Chapter 4: Setting Up the Microsoft Exchange Server Service

This chapter steps you through setup of the Microsoft Exchange Server Service. By adding this service to Outlook, you can exchange email with other people in your organization who have Exchange Server mailboxes, share Outlook Contacts and other folders through public folders, post documents in public folders, participate in group discussions, have the Exchange Server manage your incoming messages even when you're not logged on.

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Microsoft Exchange Server is a client/server mail and groupware application that enables people to exchange e-mail and collaborate in other ways. The server program runs on Windows NT Server. Outlook is Microsoft’s preferred client for Exchange Server. By adding the Microsoft Exchange Server service to Microsoft Outlook, you can

• Exchange e-mail with other people in your organization who have Exchange Server mailboxes
• If your Exchange Server is connected to the Internet or to other messaging systems, exchange e-mail with people on these other mail systems or even send faxes or voice mail
• Share Microsoft Outlook Contacts and other folders through public folders
• Post documents in public folders, participate in group discussions, and use workgroup applications designed for Exchange Server
• Have the Exchange Server manage your incoming messages even when you're not logged on

REQUIREMENTS

To use the Microsoft Exchange Server service, you must have

• A Windows NT domain logon user name and password
• A Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox
• A way to connect to the Exchange Server, either on the LAN or via dial-up networking

Your system administrator can provide the domain logon account details, plus information about your Exchange Server location and mailbox. If you'll be connecting remotely, be sure to check with the administrator for the specifics on either dialing in to the network or reaching it via the Internet.

Any version of Microsoft Outlook can connect to any version of Microsoft Exchange Server. However, to make the most of the Exchange Server features, you need the corresponding version of Outlook. For example, if you connect to Exchange Server 5.0, you should use Outlook version 8.01 or later. Likewise, if you connect to Exchange Server 5.5, you want to have Outlook version 8.03. Your Exchange Server administrator should be able to provide you with the appropriate version.

BASIC SETUP

Depending on how Microsoft Outlook was set up on your system, you may already have Microsoft Exchange Server in your default profile. But assuming you don't, let's walk through the two different methods of adding it: with the Setup Wizard and by manually configuring the service. See Chapter 3 if you need a refresher on how to add a service to an Outlook profile.

Using the Setup Wizard

The Inbox Setup Wizard is available only when you create a new profile, not when you reconfigure an existing profile. You can create a new profile through the Mail and Fax applet in the Control Panel. To add a profile using the setup wizard, follow these steps:

1. Run the Mail and Fax applet in the Control Panel.
2. Click the Show Profiles button.
3. Choose Add.
4. In the first screen of the setup wizard, choose Use the Following Information Services and check the ones you want, in this case being sure to include the Microsoft Exchange Server service.
5. Click Next to continue and give the profile a name on the next screen of the wizard, then click Next again to begin configuring the Exchange Server service and any other services you selected.

Here are the steps in the setup wizard that are specific to the Microsoft Exchange Server service:

1. The Inbox Setup Wizard asks the name of your Microsoft Exchange Server and your Mailbox name. (See Figure 4.1.) If you don't know your mailbox name, enter your Windows user name or ask your system administrator. You should double-check the mailbox name anyway after the wizard completes its work, as described under “Checking Your Mailbox.” Click Next to continue.
2. Next, the wizard asks whether you travel with this computer. Answer Yes or No as appropriate. If you respond Yes, the wizard automatically sets up an Offline Folders file and marks the standard Outlook folders to be synchronized. (See “Configuring Offline Folders for Online Users” if you change your mind later and want to add offline folders.)
3. Click Next to continue and finish answering the questions posed by the setup wizard about other services.

If you chose to install only the Microsoft Exchange Server service, the setup wizard creates a profile with only two services in it — the Microsoft Exchange Server service and Personal Address Book. Later, you'll want to follow the instructions for “Adding the Outlook Address Book” in Chapter 3.

Once you've completed the setup wizard, use the Mail and Fax applet in the Control Panel to bring up the properties for the Microsoft Exchange Server service to check some additional settings. If you are working from a computer connected to the network, follow the procedure described in the next section. If you'll be working from outside your office, follow the instructions under “If You're Connecting Remotely.”

Checking Your Mailbox

Before you log on to Exchange Server for the first time, it's a good idea to make sure you have entered the right server name and mailbox. Otherwise, you get an error message about not being able to log on.

To check your mailbox, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Control Panel and run the Mail and Fax applet.
2. If the profile you want to work with is not the default profile, click the Show Profiles button. Then select the desired profile, and click the Properties button.
3. Select the Microsoft Exchange Server service, then click the Properties button.
4. On the General tab (Figure 4.2), click the Check Name button.
5. If both the server and mailbox can be located, the exact display name of the mailbox is shown, and both the mailbox name and the server name are underlined. You can then click OK and run Outlook for the first time with the Exchange Server service installed.
6. If you get the message
   
   The name could not be resolved. Network problems are preventing connection to the Microsoft Exchange Server computer.
   
   either the name of the server is not correct or you have a network connection problem. Either way, the problem needs to be resolved before you can connect to Exchange Server.
7. If you get the message
   
   The name could not be resolved. The name could not be matched to a name in the address list.
   
   the name of the server is OK, but your mailbox can't be found. Check the spelling of the mailbox name or try entering your first or last name (or maybe just the first few characters). Outlook will search the server to try to find your mailbox for you.

Once the server and mailbox names are both underlined, you're ready to run Outlook and access your Exchange Server mailbox.

Manually Configuring the Microsoft Exchange Server Service

If you are not creating a completely new profile, there's no wizard to help you. You must manually configure the Microsoft Exchange Server service as part of the process of adding it to an existing profile. (See “Adding a Service” in Chapter 3.) Follow these steps:

1. Run the Mail and Fax applet in Control Panel.
2. If the profile you want to work with isn't the default profile, click the Show Profiles button. Select the profile you want to modify, then click the Properties button.
3. On the Services tab, click the Add button.
4. In the Add Service to Profile dialog box, select the Microsoft Exchange Server service, then click OK.
5. On the General tab (Figure 4.2), enter the name of your Microsoft Exchange Server and the Mailbox name.
6. Follow the procedure in steps 47 under “Checking Your Mailbox.” (Skip this step if you're working remotely.)
7. If your machine sometimes or always dials in to the network to get mail, continue with the next section. Otherwise, you have completed all the required settings for the Microsoft Exchange Server service. Click the OK button to save the configuration.

There are a number of other settings for the Microsoft Exchange Server service that you may want to review; the “Options” section details them all.

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