merak groupware user guide - byfalcon · merak groupware is an advanced server-based solution...

Merak GroupWare Version 8.0.0

(c) IceWarp Ltd. – Distributed by Merak Mail Server, Inc. – www.MerakmailServer.com

Printed on 11 February, 2005

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Contents

Introduction 3 About Merak GroupWare .............................................................................................................................4 How It Works ...............................................................................................................................................5 Warning ........................................................................................................................................................9

Quick Start 10 How to install GroupWare..........................................................................................................................11 Web Mail Interface .....................................................................................................................................13 Outlook Connector......................................................................................................................................17

Sharing Concept 24 Sharing Principle ........................................................................................................................................25 How to share own Calendar/Contacts.........................................................................................................27 How to show Shared Calendar in Web Mail...............................................................................................29 How to show Shared Calendar in Outlook..................................................................................................30

Web Mail Interface 32 Calendar Options ........................................................................................................................................33

Calendar View.................................................................................................................................33 Events & Event List.........................................................................................................................34 Tasks................................................................................................................................................44 Shared Calendars .............................................................................................................................46

Calendar Settings ........................................................................................................................................48 Export/Import .............................................................................................................................................51 Sharing Settings ..........................................................................................................................................52 Address Book..............................................................................................................................................57

Outlook Connector 64 Main interface.............................................................................................................................................65 Synchronization ..........................................................................................................................................68 Account Settings.........................................................................................................................................69 Connector Options ......................................................................................................................................74 Nested Folders ............................................................................................................................................76 Distribution Lists ........................................................................................................................................77

Admin Section 78 Merak Config..............................................................................................................................................79

General Tab .....................................................................................................................................80 Data Migration Tab .........................................................................................................................82 ODBC Settings ................................................................................................................................82

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Enabling / Disabling individual accounts/domains..........................................................................84 WebMail .....................................................................................................................................................86 Calendar Files .............................................................................................................................................88

Index 89

3

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction

In This Chapter About Merak GroupWare...................................................4 How It Works .....................................................................5 Warning..............................................................................9

4 Merak GroupWare User Guide

About Merak GroupWare

What GroupWare generally is

GroupWare is a broad term used to describe software that facilitates the collaborative sharing of information. Most GroupWare products enable users to share, among other items, calendars and address books.

What Merak GroupWare is

Merak GroupWare is an advanced server-based solution designed to improve users' communication and their ability to schedule tasks and meetings, and to provide access to information that may be used by more than one person (e.g., addresses).

Key features:

Personal and shared online Calendars (Calendaring/Scheduling of Events, Tasks, Notes) Personal and shared online Contacts Web-based interface for managing all the Calendar/Contacts entries

With Merak GroupWare Outlook Connector the features are:

Synchronization with MS Outlook Client (compatibility of entries with MS Outlook Client - Tasks, Notes, Events, Journals and Contacts)

Personal and shared off-line Calendars Personal and shared off-line Contacts

Chapter 1 Introduction 5

How It Works Merak GroupWare, in cooperation with Outlook Connector, enables users to have on-line and off-line access to their Calendars/Address Book.


The synchronization with MS Outlook Client is accomplished via the Merak GroupWare Outlook Connector, a free and small plug-in for MS Outlook Client. It enables users to manage their Calendars/Contacts off-line, and then to synchronize Calendar/Address Book when an Internet connection is possible.

The Outlook Connector has been tested with MS Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003 and XP Clients. User must have one of these versions of MS Outlook Client installed prior to installation of GroupWare Outlook Connector.

All the Events/Tasks/Notes/Journals/Contacts are stored in a DB on the server and the Outlook Connector is synchronized with this DB according to the user settings in Outlook. All the changes done through Webmail are immediately saved to the DB, so any change is reflected to the Calendar/Contacts in Outlook with the first synchronization after the change.

Merak GroupWare is built upon a Hierarchy Shared Model that allows users to keep their selected entries private, restricted to authorized users, or made public for all users. An account’s Sharing Setting hierarchically sits on top of individual Event/Task/Note and Contact Sharing Settings, providing a means of controlling individual entry Sharing Settings with the account’s overall Sharing Setting.

Example:

User can manage Calendar in MS Outlook while at the office:


Then synchronize by Synchronize All button at the right top corner.

And when user is away from the office, they may manage the Calendar on-line via Webmail access and view all the changes that were done from office.


Warning During the synchronization, a a version of GroupWare Engine on server side is checked and if it is not compatible with the version of Outlook Connector on user's machine, a synchronization process will not be allowed. This is done because of duplication or deletion of records in Calendar and Address Book which was caused by different versions on server and client sides.

Of course, it is easier to adapt a client side version so an administrator should have always a needed version of Outlook Connector prepared on his/her web sites for instance.

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C H A P T E R 2

Quick Start

Quick Start explains the basic installation of Merak GroupWare, Merak GroupWare Outlook Connector and explains the defining first entry in the Web Mail interface.

In This Chapter How to install GroupWare .................................................11 Web Mail Interface.............................................................13 Outlook Connector .............................................................17

Chapter 2 Quick Start 11

How to install GroupWare Merak GroupWare is included in the default installation of Merak Mail Server and is enabled by default. It includes a 30-day trial period for testing purposes. During this period, users can use any feature of the GroupWare server.

After installation users can just log into the Merak Webmail interface

After logging in click either on the Top Menu: Calendar option to manage Events, Tasks and Notes or on the Top Menu: Address Book option to manage the user Contacts.


After the 30-day trial expires, the GroupWare server will not allow users to log into the GroupWare server if a license key has not been purchased. If you do not want users to see the [Calendar] option in the web interface you can disable this by logging into webmail as an administrator and going to [Settings] -> [Administrator Settings] and check the [Disable Calendaring] option.


Web Mail Interface After logging onto Web Mail and clicking on Calendar button, users will be able to see the default Calendar interface.


Now it is fully functional and users can add entries.

Defining First Event

By clicking Add Event button the Event dialog appears.


Users should fill in the options according to the Event properties. The Sharing Settings determines if this Event can be seen by others or not. The "Repeating", "Related Email Address" and "Reminders" dialogs can be opened.


The Repeating function is very customizable and can save time by settings a recurrence for this Event, as seen in the example above - the Event will be repeated every even week on every working day.

Users can specify the addresses they want to link with this Event to the Related Email Addresses option. If the Send invitations is checked a new message to all addresses which are specified there is composed as an invitation to this Event.

As the last option, users can establish if any Reminders should be sent to their address or that of any other. The Email notification or IM message notification can also be used.

After saving the Event using the Save button, the default layout with an added Event will appear:

Defining Tasks and Notes is very similar, however, these entries have fewer options than the Event entry feature.

Detailed explanation of all of the features and settings is available in the Web Mail Interface (on page 32) chapter.


Outlook Connector To install a GroupWare Outlook Connector, download latest version of Connector from www.icewarp.com/download/ and install it on each PC for those who will be using GroupWare.

During the installation process only the Licence Agreement, Personal Info and Path will be required. It takes approximately 20 seconds to install it. The default destination is C:\Program Files\mgwoutlook

After installation and starting MS Outlook, two new buttons Merak GroupWare and an icon for Synchronize All will be shown in MS Outlook Toolbar.


Setting first account

To set first account, click on Properties option in pull-down menu of Merak GroupWare button.


The dialogue box lists the accounts created in Merak GroupWare. No account is installed by default, so no account is shown there yet. New accounts may be added by clicking the Add button. In the resulting dialogue, the user should fill in the options of account


By default, only needed options are shown: Name, Email address, Password and Server. Email address, Password and Server are the same as for common POP/IMAP account of user.

Further account options can be shown by clicking Advanced... button.


The Integrate with default folders option should be checked if user wants to use the existing Calendar/Contacts folders which are in MS Outlook by default. In other words, if user has already used the Calendar/Address Book in default folders then check this option to include the existing entries.

The option Integrate with default folders can be enabled only for one account. It most cases, it is the first one which a user creates in Outlook Connector - that is why it is checked in this example. Be sure, you do not check it for more accounts.

When complete, a first account is shown also in Account List


Now you may close the dialogue by Close button and edit Calendar/Contacts in MS Outlook anyway you wish. When you want to mirror these changes on the server simply use Synchronize All to synchronize all entries in Calendar/Contacts with server or if you want to mirror changes only in one direction use Synchronize To Server or Synchronize From Server options.

All the changes that were done via the Webmail interface will be mirrored to MS Outlook, too. (in case you used Sychronize All)


the Event we have created in previous section (Web Mail Interface) will be shown in Outlook.

All the other options are described in Outlook Connector chapter.

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C H A P T E R 3

Sharing Concept

One of the most powerful features in Merak GroupWare is that users can share their Calendars with other users on the server. They can do that off-line (via GroupWare Outlook Connector) or online (Web Mail Calendaring Interface).

This procedure can accomplished in two steps:

1. The User must allow other users to see their Calendar

2. Users must configure their Web Mail/MS Outlook to see this shared Calendar

This chapter outlines the necessary steps that should be done to enable Calendar sharing.

In This Chapter Sharing Principle ................................................................25 How to share own Calendar/Contacts ................................27 How to show Shared Calendar in Web Mail ......................29 How to show Shared Calendar in Outlook.........................30

Chapter 3 Sharing Concept 25

Sharing Principle Sharing has three levels in the hierarchic model.

The most important is the global Sharing Settings. The Sharing Settings supersedes any other Sharing such as sharing for particular entry or Friends permissions. It can be set to:

Private Friends Friends & Public

The next level of sharing is the entry Sharing Settings. This Sharing Settings takes place when the global Sharing Settings is set to Friends or to Friends & Public and then determines who can see the appropriate entry. It can be set to:

Private Public Shows as Busy (only for Events)

The last level of sharing is the Friends permission which may be assigned by the user to any other account, and that determines the credentials for such account. It may be set to:

View View/Modify Full Control

The following chart should be helpful to better understand which user may see which entries with specified settings.


How to share own Calendar/Contacts To share Calendar/Contacts, follow these steps:

Set the Global Sharing Settings Set the Friends

In the following sections only the sharing of Calendar is described, but it is the same for Contacts (Address Book). Once user sets Calendar to be shared, the Contacts are also set to be shared. And once user sets Webmail /MS Outlook Client to display shared Calendar, it is set also to show the shared Contacts.

1. Setting the Global Sharing Settings

User has to set Global Sharing Settings in Calendar Settings. This may be found by clicking Settings button when user is logged into Webmail and then selecting the Calendar Settings link.


This Sharing Settings supersedes any Sharing which is set for particular Event/Task/Note/Contact.

If Private is set in Sharing Settings no entry will be shared even though particular Event/Task/Note/Contact has Sharing set to Public.

If it is set to Friends, then only accounts that the user set to Friends may view those Calendar entries.

When the Sharing option is set to Friends & Public, the Friends have the permissions as assigned under the [Friends] link. As well, if the Public calendar option is enabled on the server, then the Public URL will be available at the address specified above.

2. Setting the Friends

Now user has to fill accounts under Friends and assign them appropriate permissions so they may view Calendar/Address Book entries.

User may do this by clicking on My Friends link.

There are three types of permissions which may be assigned to the accounts.

Option Description

View Public entries and Events with Shows As Busy Sharing

View/Modify View/modify only Public entries and Events with Shows As Busy Sharing and to add a new entries; entries with Private Sharing are not shown

Full Control View/modify all entries and to add any new entry

Accounts assigned appropriate permissions may set either Webmail or Outlook to show agenda.


How to show Shared Calendar in Web Mail When a user has been granted rights to see a calendar, the user can view the calendar through webmail.

On the left of the webmail calendar screen type the account/email address of the desired calendar in the Shared calendars:

After selecting the View button the shared calendar is shown as long as the user has been granted rights to see their calendar. If the calendar has not been granted to the requesting user then the calendar on the right will not change.

After changing the view to a shared calendar the address book, tasks, and events can now be viewed as long as the other user has granted rights to see these items.

To add default shared calendars to the Shared calendars list, go to [Calendar Settings] and add users to your [Shared Calendars] settings.


How to show Shared Calendar in Outlook If a user has been granted rights to see another user's calendar in webmail, then that permission will allow them to see the calendar in Microsoft Outlook as well.

The Merak GroupWare Connector is needed for this. To add a shared calendar into the connector use the current account you have already set for your own address. Click [Change] option and choose Shared Accounts tab. There specify an address of accounts (each on a separate line) you want to show.

Example:


After saving the account, new Personal Folders will be created in user's MS Outlook.

If user wants to remove shared address (his/her Personal Folders) he/she will have to only remove appropriate address from Shared Calendar tab.

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C H A P T E R 4

Web Mail Interface

The Web Mail interface has three important parts. The first is the interface of the Calendar where all the Events, Notes and Tasks can be managed - Calendar Options (on page 33). The second is the Calendar Settings (on page 48) where users can configure the Calendar interface and settings according to their wishes. And the third part is the Address Book interface where the Private and Global Address Books can be seen, the Groups can be managed and Contacts can be exported/imported.

In This Chapter Calendar Options................................................................33 Calendar Settings................................................................48 Export/Import .....................................................................51 Sharing Settings..................................................................52 Address Book .....................................................................57

Chapter 4 Web Mail Interface 33

Calendar Options The WebMail Calendar interface allows users to completely manage their Calendars. It enables them to:

Add/Modify/Delete Events, Tasks and Notes show Days/Weeks/Months/Years in user's Calendar show lists of Events, Tasks or Notes show Shared Calendars

Calendar View One possible default interface is illustrated, below:


Several explanatory notes follow:

Highlighted in blue are the days where an Event is defined.

It is also possible to show the Calendar using Weekly, Monthly or Annual views.

Events & Event List An Event is an entry with a defined Start and Stop time which can be categorized and specified exactly according to the user.


Defining Events

There are several ways for a user to add an Event:

by clicking on Add Event button by clicking on an [Add] link in Weekly/Monthly view by clicking on a Time in a Daily view

The following dialog will appear:


Most of the options are self-explanatory but there is a short description:

Option Description

Title will be inserted into the user's Calendar

Category allows user to Categorize their Events

Date will be already set to either the present day (if user uses Add Event button) or to the day where user clicked the [Add] link

Time Zone user's site's default Time Zone is set by his/her Administrator, but the user can change the Zone in their Settings option if their Event will be occurring in a different Time Zone

Duration allows the user to block out appropriate amount of time

Location provides the user with an additional field to define the place where their Event should occur

Sharing

Option Description

Private only the owner and Friends with Full Control permissions may view this Event regardless of whether the Calendar is set to be viewed by Friends or Public

Shows as busy if the user allows someone else to see his/her Calendar, the Event will be shown as Busy in case the appropriate user has only View or View/Modify permission. Friends with Full Control permission can see all details of this Event.

Public if the user allows someone else to check his/her Calendar the Event will be shown as it is

See How to share own Calendar (see "How to share own Calendar/Contacts" on page 27) section for more information.

Sharing Settings


This shows users' current sharing settings which he/she can set in the Calendar Settings (on page 48)

The example above was created with Sharing Settings set to Friends and with Sharing set to Private for this Event. It can provide the user with the exact information with which users of the Event has shared. If the user set the Sharing for this Event to Shows As Busy or to Public, it will provide him/her with the appropriate information.

This means that users specified in My Friends which have set the permission to View or to View/Modify can see this Event but only as Busy so they don't know exact details about this Event and users specified in My Friends with Full Control permission can also see the details for this Event (provided that Sharing Settings in Calendar Settings is set to Friends or Friends & Public). No one can see this Event with Sharing Settings (in Calendar Settings) set to Private.

If this Event's Sharing is set to Public, and Sharing Settings in Calendar Settings remain the same (Friends),


then ALL users specified in My Friends can see this Event with all the details without any regard to the permission which is set for these users.

For more information on how to set the Sharing and Sharing Settings see Sharing Concept (on page 24) chapter or Sharing Settings section

Option Description

Note providing you with an additional field to clearly define your Event

Repeating

This feature can save a lot time by allowing the user to set the Rules when this Event should be repeated. The user may specify this Event only once (e.g. every week).

It can be ended according to the Date information.

Related Email Addresses


This field provides an opportunity to list related email addresses with an appropriate Event. If Send Invitations option is checked, a new message to all specified addresses will be sent as invitations for this Event.

Reminders

This feature allows the user to specify two reminders for an Event. Users may use both ways:

Instant Messaging message Email message

Reminder provides an alert at a specified time prior to the actual event time.


Event List

By clicking on the Event List link, the following dialogue appears:

If the - Category - item is selected, all the Categories will be shown. If User defined is chosen, a new Edit button will appear.


After clicking on it, the user may choose which Categories should be displayed.

The "- - - - - -" item will show the uncategorized Events.

The User may choose which Events are shown:

All Upcoming Past

The default value for this option can be set in the Calendar Settings (on page 48)

All the Events can be sorted according to the Date, Time, or Event title simply by clicking on the appropriate heading.


Notes

A 'Note' is an entry without any date specification. The view of the small calendar on the left panel is substituted by a Task folders panel.

Folders allow users to sort Notes and manage them in groups. e.g. the user can delete one folder with all the Notes in this folder.

By clicking on the Add Note button, the following dialog appears:


Title, Sharing and Sharing Settings are the same as Tasks (on page 44).

The 'Folder' option is used for sorting the Notes. The existing folders can be selected from a drop-down menu or a new one can be created by filling the folder name in the field behind "Or".

A list of Notes can be shown by clicking on the Notes link at the top.


Tasks A New Task may be created by clicking on the Add Task button. The following dialogue will appear:


The meaning of the fields is the same as for the Event section

The only differences are:

Option Description

Status enables the user to specify if the Task is already done or not done yet

Sharing the same as for an Event, only the Shows As Busy is not available

Repeating working only for reminders - the remind email / IM message will be sent repeatedly

The panel with "Not Done Tasks" is shown in the Calendar interface in all screens on the left side.

The list of Tasks may also be viewed by clicking on the Tasks link. The following dialogue will appear:


The "Not Done Tasks" are shown in bold.

Users have the following choices regarding which Tasks are shown:

All Not Done Done

The default value for this option can be set in the Calendar Settings (on page 48)

All the Tasks can be sorted according to the "Task Title", "Done" status or "Due Date" simply by clicking on the appropriate heading.

Shared Calendars The last section on the Calendar interface is the Shared Calendar panel.

Any address may be provided here, and if the owner of the address has allowed the user to see their Calendar, then their Calendar will be shown here.

Example:

Two users: [email protected] and [email protected]

[email protected] filled in [email protected] address to Friends and set the Sharing Settings option in Calendar Settings to Friends or to Public & Friends.

[email protected] user loggedinto WebMail and filled in [email protected] to the Shared Calendars field. After clicking on View button the Calendar of [email protected] account will be displayed.

For more examples and a better understanding of Sharing for Calendars and Contacts see Sharing Concept (on page 24)

The Shared Calendars panel may be changed in the Calendar Settings (on page 48), so often-used addresses can be pre-defined in a window:


The first item is always the address of the current user. The others are the addresses which are filled in Calendar Settings -- Shared Calendars. The User may simply change the shown Calendar by clicking on appropriate address.


Calendar Settings The Calendar Settings dialog is accessible via Settings -> Calendar Settings

This enables users to configure the Calendar WebMail interface to be displayed according to his/her preferences, and to set the Sharing settings for Calendar. Understanding thoroughly the sharing process is vitally important, so more details are found in the Sharing chapter of Calendar Settings. Some of the options are self explanatory. The description of those which are not, follows:


Option Description

Working hours allows user to customize his/her Daily View Calendar Interface as it is shown in Calendar View part (see "Calendar View" on page 33).

Default page determines the default dialog displayed when user sees the Calendar interface.

Option Description

Default sharing option a set value will be used by default when users Add Event/Task/Note in Sharing option

Default view allows users to set that which is to be displayed in Events/Tasks/List by default


Option Description

Daily calendar reminders summary email is sent to the user; all Events which are scheduled for the day are recorded in that email

Daily notification email the addresses are used for Events where the fields for reminder addresses are empty

User can choose which national holidays will be shown in his/her Calendar interface and additionally in which views.

The Sharing and Export/Import details are explained in following sections.


Export/Import

This feature allows users to backup their Calendar. All the Events, Tasks, and Notes are exported/imported to/from the XML file. The default name of the exported file is "Cal_MMDDYYYY.xml".


Sharing Settings This part of Calendar Settings allows users to set the mode in which their Calendar is shared with others. It also allows user to specify particular accounts with which the Calendar is shared, and to assign permissions to these accounts.

The dialog will appear as follow:


Sharing Settings & Public URL

Option Description

Private None of the Events/Notes/Tasks/Contacts are shared. No one is allowed to see the user's entries even though the account is set in Friends with Full Control permission.

Friends Accounts specified in user's Friends are allowed to see the entries in dependence on the assigned permissions (see My Friends for more information)

Public & Friends This is the same as the Friends option, however anyone can see user's Calendar via a Public URL (specified below) over the Internet. Users who access a Calendar via a Public URL view the calendar in the same manner as a Friend with View permission only.

Public URL On this URL anyone can access user's Calendar with View permission if user set Sharing Settings to Public & Friends.

If Public URL doesn't work this is due to Anonymous Access being disabled by the server Administrator

My Friends

A user's Friends are shown here. Friends with View/Modify or with Full Control permission are shown in bold text. Users can manage the list of Friends after clicking on the My Friends link. The following dialog appears:


Users can use their Address Book to Add Friends or they can add addresses manually. If users need to add more than one address, they can use a semi-colon as a delimiter. Each Friend must be assigned a permission:

Option Description

View Friend with this permission can see only Events/Tasks/Notes which have Sharing option set to Public or Events which have Sharing option set to Shows as busy

View/Modify Friend with this permission can see/modify all Events/Tasks/Notes which have Sharing option set to Public or Events which have set it to Shows as busy. Can't see Private entries.

Full Control Friend with this permission have the same rights as the user itself. Friend can View/Modify also the Private entries.

Already defined Friends are in the lower part of dialog. User can change the permission or delete the Friends easily there.

Shared Calendars


This option allows user to pre-define addresses for the Shared Calendar feature in the Calendar Interface. This is described in the Shared Calendars section. Additional addresses can be specified by using semi-colons as delimiter.

Sharing Example

Here are several possible scenarios. This is shown on the Event example but Private Tasks and Private Notes are the same as Private Events (this means that Sharing for Event is set to Private) and on the other hand, Public Tasks and Public Notes are the same as Public Events(it means that Sharing for Event is set to Public).It is only a different form of first chart (see "Sharing Principle" on page 25).


Address Book Address Book allows users:

to manage all of their personal Contact entries that contain Personal, Organizational and other information (e.g. certificates information)

to sort these entries in Groups or Categories to Import/Export Contact entries from/to CSV files

The User can access their Address Book by clicking on their Address Book button in the Top Menu and choose which dialog he/she wants to access directly:

The default dialog follows:


All the options are self explanatory. Only a few additional notes:

There is a flag that indicates which column and in which direction the Contacts are sorted (changed by clicking on the headings of columns).

The User can choose which contacts are shown, if Groups or Contacts are used, in left-upper pull-down menu.

Left Add button is for adding a new Contact entry, and the right side Add button is for adding a Contact to an existing or a new Group (users may do that by marking appropriate Contacts, choosing the Group in the drop menu, and then clicking on the right Add button)

- Category - drop menu determines which Category is currently shown.

A User can change the number of Contacts displayed on a page by Addresses parameter in Account Settings. It is set to 20 by default.

Defining New Contact

The User may add a new Contact entry by clicking on the left Add button. The following dialog appears:


Option Description

Contact Name displayed in Address Book dialog as Full Name

Category allows user to categorize the Contacts

Name & Nickname allows user to provide a name and nickname

E-mail address allows user to specify three e-mail addresses for each Contact entry. They are shown in a pull-down menu in the Address Book dialog for the user to add to the: To:, Cc: or Bcc: headers.

Organization allows user to specify Name, Job, Profession, Department, Assistant, Manager, Office Location and complete Address to store more details about Contact person and his/her organization

Phones option to specify four phone numbers with short description and with the ability to sort them according to other criteria (e.g., Home, Work, ISDN, etc.

Other Addresses allows user to store two complete addresses

Other this option allows users enter complete information about the Contact person e.g.(Gender, Spouse, Birthday, Anniversary, URL, Calendar URL and a Note)

Public Certificate (PEM format)

if user wants to send encrypted e-mails to this Contact person he/she needs to have a Public certificate for that person saved here.

"Save As" has two different options. The Text file option is for the purpose of providing backwards compatibility. If Text file is selected, the Sharing and Sharing Settings options disappear because sharing is possible only in database mode.


Sharing and Sharing Settings options enable users to share Events/Tasks/Notes.

Import/Export Contacts

The User can use the Import Contacts link at the top of the page. Upon filling in the .CSV file name, the following dialog appears:


Here the user may choose which columns should be imported.

Skip 1st Row option serves to exclude the first line where the titles of Columns are often defined.

The Save As, Sharing and Sharing Settings options work in the same way like for adding a new Contact and it affects all imported entries.

The User can also export all the Contact entries to a CSV file. The default file name is Addressbook_MMDDYYYY.csv and the format of the exported file follows:

ContactName,[email protected],Name,Category,NickName,OtherStreet,OtherCity,OtherZIP,OtherState,OtherCountry,BirthDay(inJulianCalendar),1or2(MaleOrFemale),Note,Title,FirstName,MiddleName,Surname,job,profession,department,OfficeLocation,assistant,Manager,URL,CalendarURL,Spouse,Anniversary(inJulianCalendar),[email protected],[email protected],HomeStreet,HomeCity,HomeZIP,HomeState,HomeCountry,AddressStreet,AddressCity,AddressZIP

Groups

The User can sort their Contacts into their Groups and then use these Groups in the To:, Cc: or Bcc: headers so that the message would be sent to all the members of an appropriate Group. The User can either edit any already existing Group by clicking it in the Groups list or create a new Group by clicking Add new Group button at the bottom.


Outlook Connector

The Outlook GroupWare Connector is a small plug-in for Microsoft Outlook (versions 2000, 2003 and XP) that enables users to synchronize the Calendar (Events/Notes/Tasks), Address Book and Journal entries with the Calendar and Address Book that resides on the Merak Mail server.

User may access these Calendar and Address Book entries from different machines through the Webmail interface.

Users are also able to view Calendar and Address Book entries for different users and share entries with others.

In this chapter: Main Interface (on page 65) describes where user can set the Accounts and Options. The second part is about the process which allows different directions of Synchronization (on page 68) between Merak GroupWare Server and MS Outlook Client. The Account Settings (on page 69) section details how the Accounts in GroupWare Outlook Connector may be set, and descriptions of all the options. The Connector Options (on page 74) portion describes the general options for GroupWare Connector. Last two sections describe new features which were added since version 7.5.2.

Chapter 4 Outlook Connector 65

Main interface There are two methods that a user may access Connector settings. One is directly in a Toolbar- via Merak GroupWare button:


Option Description

Synchronize All synchronization for all accounts is started by this option; It synchronizes such Objects in such directions as the particular accounts have set (see "Account Settings" on page 69)

More allows to start synchronization only in chosen direction; this option overrides the particular accounts settings (see "Account Settings" on page 69) - synchronization directions

Properties shows the dialog with Accounts settings and Options

The Properties option will show a dialogue with a list of existing accounts and other options:


The second way how user can reach this dialog is via Tools - - Options. There is a Merak GroupWare tab sheet.

All the options are described in Account Settings (on page 69) and Connector Options (on page 74).


Synchronization The Outlook Connector allows user three methods of synchronization:

Outlook To GroupWare Server GroupWare Server To Outlook All (the account settings is used)

Users can set the default synchronization via the Account Settings (on page 69).

By default, both values are checked: Outlook To GroupWare Server and GroupWare Server To Outlook. The Synchronize All option processes synchronization according to this configuration.

The synchronization process creates a queue of Objects that were changed and compares them with Objects on the Server/Outlook (it depends on what direction is used).

Look at the Warning (on page 9) section to find some important information regarding Synchronization.


Account Settings The settings for an Account in GroupWare Outlook Connector are very simple.

Merak GroupWare -- Properties -- Add the following dialog appears (of course, the values are in the figure below only for better example)


Option Description

Name for descriptive purposes - name is shown in a list of accounts in GroupWare properties dialog and also as a Name of Personal Folder which is created for this account

Email Address email address of user's account

Password password for appropriate email address

Server IP address or hostname of Merak server

Use SSL connection enables the SSL encryption of communication between server and the account

Use plain text passwords disables secure authentication mechanisms

Shared email by setting this field to some other address, the account will show entries for this account, not the one in the Email Address field (the Email Address field is for authentication purpose only in this case).

*it is recommended to use Shared Accounts tab (see below) instead of this option to show shared accounts

Integrate with default folders

if checked, the default user account in Outlook (and its .pst file) is used. This means that all created objects will be converted to the Merak GroupWare objects and will be included in the synchronization process.

*this option may be used with only one account, otherwise a conflict with result

PST filename allows user to link this Account to any .pst file

Account path allows user to set exact path where all index files and .pst file will be stored. Generally used for LAN installations where more machines should have access to these files for sharing purposes

Further options are in the Other tab sheet


Option Description

Synchronize these Objects determines which objects are synchronized

Synchronize these Directions

determines in which directions the Calendar/Address Book entries are synchronized when Synchronize All is used

Last tab Shared Accounts makes setting of shared accounts in Outlook Connector much easier.


User can specify each address of person whose Calendar/Address Book he/she wants to show on a separate line and Outlook Connector automatically creates Personal Folders for those accounts. It is different from the Shared Email option in Account tab because user has to define only one account in Outlook Connector to show his/her own account plus accounts of people whose Calendar/Address Book he/she wants to. If it is set like on the figure above three Personal Folders will be created after saving the account.

After a new account is created, a new Personal folder appears in Folder List (in case the Integrate with default folders option wasn't checked).

It is self explanatory which Folders belong to which account.

And Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Tasks and Journal folders can be synchronized with GroupWare server for all three addresses now.


Connector Options There are some general options which can be set by user. He/She can see that dialog by clicking on Options button under GroupWare properties:

The following dialog appears:


Option Description

Synchronize when Outlook starts and exits

the synchronization is automatically started when Outlook is opened/closed

Enable automatic synchronization

allows user to set a period in which Outlook should synchronize automatically

Synchronize GroupWare accounts objects every:

appropriate period for automatic synchronization in Minutes

Play sound when synchronization finishes

allows user to load a wave file which is played when Outlook finishes the synchronization

Show progress window during synchronization

a small window indicating status during synchronization is shown

Close progress window when synchronized

the window which indicates current phase is closed after the synchronization is finished


Nested Folders Since version 7.5.2 Outlook Connector supports also nested folders. It means that any Notes, Tasks or Contacts can be sorted in folders as it is possible in MS Outlook and after synchronization, exactly the same will be shown on Merak GroupWare server including all items in appropriate folders and subfolders.

There is one issue which is caused by the fact that MS Outlook API does not have any function reflecting Rename Folder. If you rename a folder and synchronize with Merak GroupWare server the changes are not reflected immediately but right after you change the items in appropriate folder.

In other words, if you have a folder "Job Tasks" with 6 items in it and you rename it in MS Outlook then you have to change (save again) also these 6 items to reflect the change on Merak GroupWare server.

The second but related issue is when anyone is sharing a Calendar with its owner and owner renames some folder, a new folder is created automatically and included objects are moved to it but original folder cannot be deleted.


Distribution Lists One of interesting features of MS Outlook is Distribution List - a group of email address - which can be used in To: instead of listing all particular email addresses to send an email to all these addresses.

Since version 7.5.6 we implemented this feature to Outlook Connector too. It means that any Distribution List created in MS Outlook is created in Webmail as a Group immediately after the synchronization.

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C H A P T E R 5

Admin Section

This part was designed only for administrators of Merak Mail Server-- not for end users. Here are described all the options the administrators may use in Merak GroupWare, either under the GroupWare tab in Merak Config or in Webmail.

The GroupWare add-on is automatically included in each Trial installation from version 7. The Trial period for this product is the same as for all others - 30 days. After this period the product has to be licensed or it will stop working.

In This Chapter Merak Config .....................................................................79 WebMail.............................................................................86 Calendar Files.....................................................................88

Chapter 5 Admin Section 79

Merak Config Directly after installation of Merak, a GroupWare menu node is accessible in Merak Config.

Under the System tab you may stop/ start GroupWare service like all other services:

The default port where GroupWare service is running is 5229


Be sure the port is opened on your Firewall/Router properly if you want to use this service from external destinations.

General Tab


Field Description

Active Enables the GroupWare functions.

Automatically create mail server users in the GroupWare database

If checked, users will be automatically created in the GroupWare database after first sign-in.

Allow anonymous access (Public calendar views)

This option lets anybody access the GroupWare server from the Internet over the web interface. It displays only the public records of a public shared groupware account. Your users can publish their calendars and other people may view them using this option.

Notification sender This is the email address that will be used in the GroupWare email notification messages as the SMTP sender.

Notification from The same above except the From: header item will contain this value.

Processing mode By default this function is enabled to all users and domains on the server. Using this option you can specify exceptions and rules based on the setup details. Open the dialog to change the mode. See Processing Mode section for more information.

Explore all holidays sets

This allows you to specify your own national holidays. By default Merak ships with some predefined holiday sets. Open the directory and see the structure of them. It is very easy to understand them. Please, send us your holiday sets so we can include them in our next release.

ODBC settings Configure the ODBC connection details. See ODBC Settings section for more information.

Complete GroupWare settings file

This button lets your set all configuration parameters manually in the text file - calendar.dat. Some of them can be hidden for safety reasons. Use with care.


Data Migration Tab The groupware data migration feature lets you migrate all GW records to any other DB. It simply reads all tables and records from one ODBC DSN and creates tables and inserts all records to the destination ODBC DSN. This can be a very time consuming issue so it is suggested to be patient.

Also beware the destination DSN will be completely rewritten and deleted prior to the migration process. Is is highly recommended to always migrate all data from any previous DSN. Not doing so will result in GW synchronization problems.

Field Description

Source DSN, Destination DSN

The source and destination ODBC connection strings. Make sure you have these right. Never migrate data with the same source and destination DSN.

Migrate Data Initiates the migration process

ODBC Settings ODBC settings dialogue enables you to specify the ODBC source, connection details, create and drop tables, and perform a connection test.


Field Description

Primary connection This field specifies the complete connection string to the ODBC source. It contains the DSN, username and password.

Format:

DSN;username;password

Example:

mailserver;sa;pass

Backup connection The backup connection string serves as a backup solution if the primary connection cannot be used. It has the same format as the Primary connection.

Test Connection Always perform the ODBC connection tests. If the test is successful you setup all the information properly. If not you have to make changes.

Create Tables This button creates the required tables in the ODBC source. You have to create the right tables for every ODBC source.

Drop Tables The created tables will be deleted from the ODBC source using this button.

The default DSN is IceWarpCalendar which was created during the installation and is linked to the calendar.mdb file in Merak\Calendar folder. It doesn't need any username or password. You may specify your own DSN:

1 Create a System DSN in the Control Panel - Administrator Settings - ODBC Data Sources to connect to your DB. Make sure it is a System DSN and not a User DSN.

2 Fill in the proper connection string. Specify a backup connection if required. Test with the Test Connection button.

3 Create the tables using the Create Tables button.

Press the OK button.

Data Storage

Merak Groupware stores data in either a Microsoft Access database (default) or Microsoft SQL server.

1 Microsoft Access Database

A Microsoft Access Database is created and populated immediately upon install. The Microsoft MDB can be used for installations as high as 500 users (roughly). Microsoft SQL Server must be used for larger installations.

2 Microsoft SQL Server


Microsoft SQL Server can be used for any size installation instead of the Microsoft Access MDB file. As stated above, it must be used for installations exceeding 500 users due to the performance limitations of the Microsoft Access MDB.

3 Other Database Server with a support of ODBC

Administrator can use any SQL server which supports subqueries (especially nested SELECT queries) and has an ODBC interface.

If you want to use MySQL server you have to use the version 4.1 or later.

Enabling / Disabling individual accounts/domains Enabling or disabling GroupWare service globally, per domain, or per user may be adjusted under Processing Mode. To check the mode, click on the Processing Mode button. Default is Process all - all users in the all domains are given GroupWare services. You may not select individual domains or users in this mode.

Check the domain properties under Miscellaneous tab sheet. Notice, that it is grayed and can not be changed.


The same is for the all accounts - Miscellaneous tab sheet.

If Processing Mode is set to Process All, then it does not matter whether a service is grayed out or checked-- Process All is the determining factor.

How to enable / disable the GroupWare service for domains

Change the Processing mode to the Selected domains only.

Note that in the Domain properties - Miscellaneous tab sheet you may now enable/disable each domain for GroupWare service.

How to enable/disable the GroupWare service for users

Change the processing mode to the All except selected, or Selected accounts only.

You will be able to enable/disable the GroupWare service for each individual account now.

If you want to disable GroupWare services for all accounts by default, and enable just some of them, then choose All accounts except selected.

Newly created accounts receive this designation by default. If you want to enable it, you can use either User Groups or Command Line Tool.

To change account default settings go to Global Settings in Domains & Accounts node.


WebMail There are several options for GroupWare which you can change only via Web Mail interface. To do that, you have to log into Web Mail as Administrator level account go to Settings and Administrator Settings.

In the next dialog only three options are important for GroupWare:

The Global GroupWare account option allows you to provide a Global Address Book to users in Webmail as well as in MS Outlook Client. Create a user that you will use to store all GroupWare information and then enter that email address in this field. e.g. [email protected]

Now this account is linked with Global Address Book in such way that any Contact created for [email protected] account will appear in Global Address Book for all users. All users can also create a new GroupWare account via theirs MS Outlook Client. This is done by entering [email protected] address into the Shared Email option field. They will see the Global Address Book in MS Outlook after the synchronization.

The Disable Calendaring option allows you to disable the Calendar in Web Mail for all users. If this option is checked then the Calendar button is hidden in Top Menu:


The Disable Server AddressBook option allows you to disable the ability for users to save Contacts to the GroupWare database. As a result, the sharing of Contacts is restricted. In this mode when the address.dat file is used, "Sharing Settings" is not possible.


Calendar Files All the settings and data are stored in the Merak\Calendar folder by default.

There are these files/folders:

File/Folder Description

Doc Contains a file with API for GroupWare description.

Holidays Contains the national holidays.

Calendar.dat Includes complete GroupWare settings so it may be changed by editing this file instead via Config.

Calendar.ldb This locks information for Calendar.mdb. It is present only when Calendaring service is running and ensures that anyone may not edit the content while Merak uses it.

Calendar.mdb This is a Microsoft Access database where are all the entries stored by default.

Calendar.xml Includes the table definitions for Database structure.

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Index

A About Merak GroupWare • 4 Account Settings • 64, 66, 67, 68, 69 Address Book • 57 Admin Section • 78

C Calendar Files • 88 Calendar Options • 32, 33 Calendar Settings • 32, 37, 41, 46, 48 Calendar View • 33, 48, 49 Connector Options • 64, 65, 67, 74

D Data Migration Tab • 82 Defining Events • 35, 44 Distribution Lists • 77

E Enabling / Disabling individual

accounts/domains • 84 Event List • 40 Events & Event List • 34 Export/Import • 51

G General Tab • 80

H How It Works • 5 How to install GroupWare • 11 How to share Calendar • 27 How to share own Calendar/Contacts • 27, 36 How to show Shared Calendar in Outlook • 30 How to show Shared Calendar in Web Mail • 29

I Introduction • 3

M Main interface • 64, 65

Merak Config • 79

N Nested Folders • 76 Notes • 42

O ODBC Settings • 82 Outlook Connector • 17, 64

Q Quick Start • 10

S Shared Calendars • 29, 46 Sharing Concept • 24, 38, 46 Sharing Principle • 25, 55 Sharing Settings • 27, 48, 52 Synchronization • 64, 68

T Tasks • 42, 43, 44

W Warning • 9, 68 Web Mail interface • 32 Web Mail Interface • 13, 16, 32 WebMail • 86

merak groupware user guide - byfalcon · merak groupware is an advanced server-based solution...

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