Events may be created in iCal that link to the open directory and automatically send invites to other people to attend your event. These invites show up in your iCal and are displayed as a red circular indicator on iCal icon in your Dock. To make these events, you must first have setup your computer to access the Open Directory located on Function1. Then in iCal, double click a day to create an event a traditional event. The info window, shown below, for the event will pop up allowing you to add invites.
Click Add Invitees to have the blue link turn into a text box. Type the name of the person you want to invite to the event, and if they are in the open directory, they will be added in the box with either a check mark—indicating availability—next to their name or a hashed out circle—indicating unavailability—next to their name.
Once you have selected the invitees, you can view available meetings times by clicking on the link under the names. The window, shown below, will open and allow you to adjust the time of the meeting to find a time that works for all invitees.
Click Done when you have selected a time, and click Send in the event info window to send the invite to each invitee. Once they have accepted, the status will be indicated in on the event displayed in iCal as well as in the info window.