177 days of a Domino Server in Production?

Not likely the longest running server, by far, but I did manage to get a screenshot of a Lotus Domino server I updated recently before it was brought down for maintenance to install and upgrade to Domino r8.

177 days! Almost 6 months since it last came down.

This was the main web server too. I love it but who has a longer time frame? We shouldn't because we should be updating it on quarterly releases but still, solid as a rock.

Any Exchange people out there got one like this?

BES and R8

Still waiting for the updated code from RIM? Never mind that, just go get their updated version, last was posted as 4.1.4MR3. MR is their way of saying FixPack.
I have now installed/upgraded a few servers to Domino R8 and the latest BES versions and aside from the known anomalies posted at RIM and IBM, so far no one is complaining.

I admit, I was put off by it, but when I looked into it further found the issues were something we could live with and we now run, internally, all R8 servers in production areas. We still have a mix for testing, development and clients but we are good to go for R8.

Now I await the Quickr 8.0.1 version, along with Domino 8.0.1 so I can get that fully updated properly.

No more excuses, just do it and start the year off with a bang!

Happy Holidays, Lotus Style

2007 started out so well,
Lotusphere in Orlando was swell.
R8 was brought out and it was good,
Mobile, internet based and free,
and a new spreadsheet for you and me.

So whether or not you used SSL, VPN, POP3, LDAP, IMAP, IPv6 or a (i)phone,
Make sure to finish the year right and use Sametime8 mobile client when away from home.

So onwards Notes, Domino, Sametime, Quickr, Connections, Forms, Symphony and Doc,
We have many more clients to bring good cheer and luck.

See you in 2008, Lotusphere's gonna be great!

Lotus Sametime 8 THE Mobile IM Standard

If you have not done it yet, get Lotus Sametime 8 installed because if ntohign else, the only thing you want is the mobile client.
It's light years faster then the 7.5.1 version(logging in only took a few seconds, a huge advance over what seemed to be an eternity or about a minute on 7.5.1), with some better UI enhancements which make it all the more useful.
I have not set up all of the options yet but so far it just ROCKS!

One caveat, when installing it from your website(sametime.server.com/mobile) is if you have a

Windows Mobile device, be careful which option you choose.
Although I have a Windows smartphone from At&T, the HTC 8125 the proper option would seem logical to me to be Windows Mobile Smartphone/Standard(no idea what Standard refers to here). I tried fruitlessly to get it to work and then decided to try the other option, Windows Mobile PocketPC/Professional (again what does Professional refer?).
This time it worked 123 and in a few seconds I was IMing my office buddies(note to self and Lotus, it owuld be nice if the mobile client could login to ALL of my communities like the full connect client, not just one).
Then once you have it running, setup your location, call back info, auto response if you prefer.

The look of the UI can bemade smaller or larger for the text type.

It woiuld be nice if the location page did not get cut off under the horizon of the phone window, but I managed somehow to getthe right info into the unseen box. You can see the title of the box, phone number, but can not actually touch the box.

This is going to make Lotusphere much easier for people in sessions so they don't have to take calls while listening.
And in my case when I am in the car and clients want me I am now available even when not at my desk. This alone is worth the price of admission.

Bottom line, if you do not have Sametime you are limiting yourself and your company from being more productive and if you have Sametime but did not update to even 7.5.1 yet(you should since otherwise you are not DST compatible 2 times a year for a week at a time) go download ST8 and update your environment.

I updated 8 servers this week to Domino R8 so could you.

Resolved Mailto issue, what a pain in the neck

I use Vista, which is not so simple to fix as Xp was in IE.
In Vista you click on Default Programs from the Start Menu, then Set your default programs and see if Notes is listed, mine is not(but I run R3-R8 so not surprising it can be confused).
Then check Set Program Access and Computer Defaults to see if Notes is listed as an option, click it if it is.
In my case this still did not work..
The answer was/is:
Go to this page and get his tool.
http://www.nirsoft.net/articles/mailto_bug.html

You can follow the steps, but in Vista I had to go into the registry and look for in the
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Outlook.URL.mailto\shell\open\command
and change it to your notes.exe location and add the ending. mine is c:\lotus\notes8\notes.exe -defini %1

There are other entries ie: rss and mail inks and all which you may need to fix as well, but this will get the email working again.

EDITED UPDATED 3/20/2008
Jospeh thanks for this information for Thunderbird people too!

Also, my key for Lookout was
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Microsoft.Outlook.URL.mailto\shell\open\command
Not
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Outlook.URL.mailto\shell\open\command

And the full entries from that lovely program you pointed me to were:

Microsoft Outlook.Url.Mailto Enabled URL:MailTo Protocol C:\PROGRA~1\MI1933~1\OFFICE11\OUTLOOK.EXE -c IPM.Note /m "%1" Microsoft Office Outlook Microsoft Corporation

Notes Enabled URL:Notes Protocol C:\Program Files\lotus\notes\notes.exe -defini %1 IBM Lotus Notes/Domino IBM Corp

Thunderbird.Url.mailto Enabled Thunderbird URL "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" -osint -compose "%1" Thunderbird Mozilla Corporation

Microsoft is not playing nice with Lotus again

Vista pc, perfectly fine. Microsoft forces down some updates, my laptop reboots on its own!
I told it to download, never told it to reboot by itself!

Fine, I can live with it.

BUT WAIT! Now every mailto URL goes to Outlook! What happenned to all my Lotus pointers.
Poof! Gone!

And to make it worse, YOU CAN NOT browse to add a extension or reference if it's a Microsoft piece of software. So although Notes is registered into my PC, the Office 2007 SP1 evidently wiped it out of the registry.
And will not even admit Lotus it is loaded on my pc(I also have R3,4,5,6,7 as well as standard 8) so any of them would be fine.
But no way to select MY preference of an email program.
Just because Outlook is installed, does not mean I want to use it for real.

So I have to go dig out the utility I found, I posted about it previously, to correct this.
Someone out there tell me this is normal?
How can they blatantly prevent me from using my preferred mail client software?

How far does this go, if I used Thunderbird does it block me out as well?
This is just wrong!

Symantec Support for Domino R8

As a BP, and previous manager of alliance partners, I have some understanding for Lotus partners.
But, sometimes in our madness for efficiency, we neglect the simple premise:
The customer deserves to be helped first and foremost.

All I need to know is does Symantec support R8 yet in their Anti-virus program and backup-exec agent program. Simple right? NOT!

Having loved Norton Utilities and products since before Peter sold them, I tend to give Symantec the benfit of the doubt and still use their products in various forms.

One of my clients uses backup exec(I used to use this 4 mergers back before Veritas had it). And while planning for the migration to 8.0.1 we were checking if the backup agents, and server AV work with it.
Normally simple enough but as I could not find the informationm on the Syamntec website, I tried their online chat.

Ok so I was #11 or something in queue, took about 20 minutes to a half hour to chat with someone.

As they could not help me or had no idea what Lotus Domino was or if they support it(Thanks Samson of Symantec Chat) he sent me to their SMB sales line.

Called the 800# and spoke to somoene who I could barely understand and I have worked with many people around the world, evidently not all of them.

She told me she could not help me, on the sales line, I should call tech support, gave me the number.

Called tech support 800 #. No product no support. Huh? Without a licence code or some other method they are unable to log a call for me, even though all I want is to know the R8 support.
Tried to send me back to sales. I reminded him they sent me to him.
He apologized but could not help me.

I suggested I would have to seek a new vendor. After that statement I was sent to some one named Shann who was very helpful, but alas, could only confirm what was on the site, namely 6.x and 7.x.

And told me to check when it would be available at their site with a URL of http://www.symantec.com/business/support/

Thanked her and hung up.

Now, maybe if I was a Symantec BP I could get more insight, but to be honest R8 has been out a for a few months now and their site should let people know it supports it or it will in Q1? Hopefully?

See you in Orlando and you can bet who I am going to see in the product showcase.