(CW) Direct booking of resource without a delegate account

Microsoft Outlook can automatically schedule the use of resources (conference rooms, vehicles, or AV equipment) if the resource or delegate of the resource is actively logged on to the Microsoft Exchange Server. This provides automatic sending of confirmations and allows booking via e-mail as opposed to requiring a direct network connection.

Multiple conference rooms can share the same delegate. However, you may want to directly book a resource without assigning a delegate.

Within the limitations below, you can open the calendar of a resource account and directly post a meeting:

• You must use Microsoft Exchange Server as your mail service.
• The resource calendar must be stored in the Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox.
• The resource calendar must have access permissions assigned.

To Define a Resource Account

1. Create a new e-mail account for the resource using the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator account.
2. Start Outlook using the new resource account to create the default folders in the mailbox on the server.
3. Right-click the Calendar folder, and click Properties.
4. On the Permissions tab, give the Default user "Author" permissions and click OK.
5. Quit Outlook.

Enable Automatic Booking of Resource Requests

To enable automatic booking of resource requests, follow these steps:

1. Open the delegate account in Outlook.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
3. On the Preferences tab, click to select E-mail Options.
4. Click Advanced E-mail Options.
5. Click "Process requests and responses on Arrival." Click OK and OK.
6. Click Calendar Options and then Resource Scheduling.
7. Under "Processing of meeting requests," select the options you want to use. Click to select all three options for complete automatic booking of all meeting requests forwarded to the delegate. The delegate account must remain logged on for automatic booking of resources.

NOTE: It may take a few minutes for the new resource and delegate options to update on the Microsoft Exchange server.

To Direct-book an Appointment to the Resource

1. Open Outlook with a user profile.
2. On the File menu, point to Open, and click Other User's Folder.
3. Type the e-mail name of the resource account, and in the Folder list, click Calendar and then click OK.
4. Enter an appointment on the resource calendar.
5. Close the resource calendar.

For more information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:



For more information about the automatic meeting scheduling features in Outlook, type "Schedule a Meeting" in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "Schedule an appointment, meeting, or event."