This chapter explains how to use the Deployment Configuration Program (DCP) to create end-user packages that install Oracle Communications Connector for Microsoft Outlook.
You use the DCP to create end-user packages that are installed on end-user computers in your organization. The DCP includes a user interface, which consists of several tabs, on which you configure the network connections, settings, and permissions required to connect Microsoft Outlook with the Oracle Communications Unified Communications Suite servers. The DCP generates end-user packages that install a fully configured Connector for Microsoft Outlook into Outlook.
You can also generate end-user packages from the command line. See "Running the Deployment Configuration Program in Silent Mode" for more information.
You can create a single end-user package for your entire organization, or you can create different packages with different settings that represent different sets of permissions or roles within your organization.
The following procedure outlines the high-level tasks required to create an end-user package using the DCP:
Open the DCP.
Complete the tabs of the DCP with the desired connection information and settings.
Save the configuration and generate the end-user package.
Distribute the end-user package to your users according to your distribution plan.
See "Connector for Microsoft Outlook Deployment Considerations" for more information.
The DCP can create the following kinds of files:
An INI file
See "About the INI File" for more information.
An EXE file
See "About the EXE End-User Package File" for more information.
In the DCP, when you save the configuration, the DCP creates an INI file. The INI file contains all the configurations you specified in the DCP saved as parameters.
You can open an INI file in the DCP. You can modify the configurations and resave them, either overwriting the existing INI file, or as a new file.
You can configure some options only by editing the INI file in a text editor, such as configuring customized branding and configuring Connector for Microsoft Outlook to automatically detect updates.
See "INI File Parameter Reference" for descriptions of all the INI file parameters.
Oracle recommends that you retain INI files and label them carefully so that you can use them for future updates.
In the DCP, you can save your configuration as an executable end-user package, which you distribute to your users. The end-user package is run on each end-user computer to install Connector for Microsoft Outlook.
When you create the end-user package, the DCP also creates an INI file. The INI file is an unpackaged version of the configurations contained in the EXE file.
Updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook consists of sending your users an end-user package with new or changed configuration settings. The end-user package installation wizard overwrites the previous version with the new one.
When creating an updated end-user package, Oracle recommends that you work from the INI file that corresponds with the current end-user package.
To create an end-user package that updates Connector for Microsoft Outlook:
Start the DCP.
(Optional) Open the INI file that corresponds with the original end-user package of Connector for Microsoft Outlook you want to update.
On the Processes tab, select Create/convert/upgrade user profile.
If you are working from an INI file, make any necessary modifications to the configurations in the tabs of the DCP. If you started with a blank DCP, complete the other tabs.
As part of updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook, you can configure the end-user packages to achieve any of the following tasks:
From the Tools menu, select Create Package. Name the package.
Distribute the end-user package to your users.
Upgrading Connector for Microsoft Outlook consists of sending your users an end-user package from a new version of the DCP. The end-user package installation wizard overwrites the previous version with the new one. The new end-user package can also include new or changed configuration values.
Oracle recommends that you work from the INI file that corresponds with the original end-user package.
Configure an upgrade for Connector for Microsoft Outlook as part of "Updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook". On the Processes tab of the DCP, select Install or Upgrade Oracle Communications Connector for Microsoft Outlook.
The following changes in this release of Connector for Microsoft Outlook affect how you create end-user packages:
Oracle Communications Contacts Server integration: Connector for Microsoft Outlook supports Contacts Server as a provider for the address book service. When you select Contacts Server as the provider of the address book service, most of the LDAP tab in the DCP is disabled. See Contacts Server Installation and Configuration Guide for information about configuring the corporate directory, global address list, and VLV.
User Preference changes: Connector for Microsoft Outlook no longer retrieves user preferences and settings information from the directory server. This version of Connector for Microsoft Outlook manages user preferences using Oracle Communications Convergence. If you open an old INI file in the DCP for the new version of Connector for Microsoft Outlook, you must explicitly configure the Convergence connection settings. If you create an end-user package from an old INI file in the new DCP without configuring the Convergence connection settings, Connector for Microsoft Outlook fails to retrieve user preferences and settings. Configure user preference and settings on the User Settings tab of the DCP.
The DCP may provide Convergence connection information if you are working from an INI file configured where the address book service is provided by the Convergence address book server.
Configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook to automatically check for updates as part of "Updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook".
To configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook to automatically check for updates:
In the DCP, save your configuration.
Open the INI file in a text editor.
Find the [AUServer] section and specify values for the parameters in the following example:
[AUServer] AutoUpdateURL=Update_Site_URL FingerprintValue=Unique_Key FingerprintKey=Key_Type
where:
Update_Site_URL is the HTTP URL to the update site where you store end-user packages.
Unique_Key is a unique numeric value.
Key_Type is the HTTP response type or custom header for the FingerprintValue (for example, etag or content-md5).
Together, FingerprintValue and FingerprintKey make a key/value pair that validate whether an update or upgrade is available.
Save and close the INI file.
See "About Checking for Updates Automatically" for more information.
You can configure the end-user package installation wizard to migrate existing Outlook profiles and user data to conform to the formats expected by the Oracle Communications Unified Communications Suite software.
Configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook to automatically check for updates as part of "Updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook". On the User Profiles tab of the DCP, select Convert Existing Profile and specify the types of profiles to convert.
See "About Migrating User Data" for more information.
Calendar names must be unique. You can configure the shared calendar name format. The configured name applies to subscribed calendar folder name and the subscribed task folder name.
The default name format is:
Calendar - owner - calendar_name(calendar_ID)
Configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook to automatically check for updates as part of "Updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook".
To configure the shared calendar name format in Connector for Microsoft Outlook:
In the DCP, save your configuration.
Open the INI file in a text editor.
In the [S1OC] section of INI file, edit the value of the SubscribedCalendarNameFormat parameter.
The default value of legacy gives the default shared calendar name format.
You can specify one of the following formats:
SubscribedCalendarNameFormat=%u-%n
SubscribedCalendarNameFormat=%n
SubscribedCalendarNameFormat=%n-%u
where:
%u is the calendar owner name.
%n is the calendar name or ID.
Save and close the INI file.
If you configure an invalid format, the default format is used.
When the end-user package is run on the end-user computer, the shared calendar name format is written to the following registry key:
HKCU\Software\Sun Microsystems\Outlook Connector\Subscribed Calendar Name Format
PST optimization reduces the local PST file size by not storing message attachments in the PST file. PST optimization is useful for virtual environments, where the computer image is stored in a central location and is downloaded every time a user logs on to the network. PST optimization is not recommended for typical computer users. By default, PST optimization is disabled.
When you enable PST optimization, email attachments are stored in a temporary Windows directory. The attachment file name has following format:
~oc-date_time-file_name
where date_time is a time stamp and file_name is the attachment's file name and extension of the attachment.
When PST optimization is enabled, the following behaviors and limitations apply:
Files attached to outgoing messages are not stored in a temporary folder. They are left attached to the outgoing email message in the Outbox folder.
Optimized PST files cannot be imported into a profile where PST optimization is disabled, and vice versa.
You cannot switch between normal mode and optimized mode.
Offline access is not possible with PST optimization is enabled.
Email attachments cannot be previewed.
Calendar and address book attachments are saved to the PST file, and not saved to a temporary folder.
Configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook with PST optimization as part of "Updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook".
To configure PST optimization:
In the DCP, save your configuration.
Open the INI file in a text editor.
In the [General] section of INI file, locate the following line:
OptimizePstStore=value
where value is either 0 (PST optimization is disabled) or 1 (enabled).
Set the value to 1.
Save and close the INI file.
You can configure the order in which items are displayed in the global address list (GAL). The address book mapping and display order settings are not configurable if the address book service is provided by Contacts Server.
Connector for Microsoft Outlook maps LDAP attributes to corresponding display items in Outlook. You can specify the LDAP attribute mapping and GAL display order in the DCP.
In the GAL, the display order is presented to users in columns. The first column is the display name. Subsequent columns are configured by the GALDisplayOrder parameter.
Configure the address book display order in Connector for Microsoft Outlook as part of "Updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook".
To configure the address book display order:
In the DCP, on the LDAP tab, in the LDAP Mapping String field, change the attribute mapping to the desired values.
For example, you can change it to Firstname = given name, Dept = DeptID.
Save your configuration.
Open the INI file in a text editor.
In the [GAL] section of INI file, locate the GALDisplayOrder parameter.
Set the GALDisplayOrder attribute to the desired display order.
For example, you can set GALDisplayOrder to the following:
GALDisplayOrder=Officephonenumber,Address,Title,Company,uid,PrimaryEmailAddress,AddressType
In this example, the GAL display order would be: display name, office phone number, address, title, company, user ID, and so forth.
Save and close the INI file.
Note:
The display name is also used by directory server as a virtual list view (VLV) sort attribute. The display name value in the DCP must match what is configured in the directory server to prevent degraded performance. See "Configuring Virtual List View" for more information.The GAL allows users to view and search address book information for users, groups, and calendar resources stored in the corporate directory on the directory server. You must configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook to have the same VLV settings as those on the directory server.
The GAL is a read-only MAPI address book provided by a directory server. The VLV settings are not configurable if the address book service is provided by Contacts Server.
Connector for Microsoft Outlook uses VLV to optimize GAL information requests. The directory server must also be configured for VLV. The VLV configurations for Connector for Microsoft Outlook must match those configured on the directory server.
See "Understanding Virtual List View" for more information about the VLV index in the directory server.
Note:
Any mismatch between directory server VLV properties and the VLV configurations in the end-user package negatively affects search performance of the corporate directory in Connector for Microsoft Outlook.Configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook for VLV as part of "Updating Connector for Microsoft Outlook". On the LDAP tab of the DCP, do the following:
In the Search Base field, enter the LDAP search base. For example, enter ou=people,dc=example,dc=com.
In the LDAP Mapping String field, enter the mapping values between the directory server and the VLV index. For example, PrimaryEmailAddress=mail means that the PrimaryEmailAddress VLV attribute is mapped to the mail LDAP attribute.
The following example shows the default value of the LDAP Mapping String field.
Uid=uid,FirstName=givenName,LastName=sn,Initials=initials,Department=departmentNumber,Title=title,Homephonenumber=homePhone,PrimaryEmailAddress=mail,Manager=manager,Mobile=mobile,Company=company,Pager=pager,Assistant=secretary,Notes=description,Fax=facsimileTelephoneNumber,City=l,Address=physicalDeliveryOfficeName,Zipcode=postalCode,State=st,Street=street,Country=c,Officephonenumber=telephoneNumber,EmailAddresses=mailAlternateAddress
In the VLV Search Filter field, enter the filter values used to return search values to the user.
The default value of (&(mail=*)(cn=*)) means that search results are filtered by email address and display name.
In the Displayname field, enter the LDAP sort key for the display name.
The default value cn means that the results are sorted by the full common name.
If you modify the LDAP Mapping String value, modify the VLV Search Filter value to match.
You can configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook to display your custom brand, such as your own company name, product name, artwork, and information. The customized branding is applied when the end-user package is run on the end-user computer.
The customized brand is applied to the end-user package installation wizard, the application properties and description, the application online Help, configuration dialog boxes, and to the Connector for Microsoft Outlook user interface. The customized brand is also applied to some fields in the control panel, except for the company and product name.
Connector for Microsoft Outlook supports the following customized branding locales:
English: en-US, en-AU, en-BZ, en-CA, en-029, en-IN, en-IE, en-JM, en-MY, en-NZ, en-PH, en-SG, en-ZA, en-TT, en-GB, en-ZW
The en-US locale is the fall-back locale if users select an English locale that does not have any customized branding.
Simplified Chinese: zh-CN
Traditional Chinese: zh-HK, zh-TW
German: de-DE, de-AT, de-CH, de-LU, de-LI
The de-DE locale is the fall-back locale if users select a German locale that does not have any customized branding.
Spanish: es-ES, es-AR, es-BO, es-CL, es-CO, es-CR, es-DO, es-EC, es-SV, es-GT, es-HN, es-MX, es-NI, es-PA, es-PY, es-PE, es-PR, es-UY, es-VE
The es-ES locale is the fall-back locale if users select a Spanish locale that does not have any customized branding.
French: fr-FR, fr-BE, fr-CA, fr-CH, fr-LU
The fr-FR locale is the fall-back locale if users select a French locale that does not have any customized branding.
Japanese: ja-JP
Korean: ko-KR
Note:
If the user selects a locale for which there is no customized branding, and the fall-back locale has not any customized branding, the default Oracle branding is shown. For example, if a user opens Microsoft Outlook in fr-CA (French-Canada), and no customized branding is configured for fr-CA or fr-FR (French-France), then Connector for Microsoft Outlook appears with the default Oracle branding.The following directories were created on your computer when you installed the DCP:
DCP_Home/c11n/template
DCP_Home/c11n/nls/en-US
where DCP_Home is the location you installed the DCP.
DCP_Home/c11n/template contains a template INI file named template.ini, which lists and describes all the branding parameters you can customize.
DCP_Home/c11n/nls/en-US contains a reference implementation INI file named resourceconfig.ini, which provides sample values for an English customization.
In DCP_Home/c11n/nls, you can create directories for any of the supported locales. Copy template.ini into the folder and rename it to resourceconfig.ini.
If you choose not to customize branding, the default Oracle brand is displayed in Connector for Microsoft Outlook.
To configure customized branding in Connector for Microsoft Outlook:
In Windows Explorer, go to DCP_Home/c11n/nls.
Create folders for each supported locale for which you want to customize branding.
For example, if you want to customize branding for a French-France deployment of Connector for Microsoft Outlook, create a folder named fr-FR in the /nls directory.
See "About Customized Branding" for a list of supported locales.
Copy the template.ini file from DCP_Home/c11n/template and paste it into the new localization folders you created.
Rename all copies of template.ini to resourceconfig.ini.
In DCP_Home/c11n/nls/en-US, edit resourceconfig.ini in a text editor.
The en-US version of resourceconfig.ini is a reference implementation that contains sample Oracle values. Replace the sample Oracle values with those of your organization
Save and close the file.
Edit any localized copies of resourceconfig.ini in a text editor, providing parameter values that correspond to localized values for your organization. Save and close the files when you are finished.
You can run the DCP from a command line to silently create end-user packages. In silent mode, you provide the path to an already prepared INI file.
To run the DCP in silent mode:
Connect to the system where the DCP is installed.
Fom the command line, change directories to where the DCP is installed (DCP_Home).
Enter the following command:
admin.exe -i INI_path [-o package_path -l log_path -c c11n_Path]
Table 5-1 describes the parameter values for the admin.exe command and the placeholders used in the above example.
Table 5-1 admin.exe Command Parameter Values
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
|
-i |
The path and file name to the prepared INI file you are using to create the end-user packages. See "About the INI File" for more information about the INI file. For example: -i C:\Users\user_name\Documents\DCP\Input\eup01.ini |
|
-o |
(Optional) The path and file name of the end-user package EXE file to create. If you omit this parameter, the end-user package is created in the same directory as the DCP and is given the same file name as the INI file. For example: -o C:\Users\user_name\Documents\DCP\Output\eup01.exe |
|
-l |
(Optional) The path where you want the DCP log file written. If you omit this parameter, the log file is written to the default location, which is %TEMP%\Sun Outlook Connector Logs\DCP. |
|
-c |
(Optional) The parent directory where the directories and files for customized branding are located. If you omit this parameter, the DCP uses the default customization directory, which is DCP_Home/c11n. See "About Customized Branding" for more information about customizing Connector for Microsoft Outlook. |
This section explains how to resolve some common issues in Connector for Microsoft Outlook.
In some deployments where Contacts Server provides the address book service, users might report that their searches for calendar resources in the global address list returns duplicate entries.
To resolve this issue, set the vlvfilter parameter in the directory server to (&(mail=*)(cn=*)).
In some deployments where Contacts Server provides the address book service, users might report that they cannot share an address book with another user when they provide the email address in the User ID field.
To resolve this issue, set the vlvfilter parameter in the directory server to (&(mail=*)(cn=*)).
In some deployments, searching for specific users by email ID is not possible and Connector for Microsoft Outlook presents the following error to users:
Cannot validate the input ID
In other deployments, search for users in the global address list takes a long time or times out.
To resolve this issue, tune the look-through-limit parameter on the directory server. See your directory server documentation for information and guidelines about tuning the look-through-limit parameter.