This chapter describes considerations and options for deploying Oracle Communications Connector for Microsoft Outlook to the end-user computers in your organization.
Connector for Microsoft Outlook must be installed on each end-user computer. Therefore, the end-user package created by the Deployment Configuration Program (DCP) must be delivered to and run on each end-user computer in your organization.
There are different ways to deploy the end-user package:
Place the end-user package on a shared network drive and provide users with a link to the package.
Email the end-user package to your users.
Host the end-user package on an internal software distribution site.
Save the end-user package to portable media (for example, a USB memory stick) and copy it to each end-user computer.
Push the installation of Connector for Microsoft Outlook to end-user computers using system management service utilities.
Set up an update and upgrade site and configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook to automatically check for updates.
The DCP contains deployment and operational options for a variety of installation and migration strategies for most environments, circumstances, and administrator preferences. This guide describe the most common scenarios.
How you distribute the end-user package depending on your network configurations, the administrative structure of your organization, and whether you want your users to install and configure the software themselves.
You can configure the end-user package installation wizard to migrate Outlook profiles and data files to the formats used by the Oracle Communications Unified Communications Suite software. The installation wizard backs up the user profiles before migrating them. The migration process runs in the background, but the process is likely to slow the performance of other applications.
Users may have old personal storage (PST) files that do not need to be migrated, and they can choose which of their PST files to migrate. Users can read unmigrated email messages, but cannot reply to them.
Outlook users can assign passwords to their PST files. The installation wizard needs to open and modify these files to migrate them for use with the Unified Communications Suite servers. The installation wizard automatically prompts users for the necessary passwords as they are needed.
If you need to run the end-user package installation wizard in silent mode, instruct your users to remove all passwords before the migration. If the wizard runs in silent mode and encounters a password-protected file, it does not migrate that file, and reports that not all files were migrated. Depending on the settings in DCP, the installation wizard may also log the event as an error.
The end-user package installation wizard supports the following command-line switches that may be used with the deployment methods described in this chapter:
/USERNAME=xxx, where xxx is the user's user name on the Unified Communications Suite servers.
/PASSWORD=xxx, where xxx is the user's password on the Unified Communications Suite 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 Unified Communications Suite servers.
/NEWPROFILENAME=xxx, where xxx is the name of the created profile.
/SAVEPASSWORD=n, where n = 1 (save) or 0 (do not 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.
When users install their own software, they run the end-user package on their own computers. Your users can retrieve the end-user package from a file server.
The disadvantages of letting your users install the software is an increased demand for IT support, which may be considerable depending on the technical skills of your users and the complexity of your network.
To run the end-user package, users must have the necessary access privileges. If users do not have installation privileges for their own computers, consider one of the following strategies:
Perform the installation on behalf of the user by logging on to the end-user computer with your administrator credentials.
Use a configuration management tool to push the software to multiple end-user computers. See "About Using System Management Tools to Automate Installation" for more information.
You may allow some users to perform their own installations and require other users to have the end-user package installed and configured for them. This approach can ensure a smooth migration for top executives or less technical users who are not able to perform the tasks for themselves.
If your users do not have the privileges required to install software. You can use a system management tool to remotely install the software on end-user computers.
When users cannot install their own software, you must separate the software installation from the migration. You use the DCP to build two end-user packages: the first installs the software, the second enables users to configure the software and migrate their profile and data files.
You push and run the installation end-user package on each end-user computer. The system management tool has full privileges and is therefore authorized to run the end-user package to install Connector for Microsoft Outlook.
The configuration and migration end-user package can be run by end-users, because it does not install software and therefore does not require administrator privileges. Deploy the second end-user package to your end-users to run themselves, or use a system management tool to fully automate the configuration and migration process. Automating the configuration and migration process requires scripting because the end-user package needs information specific to each user (that is, user credentials).
You can use Microsoft System Management Server (SMS) to push the software onto end-user computers, or you can use other system management tools. See "Using Microsoft SMS to Install Connector for Microsoft Outlook" for more information about using SMS to install and configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook.
A typical SMS push scenario consists of the following tasks:
Create two shared directories, named LOGS and WPW, on a computer that is part of the same SMS site as the end-user computers. Assign full control share permissions for all folders to the SMSCliToknLocalAcct$ account. These assignments provide read/write access to the 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 share permissions for all of the NTFS folders to SMSCliToknLocalAcct$.
Use the DCP to create an end-user package that installs the Connector for Microsoft Outlook software on each computer, but does not migrate Outlook profiles or data files. See "Working With the Deployment Configuration Program" for more information. Use the following values on the Processes tab to prepare the package for SMS distribution:
Set User mode to Silent.
Deselect Create/convert/upgrade user profile.
Use UNC paths (\servername\sharename) for all of the path fields.
Use the SMS packaging wizard to prepare a package that contains the installation end-user package, and push the package to run on end-user computers.
Follow the SMS instructions to create a package with the following settings:
On the Package screen, select Create a new package and program.
On the Source Files screen, select Create a compressed version of this source.
On the Program Properties screen, select Run with administrative rights.
On the Assign Program screen, select Yes to assign the program, and specify the date and time of the assignment.
Use the DCP to create a second end-user package that permits users to configure Connector for Microsoft Outlook and migrates their existing Outlook profiles and data files. See "Working With the Deployment Configuration Program" for more information Use the following values on the Processes tab to prepare this package:
Set User mode to Interactive.
Under Processes to include in this configuration:
Ensure that none of the Install or upgrade options are selected.
Select Create/convert/upgrade user profile.
Use the SMS packaging wizard to prepare a package that contains the configuration and migration end-user package.
Follow the SMS instructions to create a package with the following settings:
On the Package screen, select Create a new package and program.
On the Source Files screen, select Create a compressed version of this source.
On the Program Properties screen:
Deselect Run with administrative rights.
For Program can run, select Only when a user is logged on.
Select User input required.
On the Assign Program screen, select Yes to assign the program, and specify the date and time of the assignment.
Push the configuration and migration end-user package to end-user computers. Do one of the following:
To enable users to respond to prompts during the migration process, use the SMS packaging wizard to push the package.
To run the migration process silently, create an SMS script that runs the end-user package and include in the script the command-line switches that provide user credentials.
For example, you might create an SMS package that runs an end-user package that migrates data, and have the SMS services issue the following commands during the migration process:
DT_Package.exe /USERNAME=jsmith /FULLNAME="John Smith" /EMAILADDRESS="john.smith@example.com" /DN="uid=jsmith,ou=people,o=example.com,o=example.com"
Note:
Command-line samples are formatted here for ease of reading, but all of the switches must be typed in a continuous string.You could then substitute environment variables for the users (if the Windows user names and the Oracle user names match):
DT_Package.exe /USERNAME=%username% /FULLNAME="Change This" /EMAILADDRESS=%username%@example.com /DN=uid=%username%,ou=people,o=example.com,o=example.com
See "About Command-Line Switches for Software Installation" for more information about supported command-line switches.
You can configure an end-user package to include connection information to an update site where you publish updates and upgrades for Connector for Microsoft Outlook. Each time Outlook is opened, Connector for Microsoft Outlook checks the update site for updates and informs the user. Also, when you configure the end-user package with connection information to an update site, users can manually check for updates.
See "Checking for Updates Automatically" for more information.