Integrating With Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2007

This section provides an overview of prerequisites for integrating with Exchange 2003 and discusses:

  • How to install and configure ASP files for Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2007.

  • Implementation tips for integrating with Microsoft Exchange 2003 and 2007.

The Email pagelet on the portal homepage can display email from Microsoft Exchange when it is designated as the primary mail system. It requires Outlook Web Access (OWA), which enables access to Outlook using a browser. OWA requires that a Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) be running with access to an Exchange server. PeopleSoft Interaction Hub supports integration with Microsoft Exchange/Outlook 2003 and 2007 on Windows.

In the PeopleCode, an iScript makes a request to the ASPs on the Exchange server. The ASPs send back a response in HTML format. PeopleCode then extracts the HTML to get the relevant email and calendar data and then formats the information and displays it in the Email and Calendar Events pagelets.

On the Exchange server side, ASPs, based on the WebDAV (Web-based distributed authoring and versioning) protocol are installed. You can search the Microsoft website to learn more about WebDAV.

Before integrating Microsoft Exchange with the PeopleSoft Interaction Hub, you must:

  • Plan for the functionality that you need.

  • Install the Windows 2003 server and related systems.

    Exchange must be installed in a domain that contains a Windows 2003 server that is configured as a domain controller with a global catalog.

    Note: During the Windows 2003 server setup, you must install the Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) service.

  • Install the Microsoft Exchange 2003 or Microsoft Exchange 2007 server. Refer to the installation guide.

  • Create mailboxes for users on the Exchange server.

    Select Active Directory Users and expand the domain name to see the Users folder.

You can perform the following steps only after the Microsoft Exchange server has been installed.

To install and configure ASP files:

  1. Create a new folder, such as c:\aspcode, on the Microsoft Exchange machine.

  2. Copy the following files into the newly created folder:

    • For Microsoft Exchange 2003:

      Psmsinbox2003.asp

      Psmcal2003_1day.asp

    • For Microsoft Exchange 2007:

      Psmsinbox2007.asp

      Psmcal2007_1day.asp

  3. Map the new folder to the Virtual Directory for Exchange 2003/2007 using Microsoft Internet Services Manager (ISM):

    1. Access ISM from your Windows machine by navigating to Start > Programs > Administrative Tools.

    2. Expand the left-side Domain name folder to see the Default Web Site folder.

    3. Right-click and select New > Virtual Directory.

      This starts a wizard, which takes you through the relevant steps.

    4. In the wizard, select the folder that contains all of the PeopleSoft ASP files as the source (for example, c:\aspcode).

      It is important that you select the same folder in which you installed the delivered PeopleSoft ASP files.

    5. For easy reference, give the virtual directory the same name as the folder in which you installed the delivered ASP files (for example, aspfolder).

      Note: Once you have mapped the folder to the virtual directory, you will see your virtual directory and its contents in the ISM folder's Default Web Site.

  4. Ensure that the Basic Authentication value is used as the directory security for the virtual directory.

    1. Access ISM from your Windows machine by navigating to Start > Programs > Administrative Tools.

    2. Go to the Default Web Site in the domain folder and find your mapped virtual directory, as specified in step 3e.

    3. Right-click and select Properties.

    4. Select the Directory Security tab and select Anonymous Access and Authentication.

    5. Select Basic Authentication.

Important! The URL that you use on the Email and Calendar Defaults page must use the format http://<servername>/<aspfolder>, where aspfolder is the folder name that is used in the virtual directory specified above. If this folder name is not the virtual folder name, the integration will not work.

When the configuration of applications and mail servers is complete, proceed to assigning the primary mail system in the PeopleSoft Interaction Hub.

See Designating the Primary Mail System.

If the pagelet cannot display the messages, but the Microsoft Outlook link on the pagelet works, check the following:

  1. In the browser, enter a URL using the following format, replacing the domain and user ID with the individual user's email account and user ID: 

    http://<Outlook Web Access server name>/aspfolder/Psmsinbox2003.asp?
mailbox=<userid>&exchsvr=
<Exchange Server name>&numrows=5

    For Microsoft Exchange 2007 replace 2003 with 2007.

  2. If there is an error on this website (that is, on an ASP page), then the folder in which you stored the delivered PeopleSoft ASP files is not properly mapped as a virtual drive.

    If the virtual drive is correctly mapped, but this URL site still generates errors that are MAPI-related, then check the IMS security to ensure that the Basic Authentication value has been selected.

    See Installing and Configuring Active Server Page Files for Exchange.

  3. If after changing the security you still receive MAPI-related errors when trying to access the above URL, then perform the following verifications on the Members Of tab of the User Properties in Active Directory Users and Computers.

    1. Navigate to the Members Of tab by going to Windows Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers.

    2. Select the Users folder in the left-side domain folder.

    3. Right-click the appropriate user and select Properties.

    4. On the Members Of tab, look at all domains for which the user is a member and try to make the user a member of the relevant domains and directories.

      Correcting the Member Of properties can resolve several MAPI-related permission issues with the above URL.

Identifying Typos in Output Parameters

Make the following setting changes to display debugging information on the pagelet. It displays data that is being sent. Check the accuracy of this data.

To identify typos in output parameters:

  1. In PeopleSoft Application Designer, open the record WEBLIB_EMAIL.

  2. Open the FieldFormula PeopleCode.

  3. Search for the following iScript function:

    Function IScript_mail()

  4. Locate the second line of the function:

    &Debug = False;

  5. Set the value to True.

  6. The set of statements should now look like the following:

    Function IScript_mail()
   /* Set the debug flag to True, for getting all the debug information, 
		/* otherwise set it to false */
   &Debug = True;
   &titleStyle = "PABOLDBLUETEXT";

  7. Save.

    The debugging information will display on the pagelet.

Ensuring That Microsoft Exchange is Working Over the Web

To ensure that Microsoft Exchange is working:

  1. Click the Microsoft Outlook link that displays on the Email pagelet.

  2. Supply the user ID and password in the dialog box.

    Ensure that you use the <DOMAIN NAME>\<User Id> format when specifying a user outside of the domain in which the Microsoft Exchange server resides.

  3. If this link opens a web-based outlook, then proceed to the next section. If the link does not open, then contact the Exchange server administrator.

Checking the Outlook Web Access URL

To verify that the Outlook Web Access URL is working:

  1. Use the following format for an Outlook Web Access URL:

    http://<Outlook Web Access name>/aspfolder/Psmsinbox2003.asp?
mailbox=<userid>&exchsvr=
<Exchange Server name>&numrows=5

    For Microsoft Exchange 2007 replace 2003 with 2007.

  2. Open a new browser window and enter the appropriate URL for your version of Exchange. Login when prompted. Tabular data consisting of mail headers should be returned.

    If this step does not work, then the errors may possibly be the result of a setup issue. Return to the Exchange administration steps to verify the setup issues.

    See Installing and Configuring Active Server Page Files for Exchange.

    If this step works, but email is still not accessible, then add a few emails to the account and try again.

    If this is working, then try the next section.

Understanding Browser Errors

This section explains several browser error messages that may display for the Email pagelet integration, along with possible associated errors.

  • Page cannot be found error.

    This error screen could mean that the file psmsinbox2003.asp (or psmsinbox2003.asp) is not available. This can happen because:

    • Either the file is missing, or because the virtual folder is wrong or not mapped correctly.

    • There's a typographical error in the file name.

  • Network password error.

    If the Enter Network Password dialog box displays after executing the OWA that was formed, it may be because the domain name, user ID, or password entered for the user is missing or wrong.

  • Page cannot be displayed error.

    This page can display under two circumstances.

    • If this page appears when you place the OWA URL in the browser, verify that the OWA server name is correct.

    • This page can also appear when the URL tries to access a resource that does not exist due to a wrong mailbox or a wrong Microsoft Exchange server name.

  • You are not authorized to view this page.

    This page appears if the either the user ID or password are incorrect.