13 Managing Calendar Events

This chapter describes how to configure and manage events to expose personal Microsoft Exchange calendars in WebCenter Portal.

Always use Fusion Middleware Control or the WLST command-line tool to review and configure back-end services for WebCenter Portal and Portal Framework applications. Any configuration changes that you make, post deployment, are stored in the MDS metatdata store as customizations. See Section 1.3.5, "Oracle WebCenter Portal Configuration Considerations."

Note:

Configuration changes for events, through Fusion Middleware Control or using WLST, are not dynamic, so you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal or your Portal Framework application is deployed for your changes to take effect. See Section 7.2, "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers for WebCenter Portal Application Deployments."

This chapter includes the following topics:

Permissions:

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you must be granted the WebLogic Server Admin role through the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console and the Administrator role in the deployed application:

  • WebCenter Portal: Administrator role granted through Portal Builder Administration.

  • Portal Framework application: Administrator role granted through the Administration Console.

For more information about roles and permissions, see Section 1.8, "Understanding Administrative Operations, Roles, and Tools."

13.1 About Events Connections

In WebCenter Portal, events provides portal calendars that you can use to schedule meetings, appointments, and any other type of team, project, or group occasion. Events also enables you to access your personal Microsoft Exchange calendar, where you can schedule events that are not related to a particular portal.

InPortal Framework applications, events provides access to the personal Microsoft Exchange calendars only.

Personal calendars are available through a Microsoft Exchange Server; therefore, a connection to that server is required. You can register the Microsoft Exchange Server connection through the Fusion Middleware Control Console or using WLST.

You must mark a connection as active for events to work. You can register additional Microsoft Exchange Server connections, but only one connection is active at a time.

To view personal events in WebCenter Portal, users must have an account on the Microsoft Exchange Server.

13.2 Configuration Roadmaps for Personal Events

Use the roadmaps in this section as a guide through the configuration process for providing access to personal events:

13.3 Events Prerequisites for Personal Events

This section includes the following subsections:

13.3.1 Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Prerequisites

This section describes the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 prerequisites when used as the server for personal events.

This section includes the following subsections:

13.3.1.1 Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 - Installation

Refer to the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 documentation for installation information.

13.3.1.2 Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 - Configuration

To use Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 as the server for personal events, you must edit the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 web service WSDL to specify the location of the web service.

To specify the location of the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 web service:

  1. Open the WSDL file for the Microsoft Exchange Server web service.

    For example:

    C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\ClientAccess\exchweb\ews\Services.wsdl

  2. Add a service section that points to your Microsoft Exchange Server web service.

    For example:

    <wsdl:definitions>
...
  <wsdl:service name="ExchangeServices">
    <wsdl:port name="ExchangeServicePort" binding="tns:ExchangeServiceBinding">
      <soap:address location="https://server.example.com/EWS/Exchange.asmx"/>
    </wsdl:port>
  </wsdl:service>
</wsdl:definitions>

13.3.1.3 Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 - Security Considerations

Events includes a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 adapter that communicates with the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 generic web service through a JAX-WS proxy. To set up the communication between the adapter and the web service, you must edit the Microsoft Exchange Server security settings.

To edit security settings:

  1. On the Microsoft Exchange Server, open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

  2. Under Node computer_name > Web Sites >Default Web Site > EWS, click Properties.

  3. On the Directory Security tab, in the Authentication and access control, click Edit.

  4. Select Basic authentication.

  5. Click OK.

    You must enable anonymous access to Services.wsdl, Messages.vsd, and Types.vsd so that JAX-WS can access them to create the service port before committing any web service call.

  6. Right-click Services.wsdl and select Edit.

  7. On the File Security tab, in the Authentication and access control, click Edit.

  8. Select Enable anonymous access.

  9. Click OK.

  10. Repeat steps 6 through 9 for Messages.xsd and Types.xsd.

Events uses Basic Authentication to communicate with the Microsoft Exchange Server. To secure the communication, you should enable SSL. For more information, see:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/56bdf977-14f8-4867-9c51-34c346d48b04.mspx?mfr=true

13.3.1.4 Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 - Limitations

There are currently no known limitations.

13.3.2 Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Prerequisites

This section describes the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 prerequisites when used as the server for personal events.

This section includes the following subsections:

13.3.2.1 Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 - Installation

Refer to the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 documentation for installation information.

13.3.2.2 Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 - Configuration

Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 does not provide a web service, so to use Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 as the server for events, you must install WebCenter Portal's Personal Events Web Service Plug-in on the IIS computer. The plug-in is available on the Oracle Fusion Middleware companion CD.

To install the Personal Events Web Service Plug-in:

  1. Extract the contents of ExchangeWebService.zip to a folder within the Internet Information Services (IIS) server.

    You can find the ZIP file in the following directory on the Oracle Fusion Middleware companion CD:

    /Disk1/WebCenter/services/cal/NT/ExchangeWebService.zip

    Note:

    Make sure that the folder where you extract the file has the proper Read privileges. If necessary add Server Operators with additional Modify and Write privileges and Authenticated Users.

  2. Open IIS Manager.

  3. Under server_name > Web Sites > Default Web Site, create a new virtual directory called ExchangeWS (as the Alias).

  4. Point the new virtual directory to the folder to which you extracted the ZIP file.

  5. Make sure the folder has Read and Run Scripts privileges.

  6. Right-click the new virtual directory and choose Properties.

  7. On the Virtual Directory tab, under Application settings, from the Execute permissions dropdown list, select Scripts and Executables.

  8. Click Apply.

  9. On the ASP.NET tab, ensure that the ASP.NET version is 2.0.XXXXX.

    Note:

    If ASP.NET is not available by default, then install the .NET 2.0 Framework from Microsoft.

  10. Click Edit Configuration.

  11. In the ASP .NET Configuration Settings dialog, make sure the ExchangeServerURL has the correct value.

    For example:

    http://localhost:port/Exchange/User/calendar

    Tip:

    The ExchangeServerURL is case-sensitive.

    Change the port, if necessary, to reflect the IIS port number. By default, this is 80.

  12. Apply the changes and close the dialog.

  13. Create a folder called C:\WSErrorLogs.

  14. Test the web service from the IIS server and the WebCenter Portal server by accessing the following URL in your browser:

    http://host:port/ExchangeWS/PersonalEventsWebService.asmx

13.3.2.3 Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 - Security Considerations

Events uses Basic Authentication to communicate with the Microsoft Exchange Server. To secure the communication, you should enable SSL. For more information, see:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/56bdf977-14f8-4867-9c51-34c346d48b04.mspx?mfr=true

13.3.2.4 Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 - Limitations

There are currently no known limitations.

13.4 Registering Events Servers

You can register multiple events servers for WebCenter Portal, but only one is active at a single time.

To start using a new (active) connection you must restart the managed server on which the application is deployed.

This section includes the following subsections:

13.4.1 Registering Events Servers Using Fusion Middleware Control

To register an events server:

  1. Log in to Fusion Middleware Control and navigate to the home page for WebCenter Portal.

    For more information, see:

  2. Do one of the following:

    • For WebCenter Portal - From the WebCenter Portal menu, select Settings > Service Configuration.

    • For Portal Framework applications - From the Application Deployment menu, select WebCenter Portal > Service Configuration.

  3. On the WebCenter Portal Service Configuration page, select Personal Events.

  4. To connect to a new events server instance, click Add.

    The Add Personal Events Connection page appears (Figure 13-3).

    Figure 13-3 Configuring Events Connections

    Description of Figure 13-3 follows
    Description of "Figure 13-3 Configuring Events Connections"

  5. Enter a unique name for this connection, specify the version of Microsoft Exchange Server, and indicate whether this connection is the active (or default) connection for WebCenter Portal (see Table 13-2).

    Table 13-3 Personal Events Connection - Name

    Field Description

    Connection Name

    Enter a unique name for the connection. The name must be unique (across all connection types) within WebCenter Portal.

    Connection Type

    Select the Microsoft Exchange Server you want to connect to:

    • Microsoft Exchange Server 2003

    • Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

    Active Connection

    Select to use this connection for events in WebCenter Portal.

    While you can register multiple events server connections, only one connection is used by events—the default (or active) connection.

  6. Enter connection details for the events server (Table 13-4).

    Table 13-4 Personal Events - Connection Details

    Field Description

    Web Service URL

    Enter the URL of the web service exposing the event application.

    Use the format:

    protocol://host:port/appWebServiceInterface/WSName

    For example

    http://myexchange.com:80/ExchangeWS/PersonalEventsWebService.asmx
http://myexchange.com:80/EWS/Services.wsdl

    Associated External Application

    Associate events with an external application. External application credential information is used to authenticate users against the Microsoft Exchange Server hosting events.

  7. Click OK to save this connection.

  8. To start using the new (active) connection you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal is deployed.

    For more information, see Section 7.2, "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers for WebCenter Portal Application Deployments."

13.4.2 Registering Event Servers Using WLST

Use the WLST command createPersonalEventConnection to create an events server connection. Use setPersonalEventConnection to alter an existing connection. For command syntax and examples, see the "createPersonalEventConnection" and "setPersonalEventConnection" sections in the Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

For information on how to run WLST commands, see Section 1.13.3.1, "Running Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST) Commands."

Note:

To start using the new (active) connection you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal is deployed. See the "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers Using WLST" section in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide.

13.5 Choosing the Active Events Server Connection

You can register multiple events server connections with WebCenter Portal, but only one connection is active at a time.

This section includes the following subsections:

13.5.1 Choosing the Active Events Server Using Fusion Middleware Control

To change the active connection:

  1. Log in to Fusion Middleware Control and navigate to the home page for WebCenter Portal.

    For more information, see:

  2. Do one of the following:

    • For WebCenter Portal - From the WebCenter Portal menu, select Settings > Service Configuration.

    • For Portal Framework applications - From the Application Deployment menu, select WebCenter Portal > Service Configuration.

  3. On the WebCenter Portal Services Configuration page, select Personal Events.

    The Manage Personal Events Connections table indicates the current active connection, if any (Figure 13-4).

    Figure 13-4 Active Connection for Personal Events

    Description of Figure 13-4 follows
    Description of "Figure 13-4 Active Connection for Personal Events"

  4. Select the connection you want to make the active (or default) connection, and then click Edit.

  5. Select the Active Connection check box.

  6. Click OK to update the connection.

  7. To start using the new (active) connection you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal is deployed.

    For more information, see Section 7.2, "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers for WebCenter Portal Application Deployments."

13.5.2 Choosing the Active Events Server Connection Using WLST

Use the WLST command setPersonalEventConnection with default=1 (true) to activate an existing events server connection. For command syntax and examples, see the "setPersonalEventConnection" section in the Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

To subsequently disable an events connection, run the same WLST command with default=0. Connection details are retained but the connection is no longer named as an active connection.

For information on how to run WLST commands, see Section 1.13.3.1, "Running Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST) Commands."

Note:

To start using the active connection you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal or your Portal Framework application is deployed. For more information, see the "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers Using WLST" section in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide.

13.6 Modifying Events Server Connection Details

You can modify events server connection details at any time.

To start using the updated (active) connection you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal is deployed.

This section includes the following subsections:

13.6.1 Modifying Events Server Connection Details Using Fusion Middleware Control

To update connection details for an events server:

  1. Log in to Fusion Middleware Control and navigate to the home page for WebCenter Portal. For more information, see:

  2. Do one of the following:

    • For WebCenter Portal - From the WebCenter Portal menu, select Settings > Service Configuration.

    • For Portal Framework applications - From the Application Deployment menu, select WebCenter Portal > Service Configuration.

  3. On the WebCenter Portal Service Configuration page, select Personal Events.

  4. Select the connection name, and click Edit.

  5. Edit connection details, as required.

    For detailed parameter information, see Table 13-4

  6. Click OK to save your changes.

  7. To start using the updated (active) connection you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal is deployed.

    For more information, see Section 7.2, "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers for WebCenter Portal Application Deployments."

13.6.2 Modifying Events Server Connection Details Using WLST

Use the WLST command setPersonalEventConnection to edit an existing events server connection. For command syntax and examples, see the "setPersonalEventConnection" section in the Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

For information on how to run WLST commands, see Section 1.13.3.1, "Running Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST) Commands."

Note:

To start using the updated (active) connection you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal or your Portal Framework application is deployed. For more information, see the "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers Using WLST" section in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide.

13.7 Deleting Event Server Connections

You can delete events server connections at any time, but use caution when deleting the active connection. If you delete the active connection, users cannot create events in their personal calendar.

This section includes the following subsections:

13.7.1 Deleting Event Server Connections Using Fusion Middleware Control

To delete an events server connection:

  1. Log in to Fusion Middleware Control and navigate to the home page for WebCenter Portal.

    For more information, see:

  2. Do one of the following:

    • For WebCenter Portal - From the WebCenter Portal menu, select Settings > Service Configuration.

    • For Portal Framework applications - From the Application Deployment menu, select WebCenter Portal > Service Configuration.

  3. From the list on the WebCenter Portal Service Configuration page, select Personal Events.

  4. Select the connection name, and click Delete.

    Note:

    Before restarting the managed server, select another connection as active; otherwise, the service is disabled.

  5. To make this change you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal is deployed.

    For more information, see Section 7.2, "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers for WebCenter Portal Application Deployments."

13.7.2 Deleting Event Server Connections Using WLST

Use the WLST command deleteConnection to remove an events server connection. For command syntax and examples, see the "deleteConnection" section in the Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

For information on how to run WLST commands, see Section 1.13.3.1, "Running Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST) Commands."

Note:

To effect this change you must restart the managed server on which WebCenter Portal or your Portal Framework application is deployed. For more information, see the "Starting and Stopping Managed Servers Using WLST" section in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide.

13.8 Testing Event Server Connections

To confirm the connection to the events server:

  1. Add the Events task flow to a page in WebCenter Portal.

    Tip:

    In WebCenter Portal, add the task flow to a page in your Home portal. See the "Adding an Events Task Flow to a Page" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Building Portals with Oracle WebCenter Portal.

  2. Click Personal Events, then click Login to Personal Calendar.

  3. Enter your Microsoft Exchange Server login credentials.

    The personal events from your Microsoft Exchange Server should display in the task flow.

13.9 Troubleshooting Issues with Events

If users cannot see their personal events, verify the following: