Coexistence Manager for Notes 3.9.1 - User Guide

Specify a .tsv file that defines the Notes resource names and associated SMTP addresses. These are associations CMN needs in order to process Exchange users’ attempts to schedule Notes resources.

Note that the Mapping File must already exist before you can specify it in this screen. The Notes resource mapping file can be populated using the Import from MNE button in the Management Console or created manually, as described in step 1 of the Configuration process earlier in this chapter.

The Management Console then displays the file path in the Mapping File field, and imports its data into the table below. Note that this is a read-only table; its contents cannot be edited on this screen.

CMN Free/Busy Connector

Free/Busy Connector overview

The Notes and Exchange environments implement calendar free/busy queries differently, so by themselves cannot read the availability of users on the other system. For full calendar functionality, the calendar applications on both sides need some way to determine the availability of users within the other environment.

CMN’s Free/Busy Connector (“FBC,” or “F/B Connector”) is a coordinated set of applications that enable Exchange and Domino to query the calendar availability of each other's users. Sharing free/busy data between Notes and Exchange simplifies calendar updates when accepting a meeting invitation, or changing the day/time or canceling a meeting, or making some other change to an existing meeting or recurring meeting series.

When a user in one environment requests free/busy information about a user in the other environment, the asking server’s query must be translated into a form that the other server will understand. Likewise, the data reply has to be translated into a form that the asking server will understand. This is true of free/busy queries and replies in both directions, and a separate translation application is required for each direction.

NOTE: Free/Busy queries to Notes resources cannot be forwarded to Exchange, but you can accomplish the same functionality by replacing the Notes resources with contacts that are named for the resources they represent.

In addition to the query, translation and reply functions, both the Exchange and Domino servers require a service to facilitate data communications between themselves and external data sources (e.g., each other). Exchange uses Exchange Web Service (EWS) for communications between Exchange and other applications, while Domino requires a server task. And finally, Exchange also uses an Autodiscover service to track and report the location (URL) of the EWS.

In typical configurations, CMN’s bidirectional Free/Busy Connector contains five subcomponents to facilitate the flow of F/B queries and replies between Exchange and Domino:

For technical reasons, QCalCon must be installed on the Domino server. The other four F/B Connector components may reside on a single server, as shown above.

However, many production environments have sufficient query volume to warrant separate servers to ensure optimal per­formance. These multi-server configurations appear in the two scenario narratives described and illustrated below.

These scenarios and the accompanying illustrations show the roles these components serve within the overall scope of CMN’s Free/Busy Connector.

Outlook user retrieves F/B data for a Lotus Notes user

The illustration below shows how three F/B Connector components fit into the data flow when an Outlook user requests free/busy data for a Notes user. The process described and illustrated here is for a disparate namespace or subdomains scenario, but the F/B Connector also supports a shared/single namespace with either a local proprietary Exchange or Office 365.

In this scenario: Sally (in Outlook) wants to book a meeting with Joe (in Notes). Joe’s address is joe@d‑sitraka.com. Exchange resolves d‑sitraka.com through DNS.

DNS has a zone called d‑sitraka.com with a host autodiscover.d‑sitraka.com. The host name must match the common name (of the certificate you requested) where CMN is installed.

The step numbers in this simplified process narrative correspond to the circled numbers in the illustration:

NOTE: QCalCon and the CMN Exchange FBC Service are not used at all for F/B queries and replies in this direction (Exchange query and Domino reply).