Exchange Server 2003
Intelligent Message Filter (IMF)
Roaming Profiles and Multiple Users |
| | This is a very complex subject, for which we can only offer some beginning pointers at this time. Hopefully, we'll be able to put together more step-by-step information in the near future. Most of the information here also applies to Exchange and Windows Messaging. | ||||||||||||||
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Roaming profiles
| Sharing the same computer
| Log on anywhere |
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Roaming profiles |
When you configure a profile for Outlook
with Control Panel | Mail and Fax, those
settings are stored in your Windows user profile. If you
have Windows NT Server or a NetWare server, you can set up
users so that their Windows profile settings follow them,
no matter what workstation they log on to. Microsoft has
several references on this topic:
Under Windows 95, you'll need to use the Network and Password applets in Control Panel to make sure your network settings are set to log onto an NT server and to use different settings for each Windows user. See XCLN: Creating Roving Users on Win95 and WinNT. The above information applies to Microsoft Exchange as well as Microsoft Outlook. For Outlook 97, you may want to use the Client Installation Tools included in the Office 97 Resource Kit. Because some Outlook settings are kept in separate files, you should also follow the instructions in the MSKB article OL97: Set Up Outlook for Multiple or Roaming Users. Outlook 8.03, available as part of Exchange Server 5.0 Service Pack 2, includes a fix to allow the .rtf signature file to be part of a roving user's profile. See the MSKB article OL97:Roaming User's AutoSignature Incorrect or Missing; make sure the registry entry path to the signature .rtf files ends in a \ character, and does not use the actual file name. The Microsoft Exchange Server Resource Kit includes a Profgen.exe utility that works with Newprof.exe to create profiles. See Log on anywhere and More tools below for other tools. If you are interested in using the Newprof.exe utility to generate profiles automatically, start with XCLN: Creating Default User Profiles, OL97: Contents of the Outlook.prf File and OL97: Contents of the Profile.doc Readme File. For Outlook 98, the Outlook 98 Deployment Kit is provided through the Select and MSDN channels at Microsoft and on the Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 1 CD. You can also download the IExpress Deployment Kit, which includes a Profile Designer to create .prf files and profile packages, as well as Profgen.exe version 3.0. You may also want to get these additional components and documents: Outlook 2000 adds a Profile Wizard that you can use to clone Outlook settings from one user's machine and distribute them to others. This is for user settings, not MAPI profiles. The Office Custom Installation Wizard handles the MAPI profile settings. Both are included in the Office 2000 Resource Kit core tools set. The Office 2000 Resource Kit contains a sample Outlook.prf file (22kb). Also see: Outlook 2002 changes the way .prf files work, making them easier to load and providing the capability to modify profiles, not just create new ones: Note that the profile generation tools only handle the user's MAPI profile. If you want to force certain other settings -- those normally set in Tools | Options -- you need to use the System Policy Editor to create a policy file with your choices in it. See: |
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Sharing the same computer |
What if you don't have Windows NT Server,
but several people need to use the same computer? At the
very least, each person needs their own Outlook profile,
connecting to their own mail account(s) and using with a
unique Personal Folders .pst file, probably
password-protected. The tools listed below can generate
profiles for this situation, too.
See Sharing Microsoft Outlook Info on One PC for a more detailed discussion. |
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Log on anywhere |
If you need to allow Outlook or Exchange
users to log on at any computer to get their mail, but
don't have roving profiles implemented, these tools are
designed to help: (They can help with roving profiles,
too, of course.)
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Tools |
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Additional tips |
If you have people moving around and don't
want sample items created in their mailbox each time they
use a new profile with Outlook 97, try adding this string
value to your registry (if it isn't there already):
Set the value to "False" (without the quotes). (Office\8.0 = Outlook 97 and Outlook 98; Outlook 2000 would use Office\9.0) |
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More information |
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