Chapter 1 Getting Started

Your organization will use the Sun Java System Connector for Microsoft Outlook so that your users can use Microsoft Outlook as their e-mail and calendar client while connected to Sun Java System servers. The software must be installed and configured on each user desktop to facilitate the necessary ongoing communications between Outlook and the Sun Java System server. The Connector for Microsoft Outlook software is installed one desktop at a time by a Setup Wizard that can also convert any existing Outlook data files to a format that the new software can read and use.

To simplify both the administrator’s work associated with deployment and the user’s tasks in actually installing and configuring the new software, Sun provides a Deployment Configuration Program. This tool lets the administrator create customized end-user installation packages for the software, with pre-set configuration parameters to simplify and streamline the user’s process, and to enforce any configuration settings the administrator deems necessary or desirable for a particular user or group of users. The Deployment Configuration Program saves those pre-set configuration parameters in an .ini text file, and then bundles the .ini file with an installation program—the Setup Wizard—for end users. When an end user activates the package, the Setup Wizard reads the .ini file to install and configure the Connector software on his or her desktop according to the administrator’s specifications.

A system administrator may create different installation packages for different individual users, or for different groups of end users—for example, to enforce different configuration schemes for users in the Sales department vs. the Engineering department and so forth, or to offer configuration options to some groups of users while setting fixed parameters (eliminating the choices) for others.

Administrator’s Process Overview

In a typical deployment scenario, an administrator will perform these four primary tasks to deploy the Sun Java System Connector for Microsoft Outlook:

Install the Sun Java System Connector for Microsoft Outlook software. Sun’s administrative software obviously must reside on the administrator’s computer before it can be used to create end-user installation packages. The installation instructions appear below, in the last section of this chapter 1.

Prepare a comprehensive Deployment Plan. Planning and foresight are critical to a smooth deployment. The process of developing a comprehensive Deployment Plan is a valuable exercise that will force you to consider and accommodate all of the factors likely to influence your organization's migration. The Desktop Deployment Administrator’s Guide that accompanies this Reference Manual explains important migration concepts, prerequisites, and strategic choices, and explains how to develop a Deployment Plan that will guide you through your migration. Every administrator should therefore read the Desktop Deployment Administrator’s Guide and prepare a comprehensive Deployment Plan.

Prepare an end-user installation package. Chapter 2, "Creating End-User Installation Packages" explains how to use the Deployment Configuration Program to create customized installation packages for Outlook end users. These packages can be configured to install the necessary software on user desktops, or to convert users’ existing Outlook and Exchange data files for use with the new software—or both, depending on your circumstances.

Deploy each end-user installation package. Once you have created an installation package for your users, you must tell them where to find it and how to use it. Many administrators simply copy the installation package and the associated Desktop Installation Guide to a shared folder, and then provide links to the installation package and documentation in an announcement e-mail to users.

Step 1 and Step 2 of this process overview are a good place to start regardless of your unique configuration and preferences. If your migration strategy calls for two or more different installation packages for different users or user groups, simply repeat Step 3 and Step 4 for each package until all users have been migrated.

The deployment process can proceed along different paths depending on your original and destination network configurations, the administrative structure of your organization, and your own informed sense of the extent to which your users should be involved in the process of installing and configuring their own desktop software. Moreover, your network configuration or preferences may dictate some variation to the standard scenario described above. Chapter 3, "Application Notes for Special Circumstances"provides application notes for the most common of these variations.

Installing the Administrator’s Software

If the most recent version of the Sun Java System Connector for Microsoft Outlook Administrator’s software is not already installed on your computer, you must install it before you can create end-user installation packages:

Locate the Sun Java System Connector for Microsoft Outlook setup file, Setup.exe, that you have downloaded or otherwise copied to your computer. Double-click the filename to start the program.

The InstallShield Wizard then welcomes you to the process and prompts you to click the Next button to continue, as shown in Figure 1-1.

Figure 1-1 The InstallShield Wizard Welcome Screen

Click the Next button.

The InstallShield Wizard then prompts you to enter your customer information, as shown in Figure 1-2.

Figure 1-2 InstallShield Wizard: Customer Information

Enter your User Name and Organization, and choose whether you want the Connector for Microsoft Outlook software to be available to all users of this computer, or only to your User Name. Then click Next.

The InstallShield Wizard then asks whether you want to perform a Complete or Custom installation.

Choose the Complete installation option, and click Next.

The InstallShield Wizard then announces that it is ready to begin the actual installation, and prompts you to click Next to begin.

Click the Next button, and wait for the installation to proceed and conclude. (A progress meter appears in the window while you are waiting.)

The InstallShield Wizard notifies you when the process is complete, and prompts you to click the Finish button.

Click Finish.

As the InstallShield Wizard exits, it opens a browser window to the Sun web site where you can download the documentation PDF and HTML files.

The Connector for Microsoft Outlook administrator’s software (filename Admin.exe) has now been installed to: