Attend this month’s Novell Technical Training Webinar for Part 3 of a three part series of the Best of BrainShare. In this webinar, you will hear information about GroupWise 2012, help desk best practices and trends, and iPhone and Android apps for GroupWise.

The February webinar will be:

Date: February 16, 2012
Time: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm Eastern (GMT -5)
Link to register: http://www.grouplink.com/event/123

The agenda will be as follows. You have the choice to attend one, two, or all of the sessions:

• 11:00- 11:45 am "GroupWise 2012" – Dean Lythgoe, Novell
• 12:00- 12:45pm "Help Desk Best Practices and Trends" – Shea Miller, GroupLink
• 1:00- 1:45 pm "iPhone and Android Apps for GroupWise" – Daniel Shelley, Ghostpattern

If you cannot attend during these times, you can still register and we will send you a recorded copy of the sessions.

With the overwhelming response for the last webinar, we anticipate this webinar to fill up fast, so register now!

These webinars are brought to you FREE of charge by GroupLink, the makers of the everything HelpDesk, the Novell Integrated HelpDesk solution. Download your free help desk trial here: http://www.grouplink.com/forms/ehdtrial.html

• Cool Solutions

Two new tools are helping Novell Vibe users jump start their document management. We’re happy to show off these the new Novell Vibe Desktop and the Novell Vibe Add In for Office. Better than tell you what they can do, we thought we would show you in a couple of short videos. If you have additional questions send them our way.

vibelibrary@novell.com

Novell Vibe Desktop Introduction

A short video showing users how to use the Novell Vibe desktop app to save files to their personal machine and have them synced to folders in Vibe. In the same way, documents and files can be edited from Vibe and the synced copies can live on your personal or work computer.

Novell Vibe Add In: Working with Vibe through MS Office

Watch how you can create a document in Office and save it directly into Vibe. The Novell Vibe Add In gives users a new Vibe tab with options allowing them to interact with folders and files in Vibe without ever leaving their word processor.

Novell Vibe Add In: Managing Documents

Learn how you can open and edit Vibe documents without ever opening your browser. This Add In lets you rate, comment, and manager versions of the document.

• Vibe Cool Solutions

As most of you know, we just launched GroupWise 2012 this week, and there's a lot to celebrate. We not only have a great product today (one that includes many customer-requested enhancements focused on hot topics like mobility, social collaboration, and end-user productivity); we have a robust roadmap to carry us far into the future. So what's the rub? The fact that media coverage about GroupWise is anything but fair and unbiased.

To begin with, you may have seen this article, offering the sweeping conclusion that "no one cares about GroupWise." Some of you have weighed in to rebut this claim, and we thank you for that! If you haven't seen the article until now, consider it a rallying cry to stand up against this kind of false perpetuation of the "old Novell" story. And in case you're tempted to believe such fatalistic predictions about the demise of GroupWise, consider my response to this article:

First, the points on which we agree. Yes, it's been awhile since our last release. Yes, Novell's past focus on GroupWise has wavered. And yes, like all on-premise email vendors, we face competition from Google and the cloud.

But if you'd like to know the noteworthy facts (versus the tired refrain) of the contemporary Novell GroupWise story, consider this:

• GroupWise still offers the security, reliability, ease of management, and cross-platform flexibility that put it on the map back 20-plus years ago—a big part of the reason that "10,000 customers and 47 of the 50 US state governments" use it.
• GroupWise is enjoying a resurgence of focus and commitment from The Attachmate Group, which acquired Novell in May of 2011. As a proof point, check out what Bob Flynn, Novell President and General Manager, had to say about GroupWise in this video from our recent BrainShare event.
• Novell has increased its engineering staff (based in our Provo, Utah headquarters) for GroupWise by 33% in recent months and has a roadmap featuring much more frequent releases. See what we have planned by visiting our dynamic roadmap application.
• Novell and GroupWise leaders have been hitting the streets over the last several months, contacting hundreds of GroupWise customers around the world. The purpose of these visits? To rekindle relationships, to listen, and to learn what customers need from the product.

These are the facts of the GroupWise story. We invite Mr. Strom to speak with us about any of these developments--or to talk with GroupWise customers and partners who care deeply about this product and its future. Let's stop belaboring the past. It's a new day for GroupWise, and the future is bright.

But is that the only press-related injustice we need to address? Definitely not. There's also the slew of articles on the City of Los Angeles's high-visibility migration from GroupWise to Gmail. Is anyone else growing weary of these unoriginal variations on the same tired theme? I definitely am. And while we certainly don't speak for our customers—or publicly second-guess the wisdom of their decisions—we DO find fault with the media for continually portraying GroupWise as the goat in this story.

The truth is that the City of LA was running an older version of our product—a fact that any amount of due diligence on the part of the press could have uncovered. And what about the age and configuration of the hardware it was running on? Ever seen a single one of these articles dig into THAT extremely relevant fact? Nope. Some of the basic tenets of "investigative reporting" seem to have been missed. The bottom line is that reporting on GroupWise based on its 2003 merits is patently unfair, and we're crying foul. Since when did the press ever write about Windows 95 or Exchange 2003 with such contemporary zeal and vigor? Never. That's when.

And let's not forget that even this older version of GroupWise meets fundamental needs that Google currently can't, which is why it remains in use in certain pockets of the municipality. So, again, why the flat and utterly unimaginative quest to find new ways to portray Novell as old? How about reporting on the facts as they stand TODAY? Better yet, why not report on who Novell IS today, and what that signals for TOMORROW?

These kinds of articles not only do a tremendous disservice to the companies they cover, but to the readers who rely on them for perspective and information-gathering. If you're tired of this kind of GroupWise coverage from the mainstream IT media, pass this post along. Reblog it, tweet it, and share it with others who want the REAL story—the story of Novell's recommitment to its customers, the story of GroupWise's return, and—as time will undoubtedly tell—the story of a company that found its place serving customers again. You don't have to believe me until the proof points are in. But please don't believe what the press feeds you in the meantime.

Kari Woolf, GroupWise Product Marketing Manager

• Cool Blogs: Official Novell Bloggers

With the launch of GroupWise 2012 we thought it would be fun to see what you personally like the best about GroupWise -- no matter what version you're using. Let us know your favorite end-user features, or what you like best about the admin side, and we'll enter you in a drawing for a chance to win a prize.

To celebrate the GroupWise 2012 launch, we're giving out 12 $20 gift cards. All you have to do is take a survey to tell us your favorite things about using, or administering, GroupWise. Any version. Take a few minutes to let us know what you use the most, find the most convenient, etc., and you just might be shopping at Amazon before you know it.

Take survey now.

• Vibe Cool Solutions

Memories of ATT Live 2010 are still fresh in my mind. It was a great event at a great location, The M in Las Vegas, NV. Novell customers and partners alike told us they were very happy with it. The Novell Training team was also extremely pleased with how it turned out. The venue was great, the location was perfect, and let's not forget how effective and beneficial the training was. I am excited to be part of the team again that is putting together ATT Live 2012. Due to the Attachmate acquisition, the heritage Novell/SUSE Training team is now also responsible for NetIQ training, so this is an exciting time for us and even greater opportunity than ever before for you.

The main reason you'll want to attend ATT Live 2012 is: you get 4 days of intense, hands-on training geared specifically for people like you--system administrators, network engineers and IT specialists--who actually do the job of administering Novell, SUSE and NetIQ products. You get the real world, day-to-day administration, usability, troubleshooting, and tips & tricks training you need to succeed on the job.

I blogged a little bit about ATT Live a couple months ago but the planning for the event is more complete now and there's more detailed information to share today that I wanted make you aware of. In addition to the general facts that ATT Live 2012 will be held May 15-18 at The M Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, I wanted to point out several exciting things you'll want to look at today:

• The earlybird price of $1400 is available until March 30 (full price will be $1795 after that)
• Testing and certification is free
• The website, www.novell.com/training/attlive/, has gone live and all the sessions are listed at www.novell.com/training/attlive/sessions.html

This year we are offering nearly 80 unique 2- and 4-hour sessions with:

• 6 tracks dedicated to the Novell products ZEN, OES and GW
• 3 NetIQ tracks focused on ISM, Sentinel, and legacy NetIQ products
• 3 SUSE tracks focused on SLES administration, usability and troubleshooting

At ATT Live 2012 you'll be rubbing shoulders with product managers, subject matter experts, and front & backline support engineers who will be helping the Training team to deliver more learning tracks and unique sessions than ever before.

Once you're at the M Resort you'll find this to be a very affordable training event. The conference room rate is only $120 per night. The food is great (The M has the best buffet in Las Vegas) and breakfast and lunch all 4 days are covered by your conference registration. And you'll only be 10 minutes from the airport and from The Strip with free shuttles to and from both destinations.

If you have questions or suggestions regarding ATT Live 2012, you can check the website or email the team at ATTLive@novell.com.

As for me, I'll be blogging more about ATT Live 2012 in the weeks to come to provide more detailed information about the content of the sessions themselves. This is, after all, a technical training conference and it's the technical stuff that matters most to you so I'll be diving into that so you'll have more of an idea about what you'll be getting in return for your training investment.

Please follow Novell, SUSE, and NetIQ Training on:
http://twitter.com/novell_training
http://www.facebook.com/NovellTraining

• Open Enterprise Server Cool Solutions

We are pleased to announce that GroupWise 2012 is now available!

Press releases were issued Monday!!! Communication activities and a community celebration was held in Long Beach, California in conjunction with the GWAVACon event. The product is available on download.novell.com today and in your Novell Customer Center.

Evaluation Copy too!

GroupWise 2012 marks the beginning of our new commitment to more frequent, customer-focused releases. End-user productivity remains a hot button for today's organizations, and our focus in GroupWise 2012 on 1) simplifying everyday email and calendaring tasks, 2) enhancing mobile collaboration, and 3) bringing social collaboration tools into the GroupWise interface is resonating very well with our customers.

New features to learn and share with customers and end-users include the following:

1. iPad web templates that give users the ability to access their GroupWise data on today's hottest mobile device, and IT a simple way to support them.
2. A complete WebAccess refresh featuring a more current look and feel, recurring appointments, graphical busy search, column sorting, contact photos, cross-client signatures and more.
3. Calendaring enhancements that streamline common scheduling tasks like delegating appointments, editing appointments, setting recurring appointments, and managing multi-user calendars.
4. Integrations with Novell Vibe and Skype that bring external and social collaboration capabilities right into the familiar GroupWise interface
5. Simplified ways to find and share information, including shared folder trees, easier attachment editing, and a new "relevance" sorting engine that presents your most-used contacts, folders and categories first.

Not only do we have a strong release to offer today; we have a robust roadmap (for GroupWise and the products in our collaboration portfolio) that will help us meet customer needs more effectively than ever before. In fact, there's every reason to remember why GroupWise was a solid investment when you made it, and why it remains so today. To assist you, we've produced a collection of resources--including a dynamic roadmap application you can point to and that you can access using the links below.

Web Resources:

• Refreshed Web Site

Collateral and Tools:

• Flyer
• Data Sheet
• Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade
• Community Chat Webcast

Videos and Demos:

• Animated Product Demo
• "Dispersed Information: 2-Minute Demo
• "Cross-Organizational Scheduling" 2-Minute Demo
• "Managing Tasks" 2-Minute Demo
• "Leveraging Contacts" 2-Minute Demo

GroupWise Training Promotion

Train your GroupWise Admins and Get End-User Training FREE!! Check out the new training offerings from Novell and BrainStorm. Novell is offering several dates where you can have hands-on training that gets your administrators and users up to speed on all of the productivity enhancements that are part of GroupWise 2012. Courses include a "Moving to GroupWise 2012" session which is two days and introduces all of the new features. "Novell GroupWise 2012 Advanced Administration" which is great for new email administrators as well as your seasoned professionals. This is a four day course that will prepare your team to move to GroupWise 2012 and get the most out of your investment. We also have a "Getting the Most out of the GroupWise 2012 Client" which is a two hour online course that is perfect for end-users who are not leveraging all of GroupWIse today and is also perfect opportunity to learn what’s new.

There are several upcoming dates and opportunities for your organization to plan their GroupWise 2012 upgrade and be prepared to upgrade, roll out and train!

Check out this link for all of the details.

Interactive Roadmap

I am very excited to introduce you to our latest tool. The Interactive Roadmap application that allows you to stay informed about what products we have delivered, which support packs and hot patches are currently available for your version of the product and most important – what is coming and when! The roadmap application will be your way to see what the engineering and product management teams have in store for GroupWise, Messenger and Mobility. We will add other products later.

We want to be as transparent as possible on what our current thinking, priority and expectations are for features, release dates and solutions. Of course, these are plans and plans can change….which is why this application is so useful. Bookmark this link and visit often to see the progress we are making, the latest available patches and when your feature is expected to be delivered!!

Dynamic GroupWise Roadmap Application

GroupWise 2012 Launch Party

If you were unable to attend GWAVACon, Torrance, you missed an awesome party!! We celebrated the release of GroupWise 2012 with a launch party on the Queen Mary for all attendees of GWAVACon! It was a blast!! Bob Flynn gave the keynote, we had fun losing "Novell" money in gambling games, with a Chinese New Year theme and great prizes from our sponsors/partners. We leveraged some of the new technology and features of GroupWise 2012 by having one of our customers in Germany and the VP of Engineering at Novell, Dave Wilkes, Skype into the party and talk to the crowd...live!

There was plenty to eat and drink and it was a great party with a unique community feel. Check out some of the videos and pictures!! Join in the social part of this product by checking out these Twitter and FaceBook accounts!! as well as this fun video of the party, the event and the customers who attended.

GroupWise_Info Twitter Account
FaceBook Account
GWAVACon Video

So enjoy in the fun! Share your story! Tweet when you are planning on upgrading to GroupWise 2012!!

Dean

• End-User Computing

Author: Ravella Raghunadh

Description:

Administrators might need to install the Novell GroupWise client on all Endpoint Management devices in their organization. The ZENworks Configuration Management Bundles feature can be used to perform the unattended installation of GroupWise client on all Endpoint Management devices. ZENworks Configuration Management allows administrators to deploy the GroupWise client on devices in stages based on location, device category, operating system, and so forth.

This Cool Solution provides information on how to configure ZENworks Configuration Management bundles to deploy Novell GroupWise 8 on Endpoint Management devices. This document contains the Novell GroupWise 8 Windows Client Silent installation procedure for ZENworks 11 and ZENworks 10 Configuration Management releases.

Downloading GroupWise Installation Files:

1. Download the GroupWise 8 setup zip file from the following location:
   http://www.novell.com/communities/files/gwsetup.zip
2. Extract the contents of the zip file.

1. Installing Novell GroupWise 8 Windows Client on Novell ZENworks 11

1.1. Configuring the GroupWise Installation Bundle

1. Login to ZENworks Control Center.
2. Create a new empty Windows Bundle.
   For more information about creating Windows bundles, see Creating Windows Bundles in the Novell ZENworks 11 Software Distribution Reference.
3. In the Actions tab, navigate to the Install section to add actions to the bundle.
   For more information about Windows Bundle Actions, see Actions in the Novell ZENworks 11 Software Distribution Reference.
4. Add a Create/Delete Directory action to the bundle for creating a directory, to copy the GroupWise installation files on the client machine.
   For example, C:\GWSetup.
5. Select Run as secure system user for Executable Security Level.
6. Add a Delay action to the bundle with a value of 60 seconds.
7. Add an Install Directory action to the bundle for copying the contents of the extracted GroupWise setup directory.
   
   1. Select the extracted GroupWise setup directory as the Source Directory.
   2. Select the directory created in Step 4 (C:\GWSetup) as the Destination Directory.
   3. Select the Run as secure system user option for Executable Security Level.
   4. Select the Copy If Newer option, to enable copy options.
8. Add a Delay action to the bundle with the value of 60 seconds.
9. Add a Run Script action to the bundle.
   
   1. In Script to Run, select Define Your Own Script.
   2. In Run As, select System.
10. Click Edit to display a text box and type the following command:
    C:\GWSetup\win32\setup.exe /S /v /qn Note: Change the path of the setup.exe accordingly to the directory created in Step 4. Specify the .bat extension that you want to append to the script, while saving it.
11. Apply the changes and publish the bundle.

1.2. Assigning a Bundle to Devices or Users

1. In ZENworks Control Center, click Bundles.
2. Select the bundle created in the Configuring the GroupWise Installation Bundle section.
3. Assign a bundle to ZENworks Configuration Management devices (workstations/servers), device groups, device dynamic groups, device folders, and users.
   For more information about assigning bundles to devices and users in Novell ZENworks 11, refer to the following sections in the Novell ZENworks 11 Software Distribution Reference:
   Assigning Existing Bundles to Devices
   Assigning Existing Bundles to Users
4. Refresh all the devices and users in the Management Zone

1.3. Triggering the GroupWise Client Install on Devices Using Bundle Quick Tasks

1. In ZENworks Control Center, click Bundles.
2. In the Bundles list, select the check box next to the bundle created in the Configuring the GroupWise Installation Bundle section.
3. In the Bundle Tasks list in the left navigation pane, select Install Bundle.
4. In the Devices section, click Add to select the devices where you want to install the bundle.
5. Select the devices and then click OK.
   For more information about installing bundles in Novell ZENworks 11, see Bundle Quick Tasks in the ZENworks 11 Software Distribution Reference.

2. Installing Novell GroupWise 8 Windows Client on Novell ZENworks 10

2.1. Configuring the GroupWise Installation Bundle

1. Login to ZENworks Control Center.
2. Create a new Directive Bundle.
   For more information about creating Directive bundles, see Creating Directive Bundles in the Novell ZENworks 10 Configuration Management Software Distribution Reference.
3. In Actions > Install, add a few actions to the Directive Bundle.
   For more information about Bundle Actions, see Actions in the Novell ZENworks 10 Configuration Management Software Distribution Reference.
4. Add a Create/Delete Directory action to the bundle for creating a directory, to copy the GroupWise installation files on the client machine.
   For example: C:\GWSetup.
5. In More Options, select Run as secure system user or select the option for Executable Security Level.
6. Add a Delay action to the bundle with a value of 60 seconds.
7. Add an Install Directory action to the bundle for copying the contents of the extracted GroupWise setup directory.
   
   1. Select the extracted GroupWise setup directory as the Source Directory.
   2. Select the directory created in Step 4 (C:\GWSetup) as the Destination Directory.
   3. Under More Options, select Run as secure system user option for Executable Security Level.
   4. Select the Copy If Newer option, to enable copy options.
8. Add a Delay action to the bundle with a value of 60 seconds.
9. Add a Run Script action to the bundle. Select Define Your Own Script option for Script to Run.
10. Click Edit to display a text box and type the following command:
    C:\GWSetup\win32\setup.exe /S /v /qn Note: Change the path of the setup.exe to the directory created in Step 4.
    1. Specify the .bat extension that you want to append to the script, when it is saved.
    2. In More Options > Run As, select System.
11. Apply the changes and publish the bundle.

2.2. Assigning a Bundle to Devices or Users

1. In ZENworks Control Center, click Bundles.
2. Select the bundle created in Configuring the GroupWise Installation Bundle section.
3. Assign a bundle to ZENworks Configuration Management devices (workstations/servers), device groups, device dynamic groups, device folders, and users.
   For more information about assigning bundles to devices and users in Novell ZENworks 10 Configuration Management, see the following sections in the ZENworks 10 Configuration Management Software Distribution Reference:
   Assigning Existing Bundles to Devices
   Assigning Existing Bundles to Users
4. Refresh all the devices and users in the Management Zone.

2.3. Triggering the GroupWise Client Install on Devices

1. In ZENworks Control Center, click Bundles.
2. In the Bundles list, select the check box next to the bundle created in Configuring the GroupWise Installation Bundle section.
3. In the Bundle Tasks list in the left navigation pane, select Install Bundle.
4. In the Devices section, click Add to select the devices where you want to install the bundle.
5. Select the devices and then click OK.

For more information about installing bundles in Novell ZENworks 10 Configuration Management, see Installing a Bundle in the ZENworks 10 Configuration Management Reference.

AttachmentSize gwsetup.zip94.68 MB

• Cool Solutions

GroupWise 2012 is coming soon. Together with Vibe, it delivers a truly valuable Collaboration platform for our Customers. Please join us on this webcast to gain a better understanding of how to use GroupWise with Vibe, and how to evangelize its benefits to our customers.

Full text available to group members after login.

• End-User Computing

license:  GNU

download url: https://github.com/jlodom/FLAIM-Database-For-OS-X/zipball/master
home page url: https://github.com/jlodom/FLAIM-Database-For-OS-X

FLAIM is a very scalable, quite fantastic database technology. However, it is sorely neglected outside of Novell / Attachmate. This Cool Solution is an effort to make it slightly more available by fixing some problems compiling it on OS X. The original source had accommodations for OS X, but there were compilation errors which I have fixed in this fork.

You can find my modification to the FLAIM source to allow it to compile on recent versions of OS X at this GitHub page: https://github.com/jlodom/FLAIM-Database-For-OS-X

Novell / Attachmate uses FLAIM as the basis for eDirectory GroupWise. Additionally, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has used FLAIM in its legendarily large genealogy recording.

The main page for the open source FLAIM is at http://sourceforge.net/projects/flaim/ Unfortunately, both the maintainers have left Novell and so the Sourceforge page is stagnant, which is why this fork exists instead of simply submitting patches. It is worth noting that FLAIM is very much in active development inside of Novell, but copying new work over to the open-source branch is not a priority. That said, the core of the code has not changed as it is a mature format.

All the documentation you could ever want is on the original SourceForge page. There is also very good documentation included with the source.

I have not yet gotten XFLAIM (FLAIM 5.x) compiling on OS X as it is not a priority for me -- although it has a few modern advantages over existing FLAIM, my interest is understanding the FLAIM 4.x branch as the classic technology is more relevant to my work life.

If you are compiling FLAIM on non-OS X Unix or Windows, you are probably better off just using the original source without my changes, unless you encounter compilation errors in which case some of my light work might be valuable.

• Cool Solutions

Start the New Year out right by going to GWAVACon. The industry's top GroupWise and messaging technology conference starts in just over a week (January 22-24) and it's not too late to sign up and join in.

GroupWise 2012

Novell will be launching GroupWise 2012 at GWAVACon. There will be hands-on training from Novell technical experts to help you get up and running on this brand new release. Plus a keynote by Novell President and General Manager, Bob Flynn. Not to mention the sure-to-be fabulous launch party aboard the legendary Queen Mary.

Timely Sessions

Here are a few of the great sessions we've got lined up at GWAVACon:

• Enabling Cloud Services Security
• The Future of GroupWise Administration
• Data Avalanche-Strategies for Satisfying Legal Obligations associated with Records Retention, eDiscovery, Litigation Holds and Data Privacy
• Demystifying DNS
• GroupWise SMTP Infrastructure Design
• And much more

GWAVACon Means Value

Included with your GWAVACon ticket, you'll get three full days of great sessions, one-on-one access to industry gurus and technical experts with fun and food included. No expensive meals to put on your expenses. Plus, there are some great last-minute deals on flights to LAX - only $200 round trip from DFW; $160 from Chicago; and $270 from St. Louis.

If you haven't yet registered for GWAVACon, it's not too late to join with us!

Register HERE for GWAVACon

• Cool Solutions

I wanted to take a moment and update our customers, partners and other interested parties on our current schedules for GroupWise, Vibe, Messenger and DataSynchronizer. We will be launching a new ‘Roadmap Application’ in a few weeks that will allow you to always know what is coming and when to expect it. Watch the GroupWise product page for this new tool that will allow our customers and partners a real-time view into current priorities, roadmaps, delivery expectations and major features that are being implemented for GroupWise and DataSynchronizer.

GroupWise

GroupWise has currently two products versions that the development team is working on. GroupWise 8 and GroupWise 2012. After GroupWise 2012 ships, we will maintain 3 branches of our flagship GroupWise product….one of them will, of course, be an internal development and forward looking line of the Product – the one we call Windermere. So here is how it is looking…

GroupWise 2012 GroupWise 2012 is scheduled to release very soon. As we communicated previously: we are saying Q1. That is still our external communication. However, I will say that we have been having weekly status meetings for several weeks and our meeting last week confirmed that all indications were positive and we were meeting all exit criteria and all future status meetings/updates have been cancelled. You can read into that what you may….I can only say – it will be Q1 :)

We have also scheduled at least one Hot Patch for GroupWise 2012. This is code named ‘Cardiff’ and it will ship several months from now and is completely driven by customer demand and will be used to address any unforeseen quality issues or significant problems reported by our customers who are deploying GroupWise 2012. The earliest that Cardiff would ship is in the summer, but this could push later if there is no compelling demand. There are no new features planned for Cardiff. However, we may choose to expand some platform support.

GroupWise 8.0.x The GroupWise 8 product line is scheduled to release its next support pack early in calendar Q2 of 2012. This will be GroupWise 8.0.3 or GroupWise 8, Support Pack 3. This will be an accumulation of all changes, FTFs, Hot Patches and fixes implemented, shipped and released since we shipped GroupWise 8.0.2 in September of 2010. So, this will obviously include all fixes that can be aggregated together in the entire GroupWise 8 version line…including the current latest Hot Patch, GroupWise 8.0.2 HP3.

We do plan a GroupWise 8.0.4 and may choose to release a Hot Patch or two between GroupWise 8.0.3 and GroupWise 8.0.4. Hot Patches on the GroupWise 8.0.3 line will be cumulative and will be made available, if and only if, we have customer demand that warrants some delivery. GroupWise 8.0.4 is currently scheduled to release in mid 2013. We expect that GroupWise 8.0.4 will be the final release of the GroupWise 8 product/version line. We also expect GroupWise 8.0.4 to contain very few fixes. We want to encourage our customers to move with us to GroupWise 2012 and get not only their issues resolved, but also take advantage of the new functionality, capability, stability and latest platform support that can be found by staying current with your GroupWise deployment.

Note: As part of GroupWise 8.0.3, we will support OES 11. OES 11 is already a supported platform for GroupWise 2012 and we have had very few reports of any issues running GroupWise 8.0.2 HP3 on OES 11. However, we have not completed a QA cycle on this platform yet with the GroupWise 8.0.x product line. Officially, it is supported and we expect it to work, but we are still validating.

GroupWise Windermere The next major release of GroupWise is scheduled for early 2013 and is code named Windermere. This release will concentrate on a new Web Administration model and the product will add support for Active Directory. Of course, we also think it will include a variety of other enhancements, but we are not prepared to commit to any of these changes until engineering has adequately scoped and a project plan is in place to deliver the Web Admin and AD functionality by the planned release schedule. We demonstrated our progress so far with Windermere and we have had a team of engineers concurrently working on Windermere as we finished up the final details of GroupWise 2012.

Novell DataSynchronizer Mobility Pack

In December, we released Novell DataSynchronizer 1.2.1. We expect to release 1.2.2 during Q1, 2012. This update will only include bug fixes reported by our customers. After this update, we will turn our attention to ‘Eenou’. This is scheduled for Q2 and in addition to continued quality improvements; we will also add support for Tasks.

Two other releases for DataSynchronizer are planned for 2013. These releases will increase scalability, add new functionality and are designed to coincide with new devices and availability of new capabilities on those devices. This is our most agile development project and it will continue to be.

Novell Messenger

The next release of Novell Messenger is code named ‘Dillon’. Dillon is scheduled for a mid-2012 release and is heavily focused on providing an iPhone and Android IM client. The iPhone app is well under way and good progress is being made. We expect to start on the Android app soon.

The next release after Dillon is code named Eaglewood. Eaglewood will line up fairly closely with the release of Windermere and will include things like support for Active Directory and a web client that will integrate with both GroupWise WebAccess as well as with Novell Vibe. We are also planning a web based administration model for Messenger in this time frame.

Novell Vibe

Novell Vibe released version 3.2 in November. This product line has a couple of releases on the horizon for 2012. The code names for these releases are ‘Granite’ and ‘Hudson’. We are still working on a schedule and scope for each release. There are some fundamental changes that need to be made in order to complete our usability and user-interface designs. We are evaluating priorities across all of our current collaboration solutions and Vibe continues to receive significant attention. There are just so many things we would like to do! Some of the things we are considering for Vibe are peer-to-peer messaging, simple groups or quick teams and some file system integration. We will also continue to heavily focus on usability, quality and performance.

That should give you a pretty good view of what is currently planned for the year.

It is important to understand that all of this is subject to change. We are heavily engaged in meeting with our customers, soliciting their input and feedback and having their voice impact our priorities, schedules and the actual list of enhancements we will implement.

In addition, I have only shared a high-level view for each of these releases and product lines. As we solidify on the details, I will use this blog, the Roadmap Application and other communication methods to share those details with our customers and partners.

See you at GWAVACon!!

Dean

• End-User Computing

Join the celebration and you could win an Apple iPad...

REMINDER: This highly anticipated product will be "shipping" and so will you. Celebrate with Novell Monday night, January 23, from 7-9 on the historic Queen Mary.

During the party, we'd like to feature video snippets generated by YOU! So get out your camera and film yourself answering any (or all) of the following questions. For each question you answer, your name will be entered into a drawing for an Apple iPad to be given away at the event.

• What GroupWise 2012 feature are you most excited about--and why?
• Give us a tour of your own GroupWise Home View.
• What is your GroupWise pedigree (how long have you administered the product, how many users do you support, what kind of support staff do you require and what GroupWise/Novell communities do you belong to)?
• If GroupWise 2012 were a car, what make and model would it be--and why?
• Tell us about a time when everyone said it couldn't be done, but you accomplished the impossible with GroupWise.
• Show us your GroupWise "happy dance."
• Tell us your funniest GroupWise end user support story.
• If you could give the GroupWise team a New Year's Resolution, what would it be?
• What superhero best describes GroupWise--and why?
• What one word best describes GroupWise for an administrator? For an end user?
• January 23 is the beginning of Chinese New Year, and 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. Why is this a fitting beginning for GroupWise 2012?
• Tell us your best experience attending a GroupWise event (BrainShare, ATT, TTP, GWAVACon, Open Horizons, NUG, etc.).

* Each submission should be under 2 minutes in length, and 720p or 1080p HD video content is preferred. Use of a tripod and mic a bonus! Novell reserves the right to edit content as needed. Please e-mail submissions to rdastrup@novell.com by January 13, 2012. If your file is over 25 MB, please use a file mailing service like yousendit.com or mailbigfile.com.

For more about GWAVACon, go to www.gwavacon.com

• Cool Solutions

Are you coming to GWAVACon? GWAVA has arranged for a discount for attendees at the Torrance Marriott. If you want to get the GWAVA discount and stay at the hotel where we're holding GWAVACon, make sure you book your room by noon on Friday, January 6 (PST).

Book your reservations here.

GWAVACon is January 22-24 in Torrance, CA.

Register for GWAVACon here.

For more information about GWAVACon, go to www.gwavacon.com. We hope to see you there!

• Vibe Cool Solutions

What do you get when you purchase GroupWise?

When you purchase GroupWise, you are entitled to a variety of other products and related technologies. It does not matter if you login using the Novell Customer Center or go directly to download.novell.com and login. Your credentials should eventually get you to the exact same download page where you can access all of the software and entitlements for GroupWise.

The four products you get when you purchase GroupWise and Maintenance include eDirectory, Novell Messenger, SLES and Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack. Here is a brief description of each and some of the legalese related to some of these technologies.

• GroupWise Messenger: Novell Messenger is a corporate, cross-platform instant messaging product that is based on Novell eDirectory. Your Messenger system can be set up on Linux or Windows.
• Novell eDirectory:

  Novell eDirectory is a highly scalable, high-performing, secure directory service. It can store and manage millions of objects, such as users, applications, network devices, and data, as well as GroupWise objects, such as domains, post offices, and agents. Novell eDirectory provides a secure identity management solution that runs on Linux or and Windows.

  In the EULA: The quantity of licenses for the Novell eDirectory software included with your lawfully acquired licenses of the Novell GroupWise Software is equal to the greater of (1) the quantity of licenses you have lawfully acquired for the Novell GroupWise 8 Software, or (2) 250,000 Users per company/entity.

  The foregoing Novell eDirectory licenses are not upgradeable and are otherwise subject to the license agreement accompanying the Novell eDirectory software. The foregoing Novell eDirectory licenses are not upgradeable and are otherwise subject to the license agreement accompanying the Novell eDirectory software.

• Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack: Novell Data Synchronizer allows personal information management (PIM) data such as e-mail, appointments, tasks, and contacts to synchronize between enterprise e-mail and collaboration applications such as Novell GroupWise and collaboration applications. The Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack replaces GroupWise Mobile Server in providing synchronization between GroupWise mailboxes and mobile devices. The Mobility Pack includes Data Synchronizer, the GroupWise Connector, and the Mobility Connector.
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server:

  SUSE Linux Enterprise Server delivers UNIX-like server performance and reliability for significantly less cost. Selecting SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as your platform gives you access to Novell product support and services, ensuring that your GroupWise system runs securely and without interruption.

  Notwithstanding the license rights in the license agreement accompanying the copy of Novell SUSE®. In the EULA, if provides the following text and agreement:

  Linux Enterprise Server product (SLES) You received with the Software, You agree to use SLES solely for the purpose of running the GroupWise 8.0 Software.

This is also true for Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack. You also have entitlement for SLES to run your Mobility server. You are entitled to as many licenses that are needed to support your GroupWise / Mobility infrastructure.

Of course, if you purchase GroupWise through the NOWS buying program, you will not only be entitled to all of these products, but you will also be entitled to Novell Open Enterprise Server, Novell Vibe, ZENworks Configuration Management, ZENworks Endpoint Security Management, ZENworks Linux Management, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop and LibreOffice.

Most of these products are user licensed. Meaning that when you purchase a certain number of GroupWise licenses, you are also entitled to the same number of eDir and Messenger licenses. Mobility licenses are to mobilize any user in your GroupWise system, so essentially it is also licensed per user. SLES, on the other hand is license for each server required to run your GroupWise system.

In addition, because these products are part of a 'bundle', maintenance for GroupWise entitles you to updates/patches for each entitled product in the bundle

So - get the most out of your GroupWise investment by deploying the other technologies that come as part of your GroupWise license/maintenance

Let me know if you have questions or if there are other points that I can clarify....

Dean

• Data Synchronizer Cool Solutions

When you come to GWAVACon, you'll get a big dose of everything Novell. See what we have for those of you looking for Novell training, information and updates:

ATT Live Courses
Taught by Paul Lamontagne, popular ATT Live educator, GWAVA is offering a full day track of ATT Live training on January 21st - the Saturday before GWAVACon begins - for only $795. Paul will be teaching two 1/2 day courses on bonus day:

• Introduction to GroupWise 2012
• Novell GroupWise 2012: Migrating to Linux

ATT Live training will also be available each day of the regular conference schedule, including these courses:

• Intro to Novell Data Synchronizer
• Novell Groupwise 2012: Migrating to Linux
• Deploying the GroupWise Client using ZENworks Configuration Management
• Upgrading and Exploring New Features in Novell ZENworks 11 Configuration Management
• Migrating a Traditional ZENworks Environment to Novell ZENworks 11 Configuration Management

Click here to see a complete list of sessions

Keynote by Bob Flynn
Bob Flynn, President and General Manager of Novell, will be giving the keynote address at GWAVACon. Don't miss this chance to hear Novell's plans and his take on the industry!

GroupWise 2012
Only at GWAVACon, you'll get to see the soon-to-be-released GroupWise 2012 before anybody else. Maybe we'll even get some exciting news about the release ;). Read Dean Lythgoe's blog for more information on GW 2012.

GWAVACon 2012 - January 22-24, 2012 in Torrance, California. Bonus day is January 21.

Click here to register for GWAVACon

• Cool Solutions

license:  GPL home page url:  www.itux.co.za

As we know, 90% of OES problems can be traced back to one of the services in the OES stack not running, thereby affecting the services lower down in the stack.

I created this script to present a Menu so a basic administrator can log into the server and run the menu, then follow simple menu prompts to check for apparent issues with OES services, networking and eDirectory objects/users

See the screenshot below, then download the script and try it yourself!

Click to view.

AttachmentSize oeshealthcheck.sh_.zip2.2 KB

• Open Enterprise Server Cool Solutions

Novell Data Synchronizer Connector for Vibe

Novell Data Synchronizer Connector for Vibe will release FCS this week – passed first article and should be available by the end of the week. (FCS = First Customer Ship. Bascially means when the product will be publicly available for download and deployment.)

This is our 1.0 debut for the Vibe Connector, which synchronizes tasks and calendars from Vibe to GroupWise. Our internal rollout for the connector is servicing more than 500 users. This connector has been under development for some time and further integrates our collaboration solutions together. You can now have Team calendars and Tasks in Novell Vibe and interact with those items from within the familiar GroupWise interface/habitat.

Although this technology is predominately uni-directional, there are a couple of areas that allow for a bi-directional synchronization model. For example, if you have Team task in a team workspace in Vibe and that task is synchronized to GroupWise, the GroupWise user can mark that task complete or set the % complete information for that task and that information will be synchronized back to the Vibe workspace.

To be a bit more specific, here is the a summary description from the Vibe Connector documentation that provides the details and functionality for this technology.

Calendar Synchronization

• All Vibe calendar folders that contain calendar appointments in your personal workspace synchronize to GroupWise.
• All Vibe calendar folders that contain calendar appoitments in team workspaces where you are a team member synchronize to GroupWise.
• Vibe Calendar folders synchronize as sub-calendars under your main GroupWise Calendar.
• Additions, modifications, and deletions on the synchronized Vibe calendars are reflected in GroupWise.
• Calendars deleted in Vibe are deleted from GroupWise.

Task Synchronization

• Tasks and calendar appointments that are assigned explicitly to you, to a team you are a member of, or to a group you are a member of (regardless of the team where the assignment originated).
• Additions, deletions, and modifications made to tasks that are assigned to you, to a team you are a member of, or to a group you are a member of in Vibe are reflected in GroupWise.
• If you modify the % Complete or Completed fields of a task in GroupWise, that status information synchronizes back to the Vibe task. (These fields are the only fields that support bidirectional synchronization.)

Additional Synchronization Behavior for Tasks and Calendars

• Vibe tasks located in Calendar folders synchronize to GroupWise calendars. Vibe calendar entries in Task folders synchronize to GroupWise in the corresponding sub-calendars.
• The GroupWise sub-calendar called Other Vibe is created by the Vibe Connector to store tasks and calendar appointments that meet the synchronization criteria but are either located in folders where you do not have access rights to the parent workspace or folder, or that are located in a folder that is not a Tasks folder or Calendar folder. For example, it is possible in Vibe to create a task in any type of folder, such as a Blog folder.
• Synchronized Calendar and Tasks folders reflect the name of the team or personal workspace where the folder is located, with the name of the folder itself in parenthesis. If the calendar or task entry does not pertain to a team that you are a member of, the folder name in GroupWise assumes the name of the Vibe folder that contains the calendar or task entry that is being synchronized.

This Vibe Connector works using the Data Synchronizer engine, the GroupWise Connector and the new Vibe Connector. You must install the Vibe Connector software on a server where Data Synchornizer and the GroupWise connector have already been installed.

See the documentation here.

Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack 1.2.1

Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack 1.2.1 will also release 'FCS' this week. We haven't released Mobility since the 1.2 release in early August. So we are very excited, and so are our customers, about this update

Mobility 1.2.1 will be available both via the NCC patch channel and Patch Finder. It includes all of the work engineering performed and delivered after feedback we heard at BrainShare and delivered in a patch. This update also provides fixes for ~50 customer-reported defects and ~100 QA-reported defects. Customers will see improved reliability, especially with attachments and appointments. We'll continue to address customer-reported defects via regular, frequent updates in an effort to maintain customer confidence. This will be engineerings focus for some time and then they will turn their attention to the feature set communicated previously through the code name: Eenou.

We encourage all of our customers to download and install this update as it level sets all of our customers on very stable, well tested and reliable functionality.

Novell Vibe Desktop and Novell Vibe Add-In for MS Office

Novell Vibe Desktop and Novell Vibe Add-In for MS Office did release Beta 2 on Monday 12/12/2011. Vibe Desktop provides a local, synchronized file store for Vibe files, allowing users to work on Vibe files in offline mode. The Add-In allows users to work on Vibe files without ever leaving their familiar Office apps.

Novell Vibe Desktop Details:

You can synchronize your Novell Vibe files with your computer, then modify the files without accessing the Vibe site directly. Additions and modifications are synchronized between Vibe and your computer. You cannot delete Vibe files from your desktop. If you do delete a Vibe file from your desktop, it is not deleted in Vibe, and is synchronized back to your desktop at the next synchronization.

Synchronization occurs at an interval designated by your Vibe administrator. The default is every 15 minutes.

You can manually synchronize files if you do not want to wait for the scheduled synchronization. For more information, see Manually Synchronizing Files.

Which Folders Are Synchronized?

Only files in Files folders and Photo Album folders within your personal workspace are synchronized by default.

You can easily configure files in Files folders and Photo Album folders within your teams or followed places to be synchronized, as described in Synchronizing Your Teams and Favorite Places.

What Actions Are Supported?

When you perform any of the following actions on documents, the action is synchronized between your computer’s file system and the Vibe server:

• Create documents
• Modify documents

In order to prevent you from inadvertently making changes on the Vibe server that you do not want to make, the following actions are not synchronized between your computer’s file system and the Vibe server:

• Delete documents
• Delete folders
• Create folders

Novell Vibe Add-In Details:

The Novell Vibe Add-In for Microsoft Office enables you to work with documents on the Vibe site without ever leaving Microsoft Office. You can easily browse to a document that is located on the Vibe site, open the document, edit it, then save it back to the Vibe site, directly from Microsoft Office.

You can work directly from Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents.

MS Office Requirements

The Novell Vibe Add-In for Microsoft Office is supported with the following versions of Microsoft Office:

• Microsoft Office 2010, with the latest support pack
• Microsoft Office 2007, with the latest support pack

Note: The Beta 2 distribution is limited to our Firestone beta testers. Beta 3 / Public Preview will give the world a peek at these cool features and will be made available in the coming weeks. Engineering is on track for an early-February FCS.

If you don’t have Novell Vibe – its time to check it out!! This is a fantastic collaboration tool that expands your collaboration capabilities and gives your end-users easy options for teams, documents, projects and workflows. For those who don’t know….the NOWS buying program was recently updated to include Novell Vibe in the bundle at no extra cost. So if you are purchasing GroupWise through NOWS, you already own it!!! Its time to deploy it!

Dean

• Data Synchronizer Cool Solutions

GroupWise 2012 Schedule Update!

I know that many of you are anticipating and watching for the final release and general availability announcement for GroupWise 2012. Although the product is coming along nicely, we are not ready to release the final version to the public. We did expect to release by the end of the year, but within the last few days, that schedule has changed. The engineering, beta sites and product business leaders are working very hard to make sure this product is as good as it can possibly be when it hits the streets in the coming weeks. We do not anticipate this being a long delay, but we do believe that the additional time will be worth it!

As many of you know, the WebAccess component for GroupWise 2012 has gone through fairly aggressive changes over the last year. The GWINTER agent is no longer part of the network topology for GroupWise 2012. With that shift in technology, the WebAccess client, features and capability need just a bit more bake time before we are comfortable deploying in a robust set of production environments. In the end, with our commitment to quality and Engineering Excellence, we have erred on the side of making sure the product is solid, scalable and reliable at the expense of a small schedule change. The advice from our beta sites has also been clear. Although not all environments are experiencing or reporting the same types of issues with WebAccess, they all recommended that it is better to be late with a solid product, then to ship the product before its time.

I will say that the exit criteria for this release has been more strict. As we have met the criteria for the majority of the components like the POA, MTA, GWIA and Windows Client, the WebAccess components are still seeing a small gap in the pass rates for the QA test runs. We want all components to meet all of our exit criteria before we ship. That is our commitment to you, as our loyal customers, and we know this attitude builds confidence in our solutions and our company. So please be patient with us a bit longer and we believe the extra effort will pay off for everyone.

In the mean time, please check out the product web site and see all of the colleteral and material that has been prepared to promote, talk about and train customers about GroupWise. Things like Flyers, Data Sheets, GroupWise 2012 BrainShare Demo, Technical details, Product Documentation and Training Videos.

GWAVACon, Torrance - January 22- 24, 2012

I also want to take this opportunity to invite all of you to GWAVACon in Torrance, CA. It is sure to be a great event! Several members of the Product Management, Marketing, Sales and Engineering teams will be attending from Novell. It is a great place to not only hear the very latest updates on all three of the major product lines…OES, GroupWise, Vibe and ZenWorks, but it is also a unique opportunity to meet in smaller groups or one on one with representatives from Novell and Attachmate. This year, we are very pleased and excited to have Bob Flynn, President and General Manager for Novell, deliver the Novell keynote address.

Check out the GWAVACon web site for all of the details.

Here are the Collaboration sessions that will be presented:

• What's New in the GroupWise 2012 Windows Client
• What's New in GroupWise 2012 WebAccess (including iPad Support)
• Novell Collaboration Overview/Futures
• The Future of GroupWise Administration
• The Novell Mobility Story (GW, Messenger, Vibe)
• Vibe Overview/Futures and Use Cases
• Integrating Vibe in Your Existing Infrastructure

Also – during GWAVACon, we will be presenting and participating in a live ‘Validation Event’. We did this same activity at GWAVACon Berlin in October and it was a huge success. This is where we distribute hand held voting machines to the audience and have them interactively participate in shaping the priorities, features and new capabilities we are planning for future releases of our Collaboration Solutions. Make sure your vote is counted by coming to GWAVACon, meeting Bob Flynn and participating in this extremely empowering exercise.

So…hang with us just a bit longer to get your hands on the very latest version of GroupWise…..GroupWise 2012! Come to GWAVACon and find out what else we are doing!!

Dean

• End-User Computing

Information Overload Stops Here—with Novell GroupWise 2012 (US/Canada)
Novell GroupWise 2012 gives you the tools to get back to what’s most relevant to your work, no matter where it may be. Reduce scheduling headaches and calendar clutter with enhancements that make it easier than ever to set, repeat and modify appointments. Bring your most-used contacts, folders and categories to the forefront with the new relevance sorting engine. Leverage real-time communications with SMS, click-to-call and presence integrations with Skype, and access your Novell Vibe team collaboration assets right from the GroupWise interface. And take it all wherever business takes you, with anytime mobile access and new support for the devices that keep our world moving.

Date: December 13, 2011
Time: 1:00 PM EDT
Register here +

Windows 7 deployment made easy with ENGL Imaging Toolkit for ZENworks (EMEA)
Heath Upton, from Novell Technology Partner ENGL, shows how Imaging Toolkit reduces the time and cost associated with Windows deployment. Learn how to create and customize an automated Windows 7 deployment, enhance ZENworks Linux and WinPE based imaging, and simplify packaging and deployment of Windows drivers.

Date: December 13, 2011
Time: 3:00 PM CET
Register here +

Listen to previous chats here +

Suggest a topic +

• Vibe Cool Solutions

You can now register for GWAVACon sessions! Sign up for great technical sessions for GroupWise 2012, ZENworks, OES and Data Synchronizer plus lots of hands-on labs for popular GWAVA products like Retain, Reload and GWAVA 6. Seats are limited so register now.

We also have other great sessions you won’t want to miss from our partners and guest speakers like:

Novell ATT – GroupWise 2012, DataSync, ZENworks and more
Matt Ray – Troubleshooting GroupWise
George Lutch (The Harding Group) – Virtualization
Lawrence Kearney – SMTP Infrastructure
KIS – Demystifying DMS and Aaaack! They won’t accept our email!
David Balcar (Novacoast) – Surviving a Security Attack and Enabling Cloud Services Security
GroupLink – Exclusive training for GroupLink users
SKyPRO – Enterprise Communication
SEP – Disaster Recovery and System Resurrection
DigeTeks – GroupWise in the Cloud
Ghost Pattern Software – Changes in the Global Smartphone Market Ecosystem

Plus a keynote by Bob Flynn, President and General Manager of Novell.

… and much more at GWAVACon 2012 - January 22-24, 2012 in Torrance, California.

To see a complete list of sessions, click HERE.

• Vibe Cool Solutions