Implementing MAPI for Outlook

MAPI functionality is deactivated by default, due to the specific configurations required for its implementation. In addition, a subscription is required to benefit from this feature

Introduction

Outlook is synchronized with BlueMind via a direct connection to the server, so there's no need to install an add-on or connector. Some operations still need to be carried out on the server side to enable Outlook software on the network to connect to BlueMind.

Default fallback

We recommend that you work on virtual machines and use snapshots so that you can go back if an error occurs.

Compatibility

The Outlook versions supported by BlueMind are :

• Outlook 2021
• Outlook 2019
• Outlook 2016
• Outlook 365
  • This version evolves continuously with Microsoft 365. It is not controllable, and may therefore temporarily present 365-related specificities that may impair its use with BlueMind. Its use is therefore not recommended.
• Outlook Mobile (see Compatibility > Mobile devices)

The following Outlook versions are not supported :

• Outlook 2013
  • Given Microsoft's end of support for this version since April 2023 and the specific constraints associated with this version, BlueMind cannot guarantee optimal operation of Outlook 2013. Although the system continues to function on the whole, problems may arise which we are unable to resolve. To ensure an optimal and secure experience, we therefore strongly recommend migrating to a more recent and supported version of the software.
• Outlook for macOS

Updates

Whatever the version, Outlook must be kept up to date via Windows Update.

Prerequisites

1. Have installed BlueMind version 5.
2. Have correctly configured external and autodiscover urls.

⚠️ Outlook in MAPI mode cannot function without a properly configured autodiscover.

At startup, the MAPI service checks that autodiscover is configured for the domain or at least one of its aliases; if not, the MAPI service won't start.

To check that autodiscover is working correctly in a mapi implementation, use Microsoft's online diagnostic tool: https://testconnectivity.microsoft.com/tests/Ola/input

Autodiscover and multidomains

The mapi service requires autodiscover registration on all mail domains hosted by the server. You can override the autodiscover record check by creating the empty file /etc/bm/non.blocking.checks and then restarting bm-mapi.

Implementing

Quick implementation of an evaluation environment

Find out how you can quickly set up an evaluation environment in our blog article: BM 4.0 beta + Outlook: step by step

To install MAPI :

1. Deploy the subscription

2. Install the required packages:

   Debian/Ubuntu

   $ aptitude install bm-mapi

   Redhat/CentOS

   $ yum install bm-mapi

> NB : le redémarrage de BlueMind n'est pas nécessaire

3. Assign the Outlook Connector Sync role to the desired users, via group management or individually by user.

> ##### :exclamation: Importance du rôle
> Le rôle est nécessaire pour donner aux utilisateurs la possibilité de connecter leur Outlook en MAPI : sans cette autorisation, la connexion sera refusée par le serveur.

 

Please refer to the following page to configure Outlook workstations: Configuring Outlook

Windows Configuration for an organization

Configuring Windows workstations using GPO

If the organization has an Active Directory, the following GPO can be applied to facilitate Microsoft Outlook deployment:

Font	attribute	value
Disable authentication with Office 365 servers	signinoptions	3
Force advanced configuration interface	disableoffice365simplifiedaccountcreation	1
Force manual account configuration	disableaccountsettingsdetectionservice	1
Force autodiscover on on-premise instance	enableoffice365configservice	1
Set up autodiscover for BlueMind	excludelastknowngoodurl	1
Exclude SCP search in Outlook	excludescplookup	1
Disable autodiscover via the root domain	excludehttpsrootdomain	1
Prevent Outlook from connecting to Office365	excludeexplicito365endpoint	1
Disable V2 autodiscover service	disableautodiscoverv2service	1
Exclude domain in autodiscover	excludehttpsautodiscoverdomain	0
Disable redirection warning	excludehttpredirect	0
Exclude SRV save request in DNS	excludesrvrecord	0
Force exclusive use of MAPI protocol (disable imap fallback)	disablerpctcpfallback	1
Disable personal Microsoft accounts	disableexchangeconsumeraccounts	1
Force the use of a single mapi account per profile	maxnumexchange	1
Define Exchange cached mode: caching must be enabled with a setting of "All" ("All"/"Always").	cached mode	1
Activate logs in case of conflicts	enableconflictlogging	3

Pour plus d'informations pour la configuration par GPO, consulter les documentations suivantes :

• https://gpsearch.azurewebsites.net
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/manage/group-policy/group-policy-management-console

Workstation configuration using registry keys

To facilitate deployment of Outlook with BlueMind, register the following registry keys on workstations:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00


;; DISABLE AUTODISCOVER
;Outlook 2013
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover]
"ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint"=dword:00000001
"ExcludeHttpsAutoDiscoverDomain"=dword:00000000
"ExcludeHttpsRootDomain"=dword:00000001
"ExcludeScpLookup"=dword:00000001
"ExcludeSrvRecord"=dword:00000001

;Outlook 2016 et Office365
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover]
"ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint"=dword:00000001
"ExcludeHttpsAutoDiscoverDomain"=dword:00000000
"ExcludeHttpsRootDomain"=dword:00000001
"ExcludeScpLookup"=dword:00000001
"ExcludeSrvRecord"=dword:00000001


;; CACHE MODE ALL, DISABLE MULTIPLE EXCHANGE ACCOUNTS
;Outlook 2016 et Office365
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\cached mode]
; Prevent adding non-default Exchange accounts
"DisableMultipleExchange"=dword:00000001
; The time-window of email messages that Outlook synchronizes to users' computers is set to All
"SyncWindowSetting"=dword:00000000

;Outlook 2013
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\policies\microsoft\office\15.0\outlook\cached mode]
; Prevent adding non-default Exchange accounts
"DisableMultipleExchange"=dword:00000001
; The time-window of email messages that Outlook synchronizes to users' computers is set to All
"SyncWindowSetting"=dword:00000000


;; SHARED MAILBOX CONFIGURATION
;Outlook 2016 et Office365
; Save messages sent from a shared mailbox to the Sent Items folder
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences]
"DelegateSentItemsStyle"=dword:00000000
; Store deleted items in owner's mailbox instead of delegate's mailbox
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Options\General]
"DelegateWastebasketStyle"=dword:00000004

;Outlook 2013
; Save messages sent from a shared mailbox to the Sent Items folder
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Preferences]
"DelegateSentItemsStyle"=dword:00000000
; Store deleted items in owner's mailbox instead of delegate's mailbox
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Options\General]
"DelegateWastebasketStyle"=dword:00000004


;; DOWNLOAD FOLDERS IN CACHED MODE
;Outlook 2016
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\cached mode]
; Enables Public Folder Favorites synchronization in Cached Exchange mode
"SyncPfFav"=dword:00000001
; Download shared non-mail folders
"DownloadSharedFolders"=dword:00000001

;Outlook 0213
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\policies\microsoft\office\15.0\outlook\cached mode]
; Enables Public Folder Favorites synchronization in Cached Exchange mode
"SyncPfFav"=dword:00000001
; Download shared non-mail folders
"DownloadSharedFolders"=dword:00000001


; DISABLE HYBRID SEARCHING
;Outlook 2016 -> 2021
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Search]
"DisableServerAssistedSearch"=dword:00000001

• Save this content as a .reg file or download mapi-bluemind.reg
• Deploy this file on Windows workstations

References

• Disable autodiscover
  • ExcludeExplicitO365Endpoint
  • ExcludeHttpsAutoDiscoverDomain
  • ExcludeHttpsRootDomain
  • ExcludeScpLookup
  • ExcludeSrvRecord
• DisableMultipleExchange
• SyncWindowSetting
• DisableServerAssistedSearch
• SyncPfFav
• DownloadSharedFolders

See below for DelegateSentItemsStyle and DelegateWastebasketStyle.

Setting functional folders for mailshares

By default, messages sent on behalf of a shared mailbox are automatically copied to the shared mailbox's "Sent messages" folder by BlueMind. In this way, the email sent will be present in the user's "Sent messages" folder AND in the shared mailbox folder.

The following registry keys (included in the settings above) can be used to set behavior when using shared mailboxes:

• DelegateWastebasketStyle : configure Outlook so that messages deleted from the shared mailbox are moved to the shared mailbox's recycle garbage can and not to the user's recycle bin. For the suppression to work properly, this key must be positioned on the workstation.
• DelegateSentItemsStyle : configures Outlook so that messages sent to the name of the shared mailbox are copied or not to the shared mailbox's "Sent Messages" folder:
  • absent or set to 0 (default and recommended setting): Outlook will not copy messages itself to the "Sent Messages" folder, the user benefits from the default behavior (see above).
  • set to 1 : Outlook will copy messages to the "Sent messages" folder IN ADDITION to the default behavior, so the duplicate message will be found in the shared mailbox.

Configuring workstations after BlueMind upgrade

As the behavior of these keys has been modified compared to previous versions (<4.8.17), we draw your attention to the importance of checking the settings of these keys on the workstations on which they have been installed.

Limitations of Outlook with BlueMind

Configuration
Hidden hybrid mode / online	Account configuration to download items older than a certain time (e.g.: 1 month). Recent data is downloaded and accessed locally, while older data is accessed directly online. Recommendation/Circumvention: Use Off-line mode
Mail
Linking email attachments	Attach a file to an e-mail as a link to a file sharing space.
Message recall	Cancels sent emails by deleting them from the server queue or by deleting and replacing them by a message notification if they have already been delivered to users' mailboxes.
Filters	Outlook's filter support is partial. Recommendation/Circumvention : use server rules in user's BlueMind preferences management
Automatic replies different for each recipient	BlueMind does not offer automatic replies depending on whether the recipient is internal or external to the organization. Automatic replies configured from Outlook apply to all recipients even if they are configured in the "Within my organization" tab
Calendar
Event attachments	Attachment of files to calendar events is supported in 2016 and later.
Trash
Restore an item other than email	Restores events, contacts etc. from the trash folder

Find out more

If you have any problems, please consult the following guides:

• Configuring Outlook: set up the user account on the client workstation
• Using Outlook: software usage specifics related to BlueMind
• Outlook: diagnosing problems
• Outlook: known issues