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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 2024
  • Outlook 2021
  • 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, 2016, 2019
    • Given Microsoft's discontinuation of support for these versions (see links above) and the specific constraints associated with these versions, BlueMind cannot guarantee optimal operation of Outlook 2013/2016/2019. Although these continue to work well 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 a valid subscription installed.

    💡 For further information, see Setting up the subscription

  3. Correctly configure 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/exchange

    💡 Autodiscover and multidomain
    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.

    💡 For further information on external urls, see the Configuring external URLs and autodiscover

  4. Check that e-mail addresses are written without capital letters in the AD.

    ℹ️ This prerequisite is necessary to ensure a good match and avoid "Potential match" windows when Outlook connects.

    💡 To rewrite e-mails without capital letters, you can use the following script: lower_ad_email.ps1

Implementation​

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 Setting up the subscription

  2. Install the required packages:

    $ aptitude install bm-mapi

Note: BlueMind does not need to be restarted.

  1. Assign the role Outlook Connector Synchronization to the desired users, via group management or individually per user.

    ❗ Importance of the role​

    The role is required to enable users to connect their Outlook using MAPI: without this authorization, the connection will be refused by the server. For further information see the following paragraphs:

 

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

Setting up Windows 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:

Fontattributevalue
Disable authentication with Office 365 serverssigninoptions3
Force advanced configuration interfacedisableoffice365simplifiedaccountcreation1
Force manual account configurationdisableaccountsettingsdetectionservice1
Force autodiscover on on-premise instanceenableoffice365configservice1
Set up autodiscover for BlueMindexcludelastknowngoodurl1
Exclude SCP search in Outlookexcludescplookup1
Disable autodiscover via the root domainexcludehttpsrootdomain1
Prevent Outlook from connecting to Office365excludeexplicito365endpoint1
Disable V2 autodiscover servicedisableautodiscoverv2service1
Exclude domain in autodiscoverexcludehttpsautodiscoverdomain0
Disable redirection warningexcludehttpredirect0
Exclude SRV save request in DNSexcludesrvrecord0
Force exclusive use of MAPI protocol (disable imap fallback)disablerpctcpfallback1
Disable personal Microsoft accountsdisableexchangeconsumeraccounts1
Define Exchange cached mode: caching must be enabled with a setting of "All" ("All"/"Always").cached mode1
Activate logs in case of conflictsenableconflictlogging3
Multi-accounts

BlueMind advises against using Outlook with multiple user accounts on the same profile; however, this use case is necessary when using shared mailboxes from BlueMind 5.5 onwards. It is therefore now advisable to remove the maxnumexchange registry key, except in certain cases where it is necessary to ensure that the user does not run the risk of setting up 2 user accounts (for example, an old and a new account after migration from another provider):

Fontattributevalue
Force the use of a single mapi account per profilemaxnumexchange1

For more information on GPO configuration, please refer to the following documentation:

Configuring workstations 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 and 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 and 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 and 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\softwarepolicies\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

References

See below for parameters DelegateSentItemsStyle and DelegateWastebasketStyle.

Additional optional keys​

The following registry keys can be added as required, to be defined by the administrator:

Outlook 2016 and Office365
;Change AutoDiscover auth from user UPN to user email
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\AutoDiscover]
"PreferProvidedEmailInAutoDiscoverAuthPrompts"=dword:00000001
References

Setting up shared mailbox functional folders​

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

Hybrid hidden 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/bypas: Use Offline mode

Messaging

Linked attachments in e-mails

Attach and detach files on a file-sharing space.

Message recall

Cancel the sending of an email by deleting it from the server's send queue, or by deleting it or replacing the message body with a notification message if already delivered to users' mailboxes.

Filters

Outlook filters are only partially supported.
Recommendation/Circumvention : Applying sorting and action filters in BlueMind user preferences management

Réponses automatiques différentes selon le destinataire

BlueMind does not offer to differentiate automatic responses according to 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

Events attachments

Attachment of files to calendar events is supported in versions 2016 and higher.

Litter garbage can

Restoring items other than e-mails

Restore an appointment, contact, etc. in the recycle garbage can

Find out more​

Related BlueMind documentation pages

Related BlueMind Blog articles

Related BlueMind videos

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