If you would like to read the other parts in this article series please go to:
- Managing Resource Mailboxes in Exchange Server 2007 (Part 1)
- Managing Resource Mailboxes in Exchange Server 2007 (Part 3)
In the last article we saw how to create a resource mailbox and enable it to be accessed by a specific user through the add-mailboxpermission cmdlet. At that time we were not able to do this through the Exchange Management Console, nowadays with Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 we can use it.
Now, after creating a mailbox exchange resource, we can set up full mailbox permission with either the Exchange Management Shell or Exchange Management Console. To use the Exchange Management Console follow these steps:
- Open the Exchange Management Console.
- Expand Recipients.
- Click on a resource mailbox.
- In Toolbox Actions, click on Manage Full Access Permission…
- Manage Full Access Permission. Click on Add and pick any user to be the owner of this Resource Mailbox and then click on Manage.
Figure 01: The user Administrator will be able to access the resource mailbox with full access permissions
- Click on Finish
Okay, now that we are up to date with the new method introduced in Exchange Server 2007 SP1 we can move forward and look at some resource mailbox settings.
Initial settings in a Resource Mailbox
Now we are continuing from the point that we stopped in the last article – there is an OWA session running the Resource Mailbox and we are going to start customizing the settings.
First of all, we have to define how many days and the hours that this resource mailbox will be available. To define these settings, while logged in to OWA, click on Options, and then click on Calendar Options (Figure 02). On this page we can configure which days of the week this Resource mailbox will be available to be booked under Show week as and the start and end time of this resource mailbox as well.
Figure 02
Note:
If the attribute ScheduleOnlyDuringWorkingHours is configured as false in the resource mailbox, the settings shown in this section will be overridden for that value.
Configuring Resource mailbox settings
Clicking on the Resource Settings item on the left menu allows us to configure all resource mailbox settings. They are divided in some key areas:
- Resource Scheduling options: resource mailbox default settings.
- Resource scheduling permissions: we can lock down the resource mailboxes using built-in policies.
- Resource Privacy options: we can control all information related to the meeting, such as: attachments, organizer’s name, etc…
- Response message: we can enable and configure a text message to be sent when the resource mailbox is used.
Configuring Resource scheduling options
Management through OWA gives us all the options as shown in Figure 03. In a new resource mailbox the option Automatically process meeting requests and cancellations is, by default, disabled however we want automatic processing of meetings. Let us check the first option. We also have more options to enable or disable, but all of them are self-explanatory.
Figure 03
The resource mailbox can be defined through OWA or the Exchange Management Console using the Set-MailboxCalendarSettings cmdlet. In Table 01 we can see the parameter relative to the OWA option in the first column and the attribute to be configured by the Exchange Management Console in the second column.
OWA option |
Cmdlet parameters |
Automatically process meeting requests and cancellations |
AutomateProcessing (AutoUpdate is off, AutoAccept is on) |
Disable Reminders |
DisableReminders |
Maximum number of days |
BookingWindowInDays |
Always decline if end date is beyond this limit |
EnforceSchedulingHorizon |
Maximum allowed minutes |
MaximumDurationInMinutes |
Allow scheduling only during working hours |
ScheduleOnlyDuringWorkingHours |
Allow Conflicts |
AllowConflicts |
Allow recurring meetings |
AllowRecurringMeetings |
Allow up to this number of individual conflicts |
MaximumConflictInstances |
Allow up to this percentage of individual conflicts |
ConflictPercentageAllowed |
Table 01
For example: How do we enable a resource mailbox to process meetings requests and cancellations automatically? To accomplish this we can run the following cmdlet:
Set-MailboxCalendarSettings <Resource Mailbox Name> -AutomateProcessing:AutoAccept
Configuring Resource scheduling permissions
The Resource Mailbox can be locked down through the policies that we are going to see in this section. If the meeting request respects the current values of Resource Scheduling Options (Limiting meeting duration, maximum number of days and etc…) the meeting request is In Policy otherwise it is Out of Policy.
Based on if a request is in In Policy or Out of Policy we have three different groups that define how the resource mailbox handles the incoming request:
- Book in Policy: all users defined in this option are able to schedule a meeting automatically.
- Request in Policy: all users defined in this option must wait for a manual approval even if the mailbox resource is available.
- Request out of policy: the users are able to automatically schedule if the resource mailbox is available; if it is not available the meeting requested must be approved manually however the request will never be declined automatically.
- No permission: In this case the request does not fit into any of the groups above and it will be automatically declined. Note: If the resource is not available the request will be declined, the only exception is for the users of the group Request out of policy
The default settings allow everyone to automatically schedule as shown in Figure 04. In this article we will keep the default setting. In the next article we will be playing with the resource scheduling permissions.
Figure 04
All resource scheduling permissions can be configured by the Exchange Management Shell, as well (Figure 02). For the values BookInPolicy, RequestInPolicy, RequestOutofPolicy we can use more than one user name or mail-enabled group. The Set-MailboxCalendarSettings cmdlet is used to configure the resource mailbox.
OWA Option |
Policy |
Cmdlet parameter |
These users can automatically schedule if the resource is available. |
Book in Policy |
AllBookinPolicy and BookInPolicy |
These users can submit a request for manual approval if the resource is available. |
Request in Policy |
AllRequestInPolicy and RequestInPolicy |
These users can automatically schedule if the resource is available and can submit a request for manual approval if the resource is unavailable. |
Request out of Policy |
AllRequestOutofPolicy and RequestOutofPolicy |
Always forward to delegates. |
– |
ForwardRequestsToDelegates |
Always tentatively accept these requests. |
– |
TentativePendingApproval |
Table 02
For example, let us add only the user administrator in the Book in Policy.
Set-MailboxCalendarSettings <Resource Mailbox name>–BookInPolicy:administrator
Note:
This cmdlet automatically removes everyone from the BookInPolicy.
Configuring Resource Privacy Options and Response Message
Here we can control the privacy aspects of the meeting. We are able to delete extra information (Attachments, Comments and Subject) from the request in order to book the meeting. We can also enable and configure a default answer for the meeting requests as shown in Figure 05.
Figure 05
For those who prefer to use the Exchange Management Shell instead of an OWA session to configure a resource mailbox Table 03 will help with this. The second column parameters can be combined with Set-MailboxCalendarSettings to configure the resource mailbox.
Resource Privacy Option using OWA |
Cmdlet Parameters |
Always add the organizer name to the meeting subject |
AddOrganizerToSubject |
Always remove the private flag on accepted meeting |
RemovePrivateProperty |
Include detailed information about conflicting meetings in response |
Enable ResponseDetails |
Include organizer’s name in conflict information |
OrganizerInfo |
Attachments from meeting requests |
DeleteAttachments |
Comments from meeting requests |
DeleteComments |
Subject of meeting requests |
DeleteSubject |
Add additional text that will be included in responses to meeting requests |
AddAdditionalResponse |
Text of the message |
AdditionalResponse |
Table 03
Example: How do we add Attachments and comments from meeting requests through the Exchange Management Shell? We can do that using the following cmdlet:
Set-MailboxCalendarSettings <Resource Mailbox name> -DeleteAttachments:$true –DeleteComents:$true
Viewing the Resource Mailbox through the Exchange Management Shell
Finally, we can see all resource mailbox settings that we have been working on using the Get-MailboxCalendarSettings cmdlet (Figure 06):
Get-MailboxCalendarSettings <Resource mailbox name> | fl
Figure 06
Conclusion
In this article we went over all the settings involved in configuring a resource mailbox and how to define them using Outlook Web Access and the Exchange Management Shell. In the next article we will be locking down the resource mailbox and monitoring the activity through Exchange Server Performance Monitor.
If you would like to read the other parts in this article series please go to:
- Managing Resource Mailboxes in Exchange Server 2007 (Part 1)
- Managing Resource Mailboxes in Exchange Server 2007 (Part 3)