Lotus Notes Traveler Unable to Update on my Android

Saw this message on my server console when my phone called homne ot get the update, which is was prompted to do by the device.

HTTP JVM: Invalid redirectURL parameter from client user - ignoring since this could be an XSS attack.
 

So aside from the obvious, that I am not a hacker, could my phone be hacked? Don't think so, but it could be a browser issue on Android perhaps?

Anyone have some input, let me know. In the meanwhile copied the file to a download site and installed it so phone is up to date, but wonder why only Android has this not the iPhone users.

Lotus Notes Traveler and Case Sensitivity Lookup Issue

Wondering if I missed a notes.ini setting.

Lotus Notes Traveler appears to only search in a case sensitive way when performing corporate lookups against a DA (names.nsf and otherlist.nsf).

I have set the duplicate lookups against email address and last name in the ntsconfig.xml.

However, when searching for someone where one of the 2 directories shows a discrepency between the cases, both references show up.

So a keith@company.com and a Keith@company.com would both show up instead of being seen as a duplicate.

I checked both indices and they are not set to index case sensitivity so I am wondering why the Android phones are not picking up the duplicate.

Traveler error about incorrect server version

As a follow up to my post about the traveler fix we received.

Do not fat finger your typing, as I did.

I included an extra = sign in the xml file and that presented the following challenges:

1) new installations would fail with an error that says:
"The Server you have contacted must be upgraded to support this version of Lotus notes Traveler"
2) Devices would repeatedly get asked to download the updated or newer client

While these were my instructions:
\traveler\cfg\client\VersionInfo.txt

#Lotus Notes Traveler - Android
Lotus\ Traveler.Android.version=8.5.3.2 201207031233

If Linux OS - be sure the file pemissions/ownership is not changed.

I somehow added an extra = sign before the version number.

The IBM team sent me this URL to test the server which I provide in case anyone else sees these errors.

http://www.yourdomain.com/servlet/traveler?action=checkForUpdate&deviceType=Android&Version=0

You should get in return a message that looks like this(your verssion number may be different):

AppName=Lotus Traveler
DownloadLink=http://www.yourdomain.com/traveler/LotusTraveler/android/LotusTraveler.apk
Version=8.5.3.2 201207031233
LMIAppConfigFile=traveler.properties

In the incorrect xml file, the version line showed version== and thus the two sides could not communicate properly.

Live and learn.

Traveler Interim Fix Details

Most likely you will only get this if you need it or as part of the next Traveler update.

The fix is in and it works but it also included these extra bits, note it is specific to the level of the installed product at the time:


PREREQUISITES     Lotus Notes Traveler server version 8.5.3.2 Interim Fix 1 already installed.

FIX LIST:

        LO69673 - ATTACHMENTS WITH SPACES CAN CAUSE SOME APPLICATIONS TO BE UNABLE TO VIEW THEM.
        LO69736 - ANDROID WIDGET NOT AUTO UPDATED AFTER SYNC INTERVAL TRANSITION
        LO70314 - LOOKUP APP DOES NOT HANDLE DIALING PHONE NUMBERS WITH PAUSE OR EXTENSION
        LO70315 - IMPLICIT USES_FEATURE STATEMENTS CAUSE TRAVELER TO REQUIRE FEATURES
        LO70330 - MAILTO: STATEMENT IN PLAIN TEXT EMAILS ARE NOT CORRECTLY HYPERLINKED

And so my thanks to level 3 support and Jerry D. at IBM Support for getting this done before July 4th because I know someone probably said you can't go home until it's done.

Off to my next adventures.

Traveler on Android Dialing Issue with Pauses

I have been playing with a Traveler issue that seems to only affect Android devices. iPhones seem to work fine. I want to know if this is a problem for a PMR(think so) or an internal issue, let me explain.

Client is on Domino 853fp1 traveler 8.5.3.2 and they use a DA with client details. Inside the DA are 2 fields, phone and extension. It has been coded to provide a dial reference into contacts that says:

305-555-1234,,325

Which in turn shows up on traveler very nicely and then I go to dial and get:
Error Invalid Phone Number.

So before we bother IBM PMR with this, can someone please test this with their DA?

Again iPhones pick it up and dial perfectly fine.

I have tried various formats and it is the extension that fails. It used to work on the Blackberries and we are trying to figure out if it is a code issue in the NAB they are using for the DA which is not a standard template.

We tested adding the same number, 305-555-1234,,325 into our NAB and tried to dial the office number, using corporate lookup directory, and it will not dial.

We have tried the options found on this wiki page already regarding using a p, and a comma.

Anone seen this or have a work around?

SnTT - Traveler Lookups, DA and Multiple Servers

Since this came up today figured it might help others troubleshoot their Lotus Notes Traveler lookups.

In the client case, Traveler sits on the home mail server, they also have some secondary servers where mail sits as well.
Clients of the home mail server can lookup employees and through using the DA (Directory Assistance), they can look up clients contact details as well. A nice solution that beats their old Blackberry way of copying around files and then local synching but that is history.

As we updated some of the secondary mail servers and users to Traveler, we found they were not able to lookup the clients.

For those that did not know it, Traveler can look at your home mail server or at a specific server for information (See this wiki page). Since the client wants full emergency options, they have traveler setup, but turned off for all but the main server. So that means we need to set each server as though it ran Traveler. Else we would use the notes.ini file setting NTS_TRAVELER_AS_LOOKUP_SERVER=Trueas described int he wiki.

So the steps are of course, create the da.nsf file add your server information and file to be used and set it to enabled.
Make sure you replicate the da.nsf to all servers involved and check the ACL of course to include the servers.you will need
Enter the da.nsf into the server document file on the 1st tab of the server document where it asks about Directory Assistance and all the other servers as well.
Restart the Domino server.

You can check if it is set properly by typing show xdir at a server console. If you see only one entry for the names.nsf you missed something.

You can also run show xdir reload when making adjustments to the DA settings.

Simple enough but if you never knew Traveler looked to the local server you would be left scratching yoru head like my client who was not as versed in Traveler.

Traveler really is that simple and great and there is no excuse for not using it no matter the size of your environment. Oh and Traveler is Free.

SnTT - Traveler, DA, Dircat and 13,000+ Names

Been working with a client moving them from R5 to 853FP1. A big jump and not so simple as one would think. The usual Domino items do work properly and as we move people over all is well and good, but along the way we found some gotchas that, well, if you were not around in R5 time, you may not realize the nuances.

Traveler of course is a key part of why they are upgrading. NOT for iPads or iPhones but for Android devices. An added bonus to them is the Sametime entry which is a FREE entitlement with their Domino licenses.

They were using a pair of Dircat's. Dircat for those who did not grow up with the term stands for Directory Catalog. The idea behind these was to provide, don't forget this was R5 time around 1999-2000, a condensed address book so laptop users over modem lines could easily address emails. Naturally this was a huge benefit to people like IBM with 250,000+ people at the time and a massive set of NAB's which could be shrunk down to about 150MB which in those days....

You created a database from the dircat template and then told it which directories (Notes or LDAP) to pull people or whatever fields you specified into it. Simple right? And it worked well. I demo'ed this in beta in Athens at the IBM EBU in 1999.

Flash forward to Traveler time and you see Traveler likes to work with DA (Directory Assistance). No problem, took their file and set up the DA database and configuration. And nothing happened. Show XDIR included the file but no lookups on Traveler.

After a little bit of poking around the file, it turns out the file the client told us to use was really a DirCat, not a regular Address Book. Traveler was not happy, now I knew why. Looking at the config doc I found the original file it was based on. Edited the DA and restarted the server and like magic it worked properly.

Lotus Notes Traveler just wants to see proper address books when doing lookups from your device.

What is really nice is the search finds people FAST and given this is over 13,000 names, not including their own NAB that's a huge win for everyone. Remember you need to type 3 letters before you see any hits but you can adjust that if you wish. See this wiki page for more details on lookups and configurations.

The Admins XPages

Tim wondered on Greg's blog post why we, that is Admins, do not extol the virtues of XPages in order to promote the long term viability of Domino infrastructures.

It is an interesting question. One which I do not have a good answer. Maybe because in many cases infrastructures get tweaked based on what we find in the wild. We don't build an infrastructure and then ask the developers to build an app for it, we build the infrastructure usually for or after an app is in place or required and tweak it at that point.

Many times we Admins are reactive, trouble hits and we spring into action. When life is calm we plan the future and tweak this or that along the way. Many times tweaking happens at the point of upgrades, migrations, changes in hardware in addition to new installations.

The job of an Admin does not always involve having a seat at the table when platforms and infrastructure decisions are made. We love having it but it's not always that way unfortunately.

If we always were part of that discussion, no doubt more companies would be expanding their usage. This is not to say Developers are in a better position but if a company has Domino Developers, good for them and hopefully they are doing their best to step up and push more apps to be built.The days of just coding for Notes clients must end of course because, well, the Notes client doesn't run on a phone.

But Lotus Notes Traveler with XPages support could change many things in the world. Mobile apps are the problem, mail is a given but how do you get to your apps? As Ed expounded, the Domino 8.5.3 Upgrade Pack 1 brings XPages magic to some core templates and provides more options for the developers to push out apps. I am not a developer and trust our friends that are will expound further on this topic in ways I  could never do it justice.

Admins? Get those new templates out there and start pushing your mobile mantra. You can help the push of XPages but you first have to install 853UP1. While you are doing, start tweaking, get your ODS upgraded, make sure DAOS is properly configured, check that swap space, change your web cache or tweak your memory settings for the larger RAM in the server.

And if you have something good for other Admins, post it so everyone gets the benefit as well.

Android, Lotus Notes Traveler 8.5.2.1 and other Info

Documents? You want documents? Evidently you also want more screenshots(have to wait till I get home).

A number of questions got asked of me since my post this morning so here are more details for everyone.

Some of these will just be links to more details, yes, there are many details.

Lotus Notes Traveler official homepage at IBM. It has screen shots and some break down by device OS type.

First, this is the IBM Wiki with the Android Limitations and Restrictions.

Second, this is the overview part of the Wiki on Lotus Notes Traveler(aka Android's) 8.5.2.1.

Third, What's new doc for 8.5.2.1.

IBM Mobile Connect is also supported and advised for those that want access to their Domino applications.

Lastly, although I could not find it in any document, many people report that encrypted mail support is NOT available. The line below sums it up:

"no encryption support on traveler for android. You can sign mails on mobile, but can't send or read encrypted mail."

Jan Kenney in this blog post says:

Ensuring the security of company information is a top priority for every Lotus Notes Traveler release, and 8.5.2.1 is no exception. Lotus Notes Traveler synchronizes data (in transit) via secure HTTPS connection and stores the data (at rest) in encrypted form on the Android device. Lost or stolen devices can be remote wiped; either the entire device or just the Lotus Notes Traveler information. Administrators can monitor the mobile user community -- by name, password, device type, build version -- all from a single point of control and allow or deny access for users based on company defined policies.

If anyone has more input on this subject, please let me know and I will edit accordingly.

Traveler on Android Tablet

My kids, age 8 and 6 received for Chanukah an Android Tablet which is where the screen shot above is from. You can see all the icons Lotus Notes Traveler 8.5.2.1 adds to Android devices. And in the top left corner an email with a number on it, that's Traveler letting me know I have email. Lookup is for corporate email contacts. Shame I gave this to my kids.

You can click on any of the images to see them in full size.

Don't care what the Mac people say, I was not buying them an iPad(cost?) or iTouch(size?).

We thought about getting them a new laptop but decided against it.

We specifically did not want a device with a camera or extra fees to get online, wi-fi is fine thank you.

So we ordered a Black Friday special from ToysRus.

It came, I set it up and tried to download the latest version of code and it wasn't having it. Until a few days ago when a new icon appeared, so I updated it and it now runs faster and is more efficient with it's screen size.

So I decided to load Lotus Notes Traveler on it once 8.5.2.1 Traveler code came out. Our server was updated the other day so it should work right? Well I am happy to say it does and includes a whole bunch of icons.

I only want it to get my email, here is a screen shot of the email notifier on the left and the email itself on the right:



















Not interested in calendar or contacts as I don't need the kids killing my data, but to test out traveler and email on the device I figured was worth it. And it works well. And full of options, unlike my Windows Mobile Phone.

Here is a shot of the calendar weekly view which is very clear and quite clean compared again to my phone. To be fair the tablet has 3-4 times the screen size of my phone. But you get the idea and I am sure your iPad looks and acts similar to this.


Could this be created/branded a Lotus device?

If one adds on IBM Mobile Connect to get to some apps, perhaps put it in a yellow casing?

An interesting idea to pursue. Something Eric and I discussed a bit based on his blog post for new ideas.

Wowed by Lotus Notes Traveler 8.5.2

I don't get excited by much but Traveler just keeps amazing me.

8.5.2 brought some excellent changes, for those of us non-iPhone users especially.

Get the full low down from here from the Notes and Domino Wiki.

Yes my windows Mobile device finally gets Corporate lookups but so much more.

We now have a pet peeve of mine, version numbers on the website download page and on the device in multiple places!


And this from Ulrich which basically, once you get to 8.5.2, allows for automatic updates to traveler if you set the option to do so! Perfect. Now if the same thing can be done for Quickr connectors, Sametime clients and Notes clients without any other effort from the admins. well one can dream.

One can also set various rates of synchronization, disable if roaming, reverse proxy is now easier as well.

So if you are still pondering about upgrading your server, this is key, not just for iPhones/iPads but Nokia, Windows Mobile, Android(in beta currently, can't say more publicly).

We also have 3 icons now for Traveler:

Traveler Lookup - For Corporate NAB/Directories...finally for non-iPhones
Lotus Installer - where much of what I pointed out above takes place or is configured
Lotus Traveler - same old icon with some slight tweaks to its settings.

SNTT - Lotus Notes Traveler fix for previous post

After posting about iNotes mail redirection, I realized I neglected to help you move Lotus Notes Traveler so it was still accessible for everyone and in a way that is memorable.

So here is what you do.

1)Open your names.nsf.
2) Go to Configuration-Web-Internet Sites.
3)Locate the Web Site: IBM Lotus Notes Traveler Web(or whatever your website is listed as).
4)Open it up, select from the menu of that window, Web Site-Create Rule.
5)Provide a Description name, traveler is fine.
6)Type of Rule is Redirection.
7)Incoming URL pattern is /traveler.
8)Redirect to this URL: /traveler/index.html.
9)Save it.
10) tell HTTP restart from the server console.