CrashTestChix

I blogged earlier this week about our implementation of Lotus Notes Traveler.  We sent around an notice today to all faculty/staff regarding the availability of Traveler in the university’s daily electronic newsletter. 

For a Friday, and the last day of exams, we’ve added eight (twelve as of last check) new users.  Or let me rephrase that.  They added themselves, with almost no interaction from the support staff.  Which is just goodness all around wouldn’t you say?!  We’re hoping that the faculty and staff will find this a useful tool over the university’s two week winter break.

Our internal marketing team (thanks to Gary Garbett and Sam Kennedy) also came up with a super graphic for use on the web page which I’d like to share here!   

As we have lots of Apple devices in our environment, we were eager to install Notes Traveler.  We installed Traveler 8.5.1 over an existing Traveler 8.5 server.  The install went smoothly, and Windows Mobile users connected and installed the new cab files.  Our iPhone users were able to connect – and they simply LOVE Traveler!  However, during our test phase, we discovered that the Domino Directory lookups were not completing as expected on the iPhone. No directory data was being returned at all, and the request was timing out.

Lotus Support suggested the following:  Shutdown Traveler.  Rename the NTSConfig.xml file to NTSConfig.bak and restart Traveler.  This recreates the NTSConfig.xml file from the original template.  Once we did that, the Directory lookup was fully functional. 

Additionally, further information about the customization of the NTSConfig.xml file can be found here if you need to customize those fields to be included in the Domino Directory lookup.

As you may know, I’m co-authoring a book on Lotus Sametime for Packt Publishing.  Chapter 1 went off to the publisher on time.  (Wipes forehead in relief).  Lots of authors have remarked on how “difficult” the first chapter is to write and finish.  And because I don’t have any other experience but my own, I would have to agree.  I occasionally flashbacked to those “all nighters” writing college term papers  or the angst involved in finishing work project plans/white papers on a deadline.  My coauthor, Tom Duff, and I did find our “collective” voice and agreed on how we would outline the chapter, which was a huge plus in the effort.

Well, we received good news this morning.  The editor/publisher liked the first chapter and we have only minimal (and I mean minimal) changes to make.  Whew!  I am reminding myself that this is the shortest chapter in the book,  and that we have more technically oriented chapters ahead, I at least feel like I made that first 10 foot hurdle!

Tom Duff and I are presenting a Show ‘n Tell Session at Lotusphere –  SHOW106 “Configuring the Tivoli Directory Integrator for IBM Lotus Domino and Active Directory”

Now you may think that with a product name that includes “Directory Integrator” as part of its name that this is only a tool for directories and therefore maybe a tool for admin types only. Not so! 

For example, one of the new connectors in TDI 7.0 is an XML parser.  Now while I can’t speak for my fellow administrators, when I hear XML parsing my eyes glaze over.  But I know developers who will just squeal over the opportunity to manipulate XML between external sources and Domino databases.  Remember that TDI has a connector for Domino databases – not only the names.nsf.  And with connectors to relational DB’s like SQL wouldn’t you dev’s like to have a way to move that data back and forth between Domino?

TDI is available as a free download with your Domino server license.  And you’re entitled to use it as long as your assembly line (TDI process) includes Domino as a component of that process.  So whether you’re synching, pushing or pulling data, doesn’t FREE appeal to you?  Check it out for yourself.  And better yet, if you’re attending Lotusphere be sure to attend our session.  We’ll help you get started on building your own “integration engine.”