Forum for iCal4OL, Print4OL and ICS4OL

Yes - THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

Until now iCal4OL could synchronize items by the CalDAV client protocol with servers like DAViCal, Darwin Calendar Server, eGroupware, Cosmo and Google Calendar.

Now a real CALDAV SERVER is integrated to SHARE your Outlook Calendar (and Tasks) with clients like Sunbird, Lightning or ICAL!

Sharing your Outlook Calendar (+Tasks) with other users in the network by CalDAV
Sunbird, Lightning, ICAL (OS X Leopard) and iCal4OL (as CalDAV-Client on another machine) can access your Outlook Calendar/Tasks by this protocol.

Is Outlook fast enough for this, you may ask? 
No/Yes - I implemented a cache mechanism (Access 2000 DB), which will answer all requests very fast (this is the server db).
You can keep working in Outlook at the same time - the cache will be updated automatically with your changes, too!

Building the cache (at CalDAV server start) takes a short time, depending on the total count of items.
But you can keep working in Outlook during this process, too.
The cache can be re-used at next CalDAV server start (see option "reuse" - will only re-cache changes).

Most of the "enhanced options" in iCal4OL are supported - this is very practical to see e.g. modified items (by clients) in a different color!

Features
- fast (caching)
- Basic Realm Authentication - use only lowercase letters for username!
- You can keep working in Outlook
- Beta: Several clients can connect simultaneously (Be aware of timeouts, when Outlook is busy...).
- Supported clients are Sunbird, Lightning, ICAL and iCal4OL (other clients may work, too - test them yourself).
- KOrganizer is only supported by "Calendar in Remote File" (enter the URL there = WebDAV GET/PUT)
- A lot of enhanced options e.g. time period, export/import filter, adding color and/or category.
- Simple right management with options: [nochange] [noadd] [nodelete]
- Subscribing as remote calendar (WebDAV access) e.g. http://192.168.0.2/username/calendar is supported, too.
- WebDAV upload with synchronization to e.g. http://192.168.0.2/username/calendar (without trailing /) is supported, too.

Limitations
- DO NOT activate "Show Reminders" in SUNBIRD
- Only one calendar folder (plus one task folder) can be shared (but you can run multiple copies of iCal4OL.exe on different ports).
- The HTTP Server is very basic and written directly on top of the winsock interface. Please be aware of security risks, if you open a port to the internet.
  Choose a non standard port for the server or better: use a VPN connection.
- Accessing a Google Mail account by IMAP under VISTA can freeze up your Outlook and therefore the CalDAV Server, too. This is a bug in VISTA SP1.
- Sunbird gets very slow accessing more than 500 events by caldav protocol. Use "subscribing as remote calendar", if you want to share more items - or restrict the time period (see below)!
- CalDAV-Clients can not add an identical event twice (same subject, date and starttime). This is a feature (auto-recognition of duplicate events).


Configuration
On tab "What" choose "2-Way-Sync with a Web Solution"... and then start the "CalDAV Configuration Assistant"... this is the easiest way.

URL (top field)...: <enter anything> like "x" (you cannot leave it empty). It will be replaced with the effective server address after first run.

Login+Password: <enter anything> like "x" (you cannot leave it empty). Enter credentials under [Authorization]...

Authorization.....: You MUST enter username and password here!  username MUST be lowercase!!
                          The CalDAV Server can't run without Basic Realm!
                          Clients need this username/pass to connect.. 
                          DON'T use special characters in username - it's a part of the URL address e.g http://192.168.0.2/username/calendar/

UserID (Kennung) (normally)..: caldav server tasks
UserID (Kennung) (minimal)...: caldav server
UserID (Kennung) (all options): caldav server:8080 tasks reuse nochange noadd nodelete debug nocache

=> caldav server - After finishing your configuration, you must click on tab "Start" the button [Start Synchronization] to run it!
=> server:8080   - use port 8080 instead port 8008 (=>8008 is default)
=> tasks             - share tasks, too (choose your task folder)
=> reuse             - if you did not change any parameter since last server run, you can speed up the caching process.
                             Only modified items since last run will be re-cached, and deleted items will be removed from cache.
=> nochange       - do not allow any changes of items
=> noadd            - do not allow adding of new items
=> nodelete         - do not allow removing of items
=> debug            - write all http communications into the LOG.txt
=> nocache         - use this ONLY FOR uploading by WebDAV to Outlook (no cache needed), e.g:
                             WebDAV PUT to     http://192.168.0.2/username/calendar  (without trailing /)
                            (WebDAV GET from http://192.168.0.2/username/calendar is slower without cache - but will work, too)
                            (WebDAV GET from http://192.168.0.2/username/freebusy will work, too... slow even with cache!)


If you change ANY settings/filters, you MUST DELETE "reuse" in this field (otherwise the cache is wrong)!


Outlook Calendar.....: choose your outlook calendar
                                (public exchange folders are not supported, but may work if Outlook is running
                                and the Exchange sync done => online mode).

Date & time last run: <not used> leave empty

Time period from-to: <select a rule>  Clients CAN NOT move/create an event outside the time period! The past is gone ;-)
                                                       Repeating Events will be shown, if an occurrence is greater than "from"..

There is a limit of items a CalDAV Client can handle - e.g. Sunbird gets extremely slow with more than 500 events!


Simulation only.......: <do not use> (should work, but makes no sense - clients will get errors)

Enhanced Options....: most options are supported, but you really should think them thourougly through ;-)
                                tab "1.1 More" is for receiving events from clients (import)
                                tab "2.1 More" is for sending/sharing events from outlook (export)


More:
- After starting the caldav server, a special window is shown with the URL to connect.
- use "[_] Minimize" to put the caldav server into the tasktray.

- Don't forget to configure your firewall (un-block the port)
- For access over the internet you must activate NAT forwarding in your router (please be aware of security risks - use VPN).
- Meanwhile in Outlook added or changed events will be filtered/cached automatically (=export).
- if you run multiple configuration files together, the Caldav server configuration must be the last in the *.ini run list!
- Start the CalDAV Server without "reuse" to clean the cache.
- Multiple clients may change/delete/add an event, which will be updated in the choosen "refresh" interval in your client (in Outlook immediatly).
  So for a while, it's possible, that you don't see the actual content - and can't modify those events, without a warning/error (non-match etag).
- The cache is located under C:\Documents and Settings\<userprofile>\appdata\iCal4OL\CalDAV.mdb - may be helpfull for programmers..
- Sunbird 0.9 has a bug with Drag&Drop of Recurring Allday Events - use "modify event" instead.
- Sunbird has an experimental cache. If this is turned on, users may still see items from a run before (which used different settings).
- Do not activate the Sunbird option "Show Reminders". Sundbird does not reset reminders - causing an indefinite loop and eventually a crash of iCal4OL.

Cheers Roland

Last edited by Roland (2009-10-07 23:32:49)