With the Zimbra Collaboration Suite Connector for Outlook, users can use Microsoft® Outlook® 2003 to access the Zimbra Collaboration Suite server and synchronize data to/from Outlook for offline use. The Zimbra Collaboration Suite Connector for Outlook is a MAPI service provider that is installed on users’ computers.
Email messages, contact lists, and personal calendars are synchronized to the Outlook 2003 client. Zimbra Collaboration Suite server-side configuration for accounts is enforced for Outlook users.
The ZCS Connector for Outlook .msi file and user instructions can be downloaded from the Administration Console, Downloads area. The install program for the ZCS Connector for Outlook is in the Windows Installer .msi format so that it can be easily deployed to individual computers using your group policy software deployment process, or you can copy the .msi file to a directory that users can access and instruct your users to download the file directly.
When the ZCS Connector for Outlook is installed, the server name, port, and whether to use a secure connection must be set for every user. Users enter this information when they create their profile.
Optionally, administrators can modify the ZCS Connector for Outlook .msi file and add the server, port, and connection information to the install script. If the .msi file is customized, end users only need to enter their email address and password.
To modify the .msi file, Zimbra created a Java Script file that runs under the Windows Scripting Host. This file, called
ZmCustomizeMSI.js, can be found in the Zimbra download directory on the administration console.
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Copy the ZmCustomizeMSI.js file and the ZCS Connector for Outlook .msi file to a computer running the Windows platform.
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Press Enter and the ZCS Connector for Outlook .msi file is modified.
The cscript command includes the following:
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Whether User Secure Connection should be checked. Enter 1 for the secure connection using a HTTPS connection or enter 0 to use a HTTP connection. ( 1 | 0)
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It only takes a few minutes for users to install the ZCS Connector for Outlook on their computers and configure the connection to the Zimbra server. The user’s Zimbra account must be created, but no specific changes are required on the Zimbra server. Installing the Connector for Outlook creates a mail profile named Zimbra and designates it as the default profile.
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Whether to check Use Secure Connection (SSL). This box is checked to establish a secure connection to that port.
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The following describes the installation and configuration steps that are performed on each computer. User instructions can be downloaded from the administration console Download page. This one page pdf file explains how to install and configure the ZCS Connector for Outlook. Save this pdf file to a directory that user can access before they install the ZCS Connector for Outlook.
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Server Name. This is the Zimbra server domain name (DNS).
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Server Port. Enter the port number for the server. For non secured connections, the standard port is 80. For secured connection, the standard port is 443. Your configuration can be different.
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They click OK and the installation and configuration of the ZCS Connector for Outlook is complete. The Zimbra profile is created.
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Users can now log on and use Outlook. If users did not have a previous Zimbra account, (i.e. no email, address books or calendar activities), the first time they work within Outlook’s mail, calendar or contacts folders, Outlook automatically syncs to the Zimbra server.
If users have been using the Zimbra Web Client and have email, address books with contacts, and calendar appointments on the Zimbra server, Outlook will need to be synchronized to the Zimbra server. To synchronize, users click
Tools>Send/Receive. The initial synchronization can take a few minutes. If the default zimbra profile was created, the synchronized files are saved in the
zimbra.zdb file located in the user’s Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook folder.
After the initial sync, Send/Receive updates Outlook and the Zimbra server with changes made since the last sync.
You can use the same version of the Zimbra Collaboration Suite Connector for Outlook MSI file to repair the ZCO software on individual computers. When the .msi file is opened after the ZCS Connector for Outlook is installed, it automatically opens with the options to repair the connector or to remove the software.
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Repair will reinstall the software again.
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Remove the Outlook Connector removes all components. Note: you can also remove the ZCS Connector for Outlook from the computer’s Control Panel, Add or Remove directory.
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To remove the ZCS Connector from Outlook completely from the computer, delete the .zdb file and the user’s profile, and uninstall the ZCS Connector .msi file.
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Users must delete the .zdb file.The zdb file includes all the Outlook data from the Zimbra server. The file is usually in the user’s Local Setting\/Application Data\ Microsoft\ Outlook folder.
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Users must delete their Zimbra profile. If users accept the defaults when they installed the ZCS Connector for Outlook, a profile called Zimbra was created. To delete this file:
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Click Show Profiles. The General tab lists all the profiles on the computer.
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Go to the Control Panel, select Add and Remove Programs and remove the ZCS Connector for Outlook program.
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If the Outlook client is not synchronizing with the Zimbra server or if Outlook is not working correctly, several options are available to troubleshoot the problem.
When ZCS Connector for Outlook is installed, a Sync Issues mail folder with subfolders is created in their mailbox. If errors are found when Outlook syncs with the Zimbra server, message with attachments are automatically added to these folders. Users can tell when messages are in these folders if the folder is bold and the number of unread messages is displayed.
If users are having problems using Outlook and continuously receiving errors, the messages in these folders should be forwarded to sync_issues@ zimbra.com. These messages are created to help Zimbra technical support and engineering debug and fix errors.
If users encounter problems when logged on to Outlook, you can have them enable the logging control tool to log errors and events that occur while they are using Outlook. This log then can be sent to Zimbra for analysis.
ZCOLogCtl.exe is installed when ZCS Connector for Outlook is installed. This logging control tool is in the \
Program files\common files\system\msmapi\1033 directory. When users encounter problems with synchronization, not receiving their mail, system crashes, or other unusual behavior, you should direct users to open this file and enable logging in order to log internal API calls and communication between Outlook and the Zimbra Server. The default log file size is 10 megabytes, but you can increase this when necessary. When the size of the log reaches the limit, the current log is set aside and a second log is created, therefore two logs of up to the maximum log size can be generated.
Important: After enabling logging from the ZCS Outlook Logging Control dialog, users must restart Outlook before errors and event can be logged.
When users restart Outlook, all their activities are logged. Users should attempt to recreate activities that are causing the problems. When the problem has been recreated, send the log files to Zimbra. Open the ZCS Connector for Outlook Logging Control .exe again and click
Send Log to Zimbra.
Note: The Enable Logging should be unchecked to disable logging when not being used for troubleshooting. If logging is on continuously, performance may be affected. Outlook must be restarted when you make changes with the ZCOLogCtl.exe file.
Installing the connector does not remove any email accounts. It creates a separate new mail profile, by default called zimbra, which does not conflict with any existing profiles/accounts. To see existing account profiles, navigate to
Start>ControlPanel>Mail>Show Profiles.
Zimbra Collaboration Suite offers account configuration by Class of Service and by account. When the client uses Outlook, many of the features and options configured for the Zimbra account are not enforced in Outlook. Only restrictions that are controlled by the server are enforced.
When you view an account’s mailbox from the administration console, the view is from the Zimbra Web Client and may not contain files in Outlook that have not been synchronized.
Copyright © 2006 Zimbra Inc.
