How do I create a Public Calendar for Exchange 2003?

Hello Simon,
What do you mean by 'book'?
How do I create a public folder?  Do I do it from the Outlook client?
I am testing this from an Outlook client that is on the same Windows 2003 Server that has Exchange on it?  Is this ok?  I keep getting error messages when trying to do stuff from the outlook  client.
I want domain users to be able to read/edit one calendar that all can see/use.
What is a resource mailbox?  Is that different than a regular email box?

Thanks

By book I mean when setting up a meeting you want to be able to choose a resource (meeting room, projector, video etc). A resource mailbox is a mailbox that has been setup specifically to represent a resource so that it appears as something you can "invite" to a meeting. See this article at msexchange.org for more details: http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/MF019.html

If it is just a general calendar where entries are made then a public folder is perfect.

You should NEVER install Outlook on the same machine as Exchange. It will break Exchange. If you are just getting errors from Outlook you might be ok and can remove Outlook without doing too much harm. However I would remove it as soon as possible.

Otherwise, create the folder from Outlook on another machine. Make sure that you have rights to create the folder.
Right click on public folders and choose New Folder. Another box will popup where you can give the folder a name, choose what the folder contains and select the location. Give it then name, change the type to "Calendar items" and choose the location.
Once created, right click on the new folder and choose Properties. Click on the Permissions tab and adjust as required.
Make sure that at least one person is the owner of the folder, that "Default" is set to none. Use your "All Staff" equivalent group to set the default permissions for regular users then set higher permissions for other people individually. For example you might allow anyone to create an item, allow them to delete their own items, but not those created by others. However an office manager might have higher rights to be able to delete anything.

Simon.

Great answer!

1. I will remove Outlook from the Exchange Server.  Should I reinstall Exchange to make sure I did not break it by installing Outlook on it?

2. I created Outlook on another machine.  I followed your directions and they are perfect, except that I get a permissions error message.  To eliminate the permission error, I made the domain user who was creating the public calendar a member of the Enterprise Admins group, and it still did not work! I still get the permission error.   That domain user should have all the permissions on the domain, so I am not sure why it did not work.  Here is the error message: UNABLE TO CREATE THE FOLDER.  YOU DO NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT PERMISSIONS TO PERFORM THE OPERATION ON THIS OBJECT.  SEE FOLDER CONTACT OR ADMINISTRATOR.

Is there a different way to set the permissions?  

Thanks Simon.

It cannot do any harm to reinstall Exchange. It will not cause a problem for the data, but you will have to install the service pack and any hot fixes afterwards. There will be a period of downtime while the reinstall takes place.

PF Permissions can be a funny thing. There are a number of ways that permissions can be set.
I wouldn't have given the user enterprise admin rights personally. I also don't tend to allow users to create public folders - I do it myself, at least at the top level.

Where were you trying to create the folder? At the top level or a sub folder?
After changing the permissions on the user - did you get them to log off and log back on again?
Don't forget that Exchange caches permissions. In some cases it can take 2 hours before a permission change is active.

Simon.

Hello Sembee,
I will reinstall Exchange offhours to make sure it is ok.  I will install the service packs and hot fixes too.

I just gave the user enterprise admin permissions as a means of troubleshooting. It is temporary.  I actually removed him from the Enterprise Admins because it did not fix the problem anyway.

I was trying to create the public folder as an Enterprise Admin using the Outlook client on a machine other than the Exchange server.  I navigated to Public Folders, and I think I clicked 'New Folder' on that.  I then selected type of Calendar, but then I got the permissions error that I mentioned above.  I also tried to create a public mailbox (just for troubleshooting purposes), and I got the same permissions error there too.

Maybe Exchange caching was the problem...I definitely did not wait 2 hours.

Yes, I did log off and log back on after i added the user to the Enterprise Admins group.


Should I have set anything up in Exchange first using System Manager?  This is a new testing server, so it is not operational yet.   If I recall, do I have to specify the domains that Exchange will accept email on?  I did not do it on this new testing server yet because I could not find where to do it.  I did send a test email to myself and it worked, so it looks like SMTP is working on this server.

Thanks alot you guys for your help so far!

There is nothing to change in ESM to allow someone to create public folders - unless someone has changed the security settings in the past to restrict access.

Simon.

Hello Simon,
Nobody has changed security settings to restrict access.