Mat Newman 2 September 2010 11:11:21 AMI Love Lotusphere! I had a 'chat' this year with IBM's Kathy Howard (Domino Designer Designer - on the Design Team) and Steve Shewchuck about the 'missing' Designer Welcome screen from Notes 6 and 7 that included the brilliant clickable Object Model map. This was a great feature for teaching new developers how to find their way around Notes classes and objects. I asked whether it was possible to bring it back in some shape or form. In true IBM fashion they've delivered! If you miss the clickable Object Model map/diagram in the Designer client - here's a great solution from IBM labs:
"This object map presents the Domino Objects for XPages as a hierarchy and provides links to the documentation. Click an object to open its help topic in a new window. Domino Objects for XPages give the JavaScript programmer access to the Domino data store and other back-end elements."  The actual clickable map can be found HERE: http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/ddwiki.nsf/dx/XPages_Domino_Object_map_8.5.1 Thanks so much Steve Shewchuk and the team from IBM Victoria Software Lab. Mat Newman 31 August 2010 11:14:00 PMRule No #1: The Comms Rule:
If the operating system can't see "it", neither can Notes or Domino! It's a really simple rule, and I drum it into every Admin I ever have coming through my classroom sessions, or interact with on a regular basis. I can't count the number of times I have had someone one the phone complaining that connectivity between their servers is down, or that Notes clients are having trouble finding their server. They often continue that they have checked their connection documents (as per the information in the Domino console) and still can't find the problem. Then I ask the big question: "Can you ping ..." If your Domino configuration has not changed in years - and it was working up until a moment ago - why are you investigating connection documents? This has been a constant theme running through a few conversations with clients recently, hence this post. There are only two places within your Domino configuration that you actually configure network settings for your servers, the Server documents themselves, and connection documents. Configuring addresses within these documents is relatively straight-forward.
Server documents: You put the DNS name for your server in the "Fully qualified Internet host name:" field on the BASICS tab of the server document, and again on the "Net Address" field on the "Ports" -> "Notes Network Ports" field within the same server document.
Figure 1: "Fully qualified Internet host name"  If your server has multiple addresses, you should include all of these on separate lines in the "Notes Network Ports" section.
Figure 2: "Notes Network Ports"  There's a debate about whether you should use IP addresses or DNS names in these fields, but we will leave that conversation for another day. One key point on the "Fully qualified Internet host name:" field is that it should be an address that can be resolved by both internal and external clients if your Domino server can be connected to via the Internet, and especially if you have plug-ins like SameTime or Traveler installed.
Connection Documents: Connection documents primarily exist to schedule routing and replication between your servers. Although they can be used to specify a destination address for a remote server, they SHOULD NOT be used primarily for this purpose. Servers should be able to "find" one-another based on the information stored in the server document settings mentioned above. The one exception to this is if the servers are configured to be members of different 'Domino Named Networks', which are also configured in the server document (see figure 2, "Notes Network").
KEEP THIS INFORMATION UP TO DATE! If you change your operating system network settings, you MUST also change the corresponding Domino configurations. I recently visited a client who's basic information in the server documents was not current. No wonder they were having problems with mail routing and replication.
Connecting Clients Once your servers are configured with addresses and know where to find the other servers within your domain, you then need to get your clients connected. This is where most 'problems' with connections normally appear. If you know the DNS name of your server, or even the IP address, it's normally straight forward to connect clients to it. If the client can't resolve the 'common' name of the server, you will be asked for the full DNS name or IP address at a later stage during set-up.
Where does it all fall down? Connections between servers, and from clients to servers are totally dependant on one key factor. Networks. This is why I always ask when someone is having connection problems whether they can 'ping' the destination. That's normally the first step in trouble-shooting connection issues, determining whether or not the destination is reachable via a simple operating system network test. Yes - that's right, an operating system test! Remember the rule: "If the OS can't see it, neither can Notes or Domino!" I'll mention this again - if your system has been working perfectly for years, and you haven't changed your Domino configuration, why waste time checking your Domino settings when you haven't modified them! If - for whatever reason - you can't resolve the destination with a ping test, you could also try the great Notes utility " Notes Connect" to determine if you can establish a connection. Notes Connect is also very useful in testing ports. The other key factor in networking are ports. Once you have verified that a destination is resolvable, you also need to connect on the correct Network Port. Primarily affecting ports are network port blockers, which could be hardware devices such as Routers/Firewalls or software such as Anti-Virus or Internet Security applications. One software vendor's operating system even has a built-in software firewall which is notorious for blocking Notes traffic. Whether it's Windows Defender/Firewall, Norton/Symantec, Trend, McAfee, Kapersky, Zone-Alarm, etc, etc, check these software applications to see if they are blocking your Notes/Domino applications, and your Routers to make sure ports are open. And remember the key port number - 1352 - the NRPC (Notes Remote Procedure Call) port. If you want Notes to connect to anything, this port needs to be opened/enabled. I'm often consternated by organisations that allow browser (web-mail) access to their Domino servers, but block Notes connections on port 1352, but again - that's a discussion for another day. So next time you have a 'cannot connect' error, remember to check the basics first, addresses and ports. It all comes down to rule No #1: The Comms Rule:
"If the operating system can't see it - neither can Notes or Domino!" Mat Newman 22 August 2010 02:37:00 PMI've been in Malaysia now for almost a week, and am pleased to report that everything - again - just works. It's my first trip overseas since making the switch from Windows to Ubuntu (Linux). Wireless networking again wasn't a problem anywhere that I've been able to get a connection, and the "Network Connections" feature built into Lucid Lynx (10.04) is a great replacement for my old Lenovo "Access Connections" utility under Windows. Network Connections is a great tool to create connections, store settings and even customise and reapply options without having to mess about with network interface configurations, just as Access Connections was under Windows. Access Connections is supplied with ThinkPads (first IBM Access Connections, and then the Lenovo branded version) running windows, and it's a great utility that means never having to touch the networking properties section within the Windows Control Panel. I messed about initially to get my Telstra broadband USB modem working when I first switched over from Windows, but in the end found that once the correct drivers were installed it was simply a matter of "Ejecting" the USB virtual CD-Rom (which is a feature of the Telstra-supplied ZTE series modems) to activate the broadband connection on the device. So now I have the USB Modem roaming happily here in KL and accessing information and keeping up to date is a breeze. Picking up a pre-paid Sim from one of the local suppliers and inserting it into the modem was a piece of cake, and a much better option than paying for ad-hoc Wireless access at the many hot-spots that are available, so having an unlimited download SIM for the equivalent of AU$7.00 a week is a pretty good option. I'm also really happy with the battery performance under Ubuntu, an initial deep cycle of my batteries actually recovered 10Wh and that combined with the lower battery drain I'm now getting almost 6 hours to a charge. So good connectivity, good battery time and a stable system ... that's everything a business traveller needs for an International Excursion. Mat Newman 21 August 2010 10:15:38 AMJust some random musing, If Microsoft had bought Lotus: Exchange 2000 would have been Domino, already integrated into Active Directory. Outlook would have been dumped, the Notes UI modified and called "Microsoft Collaborator". Microsoft Collaborator would now be on over 80% of desktops (that's MS's % seat claims + IBM's). Microsoft would have saved themselves $ billions in development of Exchange public libraries, Outlook forms, OneNote, c#, j++, .asp, .net, sharepoint, etc... Microsoft Collaborator would have had a button (just like MS Project and MS Access) to "Analyse with Excel", Microsoft Access would have been dumped, and users given wizards in Collaborator to create databases. Exchange admins in 2010 would have only been through 1 data migration (back in 2000 when Exchange became Domino based), rather than 4. Microsoft Collaborator users would: need less training, because every option on every screen would have a "wizard" to walk users through how to change things like the fonts and colours on every window, be able to do direct entry into their calendar, and customise the colours and icons for every entry, be able to Ctrl+Tab through all the open windows, just like every other application, Millions of students at high-schools and universities would be learning to build applications on the Exchange framework (because it would be Domino). And now the reality... Microsoft would most likely have provided an outstanding migration tool to move Domino users over to Exchange, reaping themselves billions in revenues from all of the Windows licences they would have sold by getting Domino off AS400, AIX, HPUX, etc The improvements in scalability, reliability, speed, extensibility, etc that IBM brought to .nsf and Domino would never have happened. Would-have-been-Domino Admins would be tearing their hair out due to the increase in servers that they had to maintain, not to mention the massive data migration efforts required every couple of years. Developers would be confused about which Microsoft development strategy and platform to follow today. So the result... I'm glad that IBM bought Lotus. We in the Yellowverse just have to come to grips with the fact that IBM have a product called Websphere and a strategy based on java, with a thorn in it's side that it also has Notes. Our role is to work with IBM to make sure that the thorn gets pushed harder until it really hurts and stings and everyone within IBM feels it. When all of IBM "get's" Notes/Domino and finds a place in it's heart for the product, then big blue might realise it can have it's yellow-cake, and eat it too. Mat Newman 15 August 2010 08:33:34 AMEd announced eGa on his blog for IBM Lotus Notes/Domino including Traveler... http://www.edbrill.com/ebrill/edbrill.nsf/dx/lotuslive-notes-open-for-business Mat Newman 14 August 2010 01:57:34 PMA quick personal post for a change. Three things happened this week which are all directly attributable to Social Networking. First, I hooked up with a mate that I haven't seen for a few years yesterday courtesy of Facebook. Over a quick chat we filled in the blanks from the intervening period and he flicked me through a list of contacts that he maintains. I spent a few hours today checking profiles, laughing, reminiscing and connecting. It reminded me of the 20 year high-school reunion that I attended a while ago with my wife, Deb. That was an interesting evening. We sat at a table with my girlfriend from high-school, where Deb and Louise swapped notes and generally spent the night 'picking' on me. It was a heap of fun :-) Funny how good friends are always friends, regardless of whether they grow apart or loose contact. The people who know you best, your shared history, where you came from, and who you are - are the people who remind you why you are the person you are. Second, a business/personal contact is going to be in another country, in the same city as I am; at the same time. Social Networking enabled me to connect with him and plan a catch-up session that we've been trying to achieve since Lotusphere in the 'States this year ... seems like we are only able to get together when we're overseas :-) Third, out of the blue I received an invitation to connect with another member of the Yellowverse (well ... Blueverse in this case) while visiting at the same location. Of course, I leapt at the opportunity - I've visited IBM offices all over the world - it's always a great experience meeting the 'locals', swapping notes and learning from new people. If it wasn't for a Twitter 'mention', I would have missed the invite. There's a great debate about the value of Social Networking in the workplace. I know many organisations simply block access to sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. My own experience is that it (Social Networking) builds an enormous amount of value, both professionally and personally. I don't know how we ever lived without it. Mat Newman 9 August 2010 09:33:35 PMI've been doing some user upgrade training recently that involved a significant amount of re-education about the way people use Notes - especially their own calendar. It prompted me to write this post. If you're an Admin (or even if you're a Notes user) - think about these: - Have you ever heard a heated discussion coming from a room, and yet there was no-one in there?
- Have you ever seen a car driving itself?
- Have you ever seen a computer composing a slide-deck without any user input?
My guess would be NO! People-Places-Things These are the three components of any scheduling system. People get together to hold a meeting, normally in some sort of meeting Room, they might even use a Computer/Projector to run a slide-deck during the meeting, or drive one of your car-pool vehicles to get to the meeting. The crux of this is that someone (People) is in the room (Place), someone (People) is using the computer (Thing) and someone (People) drove the car (Thing). So if someone is using the room, computer or car - why aren't they using their own calendar to schedule their usage of those places and things? As an administrator you have probably been asked to configure Places and Things, and in Notes this involves the Resource Reservations database. People normally have their own calendar, since this is part of their own Mail database, and creating a mail database is part of the process of creating a new user. Now the shock part: Just because you create a Resource Reservations database, it doesn't then follow that you have to let anyone create documents directly in that database! Think of it like this, you create a user and their associated Mail database; but how often do you give everyone in your company the ability to add appointments into that users calendar? The many complaints I have heard in the last few weeks from users managing Places and Things is due to the fact that they're directly booking rooms and resources using Resource Reservations, rather than putting that booking into their own diary. They complain that they have to separately book a room, and any resources they need to conduct the meeting, not realising that they could do it all just by scheduling a meeting in their own calendar, and then including the room and resources in the meeting invitation. The other complaint is "but I'm NOT the chair of the meeting." So if you're not running the meeting, make sure the person who is the chair is the person who's calendar the meeting is created in. Sometimes this might mean contacting the "chair's" Administrative Assistant - who has access to the chair's calendar - to create the meeting. The other consideration is when a "generic" meeting is being created. This is when a generic calendar comes into play. Generic Calendars might be task oriented (eg:HR and Training) or office/location oriented (eg: MCG Stadium Bookings). When users are given access to generic calendar's to create entries, invitations will be sent using the generic calendar's name, rather than the name of the person creating the entry. In the above example, John creates an entry in the "MCG Stadium Bookings" calendar, reserves the "Members Board Room" and includes "Eddie President" as an invitee. When Eddie receives the invitation, it will come from "MCG Stadium Bookings" and will be held at the "Members Board Room" location. To create a generic calendar, simply create a new database based on the mail template. Once the database has been created add a "Mail-In Database" record to your Domino Directory, specifying the server and file-name for the new database you just created. The key point is the next step: In the Mail-In database name, make sure you specify a name in Notes format, eg: "MCG Stadium Bookings/mcc" Once you have a Mail-in database record, go back to the database, change the "Owner" (More->Preferences, Change Owner) to the mail-in database name created in the previous step, and finally, change the launch properties of the database so it uses the "Calendar" frame-set, rather than the "Mail" frame-set. So that's it - booking Places and Things is as easy as scheduling a meeting in your calendar, or in a generic calendar if that is more appropriate. Once you start using meetings to reserve rooms and resources - rather than direct bookings in Resource Reservations - you will find it easier to create multiple reservations, manage and maintain the reservations you have made, and even cancel reservations (especially meetings that include multiple places and things). Happy Scheduling! Mat Newman 4 August 2010 12:09:35 AMWhen Notes 8 Standard arrived I was slightly bemused. Lyrics from The Firm's " Star Trekkin'" (paraphrased) summaries my initial impressions: "It's Notes Jim, but not as you know it, but not as you know it, not as you know it." I just didn't get it. Sure, it was more visually appealing, and the side-bar tools were shiny new additions. But it was sooo much slower, and there were a few core (Notes) features missing that bugged me, so I tended to load the basic version. It took a while before I switched to using Notes 8 (Standard) rather than basic as my primary client, initially it was because of Mikkel Heisterberg's TwitNotes, and then our own WildFire that was the game-changer for me. Then seeing and hearing about Vulcan at Lotusphere this year left me wondering ... where does this Vulcan concept fit? The epiphany came last night when I was enjoying a farewell drink with my mate Jono. Jono and I grew up together, as kids we were inseparable and we've always been great mates. Jono and his wife now live in Switzerland and I haven't seen them for 4 years, so it was fantastic to catch up with him on his last night in Tasmania before he headed back. As the evening progressed and more people arrived to say their hello/goodbye one interesting snippet of conversation explained why I believe the world is ready for Vulcan. Someone asked Jono for his email address, to which he replied "Just get me on Facebook, I don't bother with Hotmail anymore." He went on to explain that he had a work address, but he left that for "work stuff". I realised at that point that keeping in touch with people within your circle no longer necessarily means email. For many, it just means accessing the information that they need, when they need it. The more I thought about it, the more things started falling into place. I couldn't remember the last time I sent any of my friends an email just to say "G'Day". Social Networking has truly transformed the way many people interact with others. We 'tweet', we post on walls, and when we do meet face to face there's a lot to talk about to fill in the blanks between comments. A recent article on Nielsen expressed how email was not dead, and I can certainly attest to that. The type of email that I receive has certainly changed in the last couple of years, the biggest change is that personal email rarely arrives in my Inbox. That flavour of message has mostly been replaced by interaction with Social Networking sites. I have also unsubscribed from the many newsletters that I previously received, that flavour of message has been replaced by RSS feeds. Instant communication through chat and online meetings is also a big part of my day-to-day. What was the epiphany? I already USE Vulcan! It just doesn't look like the screen-shots we've seen. My Notes 8 client is already my information gateway, I have my most used application (database) links on the left of my screen, corporate messsages, workflow notifications and client communications arriving in my Inbox, Social Networking and corporate Connections streams surfacing in WildFire, News and Information updates feeding into my RSS side-bar and presence indicators everywhere! My work/life information is being collected for me by one application, at the moment it's just not collated into a single cohesive interface, and that's what the Vulcan concept is about. Peter Presnell's excellent analysis beautifully articulates the promise that Vulcan holds. Add to that the superlative database platform and RAD tool that is Lotus Notes/Domino, and the future looks promising indeed. I can't wait for the beta announcement. I believe that the world is ready for Vulcan. Mat Newman 29 July 2010 09:45:49 PMTomorrow I have my first classroom session since switching to Ubuntu. It's my regular Notes Induction session for a customer. The Chicken Run is simple. Do I live on the edge and run my class in my Alternate Reality, or do The Chicken Run back to Windows? Notes works the same, the Smart-Board and Notebook software work the same, and those are the tools I need to run the class. It IS a Notes class after all, not a Windows session, so does it matter what operating system I'm using to lead the training? Would it concern you if the bits around the outside of the Instructors screen didn't look exactly the same as yours? Thoughts, suggestions and comments welcome. The class starts in 11 hours. Mat Newman 28 July 2010 11:21:47 AMJust read this over on Sean Cull's blog:
"As to Sean's base premise, I'm definitely inclined to abandon the basic configuration in the next major feature release. It would help with all sorts of things to move to a pure standard configuration." (Purporting to be Ed Brill)
| Still trying to digest this, and analyse the consequences. My initial thought was "you're kidding ... right?" |
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