Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2007-01-02

This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Console or the Exchange Management Shell to create and initialize an offline address book (OAB). An OAB is a copy of an address book that has been downloaded so that a Microsoft Outlook user can access the information it contains while disconnected from the server. Exchange administrators can choose which address books are made available to users who work offline, and they can also configure the method by which the address books are distributed (Web-based distribution or public folder distribution). For more information about OABs, see Managing Offline Address Books.

Important:
Although Web-based distribution is enabled by default and does not require further configuration, we recommend that you enable Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for the OAB distribution point. For more information, see How to Require SSL for Offline Address Book Distribution.
Note:
Public folder distribution is the method by which Outlook 2003 or earlier clients access the OAB. When you use the New Offline Address Book wizard to create an OAB, the wizard does not allow you to set the OAB version. However, by default, the wizard creates offline address books that are compatible with clients running Outlook 98 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later versions. For more information about how to edit OAB settings, see How to View and Modify Offline Address Book Settings.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

  • Exchange Organization Administrator role

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Also, before you perform these procedures, be aware that if you will be using the public folder distribution method, you must make sure that the public folder database is mounted and online.

Procedure

To use the Exchange Management Console to create an offline address book

  1. Start the Exchange Management Console.

  2. In the console tree, expand Organization Configuration, and then click Mailbox.

  3. In the action pane, click New Offline Address Book. The New Offline Address Book wizard appears.

  4. On the Introduction page, complete the following fields:

    • Name   Use this box to provide a name for the OAB.

    • Offline Address Book Generation Server   Click Browse to specify the location where the OAB generation server will be located. The OAB generation server is the Mailbox server on which the OABs are generated.

    • Include the Default Global Address List   The OAB is a snapshot of the Active Directory directory service information that is available in the global address list (GAL). Select this check box to include the default GAL in the OAB.

    • Include the following address lists   Select this check box to add address lists to or remove address lists from the OAB. Click Add to select one or more address lists to add to the OAB. You can select one or multiple address lists. Click Remove (Remove icon) to remove the selected address list from the OAB. For more information, see How to Create an Address List.

  5. Click Next.

  6. On the Distribution Points page, complete the following fields:

    • Enable Web-based distribution   If this OAB will be distributed from a virtual directory, and the clients are running Office Outlook 2007, select this check box, and then click Add to add virtual directories from which to distribute the OAB. 

    • Enable public folder distribution   If this OAB will be distributed from public folders, and the clients are running Outlook 2003 SP1 or earlier, select this check box. 

      Note:
      If you select the Enable public folder distribution check box, and your organization does not have any public folder infrastructure, you will receive an error when you complete this wizard. For more information, see Managing Public Folders.

  7. Click Next.

  8. On the New Offline Address Book page, review your configuration settings. Click New to create the offline address book. Click Back to make configuration changes.

  9. On the Completion page, confirm whether the OAB was created successfully. A status of Completed indicates that the wizard completed the task successfully. A status of Failed indicates that the task was not completed. If the task fails, review the summary for an explanation, and then click Back to make any configuration changes. Click Finish to complete the New Offline Address Book wizard.

    Note:
    The OAB will be available to clients only after it has been generated, which will occur in accordance with the schedule set. The default time for the generation is daily at 05:00 (5:00 A.M.). If you would like to generate the OAB before that time, you can use the Exchange Management Console or the Exchange Management Shell to update the offline address book. For more information, see How to Update the Offline Address Book. For more information about how to set the schedule time for OAB generation, see How to View and Modify Offline Address Book Settings.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to create an offline address book

  • To create an OAB that uses Web-based distribution for clients running Outlook 2007, run the following command:

    Copy Code 
    New-OfflineAddressBook -Name <String> -AddressLists -Server <ServerIdParameter> -VirtualDirectories <VirtualDirectoryIdParameter>

    For example, to create a new OAB that uses Web-based distribution for Outlook 2007 clients named "New OAB" on SERVER01 by using the default virtual directory, run the following command.

    Copy Code 
    New-OfflineAddressBook -Name "New OAB" -AddressLists "\Default Global Address List" -Server SERVER01 -VirtualDirectories "SERVER01\OAB (Default Web Site)"

  • To create an OAB that uses public folder distribution for clients running Outlook 2003 or earlier, run the following command:

    Copy Code 
    New-OfflineAddressBook -Name <String> -AddressLists <AddressBookBaseIdParameter> -PublicFolderDatabase <DatabaseIdParameter> -PublicFolderDistributionEnabled <$true | $false> -Versions <Collection>

    For example, to create a new OAB named "Legacy OAB" that uses public folder distribution for Outlook 2003 SP1 and Outlook 98 Service Pack 2 (SP2) clients on SERVER01, run the following command.

    Copy Code 
    New-OfflineAddressBook -Name "Legacy OAB" -AddressLists "Default Global Address List" -Server SERVER01 -PublicFolderDatabase "PFDatabase" -PublicFolderDistributionEnabled $true -Versions Version3,Version4
    Note:
       If you configure OABs to use public folder distribution, but your organization does not have any public folder infrastructure, you will receive an error. For information, see Managing Public Folders.

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see the New-OfflineAddressBook reference topic.

For More Information

For more information about OABs, see the following topics:

For more information about public folders, see the following topics: