This blog is meant for IT Planners and Administrators and end users of the Duet

In this blog we talk about 5 most commonly asked questions with respect to Duet 1.0.

1. Duet users must be domain users in the enterprise

Typically in enterprises, access to enterprise resources is controlled by domain level access control. Non domain users like local computer user or a workgroup user may not be able to access these resources. Duet leverages this pattern of access control and can used only domain joined users. End user credentials acquired at the time of domain login is used in all subsequent access to data from SAP. There is no plan to support non domain users in the future.

2. User (On the primary machine) should log-off from their desktop or laptop only after all the pending items are submitted to SAP.

Duet utilizes the concept of Primary, Secondary Duet machines. While the user can use the any Duet machine, changes made by the user are submitted to SAP from only the Primary machine for the user. In these primary machines, the user should stay logged in until all the Duet items have been submitted to SAP. Duet items not submitted to SAP will remain on the computer and will be submitted when the user logs on to the machine next time around.

For more information on Primary and Secondary Duet Clients, refer blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/teamDuet/archive/2007/08/31/primary-secondary-machines-in-Duet.aspx

3. Outlook and Duet utility should be running on the primary machine all the time

There are many users who use multiple machines to work on Duet items. This section deals with some constraints they have to work with. As mentioned in the earlier paragraph, there is one Primary machine for each user. This machine is used to submit all the changes to the Duet items to SAP. Outlook and Duet Utility should be running all the time in this primary machine.

Duet uses Exchange to route all the changes to the Duet Items made on the Secondary machines, and these changes are aggregated in the primary machine for that user and then submitted to SAP.  Duet Utility is the agent that is responsible for submitting these changes to SAP.

Outlook will receive all the changes and process them for submitting to SAP. If Outlook is shut down on the primary machine, then changes to Duet Item from the secondary machines (other Duet machines for this user) will never reach the primary machine. Hence these changes will not be submitted to SAP.

If Duet Utility is shut down on the primary machine, the changes to Duet Items will not be submitted to SAP.

4. The user should have configured at least one Outlook Exchange profile for that user on that client computer.

For Duet to be usable on the computer, Outlook Exchange profile must be configured. Duet cannot be configured for usage in the absence of an Outlook Exchange profile. In this situation,
Duet functionality will not be available for the user in Outlook. The Event logs identify the absence of Outlook Exchange profile for that user.

To enable Duet functionality in this situation, the user has to create an Outlook Exchange profile, and log off and log on.  Duet Utility will start to configure Duet after successful log on. Once Duet is successfully configured, Duet functionality will be available for that user. 

5. Platform Matrix for Duet 1.0

Duet utilizes premium features in available in Enterprise editions of Office. IT planners and Administrators should ensure that Duet is installed in Office 2003 Enterprise editions. The supported Operating systems for Duet 1.0 are Windows XP and Windows 2000.

-Ramakrishnan Nagasamy, Program Manager, Duet