CalDav / CardDav: Feedback + Issues

[TCB13]

Hello,

I'm just testing the new CalDav integration on cPanel and I've a few comments on this, that everyone is probably thinking right now:

1) Why the hell can't I create a new calendar? Every time I try to do it, Calendar on OS X or iOS just falls and says:

03/06/15 20:00:03,182 CalendarAgent[36623]: [com.apple.calendar.store.log.caldav.queue] [Also adding dependent [<CalDAVSetCalendarColorQueueableOperation: 0x7fb68c80d4a0; Sequence: 390>] to failed operations.]

iOS just quietly discards the new calendar...

2) Why is the configuration so hard to do, specially when you say it was tested on Apple devices.
2.1) By default when I get to the Internet Accounts section on OS X, if I enter the server address like server.example.dev it will just fail. I need to specify a port... Why?
2.2) Why isn't there an auto-config for Apple devices for each email account ready to use... potently to another devices as well => This would make the process similar to setting up an email account avoiding errors by the end users...
2.3) Why does "Configure My Calendar and Contact Client Applications" section tells users to enter the cPanel username, when it doesn't work, I can only make the accounts work by using the user email address as I expected...
2.4) Is there any shared calendar / contacts information? If yes, is that why you guys tell people to use the cPanel username instead of emails? It doesn't seem to work anyway...

3) Why do this needs horde enabled. Horde is ugly, old and crappy...
3.1) Why isn't the bundled RoundCube pre-installed with the CalDav / CardDav extensions and properly configured to use CalDav / CardDav by default;
3.2) Why didn't WHM team choose a standalone implementation of CalDav / CardDav to run this service? There are great open-source projects without much licensing trouble that could fit this role and easily configured to authenticate against what you already have on place...

4) Poor default configuration after upgrade...
4.1) After upgrade to 11.50 I had to manually enable horde, I was never told the featured needed horde enabled;
4.2) The same applies for the firewall, I had to go to firewall settings and add the port 2080 to TCP IN/OUT otherwise it wouldn't work.

Generally speaking, this feature is very welcome, I've been waiting for this for ages. However like any other featured implemented by the WHM team, it takes ages to implement, it's done on the worst possible way and takes even more time to cleanup later... (sounds like the add on domain mess...).

WHM/cPanel is a nice product, most of the times, and I really wish it could be better, but the team constantly fails to deliver new features and clean old messes the right way.

Thank you.

 

[cPanelMichael]

Hello,

Let's try to address one issue at a time, and we can then proceed to open documentation requests or feature requests. First, the following document provides instructions on how to set up cPanel calendars and contacts on iOS and OS X:

How to setup Calendars and Contacts

Is this helpful for any of the initial configuration issues you have experienced?

Thank you.

 

[cPanelKenneth]

I'm just testing the new CalDav integration on cPanel and I've a few comments on this, that everyone is probably thinking right now:

First I want to thank you for trying the feature and giving us feedback on it.

1) Why the hell can't I create a new calendar? Every time I try to do it, Calendar on OS X or iOS just falls and says:
Code:
03/06/15 20:00:03,182 CalendarAgent[36623]: [com.apple.calendar.store.log.caldav.queue] [Also adding dependent [<CalDAVSetCalendarColorQueueableOperation: 0x7fb68c80d4a0; Sequence: 390>] to failed operations.]
iOS just quietly discards the new calendar...

The primary capacity of CalDAV and CardDAV in 11.50 is the ability to access your calendars and contacts on multiple devices. Device compatibility when it comes to creation, and management of the various assets we have found to be inconsistent at times. Personally I've had the best success with iCalendar on the Mac, with the CalDAV, and CardDAV utilities from my Android devices (I don't use iOS mobile devices so cannot comment on that).

Improving overall device compatibility is very important to the long term success of this feature. Right now it's not where we want it to be. It will get better.

2) Why is the configuration so hard to do, specially when you say it was tested on Apple devices.
2.1) By default when I get to the Internet Accounts section on OS X, if I enter the server address like server.example.dev it will just fail. I need to specify a port... Why?
2.2) Why isn't there an auto-config for Apple devices for each email account ready to use... potently to another devices as well => This would make the process similar to setting up an email account avoiding errors by the end users...

These things are coming. They weren't ready in time for 11.50.

2.3) Why does "Configure My Calendar and Contact Client Applications" section tells users to enter the cPanel username, when it doesn't work, I can only make the accounts work by using the user email address as I expected...

That's odd, and might be a bug. Are you testing this on 11.50.0.9?

2.4) Is there any shared calendar / contacts information? If yes, is that why you guys tell people to use the cPanel username instead of emails? It doesn't seem to work anyway...

We are working on shared contacts, and shared calendar support. We hope to have it available for 11.52.

3) Why do this needs horde enabled. Horde is ugly, old and crappy...
3.1) Why isn't the bundled RoundCube pre-installed with the CalDav / CardDav extensions and properly configured to use CalDav / CardDav by default;
3.2) Why didn't WHM team choose a standalone implementation of CalDav / CardDav to run this service? There are great open-source projects without much licensing trouble that could fit this role and easily configured to authenticate against what you already have on place...

We evaluated a number of existing solutions, such as kolab and sabre. A lot of the projects used sabre at their core. Since we already have Horde in cPanel & WHM, and it includes sabre, we decided that was a good starting point, especially as Horde already implements a number of management interfaces needed for the services.

I fully agree that Horde is very ugly. We will be integrating CardDAV and CalDAV services into Roundcube at a future date.

4) Poor default configuration after upgrade...
4.1) After upgrade to 11.50 I had to manually enable horde, I was never told the featured needed horde enabled;
4.2) The same applies for the firewall, I had to go to firewall settings and add the port 2080 to TCP IN/OUT otherwise it wouldn't work.

You're right. We could do a better job in informing people that right now Horde is required. We'll make that better.

We tend to not touch the firewall during upgrades, which is why you had to change that yourself. Do I understand correctly that you prefer we change the firewall to match the features you have enabled?

 

[TCB13]

The primary capacity of CalDAV and CardDAV in 11.50 is the ability to access your calendars and contacts on multiple devices.

Exactly you said it yourself, calendars in plural form. Right now I'm unable to have multiple calendars on the same email account, OS X and iOS just return the error I told you before or ignore the new calendar complete (only tried to create a new calendar under OS X Calendar App on the server).

That's odd, and might be a bug. Are you testing this on 11.50.0.9?

Yes, I am running x.09. Under cPanel it doesn't tell me to enter the email address it tells my cPanel user, here is a screenshot:

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/cpanel-caldav-config.png

We are working on shared contacts, and shared calendar support. We hope to have it available for 11.52.

Great

We evaluated a number of existing solutions, such as kolab and sabre. A lot of the projects used sabre at their core. Since we already have Horde in cPanel & WHM, and it includes sabre, we decided that was a good starting point, especially as Horde already implements a number of management interfaces needed for the services.

I fully agree that Horde is very ugly. We will be integrating CardDAV and CalDAV services into Roundcube at a future date.

The problem is that by using Horde you're forcing everyone to use it. I really hope you do integrate the new services with RoundCube.
I don't even know why cPanel keeps bundling horde. Why not remove that old piece of software that nobody really uses? If you want people to choose, at least, let them choose between RoundCube, AtMail, AfterLogic, Claros inTouch. They are all great modern AJAX clients that work much better than Horde...

We tend to not touch the firewall during upgrades, which is why you had to change that yourself. Do I understand correctly that you prefer we change the firewall to match the features you have enabled?

Of course I do! What's the point in enabling the service and then it's port is blocked on the firewall and it doesn't work? Or the opposite, I've a service disabled and the port is still open posing a potential (...) security risk?

Thanks for the feedback.
Sorry if in any point I got some heat over my head.

 

[TCB13]

I've been trying to use the CalDav / CardDav functions with OS X and what I've to say is that it doesn't work like it should because:

1. Configuration is very hard, manual pages / cpanel are poorly explained;
2. The implementation is not correct and it's impossible to add new contact groups and calendars.

First, it's hard to configure this:

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/cal-error-1.png
- This way doesn't work...

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/cal-error-2.png
- Still not working...

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/cal-ok.png
- Finally got it to work the really manual way...

The first way "Automatic" should work, no final user / customer will be able to properly configure this using the "Advanced" option. The "Automatic" would be a problem for some of my clients I don't even speak about advanced configuration...

Almost the same thing applies to CardDav:

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/card-error-1.png
- Doesn't work at all

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/card-error-2.png


- OS X accepted the configuration but it didn't work, no contacts were synced and the Contacts App just gave me an error later on...

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/card-ok.png
- This way it worked, again, very complex configuration no customer would be able to do this.

Second:

When I tried to add a new calendar to the Calendar App I got this:

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/add-calendar-ui-error.png
cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/add-reminder.png

When I tried to add a contact group at Contacts App, I got this:

cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/new-contact-group-ui-error.png
cdn.iklive.eu/tcb13/2015/new-contact-group.png

However, both Calendar and Contacts were able to use calendars and contacts groups I created on Horde.

Why wasn't this tested before the release, it's a basic feature the ability to add new calendars and contact groups. Even worse, this can be done on Horde and the apps are able to use those created on Horde.

Please fix this annoying calendar / contact group creation bug... And make the automatic configuration work.

Thank you.

 

[brt]

What's the future of this? I'm definitely not going to start using Horde. Roundcube is the only webmail that we have enabled on our servers.

 

[cPanelKenneth]

What's the future of this? I'm definitely not going to start using Horde. Roundcube is the only webmail that we have enabled on our servers.

Long term the service will be integrated with RoundCube.

 

[TCB13]

Any news on the ability to create contact groups and calendars?

Thank you.

 

[cPanelMichael]

Any news on the ability to create contact groups and calendars?

Hello

Here is a quote from the upcoming 11.52 release notes regarding calendars and contacts (note this is still subject to change):

• We added support for calendar invites though .ics files.

• We added a Horde shared address book for each cPanel account. The system automatically populates the shared address book with the cPanel account and webmail users. The shared address book allows for an auto-complete list within Horde Webmail for Calendar Invites and Email.
  Important:
  Webmail users with access to Horde Webmail and the shared address book can view the other email addresses on your cPanel account. You cannot disable or remove the shared address book. To remove access to the shared address book, you must disable Horde Webmail. You can disable the Enable Horde Webmail option in WHM's Tweak Settings interface (Home >> Server Configuration >> Tweak Settings).

• We enabled Horde Calendar's Free/Busy feature.
  Note:
  cPanel & WHM's Calendars and Contacts Client Configuration feature (CalDAV) does not support Horde's Free/Busy system for third-party applications.
  • We added support for Free/Busy searches from within Horde Calendar.
  • We added a Free/Busy URL for each webmail address Horde.

cPanel version 11.52 is available on the "Edge" build tier as development version 11.51.9999.121. Feel free to change your "Update Preferences" in WHM if you have a non-production machine available for testing and want to review the new features.

Thank you.

 

[TCB13]

Hello,

I'm confused here. I was talking about multiple contact groups and calendars peer user not shared calendars...

This is a basic feature, every user should be able to have multiple contract groups / calendars on his account. Every CardDav/CalDav implementation supports this.

Actually I think the current implementation supports this, because I'm able to create multiple calendars / contacts groups for each email account at horde, however they don't show on OS X Calendar or Contacts App and I'm also unable to create those groups on the apps.

 

[cPanelMichael]

Actually I think the current implementation supports this, because I'm able to create multiple calendars / contacts groups for each email account at horde, however they don't show on OS X Calendar or Contacts App and I'm also unable to create those groups on the apps.

Could you open a support ticket using the link in my signature so we can take a closer look? You can post the ticket number here so we can update this thread with the outcome.

Thank you.

 

[Marcvp]

have a problem whit carddev to on macbook.
i can connect to it butt can't upload a contact to the carded
when i upload a contact using the weblink found in control panel i get a blank screen after pushing the upload button.

 

[cPanelMichael]

when i upload a contact using the weblink found in control panel i get a blank screen after pushing the upload button.

Do you have root access to this server? If not, could you report this issue to your web hosting provider so they can take a closer look?

Thank you.

 

[Jason Green]

I noticed that when I imported contacts into Roundcube, I don't see them in Horde. It sounds as if the CalDAV is integrated only with Horde. Is this correct? Is there any way to access the CalDav or CardDav from the cPanel file manager, or is it in a database?

 

[brt]

We only have Roundcube enabled (does anyone actually use Horde or Squirrel anymore???) so I'm guessing our own servers don't even have support for this, do they? I see it in cPanel, but.......

 

[Jason Green]

When I use the urls from cpanel I can see the same calendars in horde and on my iOS (7.1.2) but I get verification failed whenever I try to configure CardDAV.

 

[TCB13]

We only have Roundcube enabled (does anyone actually use Horde or Squirrel anymore???) so I'm guessing our own servers don't even have support for this, do they? I see it in cPanel, but.......

You really need Horde. As stated before by the cPanel team, their CardDav / CalDav is based on Horde.