3 Application Notes for Special Circumstances

The chapter explains how to deploy Oracle Communications Connector for Microsoft Outlook under certain special circumstances or network configurations.

Push Method Deployment, If End Users Lack Installation Privileges

The deployment configuration program lets an administrator create installation packages that end users can run to install and configure their own local desktop copies of the Connector for Microsoft Outlook software. Software installation, however, requires access privileges that often are disallowed to many or most end users. Most enterprises therefore implement a push method for software distribution from the system administrator to user desktops that bypasses the requirement for user access privileges. If your network serves locked-down Windows environments where end users cannot install software, we strongly recommend this sort of automated configuration management as a way to avoid many individual desktop visits.

This section describes a push method for distributing the Connector for Microsoft Outlook to user desktops using Microsoft's SMS administration tools. Remember that the deployment configuration program can prepare desktop installation packages that both install the Connector for Microsoft Outlook software and convert existing Outlook profiles and data files for use with the new software. If your users had sufficient administrator privileges to install new software on their own desktops, you could prepare a single installation package that would perform both the installation and conversion functions in a single pass. But if the user who runs the installation package lacks the administrator privileges to install software, then the installation portion of the package would be unable to run and the conversion would fail.

When users cannot install their own software, we have to separate those two tasks so that the installation function can be facilitated separately by an SMS installation package. The SMS installation package can then be run on each user desktop by a local SMS account that has full administrator rights, and is therefore authorized to install new software on the local desktop. After the necessary software for the Connector for Microsoft Outlook has been installed, we use the deployment configuration program to prepare a second installation package to convert any existing Outlook profiles and data files for use with the new Connector for Microsoft Outlook.

The conversion functions will convert any existing Outlook profiles and data files associated with the specific user who is running the desktop installation program. But the SMS account that will run the first installation package is a generic account, with administrator privileges so that it can install software, but not associated with any particular user. The installation tasks and conversion tasks must therefore be performed by two separate installation packages, because the generic SMS account necessary to physically install the software lacks the user specificity necessary to convert a user s existing profile and data files.

A typical SMS push scenario consists of the five steps detailed below.

Deploying the Push Method

Prepare the necessary shared folders. Create two new shared directories, named LOGS and WPW, on a computer that is part of the same SMS site as the end-user desktops. The nature of Windows NT local accounts requires that you assign full control share permissions for all three folders for the SMSCliToknLocalAcct$ account. These assignments will provide the necessary read/write access to these directories for the SMS local account (which requires a password), and lets you avoid having to open the system to guest access. Also, assign full control permissions for all three of the NTFS folders to SMSCliToknLocalAcct$.
Prepare an installation package to install the necessary software. Use the Connector for Microsoft Outlook deployment configuration program (Admin.exe) to create an installation package that will only install the necessary software to each user's desktop, but not convert existing Outlook profiles and data files. The Admin.exe program is described in "Configuring End-User Packages", but note these special requirements, on the Processes tab, for preparing this package for SMS distribution:
- Be sure the User mode is set to Silent.
- Be sure to uncheck the option to Create/convert/upgrade user profile.
- Use UNC paths (\servername\sharename) for all three of the path fields.
Push the first installation package to user desktops via an SMS installation package. Use Microsoft's SMS Packaging Wizard to prepare an installation package that will contain the Connector for Microsoft Outlook installation package you created in step 2, and then push the package to run automatically on user desktops without any user initiative or interaction.
1. Launch the SMS 2.0 Management console. Right-click on the collection to which you want to push the Connector for Microsoft Outlook, and click Distribute Software. SMS then launches its Distribute Software Wizard.
2. On the Distribute Software Wizard's Welcome screen: Click Next to begin.
3. On the Package screen: Click the option to Create a new package and program, and click Next.
4. On the Package Identification screen: Enter the appropriate values and click Next.
5. On the Source Files screen: Select Create a compressed version of this source, and click Next.
6. On the Source Directory screen: Click the Browse button to locate and specify the directory where the Connector for Microsoft Outlook installation package was created. The path specification can be either local or UNC. When you have specified the correct path, click Next.
7. On the Program Identification screen: Click the Browse button to locate and specify the name of the program .exe file for the Command line, and click Next.
8. On the Program Properties screen: Make sure the program will Run with administrative rights, and click Next.
9. Specify whether and how you want to advertise the program on the next five screens, titled: Advertise a Program, Advertisement Target, Advertisement Name, Advertise to Sub collections, and Advertisement Schedule. As you enter your choices, click Next to advance to each next screen.
10. On the Assign Program screen: Select Yes to assign the program, specify the date and time of assignment, and click Next.
11. On the Completing... screen: Review your settings for the creation of this installation package. You may use the Back button to go back and change any settings now, before you actually create the package. When the settings appear as you want them, click Finish to create the package, which will then be pushed to user desktops according to the Assignment and other parameters you have specified in this Wizard. A user s Advertised Programs Monitor will report the package. In any case, every user will be alerted to the imminent run of the package by a Countdown dialog box. Because the desktop installation program (desktop.exe) will be run by the SMS administrator program, as a local user, access to network shares will require a password, even if the shares are made available to the group everyone. If the network denies access to log directories and install directories during a user run of the installation package, enable guest access on the computer hosting the log files and installation media, to allow the local account from one system to access the data from another system.
Prepare a second installation package to convert existing Outlook profiles and data files. Use the Connector for Microsoft Outlook deployment configuration program (Admin.exe) to create a second installation package for the Connector for Microsoft Outlook this time to only convert any existing Outlook profiles and data files for use with the new Connector for Microsoft Outlook software. The Admin.exe program is described in "Configuring End-User Packages", but note these special requirements in the Processes tab for preparing this package:
- Set the User mode to Interactive.
- Under Processes to include in this configuration:
  - Be sure that none of the Install or upgrade... options is marked.
  - Mark the Create/convert/upgrade user profile option.
Push the second installation package to user desktops via an SMS installation package. Use Microsoft's SMS Packaging Wizard to prepare another SMS installation package this one to contain the installation package you created in step 4. Use the same settings you used in step 3 above to prepare the first SMS installation package, except for these differences on the Program Properties screen:
- Program can run: Select the option Only when a user is logged on.
- Mark the User input required option, and be sure that Run with administrative rights is unmarked. This final SMS package will require some user interaction, to reply to password prompts, but will not require administrator privileges since this package does not install any new software to the desktop. The passwords will authorize the conversion program s access to password-protected Outlook Personal Folders (.pst) files. Alternatively, this step can be accomplished by running the installation package from the command line, with an SMS script, as explained below under "Command-Line Switches for the User Installation Package".

Command-Line Switches for the User Installation Package

Step 5 of the push method described above (see "Push Method Deployment, If End Users Lack Installation Privileges") can also be accomplished by running the installation package from an SMS script, with command-line switches to pass the necessary user passwords to the conversion program as it runs. This would make possible a truly silent installation and configuration, requiring no user interaction whatsoever.

For example, you might create an SMS package that runs a conversion package, and have the SMS services issue the following commands when it is run:

DT_Package.exe

/USERNAME=bcarpenter

/FULLNAME="Burns Carpenter"

/EMAILADDRESS="burns.carpenter@florizel.com"

/DN="uid=bcarpenter,ou=people,o=florizel.com,o=florizel.com"

Note:

This and other command-line samples are formatted here for ease of reading, but all of the switches must be typed in one continuous string which is likely to wrap to multiple lines of its own accord.

You could then substitute environment variables for the users (assuming that the Windows usernames and the Oracle usernames match):

DT_Package.exe

/USERNAME=%username%

/FULLNAME="Change This"

/EMAILADDRESS=%username%@florizel.com

/DN=uid=%username%,ou=people,o=florizel.com,o=florizel.com

This command-line approach would permit a silent (or minimally interactive) installation from SMS, which would probably generate far fewer Help desk calls than asking users to click a link in an email and requiring users to enter data.

The installation package will support these command-line switches:

/USERNAME=xxx, where xxx is the username on the Oracle servers.
/FULLNAME=xxx, where xxx is the display name of the user.
/EMAILADDRESS=xxx, where xxx is the email address of the user.
/DN=xxx, where xxx is the user DN on the Oracle servers.
/NEWPROFILENAME=xxx, where xxx is the name of the created profile.
/SAVEPASSWORD=n, where n = 1 (save) or 0 (don't save).
/ALTPSTDIR=dir, where dir is the directory where the local cache is created. If this switch is not present, the default value is Documents and Settings%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Sun\Outlook Connector

About Outlook as the Default Client

Connector for Microsoft Outlook can be installed only at workstations where Microsoft Outlook is set to be the default email client. If Outlook is not set as a user s default email client, the Setup Wizard will not install the software, and will prompt the user to correct the problem and run the Setup Wizard again.

Designating Microsoft Outlook as a User's Default Email Client

If you are running Windows 7 or Windows Vista:

Click the Start Menu.
Select Default Programs.

The Default Programs window is displayed.
Click Set your default programs from the "Choose the program that Windows uses by default" list.

A list of available programs is displayed in the left panel.
Click Microsoft Office Outlook from the programs list.

A description of this program appears in the right panel.
Click Set this program as the default button.
Click OK.

You may then restart the Setup Wizard to install the software on your desktop.

If you are running Windows 8:

Click the Start Menu.
From the Control Panel, click All Control Panel Items.
Click Set your default programs.
Click Microsoft Office Outlook from the programs list.

A description of this program appears in the right panel.
Click Set this program as the default button.
Click OK.

You may then restart the Setup Wizard to install the software on your desktop.

About Removing Sun Java System Synchronization Program

The MAPI services for the Connector for Microsoft Outlook are a required component of the Connector installation, but cannot coexist with the Synchronization Program. If the synchronization program is installed on a user s workstation, the Setup Wizard will notify the user of the problem (in an error message after the Welcome screen), and prompt him or her to acknowledge the notice and exit the program. The user may then rerun the Setup Wizard after the synchronization program has been removed.

Removing the Synchronization Program from a User's Workstation

From the Start menu: Select the Uninstall... option for the program you want to uninstall. Choose one of the following options:
- Uninstall Sun Java System Synchronization Program from Sun Java System Synchronization Program in the Programs menu.
- Uninstall Sun ONE Synchronization (old version of Synchronization Program) from Sun ONE Synchronization Program in the Programs menu.
In the Uninstallation window: Follow the prompts to uninstall the software.
Click Finish to complete the uninstallation process. To synchronize a mobile device with Outlook, we strongly recommend that users use the sync software distributed with their devices, rather than the Sun Java System Synchronization program. Changing to the sync software distributed with a device may require uninstalling and reinstalling the desktop software. If a user wants to continue using the Synchronization program to sync to the data of the other device, he or she can reinstall the software, but not select the checkbox for the Microsoft Outlook 98/2000 translator during the installation.

About Undoing (Reversing) a User's Migration

To abandon a user's connection to the new Communications Suite server and restore the user s mailbox to service with the old Exchange server:

Reversing a User's Migration

Delete the profile Xxx (old).
Copy the profile Xxx to Xxx Oracle or some other name, like Xxx (new), and so forth.
Delete the profile Xxx.
Copy the profile Xxx (Backup) to Xxx.
Delete the profile Xxx (Backup).
Determine where the .pst files are located by viewing Properties on the profile. There is no standard location for .pst files, so the only reliable way to find them is to open the profile (now named Xxx) and, for each .pst service, click on Properties and note the path.
For each pst file: Rename Yyy.pst to Yyy.new, and rename Yyy.bak to Yyy.pst.
Determine where the .pab files are located by viewing Properties on the profile. There is no standard location for .pab files, so the only reliable way to find them is to open the profile (now named Xxx) and, for each .pab service, click on Properties and note the path.
For each .pab file: Rename Zzz.pab to Zzz.new, and rename Zzz.bak to Zzz.pab. The Yyy.bak and Zzz.bak files will be in the same directory.