Q256860: XFOR: Lotus Notes Users Unable to View Exchange Users’ Free Busy

Article: Q256860
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): 5.5 SP3,SP1
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): exc55sp3
Last Modified: 16-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 SP3 
- Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server SP1 
- Microsoft Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server 
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SYMPTOMS
========

If you try to view the free and busy times of Exchange Server users by using the
Lotus Notes client, the free and busy times are only displayed as a gray bar
when you click Find Free Time in the invitation to perform a free time search.
Exchange Server users can view the free and busy times of the Notes users. No
events are written to Windows NT Event Viewer and no definitive errors are
reported if debugging is enabled in the Exchange Calendar Connector (excalcon)
task on the Notes server.

MORE INFORMATION
================

This issue can occur because of a Lotus Notes limitation. When a Notes user
queries the calendar of another Notes user, Notes Schedule Manager attempts to
supply the data. It checks the Notes primary public Names and Address Book
(NAB), the Names.nsf file, to determine if the target user is on the local Notes
server or not. If the target user is on the local Notes server, the free and
busy times of the user are stored in the local instance of the Busytimes.nsf
file. Schedule Manager simply looks up the information and returns it to the
requestor.

If the target user is on a different server in either the same or a different
Notes domain, or if the user is in a different system altogether, Schedule
Manager passes the request to a second task that is called Calendar Connector.
The Calendar Connector task reroutes the request to the appropriate Notes or
foreign domain, specifically to a Calendar Connector task in that other domain.
In the case of the Exchange Server foreign domain, the Calendar Connector task
is a new task called Calendar Connector (or Exch Calconn), which is added to the
Notes server as part of the Exchange Calendar Connector installation process.
When the data is returned, the Notes Calendar Connector task returns the data to
the requesting client.

By default, the Schedule Manager task that runs on the Notes server only queries
the primary Names and Address Book (the Names.nsf file) for the invitees person
document, even when cascading address books have been configured. If you perform
a directory synchronization of the Exchange Server recipients to a different NAB
(for example, the Exchange.nsf file) the Notes clients cannot view the free and
busy times of the Exchange Server users.

Lotus Notes support has documented this issue.


Additional query words: calcon, troubleshooting, notescal

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Keywords          : exc55sp3 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbZNotKeyword2 kbExchange2000Search kbExchange2000Serv kbExchange2000EntServ kbExchange550SP3 kbExchange2000ServSP1
Version           : :5.5 SP3,SP1
Issue type        : kbprb

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