Exchange 2003: Schedule+Free/Busy

Thanks for the links. I went through Free/Busy Folders in Exchange Server 2003 in Depth. But its explain in general. Kindly, i am not getting what are the steps to implement or test it.

I am using Exchange2003 with Outlook 2007, should not be a problem. What you think.

In th client outlook, I went to tools>options>clander options, the default settings are there.
Also i donot see the public folders in my outlook.

For the Resource Scheduling, when i click on it, i get the following error:
"this folder cannot be open because there is a configuration problem on the server..."
What can be done for this error..

Regards

Open Outlook - create a new meeting- invite colleagues for the meeting- are you able to see their free busy information ? are you able to invite them ? Are they getting the meeting request and if they accept it ,do you get a response saying that they have accepted your meeting ? If yes then schedule + free busy is working fine except if any of your users are complaining about the same.

When do you get the error ,is it when you click on the Scheduling Tab or when you select the resource?

Run the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer ( Health Check ) from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=DBAB201F-4BEE-4943-AC22-E2DDBD258DF3&displaylang=en (Microsoft Exchange Best Practices Analyzer v2.8) and check if any related errors or warnings are listed.

P.S : Dont attach the entire report here as its a Public Forum.You can mention the pointers if any.

A-1 can invite the attendees(A)-2, message is recieved by A-2, when A-2  accept the meeting, A-1 get the reply. but what if the A-1 have the meeting at the same time, should not A-2 will reply automatically to A-1 or how.
Where is will see their free busy information? i create new, select the user, but free busy information could not see. where exactly it will be.

I get the error when i lick on the Resource Scheduling Tab.

If you invite user 2 for a meeting you wont get an automatic reply saying that he is busy etc....But when you add the user you should see the free busy status of the user2.......

Did you run the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer ( Health Check ) ?

The Exchange Best Practices Analyzer results are as:

Front-End Exch
1. systempages set too high
2. paging file larger than physical memory
Back-End Exch
1. heapdecommitfreeblock threshold not set

If user1 invites user2, if user2 is beasy at that time, user1 will be able to see the free/busy, where exactly.

I would like to add to above..

When i try to create a new in the celander, and check scheduling, add user to check freebusy,
it gives me \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\, saying
"no information"
"no freebusy information could be retrived"

I tried both the user logged in outlook, but no chance.

Did you check in any other mailbox? is it an issue with single user or multiple users affected?

I will check after the holidays and will post.

For meeting rooms, I need the solution to create mailboxes for each resource to automatically administered by Exchange itself.
What i did untill is as
1. created the email id as mr
2. Went to outlook2007>tools>calender options>Resourse Scheduling, here i get the following error.
Error: this folder cannot be opened because there is a configuration problem on the server

I do not know if there is any other setting need at the server end. Please explain the steps in oder to acomplish.

Thanks & sorry for delay

The above issue i fixed and is working fine.

But when a cancellation message is sent to the resource mailbox, in the calender of resource mailbox, it shows cancelled and it also send message for cancellation to all, but its not removed from the resource mailbox calender. In this way, another person tries to set a meeting at the same time its alway decline that there is a conflict.

Please help..

How you have configured the auto acceptance for resource room?

Is it Auto accept agent or configured the auto acceptance from outlook.

What i did is as:
1. created the email id as mr
2. Configured mr account in the outlook
3. Then in outlook2007>tools>calender options>Resourse Scheduling,
here i select,
Automatically accept meeting
Automatically decline conflicting
Automatically decline recurring

How we can do Auto accept agent?

OK then are you marking this mailbox as resource while sending the meeting request? (see the screen shot)

Regarding Configuring Auto Accept Agent, refer the MS KB.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123609(EXCHG.65).aspx

Why do i require Auto Accept Agent? Explain.

Now when i create a meeting, i do the following:
1. Go to my calender as user, Click new>Click invite attendees>
then select in the "required" user1 (Email address)>
then select in the "Resourses" Meeting Room (Email address)>
then click send, then i get the message, its delivered to user1, if he accepts, then i recieve the accepted message. At the same time the meeting room is reserved for me. Also i tested if i tried to reserve the room at the same duration, i recieve the message decline. Plz Confirm this is the way it should work.

but if the user1 already have the meeting at this duration, i am not been able to know, maybe i should get a message that user1 is busy. This is not working.

Publish Free/Busy Information to the Internet, why do we need this. There is option in the outlook.

Waiting for your response.

Why do I require Auto Accept Agent? Explain.

It's an event sink which gives automatic server-side processing of meeting requests to registered resource mailboxes. In this case there is no configuration required for resource mailbox only thing you need to register them as resource mailbox.

You can find more details from the Microsoft article.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124617(EXCHG.65).aspx

The way you book the resource is correct, here problem is you are not able to see the free/busy, right?

Can you tell me whether it is happening for all users or for few users? are you able to view their free/busy using outlook web access?

Publish Free/Busy Information to the Internet, why do we need this. There is option in the outlook.

It is for publishing your free/busy information to Internet users.

I run the set for Autoaccept agent. I download from the below link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3D0884E6-C603-491D-BF57-ACF03E046BFE&displaylang=en

In the user i typed: email id of the meeting room like mr
In the password, i typed: password for it
In the domain: <domain>

then i recieved the attached error.

After i install this, what other configuration is required. what are the steps.

The error for autoaccept

The file might be corrupted, did you try to download again and setup it?

The Auto Accept Agent Deployment and Administration Guide  
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/883130

Refer the link for details with screen shot on how to install the auto accept agent.
http://www.msexchange.me.uk/autoaccept.htm

Note : If you are configuring the Auto Accept Agent then you need to disable the outlook auto accepting setting for the resource mailbox.

What account details should be filled?

The account which have full access to the resource mailbox which you are going to configure AAA.

In the link below what i should do here..
Cscript //nologo listmailboxes.vbs /s:exchange-server-netbios-name


Refer the link for details with screen shot on how to install the auto accept agent.
http://www.msexchange.me.uk/autoaccept.htm

In the file AutoAccept.config.xml, what & where i changes are required..

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Configuration
      xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
      xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
      xmlns="urn:microsoft.exchange.agents.autoaccept.config"
      xsi:schemaLocation="urn:microsoft.exchange.agents.autoaccept.config AutoAccept.config.xsd"
>
  <GlobalSettings>
    <BookingWindowInMonths>12</BookingWindowInMonths>
    <DeleteAttachments>true</DeleteAttachments>
    <DeleteComments>true</DeleteComments>
    <DeleteNonCalendarItems>true</DeleteNonCalendarItems>
    <DisableReminders>true</DisableReminders>
    <EnforceRecurringMeetingEndDate>true</EnforceRecurringMeetingEndDate>
    <RecurringMeetingConflictPercentageAllowed>0</RecurringMeetingConflictPercentageAllowed>
    <RecurringMeetingMaximumConflictInstances>0</RecurringMeetingMaximumConflictInstances>
    <RemovePrivateProperty>true</RemovePrivateProperty>
    <TraceLevel>0</TraceLevel>
    <TraceListenerFile>c:\temp\log.txt</TraceListenerFile>
    <TraceToEventLog>false</TraceToEventLog>
    <EnableResponseDetails>true</EnableResponseDetails>
    <IncludeDebugInResponse>true</IncludeDebugInResponse>
    <CustomResponseText></CustomResponseText>
  </GlobalSettings>
  <Mailbox EMailAddress="conf-room1@company.com">
    <Settings>
      <BookingWindowInMonths>12</BookingWindowInMonths>
      <DeleteAttachments>true</DeleteAttachments>
      <DeleteNonCalendarItems>true</DeleteNonCalendarItems>
      <DisableReminders>true</DisableReminders>
      <RecurringMeetingConflictPercentageAllowed>25</RecurringMeetingConflictPercentageAllowed>
      <RecurringMeetingMaximumConflictInstances>4</RecurringMeetingMaximumConflictInstances>
      <TraceLevel>0</TraceLevel>
    </Settings>
  </Mailbox>
  <Mailbox EMailAddress="conf-room2@company.com">
    <Settings>
      <BookingWindowInMonths>8</BookingWindowInMonths>
      <DeleteAttachments>true</DeleteAttachments>
      <TraceLevel>4</TraceLevel>
    </Settings>
  </Mailbox>
</Configuration>

Now I can send request to multiple resourse rooms and working fine. But want to clear some doutes if configured properly as,

1. How to run the cscript & What the changes required in the below files in the AAA folder:
a. AutoAccept.config.xml
b. ListMailboxes.vbs
c. MailboxStatus.vbs
d. RegisterMailbox.vbs

2. For the Multiple Rexourse rooms, in the AutoAccept.config.xml, do i have to define both the resourse rooms email address. On the contrary, i have created the .txt file with all the resourse rooms, and i tested it works.

3. How we can set a permission, that not everyone can reserve the resourse rooms. From the link u send, i was able to achieve that a restricted user is getting NDR with nopermission to send, but the secondly partly still recieve the message and can accept the meeting.

4. If i send the second part an invitation for the meeting but without the resourse room, and the second party is busy at that time, the meeting is not declined. Whereas i can seen the availability calander that he is busy.

5. What others things needs to be in consideration to manage these resourses

Thanks for your kind support.

Any reply...

Sorry for the late response, i got stuck up with some urgent project work.

You don't have to define all the mailboxes in AutoAccept.config.xml, you just need to register the resource mailbox using the registermailbox.vbs

registermailbox.vbs is used to register a mailbox with AAA. and

Cscript //nologo listmailboxes.vbs /s:exchange-server-netbios-name

Is used to verify the mailboxes that are registered

For more details on Registering Mailboxes  
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124104(EXCHG.65).aspx

You can download the AAA Administration Guide which have the detailed information.

Another informative article :- Troubleshooting Exchange 2003 Auto Accept Agent using scripts  
http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2006/03/20/422534.aspx

For Point 3:
3. How we can set a permission, that not everyone can reserve the resourse rooms. From the link u send, i was able to achieve that a restricted user is getting NDR with nopermission to send, but the secondly partly still recieve the message and can accept the meeting.

I did tried below, i get the NDR, but still he can reserve the room, WHY?:

Setting Delivery Restrictions for a Resource Mailbox
To prevent unauthenticated users or users who should not schedule the resource from scheduling a meeting, delivery restrictions should be used. Use one of the following methods to prevent users from booking a resource:

Do not register the resource mailbox with the agent.

Use delivery restrictions. If a user is not allowed to schedule the resource, they will receive a non-delivery report (NDR).

To set delivery restrictions for a resource mailbox
Start Active Directory Users and Computers.

In the console tree, expand the domain. Double-click Users.

In the details pane, double-click the mailbox-enabled user who you are modifying.

On the Exchange General tab, click Delivery Restrictions.

In the Delivery Restrictions dialog box, under Message restrictions, select the restrictions to apply.

---------------------------
For my point 4, why is not work?
 
4. If i send the second part an invitation for the meeting but without the resourse room, and the second party is busy at that time, the meeting is not declined. Whereas i can seen the availability calander that he is busy.

-------------------

5. What others things needs to be in consideration to manage these resourses?

-------------------

Please answer to above questions..