SUMMARY: Lotus Notes ...

From: Shan (sysadmin@sol.asl.hitachi.com)
Date: Sat Apr 01 1995 - 10:52:57 CST


Seems like most people din't have much problems in installing and
using it; except that it is more of a pc type package layout policies.

Here are the replies:

--------------------

>From mnichols@apollo.Pacesetter.com Sat Mar 25 03:17:01 1995

Let me know if you get this to install. I have v3.2 and have tried to
install it on my 2.4 SS1000 with no luck.

Mark
        ----------

>From caz@lci.com Sat Mar 25 11:11:08 1995

oops, what I meant is tcp/ip is perfect, as long as all your pc's
are running it! :-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cynthia A. Zorn
Lan & Computer Integrators, Inc.
242 Old New Brunswick Road Email: caz@lci.com
Suite 440 Voice: 908-981-1858
Piscataway, NJ 08854 Fax : 908-981-8083

        ---------

>From caz@lci.com Sat Mar 25 11:11:13 1995

>
> I received a complimentary Lotus Notes package for Solaris for a SPARC-20.
>
> Before I install this I was wondering:
>
> 1) Any body have installed this ? Any problems,
> any comments good/bad; caveats ?

The only annoyance is that it requires you to install notes in /opt/lotus
(even for 4.1.3). It will ask you where you wish to install it, but
will not find the required configuration files unless it's in /opt/lotus.
(what can I say, they're a pc oriented company...) The other thing is,
if you're automounting...or mounting the software on other machines,
you'll need to create three links to /usr/lib. (You can look on the first
initially installed server for the names, one is a notes lib, a ole lib
and forgot the third.

After this, as each user wishes to run it, they have to first install their
machines as clients. (when they kick off notes, it will automatically
ask them if they wish to set themselves up as a server or a client.)
So, keep this in mind if you have quota's on home directories.

>
> 2) How well will this work with PC's running Windows/WFW ?

So far no problems. The only thing that has been a bit of a headache
is getting the modems on the sun to function with notes properly.
PC's can talk to notes just as easily as the suns.
>
> 3) Does it need IPX networking or is TCP/IP good enough ?

TCP/IP is perfect.

> (I don't have Netware/IPX and would like to avoid it as much as possible)
>
> TIA
>
> -Shan
>
>

        ----------
>From pamela@jupiter.Legato.COM Sat Mar 25 22:06:10 1995

Hi!

I've been asked to do the same thing. I would really like to find
a mailing list or newsgroup where the population of sun admin's
doing and facing this task would be. The lotus products are pretty
PC centric. When I attempted to use the SunOS version of the
complimentary product, I was very disapointed and gave up. It is
still on my to-do list, though, and when we get our solaris version,
I am going to have to retry.

Hopefully they have fixed the following :
        1) Documentation was WRONG on a number of occasions. I hope
that is was just a prerelease problem, but they had confused 2.3 and
4.1.3 so bad it was almost hopeless.
        2) I want to use sendmail. My instructions did not have
how to do this. There is no way I am installing any other product
on unix that does not use sendmail. CC;Mail was the same. I would
LOVE to have CC;Mail available for unix, but it ignored sendmail as
well. This was the sole reason that I did not continue. Lotus should
learn that some unix admins do not want parrellel mail systems on
unix. We don't need it. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel.
        3) There were a lot of hokey kernel, system and disk things
that did not seem like anyone with unix experience had been involved.
Perhaps this was a poor choice of marketing ( that happens all the time,
doesn't it? ) but pc type directory and file names, strange disk
organization, etc left me a little suspicious.
        4) The install looked and felt like a PC install. Ok. I can
deal with that. It went pretty well. But that is not how unix installs
typically go. There is no reason for a gui for the software install.
The solaris version won't be installed here unless it uses pkgadd.
The whole install gui was a complete waste of their resources, imho.
and was further evidence of their pc centric nature.
        5) The product used ICONS for everything. I would like a
product that my users can have a command line, or curses option for
dialins and use through the firewall.
        6) Their language of interface is their basic. Not very
common to unix engineers.
        7) Lastly, every application out there is attempting to
do much of the same thing. There is real competition for format
types. We already have word, xcel, 1-2-3, html, ps, troff, and
ascii. We don't need a another document format type. I have to
make these available across applications, arch's, and over the
net and phone.

        But I am going to have to try harder with the Solaris
version. ( We are converting our office servers. ) I know
notes is going to be a real hassle. So any and all information
that you get is really really appreciated.
        Please do not include me in any summary. I only have
questions. :)
        I look forward to your summary.

Pamela Pledger
Unix System Administration
Legato Systems, Inc

        ---------

>From jpatrick@iadfw.net Sun Mar 26 22:43:57 1995
Date: Sun, 26 Mar 95 21:15:21 PST

Call me at SUN tomarrow and I'll get you some help. I am at 18006224786
ext 43179.

Jim Patrick

        ------------
>From thelen@gkns02.abb.com Mon Mar 27 02:30:32 1995

Hi Shan,

> 1) Any body have installed this ? Any problems,
> any comments good/bad; caveats ?
Lotus Notes is a strategic product for ABB for communication.
We have hundreds of servers and ten thousans of users on every Platform Lotus Notes support.
I've installed the 3.1 server on SunOs 4.1.3 and we will upgrade to Solaris 2.4 and Notes 3.2 due to
some problems.

The Sun Clients 3.1 on SunOs 4.1.3 and 3.2 on Solaris 2.3 and 2.4 works fine.
>
> 2) How well will this work with PC's running Windows/WFW ?
Fine.
>
> 3) Does it need IPX networking or is TCP/IP good enough ?
> (I don't have Netware/IPX and would like to avoid it as much as possible)
No. You don't need IPX. It runs Very well with TCP/IP. wich we prefer.

Greetings

Roman Alexander Thelen Email: thelen@gkns02.deinf.abb.com
ABB Informatik GmbH Voice: +49 621 381 2018
Dep. INF/SCS Fax: +49 621 381 8901
Kallstadter Str. 1
68309 Mannheim
Germany

        -----------
>From jim.leahy@valcom.com Tue Mar 28 10:51:18 1995

We've installed Notes Here and it runs fine.

NOTES

        1. You can run it using TCP/IP it dosen't need IPX
        2. It will work fine with WFW
        3. BIG NOTE: The tech support contract is only free for the first
        ~ 30-~90 DAYS. PUT YOUR HEART AND SOUL IN GETTING IT TO WORK IN THAT TIM E FRAME BECAUSE THE TECH SUPPORT CONTRACTS ARE STEEEEP !!! ($ 75.00/CALL ) AFTER THAT FIRST CALL IS MADE AND THE FREE TIME RUNS OUT.
        
 Jim Leahy
516-746-7777 (161)
        ------------

>From jerry.springer@valcom.com Thu Mar 30 20:19:06 1995

Shan,
In answer to your questions:
I have installed and am running a Lotus Notes Server on Sun.
I am also running a Lotus Notes Client on a Sun box.
It works fine. The only caveat I found concerned setting up a modem in Notes.
If you don't want to set the modem up at the initial load time, it is slightly
more cumbersome to do so at a later stage than with the OS/2 version. I honestly
don't remember what I had to do to fix it because it was actually Notes Tech Support
that talked me through it and it was awhile ago.
We also have many PC Windows users running Notes and using the Sun as the Notes
server, so there are no problems there.
Your question about IPX/SPX or is TCP/IP good enough. TCP/IP is not only good
enough it is the only thing that will work with the Sun (at least at the current
moment). Sun has not yet released its IPX/SPX stack for Solaris.

My advice is GO FOR IT.

Jerry Springer Phone: (516) 746-7777 Ext. 167
Ergonomics Group/ValCom Fax: (516) 741-0145
191 Herricks Rd. Internal Email:springer@ergo
Garden City Park,NY 11040-5236 External Email:jerry.springer@valcom.com

        ------
-----------



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Fri Sep 28 2001 - 23:10:21 CDT