PC WSPlus: How to View the Schedule of Resource Accounts (148713)

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Dynamic Connections

Dynamic connections are the most direct and expedient means of viewing another user's schedule information. However, with many heavy Schedule+ users, dynamic connections may impact network bandwidth significantly.

When you use dynamic connections, user1 chooses Open Another's Appointment Book and Schedule+ will: access the target user's schedule file; determine the "viewer's" permissions; and present the maximum permitted view of the target user's schedule data to user1. If user1 has been granted permission to create appointments, then user1 could create an appointment directly.

Resource accounts can be managed in this way. However, this leaves arbitration of resource booking conflicts up to those who directly access the target resources schedule data file.

Free and Busy Schedule Distribution

Another way of distributing "free and busy" information is by configuring Schedule Distribution. When a user makes or confirms a change to his or her schedule, he or she automatically update his or her portion of a special file on the postoffice (00000000.POF). This file is periodically distributed to other postoffices, and members of these other postoffices access this file to view the "free and busy" information of non-local postoffice users.

When an appointment is requested in the Planner view: non-local attendee's "free and busy" information is read from that attendee(s) postoffice's distributed file (<hex-id>.POF), and a meeting request is sent to the invited attendees. They can respond to the request with Accept, Decline, or Tentative.

An Accept or Tentative selection results in the meeting details being written to this attendees schedule data file; as well as, an update being written to the special distributed file of his or her postoffice that will be sent out to all other postoffices participating in Schedule Distribution at the next interval.

NOTE: Information via Schedule Distribution remains less timely than dynamic connections.

Resource Accounts

Resource accounts present a unique case. Typically, resource accounts are assigned an assistant who receives a copy of all meeting requests (mail) sent to the resource account (optionally, mail can be forwarded to the assistant only). The assistant will then make the Accept, Decline, or Tentative action on behalf of the resource; therefore, he or she manages or arbitrates the resource's schedule.

This "action on behalf of the resource" by the assistant updates the resource's schedule data file. However, this action does not result in updating the resource's section of the special distributed file (00000000.POF). Thus, any user who can dynamically connect to view the resource's schedule will see appointments, etc. The users who cannot dynamically connect will not see these appointments.

In order for the distributed file to be updated, someone must sign in to Schedule+ 1.0 as the resource account, and make some modification to its schedule. This will cause a "refresh" of the resource's "free and busy" information in the 00000000.POF that should be distributed to other postoffices at the next scheduled interval.

The Ideal Case

The ideal case would be where everyone can dynamically connect to view a resource's "free and busy times." However, users would not "book" the appointment directly, but would Invite the resource the same as they would invite other attendees. The resource's assistant would then select the Accept, Decline, or Tentative action as appropriate. As soon as the assistant completes that action, others would see the resource's updated schedule in the "free and busy" information.

Alternatives

If users cannot dynamically connect to view "free and busy" information, the assistant (or someone) should at least periodically sign in as the resource account and make some modification to its schedule so that its "free and busy" information will be updated in the 00000000.POF file and distributed via Schedule Distribution (SCHDIST).