Ximian website knowledge base, at <ulink type="http"
url="http://support.ximian.com">support.ximian.com</ulink>,
has additional information about checking to make sure that
your <application>Exchange</application>server will accept
connections from Ximian Evolution.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="config-client">
<title>Evolution Settings for Connecting to an <application>Exchange</application>Server</title>
<para>
Once you know that your server is ready for you to connect, start
Ximian Evolution and select
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>Tools</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Mail Settings</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>
from any mail view. If you have an existing account, and want
to convert it to use for Exchange, do the following:
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
Select the account you want to convert and click the
<guibutton>Edit</guibutton> button.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Under the <guilabel>Receiving Mail</guilabel> tab,
select <guilabel>Microsoft Exchange</guilabel> as your
server type. Enter your name of your server next to
<guilabel>Host</guilabel>, and the user name for your
account next to <guilabel>Username</guilabel>. If your
server supports SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption, it
you can check the <guilabel>Use SSL</guilabel> box to
take advantage of more secure data transfers.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
If you would like to create and use the Global Address
List maintained on your Exchange server, click the tab
labelled <guilabel>Receiving Options</guilabel> and
check the box labelled <guilabel>Create a Global
Address List folder</guilabel>. The Global Address
List (GAL) is maintained by your system administrator
and you cannot add, change, or remove items from it
using Ximian Evolution. However, you can use it to
invite people to meetings and to look up addresses and
other information.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Under the <guilabel>Sending Mail</guilabel> tab, select
<guilabel>Microsoft Exchange</guilabel> as your server
type, and enter the server name as the
<guilabel>Host</guilabel>. You do not need to use the
<application>Exchange</application>server to send mail
if you prefer to use another server or server type.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Click the <guibutton>OK</guibutton> button.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Make sure the account is active. It should have a check
mark in the <guilabel>Enabled</guilabel> column of your
accounts list. If it doesn't, select the account and
click the <guibutton>Enable</guibutton> button.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<para>
Once you have made these changes, quit
<application>Evolution</application>, then start it up
again. Changes to the Ximian Connector accounts
configuration are not active until you have restarted the
application.
</para>
<para>
If you would like to create a new account for your Exchange
server, click the <guibutton>Add</guibutton> button in the
accounts list. The account creation assistant will guide you
through the process, which is described in <xref
linkend="usage-mainwindow-starting">.
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="access">
<title>Accessing the <application>Exchange</application>Server</title>
<para>
Like IMAP and LDAP data, information for
<application>Exchange</application>accounts is stored on the
server, not on your desktop computer. This means that you can
access it from multiple locations. It also means that your
Microsoft <application>Exchange</application>account information
is in a seperate folder tree from the <guilabel>Local</guilabel>
tree in your folder bar. You'll see it below the local tree,
with the name you gave the account. If you have multiple
accounts, you will have multiple folder trees.
</para>
<para>
Click on any of the folder tree items to visit them; you may
have to enter your server password. You can now create contact
cards, send and receive email as you would normally. If there
are items in your local calendar or addressbook that you'd like
to add to your <application>Exchange</application>stores, you
can copy and paste them over, or just drag items from one folder
to another as you would with two local stores.
</para>
<note id="save-to-local-or-exchange">
<title>Saving Attached Addresses and Appointments</title>
<para>
If you are using both an Exchange account and a local mail
account, you should be aware that whenever you save an email
address or appointment from an email message, it will be
saved in your Exchange contacts list or calendar, rather
than in your local account. The same is true of
synchronization with Palm-OS devices: tasks, appointments,
and addresses from your Palm-OS device will be synchronized
with those in the Exchange folders rather than local
folders.
</para>
</note>
<tip id="gal-empty">
<title>The Global Address List Is Empty At First</title>
<para>
To avoid unnecessary strain on the server, the GAL will
appear empty until you have searched for something in it.
If you want to display all the cards in the list, click in
the search box and press <keycap>Enter</keycap>. This
enters a blank search: since every card contains a blank in
it, every card will appear.
</para>
</tip>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="full-advantage">
<title>Taking Full Advantage of the Exchange Server When Scheduling Appointments</title>
<para>
When you schedule a meeting with your calendar on the
<application>Exchange</application>server, you can check when
other local Exchange users are busy according to their
<application>Exchange</application>calendars. To do so:
<orderedlist numeration="arabic">
<listitem>
<para>
Open a new appointment in the calendar.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para> Choose <menuchoice> <guimenu>Actions</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Schedule Meeting</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice> in the meeting editor window.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para> Add attendees, either by entering their email
addresses into the list, or by clicking the
<guibutton>Invite Others</guibutton> button. If you choose
to so, it's best to use the Global Address List (GAL).
Choose the GAL from the drop-down list of address sources
at the top of the dialog box.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose <guilabel>Options</guilabel> and then
<guilabel>Update Free/Busy</guilabel> to check participant
schedules and, if possible, update the meeting in all
participants' calendars.
</para>
</listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<tip id="autopick">
<title>Using Autopick to Adjust Meeting Times</title>
<para>
If meeting attendees are not available during the times you
have scheduled a meeting, you can "nudge" the meeting forward
or backward to the nearest available time. To do so, just
click the arrows to the left or right of the
<guilabel>Autopick</guilabel> button. The autopick tool will
move the meeting to the nearest time during which all
attendees are available. If you aren't satisfied with those
results, you can drag the edges of the meeting time to the
hours that you want to select.
</para>
</tip>
</sect1>
</chapter>
