Installing Scalix at a customer site

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Required

  1. Customer MUST have a static IP plan from their ISP
  2. Make sure you have tested logging in to the customers' DNS/domain registry, so that you will be able to make the MX (Mail Record) change later
  3. To minimize impact to end users, if you supply us all existing POP account information, we will set the server up for "fetchmail" which will pull the users' POP mail down directly to the Scalix server.

Recommendations

  1. Highly recommend doing everything using WIRED network, 1GB speed if possible. You will have less issues importing.
  2. Make sure that the mail server name (mail.customerxyz.com) pings to a local address, generally should be 10.0.50.30 (not the WAN IP of the server)
  3. Work with PSTs locally whenever possible (rather than import PST from a network share), greatly speeds up the process

Pre-installation

  1. Prior to going onsite, you should get all users to prune their email files
    1. Send them this link: http://remotelyyours.com/online-support/web-a-email-hosting/reducing-the-size-of-your-outlook-data-file.html
    2. After cleaning out files, get them to compact their PST
    3. Get them to export to PST before you get there, if possible (save to desktop)
  2. Confirm any existing email aliases and forwards by logging in to their old mail system
    • If you want to use fetchmail, record all login information and reset passwords if needed.
  3. Create users in Scalix Admin Console
    1. Log in to http://mail.customerxyz.com/sac (default sxadmin/r3mot3ly)
      1. Note that this link is also available in TSS under the Biz Server tab.
    1. Create users as needed
      1. Account types:
        1. Premium Users are  accounts that behave like MS Exchange: syncs email/contacts/calendar/tasks/notes, allows user to Share mailbox items, etc.
          1. Up to 5 Premium users are included, additional licenses require a paid Scalix license (5 user $199, 10 user $299, additional singles roughly $10/user/year, )
        1. Regular users are just IMAP/POP3 accounts.
    1. Assign aliases as needed.  Note that the user can log in using any alias that applies to their account.

Workstation install

  1. Ask the user:
    1. Do they have any stationary or Signatures?
    2. Do they care about keeping their autocomplete intact?
    3. Do they sync any devices with their Outlook (IE. Blackberry)?
    4. What email aliases do they need? IE. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  2. Check to make sure all MS Office Service Packs have been applied first. 
    1. Start > Type "Update", it will quickly filter to Windows Update.
  3. Load Outlook using old/existing user mail profile, usually POP3 account.
    1. Right click on Personal Folders, copy the path to the current PST
      1. Start > Paste (remove filename.pst from end), this will open a file manager window directly to the existing PST
    1. Check Tools > Rules and Alerts for existing Rules.  Export to desktop if any exist.
    2. Check Tools > Account Settings to see if there are multiple POP accounts being checked under a single profile. If so, record the info in them or ask the user if they are applicable.
    3. Start > Notepad and write down
      1. # items in Inbox and Sent items
      2. Optionally check folder size Right click Personal Folders > Properties > Folder Size
      3. This will be used as a reference after importing to make sure the Scalix account matches at the end)
  4. Exit Outlook
    1. From the file manager window, copy the users' PST file, save it somewhere (local desktop or \\server\notbackedup) and label it appropriately like "Outlook - Fred Smith - Dec 18 2009 backup.PST"
  5. Disable Anti-Virus/Security
    1. Some security products (Kaspersky, Norton) WILL interfere with the installation (IE. Outlook Add-Ons don't get installed properly) - DISABLE THEM BEFORE INSTALLING!
  6. Install latest Scalix Outlook Connector
    1. Found on \\server\admin\toolkit\scalix, or http://toolkit.remotelyyours.com/Scalix
    2. Good idea to copy it to local desktop to install from
  7. Go to Mail and create New Profile
    1. Add New, name new profile something like "Fred Smith Scalix"
    2. Choose Manually choose server type
      1. Choose Other > Scalix
      2. Use the full email address as the user name
      3. Use SmartCache
    1. Set Always Use this Profile to the new Scalix account.
  8. Start Outlook, wait for initial sync to complete before restarting Outlook.
  9. Be patient!  You will be notified with a Pop Up when it is safe to restart Outlook.

Importing mail into Scalix account

  1. Use wired GB network if possible, disable wireless
  2. You can migrate the old user data in one of several ways:
    1. Import Outlook PST into Scalix account
      1. Start Outlook using the new, empty Scalix mail profile, and File > Import > Other > Outlook Data file (PST)
        1. This works in general, but with exceptionally large PST's or ones with errors in them it might require numerous imports to get all the mail.
          1. Once you start with one PST, you can repeat importing from that one using the "Don't import duplicates" option.  DON'T IMPORT FROM MULTIPLE PSTs (IE. One that you exported as a backup) or you will get duplicates.
          2. If a PST import fails, click OK and let the SmartCache finish sync'ing before starting another.
    1. Copy email via IMAP (from Outlook POP account, Live Mail, Outlook Express, Mac Mail)
      1. If user was a Outlook POP user, change the "Always use" Mail profile back to the original POP account, restart Outlook
        1. Add a new IMAP account within Outlook (Tools > Account Settings) to connect to Scalix
      1. Make sure to use CUT/MOVE so if there is an issue during mail import, you can continue where you left off.

Finishing touches

  1. Add each Contact folder into outlook address book
  2. Copy autocomplete history: C:\Users\%profilename%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
    • Duplicate the old POP account NK2 and name it the same as the Scalix Profile (IE. Fred Smith Scalix.NK2) Overwrite is usually necessary.
  3. Go to http://mail.customername.com/webmail and bookmark it, put a copy on user desktop and name it "Webmail". Log in once to test and configure Allow Popups from that site.
  4. Import old Rules
    • Scalix installs its own Rules processing engine, which can be disabled and the old Rules used.
      • Scalix rules are applied as mail is received at the server, not when it hits the local PC.
        • If you want to use the Scalix Rules, you will need to rebuild  any existing rules using the Scalix rules engine which pops up in place of the regular Rules wizard.
      • To disable Scalix Rules, go to Tools > Trust Center > Add-Ins
    • After disabling Scalix Rules and restarting Outlook, you can import the Rules as normal.

Troubleshooting

  1. Make sure to ping mail.companyxyz.com and ensure it resolves inside the network to 10.0.50.30
    • You can optionally the hosts file (Start > cmd > edit \windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts) or check that it is not interfering
  2. Ensure that all the Scalix related add-on's are enabled, there are several
  3. Make sure all MS Office Service packs are applied
  4. Disable security software/antivirus
  5. If you get weird sync'ing issues or mail that is stuck in the Outbox, the easiest thing is to just reset the local Smartcache and sync down a new copy
    • Outlook > Tools > Scalix Properties > Support tab > Reset SmartCache
  6. Kill the following processes between restarts of Outlook (or reboot):
    • Outlook (make sure multiple copies not running)
    • SXCacheMgr
    • Sxwipe32 (normally has multiple instances)
    • Sxlogger
    • sxualwsd32
  7. If Outlook crashes and pops up the Trying to Recover Outlook, click Cancel (and also to Restarting Outlook).  It is better to make sure Outlook starts clean and the Smartcache has time to cleanly exit.