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You might be a Domino geek ...
Yesterday I wrote about my favourite content system, my jokes database. Today it's where the database lives and how it is accessed.
One of the great things about working with Notes (and Domino) over the years is how easy it is to upgrade to the latest version of the software, regardless of the platform it's sitting on. Other vendors (you know who I mean) make moving to the latest version of their software a major data migration, where the old system becomes virtually obsolete, and can't even access data that it previously managed and "owned".
You might be a Domino geek if ... your AS400 9404-C20 is not a boat anchor.
OK, you can pick yourself up of the floor now, and stop laughing.
Just imagine, a machine that weighs half a ton, with less processing power and memory than my current mobile phone (Cell for our US friends), running a domino server (well ... Lotus Notes server anyway <grin>)
And it's relatively happy running day after day, replicating a small (yep - very small, the C20 only has a 640MB HDD) application with my Domino 7 server.
Lotus Notes 3 Server and Domino 7, replicating data you ask. Why?
Because it can. And I am a Domino Geek.
And every now and then it's fun to run up my MasterSport 386 laptop (16Mhz, 2MB, 90MB HDD) and compare where the Notes interface has come in the last 15 years.
Which brings me to the main point of today's musings. Domino platforms and versions.
Most of us use the product from Redmond, some are lucky enough to work for companies using "high availability" main-frame systems, and some of us are on the bleeding edge. At the end of the day, we're all running the same product on a different platform.
One of the things I am constantly explaining to customers is that to Domino, the OS is simply a platform. Something to request memory, disk space, network transactions and processing power from.
Implement Domino Clustering. 8 Clicks. Hardware configuration or platform required ... who cares. It's Domino Clustering. The servers are running, they have their own configuration and platform - I just want clients connecting to them to suffer virtually no downtime, by making them aware that they have an alternate access option if required.
But what about the on-disk structure? Again, not an issue. The ODS of a database is local to it's Notes version. Thus I can have a database replicating data from 7 to 6 to 5, all the way down to 3. Server to Server or Client to Server - doesn't matter. To Notes it's just Data. Check the forums, there are still loads of people who don't understand the role of the ODS in a domino environment.
So what is the difference between versions and platforms?
Mostly it comes down to design components, the interface and speed.
Compose a sexy (yes I did use the word sexy in a computing context) interface comprised of layers, outlines, pages and framesets, and you'll confuse anything but a 6 or 7 client. Anything including Navigators and layout regions is just plain ugly in Notes 3 (not to mention the errors). But the data is still there, and can still be read through the document's properties box.
Compare a Notes 4 full-text search in my Jokes database to the same search under ND7, no comparison. "Little Johnny" results come up at least 4 times faster on the ND7 server. And that's an objective comparison on the same hardware.
How hard is it to plan the upgrade? Mostly it comes down to hardware considerations and design options.
Your Hardware
If your hardware meets at least the minimum specs listed by IBM/Lotus, your server will do it's job. That's one thing I like about IBM/Lotus HW requirements. If they say you need this, then that's pretty much all you need. Most of us have been spoilt (corrupted/jaded??) by other vendors software where the minimum specs are something more like, "well, you can start the software with that configuration - but I wouldn't want to actually use it".
One of my servers here (a pretty heavily-hit web-server) was purchased in 1998. Netfinity 3000 (PII, 396MB memory - 27GB of SCSI HDD). It started life as a 4.6.something box running on Win NT, today it's running 6.5.4 on the same version of Win NT and it's been through almost every Domino point release in between.
Before you say ... "but Windows NT isn't ... " what do I care. It has drivers for the hardware that's in the box. It can run TCPIP and anti virus/spam. And when the OS starts, it only uses 36MB of memory. It's just a platform for Domino.
I'm not advocating that you rush out and deprecate your OS's on your Windows boxes. There's probably a pretty good reason that you are on the latest version of that system. My main consideration when it comes to that box is whether I will gain any performance improvements by running a newer OS. In my case, running an OS with much lower hardware requirements itself means that more of the system resources are available for Domino.
You may not have that luxury when planning your own upgrades.
What else will the box need to do?
If it's running DNS or domain authentication, and Domino, you need to consider the OS roles in planning your hardware requirements. If you add file and print into the mix, you're going to have to up the ante on the configuration. Throw in firewall, anti virus/Spam software and we up the ante again.
How many users is the box going to manage. A system running 10 users will perform quite differently to the same system running hundreds, or even thousands of users.
The other main consideration when upgrading are design elements. It's pretty pointless implementing ND6+ design elements if your audience is still running 4.6.7. When it comes to your upgrade, once you have considered the hardware required, the next thing is to have a good hard look at the clients.
Just a Note here. Even if your audience is on Notes 4 or R5, your older clients CAN still benefit from the performance improvements of a newer and more powerful Domino server version.
Your database designs.
It's no good re-designing your corporate welcome page with captioned tables if your audience is still on Notes 5.
So the idea here is two-fold.
1. Make sure your existing apps still run as required on the new system. ALWAYS test existing designs extensively BEFORE putting the new GUI into production.
2. DON'T implement the new templates for your existing apps until ALL of your clients have been upgraded.
Summing Up
1. Carefully investigate the tasks your hardware and OS is going to perform
2. Determine the system requirements for running that configuration like a rocket
3. Now add ON TOP OF THAT the system requirements for your new ND version
4. Test the functionality of your existing apps on the new version
5. Now test those apps again
6. Roll out the Server, without any new design elements
7. Upgrade your clients (if necessary)
8. Check to make sure the clients are ready
9. Implement the new design interface's
And finally, is that version of Notes even SUPPOSED to run on your OS version?
I can vouch for that one. The Domino install just laughs at me every time I try to put ND7 on my C20.
And Notes still rulez!!!
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