Pocket PC - Monash Calendar synchonisation using CorporateSync

Before you begin, you must install Microsoft Activesync and be happily connecting your PDA device to your PC. Please ensure that you have your device connected before proceeding.

See Microsoft Windows Mobile for instructions on Activesync

* IMPORTANT *: To avoid problems of a large loss of calendar data or a large number of duplicates - it is important that you know which is the "Authoritive" source of calendar data; the Monash calendar server or the PDA. You will later be asked if you want the server to overwrite the PDA, the PDA to overwrite the server, or to combine entries. The first two options could potentially wipe data from your PDA or the calendar server. The option to combine items almost always produces duplicates on the first synchronisation.

Corporate Sync PC Client Configuration

The required Corporate Sync software is only available to Monash Staff.

Download and install the csync software.

Click Continue, Next ...etc until you reach the following screen.

Image: choose to install both local and remote (PDA) files

Select both Local and Remote, Click Next

Then the Corporate Sync software launches Microsoft Activesync to install some files on your PDA.

Click Yes to install to default directory.

After installing the PDA software, the installation is complete. You are prompted to select whether to add corporate sync to the startup group. For most users it is recommended that corporate sync is in the startup group.

Click Finish

PDA Client Configuration:

1. CorporateSync Settings

To begin PDA Client Configuration, click start, settings, system, CorporateSync Settings.

Enter the following information:

User = Authcate username
Password = Authcate password
Server = calendar1.monash.edu.au
Node = 10033 (although some staff are on node 10034 instead)

Pocket PC Synchronisation

Click the Range tab and set the desired sync range. It is recommended that a small range is selected initially - you can always increase the range later.

Pocket PC Synchronisation

Click the Events tab to continue.

Tick the checkboxes as seen in the screencapture below.

Pocket PC Synchronisation

Click OK to complete CorporateSync PDA configuration.

The First Synchronisation

To start the Corporate Sync PC software, click Start-Programs->Startup->Corporate_Sync_for_PocketPC-> (This will automatically start next time you reboot).

It may seem like nothing happens, but the corporate sync PC icon will appear in the system tray (down near the clock on your taskbar).

Right click on the Corporate Sync icon and when the menu pops up select properties.

It is recommended that you select "Automatically perform action on connection" and "Synchronize the entries". This is likely to cause duplicate entries if there is already data on your PDA.

If you are sure that the calendar server is the authoritive source of calendar data and there is no important data on you PDA that is not on the Calendar server, you may wish to choose "Calendar server overwrites your PocketPC", but be warned it will erase all existing entries on your PDA before bringing the entries down from the server.

After the first synch it is always best to have it set at "Synchronize the entries". Unless time stamps on the device get out of sync - eg because of a restore from backup - it will not generally cause duplicates after the first sync.

Click OK, then disconnect and re-connect your PDA to initiate synchronisation.

Troubleshooting

To get synchronisation to work properly you may need to re-establish the partnership - particularly if MS Outlook is installed. To do this - disconnect the device and in Microsoft ActiveSync, click file->Delete Partnership. When you re-connect the device and create a new partnership, you will be prompted to nominate your calendar, contact and task programs. Change these from Outlook to "Corporate Time".
You can right click on the Corporate Sync icon in the system tray and select "View Log". The logfile will tell you more information about why a sync operation is failing - eg wrong password or could not find server ..etc.

Pocket PC