3. Configuring Outlook

3.1. Generic Installation

Kopano Groupware Core allows native interfacing with Microsoft Outlook 2013 and above via the ActiveSync protocol. With the optional Kopano OL Extension package, the available feature set is extended with collaborative features which do not exist in the ActiveSync transport implementation available in Microsoft Outlook. The Kopano OL Extension does not interfere at all with the native ActiveSync synchronization provided by Outlook and instead is a native COM plugin which provides extra functionality by extending the available feature set. Normal updates of Outlook distributed by Microsoft do not interfere with the functionality provided by the extension.

Note

It has to be said that while syncing via ActiveSync works ok for moderately sized mailboxes, the protocol was not made to be used with lots and lots of folders or multiple gigabyte of synced data. Having also a bit of control on the server side, we have implemented the possibility to open folders from shared accounts through Z-Push, while this generally works, problems can arise if working with multiple users in very busy folders. For future versions are are investigating possibilities to enforce certain maximum sizes for mailboxes and amounts of folders.

3.1.1. Limitations of KOE

Depending on the use case the Kopano OL Extension can greatly enhance the user experience of Outlook accounts that have been setup to use ActiveSync. Please be aware that it is by design not a replacement for the old Zarafa Mapi connector.

Although we have received reports of Outlook working stable on Inboxes with around 1000 folders and total sizes of up to 10GB, we strongly recommend against the use of ActiveSync for busy shared mailboxes or for mailboxes with large folder structures. For large mailboxes it is possible to enforce a shorter sync period on the server side. Z-Push 2.4 will also implement a webservice to set a shorter sync period per user/device.

In addition to this for version 2.0 of KOE we want to implement client side warnings if the synced mailbox is too large or contains too many shared folders.

3.2. Installation of the Kopano OL Extension

There are two requirements that must be fulfilled prior to installing a Kopano workspace: First, Outlook 2013 or higher is needed, and second, the user must exist on the Kopano server.

Other than that, there are no special requirements beyond installing the Kopano OL Extension, whose installation package is called KopanoOLExtension-<version>-combined.exe

Note

It is recommended to have the latest service packs and security patches installed. An installation of Kopano OL Extension on a system with older versions than Outlook 2013 is not supported and will not work.

3.2.1. Instructions for Outlook 2013 and higher

  1. Go to Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles...
  2. Click on Add... and fill in a title, for example Kopano. Click OK.
  3. Select the option Manually configure server settings or additional server types and click on Next.
  4. Select With Outlook.com or Exchange ActiveSync compatible service and click on Next.
  5. Fill in your name, E-mail-Address in the corresponding fields.
  6. Fill in the hostname of the Z-Push server in the “E-Mail-Server” field.
  7. Fill in the logon data of the user in the Username and Password fields.
  8. Choose the amount of Offline-Data that is wanted available, either “1 Month” or “All” and click on Next.
  9. With the Account settings test successful, close the account test window with a click on Close.
  10. Click Finish to finalize the profile creation.

Important

We recommend the Kopano account to be the default account in the Outlook profile. It is possible to have the Kopano account as secondary account and use as primary account for example an IMAP account, yet it is not recommended practice.

3.2.1.1. Start Outlook

  1. Start Outlook and make sure the added profile is being used.
  2. This can be set in Control panel > Mail > Profiles... on the bottom of the dialog window.
  3. The private mailbox of the entered user will appear as a store in Outlook.

By default, the store in Outlook is empty and Outlook instantly starts synchronizing the available data in the store for the selected time period. Depending on the size of the store, the available network connection and system ressources in the backend, this might take some time. Due to the use of the ActiveSync protocol, Outlook behaves very much like a mobile device in synchronization, which allows interruptions. For instance, when Outlook is closed and not fully in sync, the next start of Outlook will continue synchronization where it stopped.