Section 96. Synchronize with an Exchange or Directory Server

96. Synchronize with an Exchange or Directory Server

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

30 Configure Networking Manually

SEE ALSO

100 Configure a New Mail Account

96. Synchronize with an Exchange or Directory Server

If you're in a corporate network environment, chances are that you and all your co-workers have Windows Networking user names and passwords that you use to access the Windows-based networkand there is equally likely a Microsoft Exchange server or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server available, making it a breeze to access the contact information for any of your co-workers. You don't even have to enter their information yourselfall you have to do is tell Address Book where the server is, and it will do all the work for you.

There are subtle differences between an Exchange server and a directory server. With an Exchange server, Address Book must connect to the server every so often ( generally once per hour ) and synchronize its cards with the ones on the server. A directory server, on the other hand, doesn't insert its contents into your Address Book; rather, you browse the contents of the directory over the network as you would a group in your Address Book.

Before configuring Mac OS X to synchronize your Address Book with the Exchange server, make sure that your computer is connected to the corporate network, and that you know your Windows Networking user name and password. Consult your company's network administrator for assistance if you don't know this information.

NOTE

When you configure Address Book to synchronize itself with an Exchange server, Address Book is actually passing off the synchronization duties to iSync. While you update contacts in Address Book, iSync operates in the background, finding new and changed entries in the Exchange server and propagating them into your Address Book.

1.	Configure Address Book to Use an Exchange Server Open the Address Book Preferences window; select the General tab. Select the Synchronize with Exchange check box and then click the Configure button to specify the Exchange server. Enter your Windows Networking user name and password. Then put the server's hostname or IP address in the Outlook Web Access Server box. Select the Synchronize every hour check box to keep your Address Book in sync at all times, and then click OK . NOTE If you configured an Exchange email account in Mail, Address Book takes its Exchange server settings from that account. See 54 Configure a New Mail Account for details on accessing an Exchange server. The first synchronization process takes place immediately. After the sync process is complete, your Address Book is populated with all your co-workers' names, email addresses, and phone numbers . Mac OS X will check the server every hour for changes; this way, you will always have the most accurate information at your fingertips.
2.	Configure an LDAP Server You can also subscribe your Mac to a directory server, also known as an LDAP server. Use the LDAP pane of the Address Book Preferences window to configure an LDAP server, using the server information provided to you by your network administrator. Click the + button to add a new directory server. In the sheet that appears, enter a descriptive name for the server, the hostname or IP address, and the "search base"a string that your network administrator will be able to provide for you. TIP Select the Auto Update LDAP Cards check box to allow Address Book to automatically update any changed information in a card you access from a directory server. Click Save to close the configuration sheet and then close the Preferences dialog box.
3.	Browse Contacts in a Public Directory Back in the Address Book, select the Directories entry in the Group column; all your configured directory servers appear in the second column. Click a directory to browse the names inside it.