System Requirements and Technical Considerations

OpenAir Exchange Manager is a Windows-based application that enables IT system administrators to set up and run the integration between OpenAir and Microsoft Exchange. This help topic includes detail about the following system requirements and technical considerations:

• System Requirements to install, configure and run OpenAir Exchange Manager on your computer.

• Infrastructure that OpenAir Exchange Manager supports.

• Communication Interfaces used by the OpenAir <> Exchange integration.

• Role Permissions required to set up and run the OpenAir <> Exchange integration.

Infrastructure

You can use the OpenAir <> Exchange integration with an on-premise Windows domain network configuration, a cloud-based environment, or an hybrid configuration.

On-premise	Online	Hybrid
Active Directory (LDAP protocol)	Azure Active Directory	—
All mailboxes stored in Exchange Server organizations. Supported versions: 2007 SP1, 2010, 2010 SP1, 2010 SP2, 2013, 2013 SP1, 2016. You must run the same version of Microsoft Exchange Server across all instances to use the integration with mailboxes stored in multiple Exchange Server organizations.	All mailboxes stored in Exchange Online organizations.	Some mailboxes are stored in Exchange Online organizations, some in on-premise Exchange organizations.

Note:

Review the following guidelines:

• If Active Directory is not available, you need to set up mapping between OpenAir and Exchange Server users manually.

• If some or all mailboxes are stored in an on-premise Exchange organization, you should install OpenAir Exchange Manager on a separate server or workstation on the same network as the company's Exchange server. This ensures the integration has access to Active Directory to query users, but does not store the integration configuration on the same server.

• If OpenAir Exchange Manager is set up on a remote server outside the company network, the integration typically needs VPN access to the company network to be able to interface with the Exchange server.

System Requirements

The following requirements must be met to install, configure, and run Integration Manager on a :

• Operating System

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016 or 2019

  • Microsoft Windows 8, 8.1 and 10

• Microsoft .NET Framework Version 4.7.2.

  Note:

  The OpenAir Exchange Manager installer automatically downloads it if it is not installed on your computer.

• RAM 1GB or more.

Communication Interfaces

OpenAir Exchange Manager use the following communication interfaces:

• OpenAir XML API to transfer information from and to OpenAir over a secure layer using the HTTPS protocol (port 443). No incoming ports need to be opened in the firewall.

• Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI) and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to communicate with on-premise Active Directory and retrieve the user information (email address and home mailbox server) required to map Exchange user mailboxes (and associated Active Directory user accounts) with OpenAir user records.

• Exchange Web Services (EWS) to connect to Microsoft Exchange and create calendar events in user mailboxes.

  Important:

  Note the following compatibility guidelines:

  • OpenAir Exchange Manager 5.0 or later version does not support WebDAV. If you are using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, you will be required to use EWS instead.

  • Microsoft no longer supports Basic authentication for EWS to access Exchange Online. OpenAir Exchange Manager 5.1 introduced support for using OAuth 2.0 to connect to Exchange Online using EWS. To configure and run the integration between OpenAir and Microsoft Exchange Online, you must use OpenAir Exchange Manager 5.1 or later version and register OpenAir Exchange Manager with Azure Active Directory. See Registering OpenAir Exchange Manager With Microsoft Identity Platform.

Role Permissions

To set up and run OpenAir <> Exchange integration you must have user accounts with the following permissions:

Software	Role permissions	Notes
OpenAir	Account administrator	Required to read and update all task assignments, resource bookings, and schedule requests.
Active Directory	Domain administrator	Required to read the user information (email address and home mailbox server) required to map Exchange user mailboxes (and associated Active Directory user accounts) with OpenAir user records.
Microsoft Exchange	Administrator	Required to grant access to user mailboxes and modify Exchange settings if necessary.
	Read and Write access permissions to all user mailboxes	Should be used to run OpenAir Exchange Engine, which does not require Exchange or Enterprise administrator privileges.
Windows / Windows Server	Administrator	Required to run OpenAir Exchange Setup and OpenAir Exchange Engine applications.

Known Limitations

The integration has the following limitations:

• Exchange Web Services (EWS) limits the calendar item duration to five years maximum. If any task assignments, resource bookings or time off requests exceed five years in OpenAir, the integration automatically sets the duration of calendar events to five years (maximum duration supported by EWS).

Backup

You should backup the file containing your OpenAir <> Exchange integration configuration settings (oaexchdb.mdb) periodically. The file is located in the OpenAir Exchange Manager installation folder – typically, C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenAir\ExchangeManager.