Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of floyd197
floyd197

asked on

SBS 2011 - Company Shared Address Book /contact list

What is the best way of setting up a central contact list in SBS for all users to see. I was thinking the best way would be
to use the Global Address List? if so would you establish this using the exchange management console and then
mail contact?

thanks in advance
Avatar of Systech Admin
Systech Admin
Flag of India image

Global Address list is the best way to create central contact list. there is no other feature in exchange to provide this feature.
Avatar of floyd197
floyd197

ASKER

Thanks. How would I start to do this? would it be mail contact - new mail contact

would you have to add each contact individually?
well there will be a default global address list already.. you dont need to create it again.
Hi Floyd,

You can import contacts into the Global Address Book.

See this link from Microsoft for details:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Ee176874.aspx

Alan.
How do I go about adding a single contact to test?
If you mean to test the above import from a CSV file, then create a CSV file with the headers as per the MS instructions, and a single contact row, and import that to make sure it works for you.

If you have it, then you could test this on an isolated / test system, and then restore that system back afterwards to get rid of the change.

Hope that helps,

Alan.
Thanks. I meant from scratch if you didn't have a CSV file or any other contacts and you wanted to start from scratch
I'm confused.

If you don't have any other contacts, then there would be nothing to import into the Global, Address Book?

Please can you expand on what test you want to do?

Thanks,

Alan.
Sorry, say a company all had individual contacts and they wanted to create one that all users could see and for various reasons it was easier to start from scratch and manually add the details you wanted could this be done
Hi,

Yes - you could manually create a mail contact for each one I guess, but it would seem easier to upload them all in one go using CSV import.

Alan.
I have exported some of my contacts from Outlook as a csv. created a folder on a sbs test server with the following path
C:\Contacts Test and copied the csv file which is called contacts into it.

All I seem to be getting is error messages about cannot bind parameter and cannot convert value.
Perhaps the field names don't match.

Maybe try a test with the example from the MS article I linked to above with just one dummy contact, and make sure that works first.  Something like:

Name,Department,Title
Testy McTestFace,TestingDept,ChiefTester

Alan.
Instead of trying to export my contacts should I try that in excel and save it as a CSV.  Similar to the following

Name department     title
Testy.  Testing dept.   Chief tester
Yes - that should work, but you need to comm delimit the header row too (Excel should do that automatically if you save as a CSV, but open that CSV in notepad (say) to check it).

Don't forget to delete the test contact afterwards (assuming it works!)

Alan.
The test contact now displays in powershell but should it appear in the global address book?
Hi Floyd,

I must apologise - I linked above to a generic import guide, not specific to importing to the GAB.  Not sure what I was thinking at the time - maybe it was late.

You need to import into the GAB.  Rather than re-type all the commands here, this is a good step-by-step:

https://davidvielmetter.com/tricks/bulk-create-external-email-contacts-in-exchangeoffice-365/

I would just import the one test first still.

Does that work for you?

Alan.
No problem. will try that and let you know.
I have created a test contact called contact.csv (I have removed the actual details)
 I the copied this into C:\ on the server .

I changed the directory to c: and Using the powershell commands in Step 3A entered the
commands but changed the details to suit my csv i.e.ExternalEmailAddress to Emailaddress.
I assuming this is correct. After finishing and pressing enter, there where no errors this
time. I have also connected a workstation to test but this test doesn't appear in the
Global Address Book in Outlook.

thanks
01.jpg
contact.csv.PNG
Hi,

Sometimes it seems to take 'some time' for them to appear in the Global Address List - a syncing timing issue I believe.

Are they showing now?

In Outlook, on the home ribbon, click on 'Address Book', then, if you have more than one address book, change the address book to 'Global Address List', and the new external contact should be showing in there.

Alan.
Thanks for the reply. Just put the server on now to test. Opened outlook, address book  and then gab and the test doesn't appear to be there.
Please can you post the csv file that you used as the test, and I will upload that here to see if it works for me.

Thanks,

Alan.
Now attached, many thanks
contact.csv
Hi,

You had a blank line between the headers and data - I suspect that was the issue.

Please can you try the attached sample file with this command:

Import-Csv C:\Temp\EE-29057817-ExternalContact-Version2.csv|%{New-MailContact -Name $_.ExternalEmailAddress -Alias $_.Alias -ExternalEmailAddress $_.ExternalEmailAddress -OrganizationalUnit "ZZ_OU_Test"}

Open in new window


You will need to change the csv file location (or put it in C:\Temp\ if leaving the command as is).

Also, I created a separate test OU in Active Directory - Users and Computers, called ZZ_OU_Test.  Either create that same test OU, or change the command to use an OU that does exist (just makes it easier to find the test contact later - you can put it in any existing OU if you like).

Please post back if that works.

Thanks,

Alan.
EE-29057817-ExternalContact-Version2.csv
Tried the above but still erroring. I have double checked in case I have
made any errors  but I may have missed something. Thanks
Image attached
image.jpg
Hi Floyd,

You may have a permissions issue.

Please run this command first, then retry:

New-ManagementRoleAssignment –Role “Mailbox Import Export” –User UserNameOfUserRunningTheImportCommand

Open in new window


Replacing the username with the domain admin user that will be running the import command next.

Thanks,

Alan.
Thanks. Ran both commands. No errors but nothing has appeared in the GAL in Outlook. Could it take a while?
Did it show in EMC as an external contact?

If so, try logging in to OWA, and see if it shows in the GAL from there.

If so, then it should be just a syncing / timing issue into Outlook.  I believe that if you turned of cached-mode in Outlook, it would appear instantly, but you could also just wait.

You can also update your OAB from the GAL in Outlook, see this article for instructions:

http://accc.uic.edu/answer/how-manually-update-your-copy-global-address-list-gal-outlook

Alan.
Turned the server and test workstation this morning. No, it doesn't seem to appear anywhere. (See Screenshots). I have tried to update the GAL in outlook and turned off the cache.

Have I typed the commands correctly.

Many thanks
Updated-GAL.jpg
EMC.jpg
Hi,

Sometimes quote marks get mucked up on webpages, so you might try copying the command above into Notepad, and manually replacing all the doube-quotes with shift-comma (immediately to the left of 'enter' at least on my keyboard) to make sure that hasn't happened.

By all means save the notepad file and upload it here so that we can compare commands.

Alan.
notepad file attached
GAL.txt
GAL.txt
Hi Floyd,

Please can you check that ZZ_OU_Test exists in ADUC.

Thanks,

Alan.
Double checked OU - Screenshot attached
OU.jpg
Not sure where to go with this. Have tried the commands again with no errors but nothing seems to appear
Hi Floyd,

When I tested the above, I created the new OU (ZZ_OU_Test) manually in ADUC, and I dropped it under MyBusiness - Users.

I can't see why it would matter, but could you try moving the OU to be a sub-folder of that location, and see if that makes any difference?

Thanks,

Alan.
I have created the OU as per above. i assume the path needs amending. Would this be correct
OrganizationalUnit "MyBusiness\Users\ZZ_OU_Test}

Thanks
Yes - that is where I put it when I tested.
Sorry for any confusion. I meant is the power shell command correct?
Hi Floyd,

I did not put the 'path' in the Powershell command, I ran it with the OU under MyBusiness - Users, and with this command:

Import-Csv C:\Temp\EE-29057817-ExternalContact-Version2.csv|%{New-MailContact -Name $_.ExternalEmailAddress -Alias $_.Alias -ExternalEmailAddress $_.ExternalEmailAddress -OrganizationalUnit "ZZ_OU_Test"}

Open in new window


Make sure that the CSV file is still there with the same name though.

Thanks,

Alan.
I don't know if there is anything wrong with powershell on my test system or something else but still getting not recognised errors. Though I have just tried again but with no errors but nothing seems to have appeared
Okay, I am going to go back and re-check everything in case I missed or mistyped something myself.

Will post again in a few mins.

Alan.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of Alan
Alan
Flag of New Zealand image

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Hi Floyd,

Can I also check:  Are you doing this from the Exchange Management Shell or from PowerShell?

If not already, please can you try it from the Exchange Management Shell.

Thanks,

Alan.
I have been doing it all from powershell
Okay, please can you try from EMS.....
I have used the older csv file not the latest as that was already on the system. ran it from EMS and the contact now appears in EMC
and ADUC. Doesn't as yet seem to have appeared in Outlook in the GAL on the workstation
The contacts in Outlook show up in All contacts. Should this be correct
If there are not too many contacts may it be worth just creating them manually in the EMC using mew mail contact
Just logged in as another user on the worksation - which has configured outlook for use and the contacts appear
in their GAL and all contacts but they are not yet there in the original users Outlook only all contacts. Hopes that
makes sense.
Hi Floyd,

So, it is working now, running from EMS?

The contacts are showning up in the GAL (you can see them from, for example, OWA)?

The only issue is one or more Outlook installs have not (yet) updated?  If you reboot those machines, does the GAL update?

Thanks,

Alan.
Ems has worked. The contacts show up in owa I have tried 2 user accounts. regarding the outlook on the workstation I set up the workstation with 1 user using the connect computer wizard. I then switched user and logged in with another user account and configured outlook. The contacts are here but they are not listed under the gal. If you login to the account set up first and then configure outlook they are listed under the gal and all contacts. Many thanks.
Hi Floyd,

Does that mean that you are good to go?

I apologise for not thinking about the possibility you were running the command from a generic powershell prompt, rather than EMS.  Should have thought of that much earlier!

Alan.
Yes I think so. I was thinking it may be as well to create the contacts manually ( I don't know how many there are yet) using the emc and new mail contact as I will have to put them into a CSV file anyway. If I use the emc I wouldn't have to do this. Which way do you think is best.
Hi Floyd,

I would use the CSV import if the source of the date is already structured in some way (maybe even in a CSV to start with).  This might be, for example, if two businesses were being merged into a single AD setup, and you received a list of new employees from an HR system or something similar.

If not, then you are right, it might be just as fast to enter them manually, especially if there are only a few.

Alan.
If using the emc would you recommend creating the ou in SBS users and calling it something like company contacts instead of ou_test and then choosing that location when you get the option in the emc. Thanks
Yes - I would only ever create them under SBSUsers unless I had a compelling reason to put them elsewhere.

You can call the OU anything that makes sense (within reason!), and in the 'New Mail Contact' wizard, there is an option to choose which OU to put them in (rather than letting SBS put them in the default one).  I always tell it where to put them, just because I like to know for sure what it is doing.  Now I think about it, I may never have actually left the option to put them in the 'default' OU.

My most common OU name would be.... SBSUsers\Contacts

Call me Mr Imagination :-)


Hope that helps,

Alan.
Hi Floyd,

Did this work for you?

If all good, please can you close the question off.

Thanks,

Alan.
Hi Alan,

Sorry for the delay. Just waiting for them to come back with the contacts details they want adding. is it
OK to keep the question open until then in case I require any further assistance.

Thanks
Sure :-)
Hi Floyd,

Did it work okay when they gave you the contacts they wanted adding?

Alan.
Hi Floyd,

Did the above solution work for you?

If not, please let me know what is not working, else please close the question.

Thanks,

Alan.
Solution provided.
Sorry I haven't been back earlier. The client has decided not to go ahead with it. Many thanks for your time
and help.