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Category Notes On The Stick Domino Blog
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IBM released Lotus Notes and Domino 7.0.2 on Sept 29, 2006. You can view the fix list here. It's mostly about the bug fixes but there are a few new features as well. The most noteworthy are the new blog template, and the "Notes-to-go" (ability to get your Notes running from your memory stick). The "Notes-to-go" is actually really cool. You can install your Notes client on a memory stick (512 MB is the miniumum required size) or your MP3 player, and take it with you everywhere you go. Plug it into any computer connected to the Internet, and voila! It feels like you're in your office.

Watch this interview with Lotus Notes chief architect, Jeff Eisen, who speaks out on New England Cable News TV about the new option to carry Lotus Notes on a USB device.

I downloaded the Windows version of Notes 7.0.2 and installed it on my PC. It works great, and I love the new blog template (you're looking at it now...). However, I could not find Notes for Macintosh download on the Passport Advantage Web site... Turned out, it has been delayed and it won't be out until December 06 or so.... That sucks! How many times they promised that new Notes versions will be released at the same time for all platforms? For some reason, they can never deliver on that promise. We are anxiously awaiting the release on Notes 7 for Mac since 7.0 and 7.0.1 was not supported on any Mac platform, We have about 70 Notes users who prefer Macintosh over a PC, and we had to tell them all to wait just a little longer... Needless to say, they are not too happy about this delay.

I later found this document on Adam Gartenberg's Blog. Turns out that more things have been delayed....

See my "<a href="notes702.ppt/$file/notes702.ppt" title="notes702.ppt" target="_blank"/>notes702.ppt</a>" Power Point presentation.

Posted by Bodek Frak At 12:00:00 AM Location Windsor - U of W | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Category Notes On The Stick
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Here's some frequently asked questions about the new Notes feature that allows you to install the IBM Lotus Notes client on a USB 2.0 drive. You can then log on to that USB drive and run the Notes client without having to install it on your computer. Much of the answers come from the Lotus Notes and Domino 7.0.2 Release Notes. If you are looking for the specific instructions on how to install Notes 7.0.2 on your memory stick, please scroll all the way down to the last FAQ.

What is this about?

You can install IBM Lotus Notes 7.0.2 or later on a USB 2.0 drive (i.e. memory stick, iPod, etc.). The Lotus Notes on USB feature allows the Lotus Notes client to run entirely from a USB drive that can be plugged into any computer without having to install it on the host computer and without leaving anything behind on the host computer, and without adversely affecting any Notes client installation that may exist on the host computer. Lotus Notes client end-users can use the Notes client anywhere, as if they were on their own system, without performing any configuration activities.


Can I also install Domino Designer on my memory stick?

The IBM Lotus Notes on a USB drive feature is available only for the Lotus Notes client. It is not available for the Domino administrator client or the Domino Designer. Use only the Notes client install; do not use the All Clients install.


Do I have to have a USB 2.0 device for this to work?

Yes, both the memory stick and your PC must support USB 2.0. Warning - Notes on USB transfer speed varies by manufacturer : Notes on USB requires USB 2.0, however, read/write performance varies widely across USB 2.0 memory sticks, in some cases by a factor of 10 or more. Testing and experience have shown that install time and running performance for Notes on USB can vary greatly based on manufacturer and driver version. For example, on some USB 2.0 drives, Notes installed in 5 minutes, and for others it took over 60 minutes. Customers are encouraged to check for USB drivers from individual manufactures to ensure optimal performance is realized. We encourage customers to perform their own testing before selecting and standardizing on a specific USB device brand. Here is one link on the web reporting on USB Stick performance.

Customers experiencing slow install times on particular USB sticks may want to install to a hard drive and instead use an XCopy command to copy the files from the computer hard drive to the USB device. The Windows XCopy command uses a caching algorithm that can speed up file copies beyond installation programs.


Do you have a to be a 'roamig user' to use this feature?

No, your Notes account does not have to be enabled for roaming to use this feature. However, you can use Lotus Notes on USB if you are a roaming user. When a roaming user activates this feature, the roaming user's roaming files are replicated to the USB drive that the roaming user is using.


Can I use 'Notes on the stick' with a computer that already has Notes installed for someone else?

Yes, you can. It will not affect any Notes client installation that may exist on the host computer.


Can this be used with locked-down Windows desktops?

Locked-down desktops are public computers where administrator disabled some Windows features, such as ability to install any software. Notes on USB is designed to run on locked-down Windows desktops because the registry value it writes to is HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lotus\Notes. This registry key is typically not locked down in these environments.


How does it work?

When you run the setup process (Step 2 in the procedure below), program and data files are installed and an initialization file, AUTORUN.INI, is created. An executable file, AUTORUN.EXE, is also created and stored in the root directory of the install area on the USB drive. Other files are also installed.
When you use the AUTORUN.EXE command (Step 4 in the procedure below) to install the Lotus Notes client onto a computer, a streamlined install process is performed. During the streamlined install process, the USB drive letter is determined, AUTORUN.INI is read, standard Notes registry keys are set and a desktop shortcut is created. During the install process, a temporary directory is also created and the Notes client files are stored in the temporary directory.
Microsoft Windows does not natively support autoplay for USB drives; therefore, the autorun process installs and launches the Notes client each time you plug the USB drive into the USB port.

When you remove the USB drive, Lotus Notes is uninstalled and all registry entries and files that were added to the computer are removed. The desktop shortcut, temporary directory and any attachments that you used are also removed. No changes are made to the USB drive.


What is the purpose of the AUTORUN.INI file?

The AUTORUN.INI file The AUTORUN.INI file that is created will be similar to this sample file.

[Autorun]
MSI_LOCATION=Z:\Lotus Notes 7.0.2.msi
MSI_COMMANDLINE=/qb
PROGDIR="Z:\program files\Lotus\notes\"
DATADIR="Z:\program files\Lotus\notes\Data\"
AUTOLAUNCH_NOTES=Yes
AUTORUN_MODE=Yes
TEMP_DIR=g:\tmp

MSI_LOCATION=
Specifies the path on the USB drive to the MSI file that is used to perform the install when the USB drive is plugged in. The drive letter is dynamically replaced at run time with the correct drive letter of the USB Drive.

MSI_COMMANDLINE=
Specifies the command line that is passed to the program MSIEXEC.EXE that performs the install. The drive letters used in the PROGDIR and DATADIR properties are replaced at run time.

AUTOLAUNCH_NOTES=

Specifies that the Lotus Notes client is to open after the USB drive install is complete. You can set this value to NLNOTES which causes the Notes client to run from the USB drive even if a local version of the Notes client is already running. To turn off autolaunch, set the value to NO.

AUTORUN_MODE=
Specifies that a process is to remain running while the user is logged in. When the user logs out or restarts the system, the process terminates and AUTORUN.EXE needs to be run again. The autorun process causes the Notes install to run automatically when the USB drive is reconnected. Use the autorun startup option that restarts the autorun each time someone logs on.

TEMP_DIR= Description
Specifies the path for the temporary directory in which the Notes client files are stored. This setting enhances security. The drive letter is dynamically replaced. The Notes client also uses the temporary directory for attachments so that attachments are removed with this directory when the USB drive is removed.


What are the prerequisites?

• Before you begin, obtain the Notes client-only installation code (i.e. not the one that has Domino Designer and Domino Administrator bundled in)
• Expand the installation files into a folder on your hard drive (example: C:\temp\notes702).
• Ensue that both - your PC and your USB device - support USB 2.0.
• Ensure that you have a minimum of 512 MB of free space on your USB drive.

Where do I get "Notes client-only installation code" mentioned above?

You can download this file from our SoftwareDepot Web site.
http://www.uwindsor.ca/softwaredepot




How do I expand the installation file that I downloaded?

The Notes installation file that you can download from SoftwareDepot site contain the files listed below, bundled into a single executable that is really a compressed self extracting zip file:

0x0409.ini
Data1.cab
instmsia.exe
instmsiw.exe
Lotus Notes 7.0.2.msi
LotusNotes.itw
setup.exe
Setup.ini

Once you download the install file (in case of Notes 7.0.2 the file name is c84qien.exe), you can open the file in your favorite unzip program, such as WinZIP, or run the executable which will prompt you for a location to extract the files (example: C:\temp\notes702). If you run the executable to extract the files, the Notes installer automatically starts after the file extraction. At this point, you can select Cancel to exit the install process. The files will remain extracted to the location you specified.


How to install Lotus Notes 7.0.2 on my USB device?

Complete these steps to install Lotus Notes 7.0.2 (or later) client on a USB drive:
1.        Insert the USB drive into the USB port on your computer.
2.        Make note of the drive letter that is assigned to the USB drive because this drive letter assignment is dynamic and will change when you use that USB port in the future. You will need this for step 4.
3.        Open a command prompt window and navigate to the folder or directory you created in the prerequisite step:


4.        In a command prompt window, enter this command to install Lotus Notes on the USB drive:

setup /a /v"NOMAD=1 TARGETDIR=F:\ /qb+"

...where F is the USB drive letter (may be different letter on your PC).
The parameters, /qb+ allow for the display of the basic user interface and a message box at the end of the upgrade.


5.        When the install process completes, run the command AUTORUN.EXE from the root of the USB drive by double-clicking on the file name or by typing the command on the command line.
6.        Lotus Notes client is installed and will automatically launch. Complete the Notes setup process as usual.

Posted by Bodek Frak At 12:00:00 AM Location Windsor - U of W | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)