Troubleshooting Microsoft Exchange integration

a. Verify ports

Verify that the port number of the Exchange send connector, and the port number on which the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Reserve SMTP Agent is running, are the same. For more information, see Configuring communication from Microsoft Exchange to Maximo Real Estate and Facilities.

1. Verify the SMTP_PORT property value (port number) in the TRIRIGAWEB.properties file.

b. Verify agent

Verify that the Exchange server can talk to the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Reserve SMTP Agent that is running on the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities server.

1. On the Exchange server, type the following telnet command in your command prompt. If necessary, install the telnet client.

   telnet tririgaserverIP tririgaSMTPport

   For example:

   telnet 9.99.77.74 8025

2. If everything is configured correctly, you should see a response similar to the following:

   220 example.mailserver.com Simple Mail Transfer Service Ready

3. If the Reserve SMTP Agent does not respond, verify the following areas:
   • Verify that the Reserve SMTP Agent is running by opening the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Administrator Console.
   • Verify that you have no network issues that might be blocking traffic to the port (for example, your firewall).

c. Verify emails

Verify that incoming emails exist in the TRIRIGA_RESERVE_SMTP_ROOT property value (directory path) in the TRIRIGAWEB.properties file. In other words, another way to verify that SMTP email is reaching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities is to configure Maximo Real Estate and Facilities to save any incoming SMTP mail that it receives.

1. Edit the SMTP_KEEP_EMAIL property value in the TRIRIGAWEB.properties file as follows.

   SMTP_KEEP_EMAIL = Y

2. Restart the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities application server.
3. Send a new meeting request via Microsoft Outlook.
4. Verify that an incoming email exists in the TRIRIGA_RESERVE_SMTP_ROOT directory path. If an email file was created, then email is reaching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities from Exchange.

a. Symptoms

• From the server.log file:

  ews.ExchangeException: No message found. [mailbox=<your room mailbox name>]

• In your Microsoft Outlook client, you did not receive an Accept or Decline email from the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities room delegate on behalf of the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities room. But you did receive an Accept or Decline email directly from the Exchange room mailbox.

b. Solution

Verify in Exchange that the AutoAccept (automatically accept) value is disabled for the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities room, so that the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities room delegate can accept or decline on behalf of the room.

1. Open the Exchange PowerShell on the Exchange server.
2. Run the following command to disable the AutoAccept (automatically accept) value by selecting the AutoUpdate or None value instead:

   Set-CalendarProcessing -Identity "<your room mailbox name>" 
      -AutomateProcessing AutoUpdate

3. Verify that the AutoAccept (automatically accept) value is not selected.

c. Additional Solution

Verify that the Exchange Mailbox value (email address) in the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities space record matches the Exchange mailbox value (email address) in Exchange Outlook.

1. Log into Maximo Real Estate and Facilities.
2. Select Requests > Request Set Up > Exchange Resource Admin.
3. In the Exchange Admin tab, in the Exchange Spaces section, verify the values in the Exchange Mailbox column.
   • The email address value is case-sensitive. For example, CR2@reserve.mycompany.com is not the same as CR2@reserve.MyCompany.com.
   • If the email address value in Maximo Real Estate and Facilities does not match the value in Exchange, any reservations that are sent from the Outlook add-in will not create a reservation in Maximo Real Estate and Facilities.

a. Question

When an invitation is created in Microsoft Exchange, how does Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Workplace Reservation Manager (Reserve) match a user in Maximo Real Estate and Facilities? Is it solely based on email address?

b. Answer

When a room is booked in Exchange, Exchange forwards the meeting request email to the room in Maximo Real Estate and Facilities and provides a list of other recipients. In all cases, the match is based on the email address that is configured in the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user account. Reserve finds a matching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user as follows:

1. Reserve takes the requester email address from the meeting email, and searches the list of Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profiles for a user with a matching email address. If a matching email address is found, Reserve uses the related user profile as the match.
2. If the Create External Contact for Unknown Exchange User? flag is selected, Reserve creates a Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profile and uses this new user profile as the match. This flag is located in the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Application Settings > Reservation Settings tab.
3. If the Create External Contact for Unknown Exchange User? flag is not selected, Reserve uses the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profile whose email address matches the Default Reserve User Email field value. This field is also located in the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Application Settings > Reservation Settings tab.

When a matching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user is found, a calendar entry is created for the space, and the calendar entry is displayed in the calendar of that user.

a1. Question

How is the Default Reserve User Email field value used from the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Application Settings > Reservation Settings tab?

b1. Answer

The Default Reserve User Email field value is the email address of the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user who is the default reservation contact.

The Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Reserve SMTP Agent performs a valid email check on all incoming SMTP mail. If the agent does not find the requester email address in the list of Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user emails, it rejects the meeting request email. This prevents a mail server from sending email to Maximo Real Estate and Facilities in error.

To bypass this valid SMTP email check, set the Default Reserve User Email field value and create a Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profile that contains this email address. Maximo Real Estate and Facilities will then accept meeting requests from the mail server, as long as the domain matches. Setting this field value also allows Exchange users who do not have a Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profile to book a room.

If Maximo Real Estate and Facilities does not find a match for either the requester email address or the Default Reserve User Email address, it rejects the meeting request email.

a2. Question

How is the Create External Contact for Unknown Exchange User? flag used from the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Application Settings > Reservation Settings tab? What data is mapped from Exchange to create the external contact?

b2. Answer

If the Create External Contact for Unknown Exchange User? flag is selected, Reserve creates a Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profile. The requester email address is mapped to the email address of the newly-created Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profile. The requester email address is also mapped to both the first name and last name of the newly-created Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profile.

For more information about when and how this flag is used, see the answer to Question 4.

a3. Question

Is a calendar entry created in Maximo Real Estate and Facilities when no matching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user is found?

b3. Answer

Yes, when no matching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user is found, a calendar entry is still created for the space. If the Create External Contact for Unknown Exchange User? flag is selected, Reserve creates a Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profile, where the email address of the external contact is mapped to both the first name and last name of the newly-created user profile. So, in this case, the calendar entry is displayed in the calendar of the newly-created user profile.

For more information about when and how this flag is used, see the answer to Question 4.

Meanwhile, when a matching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user is found, a calendar entry is created for the space, and the calendar entry is displayed in the calendar of that user. So, if you are the requester and your email address is matched in Maximo Real Estate and Facilities, the calendar entry is displayed on your calendar.

a4. Question

What happens if Reserve finds multiple Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profiles with the same email address?

b4. Answer

Ideally, the email addresses should be unique. However, if Reserve finds more than 1 match with the same email address, then Reserve selects the user with the smallest value in the Control Number (ID) field.

a5. Question

Does Reserve ignore retired Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user profiles with matching email addresses?

b5. Answer

Yes, Maximo Real Estate and Facilities filters out retired people records, including retired user profiles.

a6. Question

Is there a way to capture errors, such as when no matching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user is found for an invitation that is created in Exchange? If so, is there a way to send more helpful error messages, such as what corrective action to take, to reassure the requester that the invitation was sent?

b6. Answer

Maximo Real Estate and Facilities sends a confirmation email after the reservation is created in Maximo Real Estate and Facilities. Also, when no matching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user is found, a calendar entry is still created for the space. So the requester does not need to take any corrective action.

For more information about how a matching Maximo Real Estate and Facilities user is found, see the answers to Question 4 and Question 7.

a7. Question

Is there any provision for resynchronizing Maximo Real Estate and Facilities and Exchange resource calendars after an error occurs, such as using a compare query or other resynchronization?

b7. Answer

There is no provision for resynchronizing Maximo Real Estate and Facilities and Exchange resource calendars. Such a feature would require a request for enhancement (RFE).

a8. Question

Can you clarify the syntax for user credentials under the different types of authentication? There are some different scenarios whether you are using Basic Authentication or NTLM Authentication. Apparently, there are sub-options such as Anonymous that must be set. I know that there is a separate domain field for NTLM, but I don't think that field is used for Basic settings. It seems like you should put the domain in the NTLM Domain field if you're using NTLM, but you should prefix the Username field if you're not using NTLM. Also, should you use one forward slash or one backslash (if using UNIX and different handling) or double slashes to accommodate literals? How does the operating system play into this? Or are the values simply used in the code somewhere?

b8. Answer

If you use NTLM authentication, select the NTLM Authentication? flag and specify the domain in the NTLM Domain field. For Windows, there is no need for slashes, either forward slashes or backslashes. The prefix is not required when referring to the domain, such as company/marysmith. However, if you use Maximo Real Estate and Facilities on Linux, enter the slashes in the same way that you would enter them in Windows.

a9. Question

Can you clarify the use of a mailbox database with multiple Exchange servers? We have multiple Exchange servers where the resource accounts and service accounts are located on different servers. Because the use and syntax of the mailbox settings are not documented, and testing by trial and error is difficult, can you provide clarity?

b9. Answer

Previously, Reserve supported only one Exchange server, not multiple Exchange servers.

Currently, Maximo Real Estate and Facilities can now simultaneously integrate with multiple Exchange servers. Room resources may exist on any integrated Exchange server. Servers are added to Maximo Real Estate and Facilities by creating an OAuth profile, granting access to the server, and specifying the email domain to be handled by the server.

a10. Question

Do I need to take Maximo Real Estate and Facilities offline when Exchange is down for maintenance? Will both systems resynchronize? Do I need to manually verify all new meetings periodically to ensure that they are intact across both systems?

b10. Answer

No, you don't need to take Maximo Real Estate and Facilities offline. When Exchange is offline, if reservations are created on Reserve, then Maximo Real Estate and Facilities will try to contact Exchange but fail. However, Maximo Real Estate and Facilities will try again after a certain interval, which is specified by the Exchange Retry Duration field. This field is located in the Maximo Real Estate and Facilities Application Settings > Reservation Settings tab. Maximo Real Estate and Facilities will continue to try again until Exchange is back online.

a11. Question

How to resolve the error that is displayed while creating a reservation in the Perceptive app?

b. Description of the issue

While creating a reservation in the Perceptive app, I am getting an error message and I am unable to create a reservation.

c. Answer

You must configure a time zone in your user profile to resolving this error. For more information, see Configuring user profiles.