Free/busy publish at location does not work

Question

I followed the Microsoft instruction to configure Outlook app to publish the Free/busy information, but it seems that it does not work.

In options > Calendar > Free/Busy Options... I added a HTTP resource such as
http://192.168.2.104/calendar/aname.vfb
However, the server is called but the content (POST and PUT) is empty.

Also, I have tried to set a path to a local file, such as
file:// \DESKTOP-61GF7KF\$C\Users\myuser\Documents\aname.vfb
but it is worse: no file is created.

I have also deleted an account that was connected to Exchange (I have read in some place that for accounts that use Exchange, the free/busy does not work), but nothing is changed.

I do not see any errors coming up.

Your help will be very appreciated.

This is the link to the page with instructions I followed:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/291621/how-to-use-the-internet-free-busy-feature-in-outlook

Answer 1

I did a lot of research and tests about your issue in my Outlook. And I tried to use the file location to test like below:

According to my research, if we set publish 0 month when modifying Internet Free/Busy Options, there will be no .vfb files in the shared location and we need to set it more than 0 month(such 1 month or more) and then the .vfb file will be automatically created as expected. Also, we could manually open the .vfb file with Notepad to check if there is specific information in it.

Here is some more information related to Internet Free/Busy Options, just for your reference: Publishing Outlook's Free/Busy Information.(Please Note: Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.)

Hope this can be helpful.

Update:
Hi @Nicola Raffaele Di Matteo ,
Thanks for your reply.
Glad to see that my information could be helpful to your local configuration.
Due to the limitation of my test environment, I could not test with Internet server (HTTP or FTP). In order to conduct further researches on your issue, it is also suggested to modify your Internet path with the format of “ftp://ftpserver/directory/FreeBusy/name.vfb” or “https://webserver/directory/FreeBusy/name.vfb” and see if the issue has any difference.

> I cannot change the publish number of months in my options.

I also have the similar situation as you when I tested about local configuration. We can change the number of month when configuring, and if I click OK and reopen the Internet Free/Busy Options, the number of months will automatically reset as 0. But if we could open the .vfb file with Notepad and check the "DTSTART" and "DTEND", we will find that the data has changed base on our configuration. So, if this is your case, please don't worry and it is normal.

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Answer 2

Thank you, Jeff, for your help.

It works!

I see now that the difference is in having a folder that is named FreeBusy. It makes the difference. Now, it is clear that this is mandatory.

I aim to save the data on a web server. Still, I cannot find a way to do it. Setting a path such as http://192.168.2.104/calendar/aname.vfb, Outlook makes a call, but this is just with the OPTIONS HTTP method with, of course, no data.

(BTW, I cannot change the publish number of months in my options, but it is working though)

Answer 3

Hi,

Did you ever figure this out? I am encountering the same issue..