We recently came across a user doing a split-delivery with Google Apps and Exchange 2003. Two of the users were running a full pilot of Google Apps, while the remainder of the office stayed with Outlook/Exchange.

The issue arose when one of the pilot users (Kevin) tried to send a meeting request to an internal staff (Lisa, on Exchange only). What kept happening was the “kev...@domain.com” on the Google Apps pilot, was sending the meeting request to “l...@domain.com” on the Exchange 2003 server. Each and every time the meeting invite was sent, Lisa was getting the meeting sent directly to her Lisa...@gmail.com account.

Troubleshooting:

1. The original request was being sent from Kevin’s iCal (Mac OSX) which was synced via CalDAV to the primary Google Apps calendar
2. We figured it was an iCal or Apple Mail alias or Address Book error – automatically inserting the Lisa...@gmail.com which may have been listed as primary e-mail address for Lisa in Kevin’s Apple Address Book. We removed any reference to Lisa...@gmail.com in any entries on the local system, Google Apps Contacts, etc.
3. Extensive testing on our own, escalated to Apple Support. Apple determined it was the CalDAV sync that was pulling in a different address when the invite was being created. It was not connected to Apple Mail nor Apple Address Book. Apple suggested it was a Google Apps issue.
4. Further testing, Google Apps was completely purged of the Lisa...@gmail.comaddress. Where could it be pulling from.
5. For those that don’t know, Google Apps Accounts and Google Accounts are two separate systems. Users with a Google Apps account can send/receive calendar appointments pretty much unharmed. Google Accounts allow a user to indicate multiple e-mail addresses on their profile.
6. The issue was resolved when the user (Lisa) removed her L...@domain.comfrom her Google Account (Lisa...@gmail.com) profile.

Google Support acknowledged it was a “known issue” but failed to reference any notices about this in the Google Apps Help Group (that we could locate). We’re posting this information with the hopes it will help others who have noticed the same issue in the wild.