[ANN] Exchange setup script updated for Outlook 2011

[talkingmoose]

Hi Folks!

I've had a few of you ask me if I'll be updating my Entourage Exchange
setup script to work with Outlook. It's ready as of today.

You'll find more information here as well as a link to the download page:
<http://www.officeformachelp.com/2010/11/exchange-setup-script-updated-for-
outlook-2011/>

This is a direct link to the download page:
<http://www.officeformachelp.com/outlook/exchange/setup-script/>

Testing and feedback from different environments is very welcome!:-)

--

William Smith
Technical Analyst
Merrill Communications LLC
(651) 632-1492

[mikethemac]

Hi,

This is great! The script can output the MUD files to a directory of my choice, what would be the best way of getting the script and MUD files onto my client machines in the appropriate locations via Casper?

Apologies for the newbie question!

Thanks!

[talkingmoose]

Use Composer to create the package.

If you're deploying to new machines then create a DMG package. When you add the package to Casper Admin you'll need to set the Fill User Template (FUT) option.

If you're deploying to existing machines with existing user accounts then create a DMG package. When you add the package to Casper Admin you'll need to set the Fill Existing User (FEU) as well as the Fill User Template (FUT) option.

However, if you're deploying to existing machines that are bound to a directory service such as Active Directory then you'll need to create a PKG package. It will have to install to a location of your choosing and you'll need to include a script that copies the files recursively to each user folder as well as the User Template folder. If you need help with this just let me know.

[Johnny_Kim]

Talkingmoose-
I tested your script out and it is MUCH better than the previous version! Thank you for the script.

I was reading your instructions as far as how to deploy this script using casper and I must admit I am a little lost. (Please excuse with my knowledge with Mac's as I am new to the Mac os X environment).

We are receiving Mac book Airs imaged with softwares, AD binding, and wireless already in the image. I was a little too late to add this script as part of the image.

Can you give me a hand with getting this pkg/script to copy the outlook script and also copy the outlook template to the "System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Office 2011 Identities" folder."?

Thanks in advance!

[Johnny_Kim]

Quick update...
I use casper composer and did a snap shot. I included the outlook script and the outlook template file. Ill let you know how it works.

2nd update...
The composer method didn't work. It copied the files and folder but doesn't seem to like it. Do you have a script to copy the files from a folder to another folder? I would need the files to be copied to the computer first and then moved/copied accordingly.

Thanks in advance!

[talkingmoose]

@Johnny.Kim

Thanks for the compliment! It's very appreciated.

You want to take advantage of Casper's Fill User Template (FUT) feature to get the Outlook template into the User Template folder. You must create a .dmg package in Casper. I'm not sure if a .pkg will work.

When you create your package you'll put the Outlook template folder "Main Identity" into a user home folder. The name of the user can be anything. When you select FUT when adding the package to Casper it will understand to copy the files to the User Template folder. Put everything in folders like this:

Users
   anyusername
      Documents
         Microsoft User Data
            Office 2011 Identities
               Main Identity

So long as the contents of your package look like that and you have selected FUT when adding it to Casper Admin then Casper will know where to put it.

[acdesigntech]

I have such a script that will copy to existing user home folders. Ill post it later this morning.

LATER THIS MORNING: here's the script as promised:

#!/bin/sh


for PREF_ITEM in /path/to/settings/you/want/to/copy/*; 
do
    for USER_HOME in /Users/*;
    do
        USER_ID=`basename "${USER_HOME}"`
        if [ "${USER_ID}" != "Shared" ]; then
            rsync -avE "${PREF_ITEM}" ${USER_HOME}
            chown -R $USER_ID:<optional: group> "${PREF_ITEM}"
            chmod -R 700 "${PREF_ITEM}"
        fi
    done        
done

I use this to copy "top level" folders, so for example /Users/username/Library/foo. I'd have foo installed to /Applications/Utilities/ISD/Installs/User Settings/Library/

Then the script will copy foo to each user's ~/Library/ folder. So be careful how you use it, if it needed to go into ~/Library/Pictures/, then you'd need to create a folder called Pictures inside /A/U/ISD/U S/Library/.

Here's a link to an article I wrote about it, it's got a little more info. http://acdesigntech.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/jamf-casper-and-feu-funkiness-and-how-to-work-around-it...

[FDA]

@talkingmoose

Does the setup script work with PIV?

[talkingmoose]

@FDA

Searched online but couldn't find anything. PIV?

[FDA]

to automate adding an account for users logged in with smart cards?

[Johnny_Kim]

Talkingmoose, thanks for your help. I haven't had a chance to give this a try as I just found another issue with OS X that is a higher priority. Once I try it, I will let you know.

Thanks again!

[jeremy_spolande]

Quick question guys - I might be reading this all wrong but .....by copying this in to the template for new users and then using an outlook schedule to setting this to run at startup, how do you get it not to come up every time you start outlook? surely it needs to go away once its been completed.

Is there something cleverer or should I ammend the script to also remove the template from ~/Documents/Microsoft User Data/...

[acdesigntech]

the schedule deletes itself on completion, so it only runs once. If it gets interrupted, however, it will continue running next time you launch outlook, effectively duplicating everything it's done up to the point it was interrupted. We were burned by this several times during our migration from Entourage to Outlook.

I amended the script to write a completion file in /Users/Shared with the users name and date/time, then first check for that file, grepping for the current username. If found, the schedule would delete itself then quit. It wasn't enough to know that the migration was done, mgmt wanted the exact time of completion, so I had to make an EA and then recon the Mac so I could send them reports. <sarcasm>It was so much fun getting a user-level script to run system level actions (recon)</sarcasm>. Very convoluted process.

[jeremy_spolande]

sorry, dont see how it can if you have created it manually, is there a second script that does this?

[talkingmoose]

The Microsoft Identity Folder (MUD) that you place in the User Template location is the template for all future users. A new user on the machine gets a copy of this MUD and that becomes his own mail store. The final adjustment the script makes after configuring the account but before the user starts receiving mail is to remove the schedule that triggers the script in the first place. The script itself remains on the machine.

It can seem a bit recursive. Let me know if I need to explain it better.