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mchkorgFlag for France

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free/busy not available from OL2003... sometimes (not for all mailboxes)

On a brand new Exchange 2007, W2K3-64 server and so on. No migration, Exchange wasn't in place before.
Outlook 2K7 clients are running fine
Outlook 2K3 *were* running fine.
One day, Outlook 2K3 users reported 2 problems :
1) they can't access free/busy info anymore, not for all users!
2) if they try to "open a shared calendar", they get the same message "Unable to display the folder. The Calendar folder could not be found" (in french, but we don't care).

=> I didn't change anything to this server (the less I touch it, the better). I tried to reboot it - just in case.
This problem sounds like a "public folder" problem, but my public folder DB is mounted and seems good. Compatibility for OL 2003 "old" clients as been activated at installation time (and is still activated).

Moreover, O2K3 users see some user's free/busy, but not for all users. Nothing that reminds me of a difference between users (all declared the same way, via automatic scripts).

Other things I've tested:
- I read on some websites that moving the faulty mailboxes to another mailbox database could help. It didn't.
- I created a new account, it can't access some user's free/busy information, too, same message
- O2K3 users can't access this newly created account neither.
- I used a new windows session (new profile on a computer) with an "old" existing exchange mailbox, it does not change anything - still working strangely (so not related to the XP local profile)
- I checked the public folder integrity (eseutil /g), alright.
- I've connected via the OWA with some of the faulty mailboxes. The calendar seems ok.
- It doesn't seem to be a translation problem, I thought of it when I saw "calendar" and "Calendrier" (french), but I've changed the language setting and checked some option to translate the name (I don't remember exactly), no effect, again.
- I deleted the ost file in my profile, to be sure. No effect :(

=> so the problem is related to something in the mailboxes database, not on client side and does occur for O2K3 clients only.

I really don't understand :(

Thank you
Avatar of Veerappan Sundaram
Veerappan Sundaram
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Have a look at the below KB, which helped me to fix the same issue with Exchange 2003 server.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294282 

But no idea how it will behave with E2K7.
Try with you test account first.

>>>> Veera.
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ASKER

Hi,
Hard to find the link to actually download it... I keep searching...

From the tool name you provided me, I found : http://www.expta.com/ and a blog article named "Free/Busy Information in Exchange 2000/2003/2007". About E2K7, it doesn't say if it'll help or not.
I'll try as soon as I can download this tool.
I tested outlook /cleanfreebusy, as mentionned in the above link, didn't change nothing...
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Veerappan Sundaram
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ASKER

Hello,

I was on vacation, sorry for the delay.

The binary is not working for 64 bit server.
I tried some compatibility settings: no way to run it.

I tried to create an appointment in a calendar for which I have f/b problems, as this is the goal of this tool, nothing changed.

Any other idea to fix this f/b and sharing problem ?

I saw this morning that for some people whom I couldn't read their F/B before my holydays, I can now.
From a OL2007, I can see everyone/everything.
From a OL2003, still a bit messy and no idea why I can see some people and not the others...

Thank you
mchkorg,

You have run this tool only from your local desktop computer and not from exchange server.

>>>> Veera.
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ASKER

no :)
from the server, 100% sure

Beside this, I can see that when I create a meeting in a "non-working calendar" (I mean, a calendar for which I can't see the F/B info), the F/B info are created the day after. Finally...
BUT : I still can't "open this shared calendar", I always get : "Unable to display the folder. The Calendar folder could not be found" from an OL 2003 client.

I guess the idea to use this tool or the manual procedure (force a meeting to [re]generate the F/B data) is the right solution, but I still have this problem when trying to open a shared calendar

any idea on this ?
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ASKER

Thanks. It did not correct everything but the idea was good : I when you don't use a calendar the F/B info are not generating. As I was migrating everyone, some calendars were just unused. Maybe.
With time, everything seems to be correct...
Thanks, anyway