Ray's IBM Lotus Notes Nuggets Site

I have a new hero - Mat Newman - Admin and Designer in Linux Wine

2010-11-29T08:32:00.000Z

Coming back to Linux has been great and Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) is a pleasure to use. The next stage is to get Lotus Notes and Domino running but as always there is a fly in the ointment. I remember a conversation with Jalan H 4 years ago asking her about the Quickr client for Linux and she said there is no demand for it but it is on the road map. I guess the same is true about Designer and Admin for Lotus Notes under Wine. It is on the road map.

Linux has a feature called WINE (WIne is Not an Emulator) that is a set of API's that understand what a Windows application call requires and is serviced with a thunking call or a Linux function. The upshot is that you can run a simple Windows application in Wine without virtualisation.

More complex programs require reverse engineering to work in Wine and there are whole teams dedicated to make it happen. The team working on making Lotus Notes 8.5.2 work on Wine is a team of one called Mat Newman!

Mat published a blog post called: Quick ’n’ dirty - setting up Designer under Ubuntu

My Notes build was copied for the IBM Windows 7 build and unfortunately, in this case, it is a 64 bit Notes install. Please don't misunderstand me, Notes is not 64 bit but I guess some of the Eclipse bits are 64 bit so the message I get is:

Trying to load PE image for unsupported architecture (AMD-64)

Administrator works for now though! I will build a version of Notes on XP later today and test again.

The reason nobody tried this is that the last version that worked was 7.0.x. We could never get the Eclipse version installed as it always barfed. In steps Mat and thinks outside the inbox!

Three hoorays for Mat! Hip hip....

:-)

Moving back to Linux

2010-11-28T03:41:00.001Z

A while ago I posted that Linux has become a distraction. As I moved back to services it became clear that several documents and spreadsheets with macro's etc would not work in non Microsoft environments. Also, I spent quite a bit of time tweaking and playing. The major issue for me and all Lotus power users is no Designer support in Linux. That is a blessing in disguise though as Designer in Windows redefine the word slow and extenuate the word frustrating. Anyway, my buddy Mat Newan posted how to get Designer kind of working in Wine that was quickly followed up by my other buddy and fellow IBMer Dave Hay reminding me that Wine is against IBM security guidelines. IBM blue tape extends far and wide, believe me. However, the machine in question is a lab workstation ;-)

In fact what I have now realized is that Linux is a differentiator and in a doggy eat doggy world having unique skills is rather important so back on the band wagon I jump!

My first requirement though is my Windows 7 workstation in WMWare. I have no choice. No Windows no go. Even in the company that openly speaks of great support for Opensource Windows is king.

My Thinkpad T400 has an Intel Due Core P8600 install so 64 bit hosts under 64 bit Ubuntu 10.10 was no issue. I used our Lifeboat process and created the final test build of Windows 7, yes we are about to enter the 21st century, and all was good. The next step was to convert my Windows 7 build to VMWare using VMWare converter. The first try did not work well at all. After some tweaking all was good and I am now running my Windows desktop in a VMWare window. The only issue so far is that the AT&T (most frustrating program ever) does not create the VPN tunnel.

On my home machine it was less fun. I am no Oppenheimer so my machines are old. I got VMWare installed and then go the dreaded your host does not support 64 bit message. Not fun at all. Here is how it got resolved.

First the realization that I have an issue. Bring on the iceberg syndrome.

http://rayslinux.blogspot.com/2010/11/vmware-64bit-chip-support.html

Then the possible workarounds for my new found issue.

http://rayslinux.blogspot.com/2010/11/cpu-vt-flag-for-64-bit-host-on-64-bit.html

And then finally after some frustrating moments the problem is history!

Running a 64 bit host in KVM or VMWare Linux - Intel E6500 chip
http://rayslinux.blogspot.com/2010/11/running-64-bit-host-in-kvm-or-vmware.html

A happy ending for now.

Next steps, Designer under Wine and then Domino 8.5.2.

Fun Fun Fun!

On-Site Rules for Outstanding Consultants - Alan Weiss

2010-11-21T01:15:00.000Z

Sometimes we need reminding of the following to ensure customers are satisfied. It is not always easy as we do not live in a perfect world. When you are on a technical engagement it is even more difficult to summarize at the end of the day especially when things did not go according to plan. You try and diagnose why STLinks do not work in a network with multiple proxies, firewalls and packet shapers on the internal network and then summarize for the client. However, if you do not do what Alan says your hard work may just turn to dust right in front of your eyes.

From Alan's Blog:

http://www.contrarianconsulting.com/on-site-rules-for-outstanding-consultants/

When you’re with a client, before you depart, try to:

• Summarize progress and current status.

• Have client agree with positive results to date.

• Commit to his or her accountabilities in near-term.

• Agree on time and date for next discussion between you.

• Secure follow-up on any internal issues that need action/correction.

• Acquire referrals (if you’re more than half-way through the project).

• Provide value about non-project and peripheral issues.

• Personally see all key stakeholders who are present.

• Find out if anyone is waiting for anything from you.

• Seek feedback on any new initiatives you’re considering (e.g., new product or teleconference).

• Thank any assistants or secretaries who have been of help.

• Observe the environment for any changes.

• Raise status on any overdue fee or expense reimbursement payments.

• Learn of any key changes in the company’s condition (e.g., earnings, attrition, technology, etc.).

• Be seen by as many people as possible, including potential buyers.

IBM i and Enterprise upgrades - Ensuring MSSO works.

2010-11-18T05:55:00.002Z

Another 10 minute job that took three days, well not quite but it felt like it. We upgraded the dev environment for a big project I am running to 8.5.2 and the next step was to test SSO between Portal 5.1 and Domino. We accessed the Portal environment and clicked on the email icon. The next screen we expected was iNotes 7 mail. What we got was enter user credentials. #fail!

For those of us with limited attention spans, or certainly most twitter users, I have documented the answer here with my experiences following. The issue was to make sure that the domain field is properly populated in the LTPA setup in Portal. If not, Portal will issue a token using a hostname and not domain. Domino will not use the hostname for authentication as it requires a wild card domain for SSO authentication.

Of course it was immediately assumed that Domino was to blame as it was the last services to be upgraded. #fail 1.

Well, as with all challenges more is learned when things go wrong so here are my experiences.

The first thing I spotted in the Domino directory was the Web SSO Configuration document. It was set to Token Format:- LtpaToken (compatible with Domino 7 and prior releases) I immediately made an assumption that this is could be the issue (shame on me). I changed this field to LtpaToken and LtpaToken2 compatible with all releases. #fail 2.

Firstly, duh, Portal is authenticating and passing the token to Domino so this field is irrelevant. I can save you asking uncle Google now and let you know that all this field does is issue two Ltpa tokens using one key when authenticating to Domino.

This is a good document for some background information.

Integrating IBM Lotus Quickr 8.5 for Domino with IBM Enterprise Content Management: Configuration and best practices

Here are the convoluted steps I took because I did not focus and made assumptions.

Activate debugs on Domino to see what was going wrong.

tell http debug session on
tell http debug thread on
tell http debug postdata on
tell http debug responsedata on
set config WEBAUTH_VERBOSE_TRACE=1
set config WEBSESS_VERBOSE_TRACE=1
set config LDAPDEBUG=7
set config debug_sso_trace_level=3
stop consolelog
/data/IBM_TECHNICAL_SUPPORT/console.log>
start consolelog

Top tip: Add the commands to custom commands when using the console in Domino Administrator.

These debugs provide wonderful reams of information that shows you what Domino is up to. However, you will soon be overwhelmed and crave the simplicity of no debugs! There was nothing really in the debug. I could see the LDAP server find the name and resolve properly and all seemed ok.

Next step was to go back to the SSO docs and check the realms and slashes. One confusing point was that the realm should add on a \:389 but due to the magic of Domino 7 upwards you do not need to add the \ before :389. Confusing but helpful.

Now for the "quirkiness" of Domino. Rant removed for own sanity.

Domino HTTP can operate in two distinct ways. It can use a legacy configuration to make sure it is compatible with older methods and to ensure migrations are easy. The old method required an IP Address for each and every site and logical site and a web server could only have one SSL cert. Not great and based on the old CERN server. We say legacy but most companies that do not use the great features of Domino will be on this type of config.

Domino can also use site documents and then it uses HTTP 1.1 headers and persistent connections or both. This is much closer to the Apache server and other modern web servers. With this configuration you can assign a separate SSL cert for each logical site plus a whole lot more such as url redirection etc.

To create a SSO config a web SSO document(s) must be created for either the legacy mode or 1.1 mode. In essence the difference between the two is simply entering the Organisation or not.

If there is no entry in Organisation field it becomes the legacy document listed in Web Configurations and first in the view called * - Web SSO Configurations.

If there is an organisation listed then it can be found Internet Sites and Web SSO configuration: Ltpa token name.

Please note that even some IBM products still require legacy mode for legitimate technical reasons so a hybrid model is most common meaning that you will have two SSO documents. This will really bite you if not careful. Also, forget about shortcuts. Once the configuration is complete you must reboot all servers to make SSO work properly.

Some may argue here and let me tell you from experience that when you go on site and somebody messed with the SSO document without your knowledge and a server is rebooted and the dreaded SSO Invalid message comes up you will get a call at stupidaclock saying you said ICM and failover will work and it does not and now a 1000 angry bees can’t access iNotes email. Buzzz, buzzzz, sting, sting, ouch!

This is taking longer than expected and I am ranting so here is how you should have isolated the issue.

Start Domino and check for the entry Web SSO loaded after the HTTP server is started.
Use Firefox and clear all cookies
Sign on to a Domino web database and check the cookies.
There should be one domain entry with two, if configured for Ltpatoken2, entries.
Now open a database on the Sametime or Quickr server that requires authentication
You should be automatically signed in
Now access the Portal URL. You should be signed in automatically.
Tell the Portal admin to fix the Portal config and go have a tea break

To redo the config simply import the WAS SSO Key. You do not have to recreate the document as the key will not expire. The key expiry is set to minutes, 300 recommended, and simply tells the cookie when it should expire and challenge you for credentials.

Simples hey!

Some more reading for you:

This document covers SPNEGO: Configuring Microsoft Windows single sign-on for IBM Lotus Connections
http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf/dx/Configuring_Microsoft_Windows_single_sign-on_for_IBM_Lotus_Connections
Creating a Web SSO configuration document.
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/domhelp/v8r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.help.domino.admin85.doc/H_CREATING_THE_WEB_SSO_DOCUMENT_4695_STEPS.html

IBM i and Enterprise upgrades - Pex Trace

2010-11-04T04:08:00.002Z

Running a PEX Trace

If you are working on an IBM i (iSeries, AS/400) you can run a PEX trace. This will require a temporary license if you do not have it.

Performance Explorer (PEX) also known as iDoctor will collect all requests to CPU on a system.

This information can be reviewed to determine which processes consume the most CPU on the System.

To collect the data, a 5250 session to the system under review must be available.

1. First a collection must be defined.

Here are some examples:

The top command creates a new Performance collection called BESTEST, This command will run the trace against all jobs on the system. You can optionally choose to trace a single job by modifying the JOB parameter.

ADDPEXDFN DFN(BESTEST) TYPE(*TRACE) JOB((*ALL)) TASK(*ALL) MAXSTG(500000) INTERVAL(1) TRCTYPE(*SLTEVT) SLTEVT(*YES) BASEVT((*PMCO *NONE *FORMAT2))

ADDPEXDFN DFN(TPROF_CPU) TYPE(*TRACE) JOB(*ALL) TASK(*ALL) MAXSTG(100000) INTERVAL(1) TRCTYPE(*SLTEVT) SLTEVT(*YES) BASEVT(*PMCO) TEXT('TPROF PEX Trace')

ADDPEXDFN DFN(TPROFRC5I) TYPE(*TRACE) TASK(*ALL) MAXSTG(100000) INTERVAL(1) TRCTYPE(*SLTEVT) SLTEVT(*YES) BASEVT((*PMCO))

ADDPEXDFN DFN(MYCORPTASKSWT) TYPE(*TRACE) JOB((*ALL)) TASK(*ALL) MAXSTG(500000) TRCTYPE(*TASKSWT) TEXT('TASKSWT Pex Trace')

ADDPEXDFN DFN(MYCORPTASKSWT) TYPE(*TRACE) JOB((*ALL)) TASK(*ALL) MAXSTG(500000) TRCTYPE(*TASKSWT) TEXT('Task switch trace for pnovec contention')

ADDPEXDFN DFN(TPROF_CPU) TYPE(*TRACE) JOB((*ALL)) TASK(*ALL) MAXSTG(500000) INTERVAL(1) TRCTYPE(*SLTEVT) 

SLTEVT(*YES) BASEVT((*PMCO)) TEXT('Tprof pex')

These definitions only need to be created once. Unless development changes the PEX criteria these do not need to be updated or recreated.

2. Create the libraries to store the data

CRTLIB nameoflib

3. Start the data collection.

When a slowdown occurs or when ready you need to start the PEX trace

STRPEX SSNID(trac1210) DFN(BESTEST) 

STRPEX SSNID(nameoflib) DFN(TPROF_CPU)

STRPEX SSNID(nameoflib2) DFN(MYCORPTASKSWT)

STRPEX SSNID(SLOWDOWN) DFN(MYCORPTASKSWT)

This command starts the collection.

4. When the slowdown passes wait 5 to 10 minutes end the trace.

ENDPEX SSNID(trac1210)

ENDPEX SSNID(nameoflib) DTALIB(nameoflib)

ENDPEX SSNID(nameoflib2) DTALIB(nameoflib2)

ENDPEX SSNID(SLOWDOWN) DTALIB(SLOWDOWN) TEXT('SLOWDOWN ON LPAR ')

This command ends the trace, note this may take a long time to end. To avoid performance impact the trace is designed to have minimal impact during collection, as a result ending the trace is costly.

5. Once the PEX Trace has been ended the data needs to be sent to IBM

After ending the trace, you now have a collection in the library QPEXDATA to review. This library must be saved and sent to IBM for review. Here is an example. Your settings may differ.

Substitute the SLOWDOWN with the name of your Library.

wrklib 

CRTSAVF FILE(QGPL/SLOWDOWN) TEXT('Save file for PEX trace') 

SAVLIB LIB(SLOWDOWN) DEV(*SAVF) SAVF(QGPL/SLOWDOWN) 

ftp testcase.software.ibm.com

anonymous

youremail@ibm.co.uk 

bin

cd as400 

cd toibm 

lcd qgpl 

put qgpl/slowdown slowdown.savf 

Sending to support? Here is what IBM will do:

The data is sent to IBM rochester where it is loaded on any of four systems.

Install iDoctor for IBM i. You can find it here with its requirements:

https://www-912.ibm.com/i_dir/idoctor.nsf/downloadoptions.html

Start the iDoctor client and connect to the system you restored the data on with the correct authority.

Now analyze the PEX trace using the tools and interpret the data. Sounds easy?

In summary

CRTLIB TPROFSLOW

STRPEX SSNID(TPROFCPU) DFN(TPROF_CPU)

ENDPEX SSNID(TPROFCPU) DTALIB(TPROFSLOW) TEXT('TPROF DATA ON LPAR2p2 ')

How to take a Performance Explorer (PEX) trace on a single Domino job on IBM

1. Identify the Domino job utilizing a lot of CPU. Write down the job name, job user, and job number. For example:

job name = HTTP job user = QNOTES job number = 123456

2. Create a library to store the PEX data using the following command:

CRTLIB LIB(PEXHOLD)

3. Create a PEX definition specific to the job identified in step 1:

ADDPEXDFN DFN(JOBCPU) TYPE(*TRACE) JOB((123456/QNOTES/HTTP)) MAXSTG(500000) INTERVAL(1) TRCTYPE(*SLTEVT) SLTEVT(*YES) BASEVT((*PMCO *NONE *FORMAT2))

4. Start the PEX trace. Let the trace run for 3 to 5 minutes while the CPU is high.

STRPEX SSNID(CPU1) DFN(JOBCPU)

5. End the PEX trace. Because the ENDPEX can run a long time, it is recommended to run this command in batch:

SBMJOB CMD(ENDPEX SSNID(CPU1) DTALIB(PEXHOLD)) JOB(ENDPEX)

6. Wait for the ENDPEX batch job to end. Use the WRKSBMJOB to monitor the progress of the job

7. Create a save file to store the data, where xxxxx is your open Lotus PMR number:

CRTSAVF FILE(QGPL/PMRxxxxx)

8. Save the PEX library to the save file created in the previous step:

SAVLIB LIB(PEXHOLD) DEV(*SAVF) SAVF(QGPL/PMRxxxxx)

9. Send this save file to Lotus Support for review.

Capture the following as well:

wrksysval qmodel
wrksyval qprcfeat
print screen of wrksyssts
print screen of wrkdsksts

IBM i and Enterprise upgrades - Snapshot

2010-11-04T03:59:00.005Z

Step 1 - Gained through bitter experience

Before touching any machine in production run a full snapshot of the machine(s) so that you have a benchmark. It is no good telling a customer about lower TCO and improved performance if you can not prove it! Customer perceptions are fickle to say the least so be ready to defend your position.

This is what you need to save away as NEW COPIES and not replica's.

Make sure encryption is set appropriately and make sure you have an id with access.

You can use various tools to change the replica id's afterward.

Names.nsf - Single copy needed
Admin4.nsf - Should only be one replica in the domain anyway
Events4.nsf - to see what events are being captured
Statrep.nsf - Different on each server unless a collection server but get all
Activity.nsf - If this does not exist then why not?
DDM.nsf - The Domino Domain Manager
Log.nsf - all servers
ini flies

You do not need to analyze the data at this stage. It is simply a backup and insurance policy if things do not go according to plan and it never does so get this right.

IBM i and Enterprise upgrades - Intro

2010-11-04T03:48:00.001Z

Here be dragons, huge ones!

The job in hand is to upgrade a large corporate with 30000 users to Notes and Domino 8.5.2. The servers are IBM i 810, 820 and 570's. Some AIX as well.

The plan is to upgrade the OS from 5.4 to 6.1, leave all Domino servers on 7.0.3 and test. Then upgrade to 8.5.2 and test.

The fly('s) in the ointment is Sametime 7, Quickplace 7, Websphere intergration, IBM i 820.

In addition IBM documentation and Wiki's. :-)

The project timeline is around 80 days with some flexibility.

I am going to blog my experiences as this project continues as a reminder and to share some knowledge.

The usual caveats apply and in addition although it sounds easy it is only easy when things go according to plan. Things NEVER go according to plan and being able to recover from a potential disaster is down to experience.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I am going to - Ray Davies - Lotus Services Lead in Malaysia.

Reinstalling Lotus Foundations 1.2 - customizing before installing Domino - Local Network

2010-04-29T09:31:00.004+01:00

There are a few things to do before installing Domino. Once Domino is installed you can no longer alter the host name or domain name amongst others. It is preferable to customise everything before you install the applications.

Hostname:
This option specifies the network name of your server. The first time the server starts, it automatically chooses a hostname for itself.
You can change it if you like. If you set this to be blank, another hostname will be automatically chosen.Note: If this server is also set to be a Windows File Server, the local hostname cannot be the same as the workgroup/domain
Internet domain:
Display the system status page for non-admin users:
This option determines whether or not non-admin users will be able to see the System Status page. If enabled, regular users will have the System Status link in the menu to the left when they log on to Web Configuration. It is enabled by default.
LDAP directory server:
This option enables an LDAP server, which is an address book. If enabled, an LDAP database is automatically created with information on each user known to the server. To query the database, set up your email program to use LDAP, with a base query of: ou=users,dc=foundations,dc=my,dc=ibm,dc=com
Rsync Server:
Rsync is the Remote Synchronization file transfer server. Rsync is faster than other file transfer methods because if there is an old version of the file on the remote machine, only the changed portions are transferred, rather than the entire new version of the file.
Choices are:
Enable -- Allow RSync connections from anywhere.
Only Trusted Hosts -- Allow rsync connections only from the local network and not from the Internet.
Disable -- Disable the RSync server.
Act as Public DNS Server:
This server always runs a Domain Name Server (DNS) for your local network. If you want, it can also run a DNS server outside the firewall, for the rest of the Internet to use. It lists hostnames for any services you have enabled (Web Server, FTP, SMTP, and so forth), as well as any extra hostnames you define in the DNS configuration section.
If your Internet connection is on a dynamic IP address, obtained through either DHCP, or PPP over Ethernet, you can choose "Dynamic" instead of "Yes". You will also then need to change the DNS servers for your domain registration to dyndns1.ivivanet.com, dyndns2.ivivanet.com, and dyndns3.ivivanet.com.
With Dynamic DNS, this server sends its DNS information to these servers automatically, so that when your IP address changes, the rest of the world still has a way to access your DNS settings.
Run DHCP Server on:
This server can act as a Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) server for your local network. The first time you turned on your server, it checked to see if you already had a DHCP server on a different machine on your network. If there was none, it should have started its own DHCP server by itself. You can enable or disable this server's DHCP server with this option.

DHCP assigns IP addresses to computers that request them. It is the easiest way to configure a workstation to use the network properly.

DHCP reservations can be setup to assign a static IP address to a system or to limit the range of addresses handed out on an interface. This feature is accessed through the options link.

Note: If you have computers that have already been assigned IP addresses manually, this server's DHCP server will not cause a conflict by assigning these addresses to other computers.
NIS Server:
NIS is the Network Information Server. It can be used to share usernames and groups across a network to simplify user access. This server uses your regular Internet domain as the NIS domain.
Restrict outgoing connections:
As part of this server's ICSA certification, this server can restrict outgoing connections to a few protocols. Enabling this option restricts all outgoing traffic to FTP, telnet, SMTP, DNS, HTTP, POP-3, IMAP, and HTTPS. All other traffic will be blocked.
NTP Server:
NTP is the Network Time Protocol. It can be used to automatically synchronize the real time clock of the workstations on your network to match that of your server.

Add Static DHCP Lease

MAC Address:
The static lease is assigned to a MAC address. Enter the MAC address of the device in this section.
For Windows XP users go to the DOS prompt and type ipconfig/all. The physical address section shows the MAC address.
Format the MAC address with a colon (:) inserted between every two characters (e.g. 00:11:22:33:44:55).
IP Address:
Enter the IP address to be statically assigned for your device. This address must be in the same subnet as the interface to which this assignment is being applied.

Add DHCP Address Range

Starting IP Address:
Enter the IP address for the start of the range. This IP address must be in the same subnet as the interface to which this range is being applied.
Ending IP Address

Advanced DHCP Settings

DHCP Settings for VOIP Devices

BOOTP Server:
This option allows you to configure DHCP for the BOOTP server. The acceptable formats are:
user:password@FQDN:port (example: jsmith:1234@bootserver.example.com:1200
FQDN (example: bootserver.example.com)
For the FQDN (fully qualified domain name), you can use either a host name or an IP address.
BOOTP Protocol:
TFTP, FTP, HTTP
FTP Server:
This option allows you to specify the FTP server address that is advertised and used by the VoIP phone.
Language:
English (UK) (US), German, Dutch, French, Spanish (Spain) (Castilian)
Country:
SIP Servers:
This option allows you to specify one or more SIP server names to be used by the VoIP phone. Server names must be separated by a single space or comma.

Vendor Specific DHCP Options

Vendor id:
This allows you to specify a vendor ID string that is passed to the DHCP server by the VoIP phone. The server can support more than one vendor ID
Option Number:
This allows you to specify the option number of a vendor-specific option that will be passed to the VoIP phone in DHCP option 43. There can be more than one such option.
Value:
This allows you to specify the value of the vendor-specific option specified in the Option Number.

Advanced Setup

Network Devices Edit

Trust computers on this network (pass them through the firewall):
If a device is trusted, network traffic can pass directly through the firewall. If a device is not trusted (your external gateway, for instance, is one you should never trust), then traffic addressed to the device is subjected to firewall rules. In general, you usually want your internal network to be trusted and your external network not to be.
Choose address automatically:
If this is enabled, this server will change its IP address on this device, if the need arises. It will query other DHCP servers, for instance, or relinquish its address if it sees another machine using it. If this is disabled, the address you set will always be used, and this server will not be allowed to change it on its own.
DHCP Client ID (optional):
Some Internet Service Providers require you to obtain an IP address using DHCP, but they only work if you specify a unique identification code. If they have given you such a code, enter it here. Otherwise, it is OK to leave this field blank.
Use default gateway on this link:
If this is set to "Yes", this server will create a default route to the network through this interface at the highest priority level, so this link will be used by default for incoming and outgoing traffic.

If this is set to "Only as last resort", this server will create a default route to the network through this interface with a lower priority level, so it will be used only if your higher-priority ("Yes") links stop working.

Network Routes

Route 1 Edit - Modify Route Panel

Destination:
What will this route be routing to? The answer should be a network IP address, followed by a / (slash), and the number of 1 bits in the netmask.
For example, to add a route to the 111.222.121.0 subnet, with a netmask 255.255.255.0, the destination would be: 111.222.121.0/24
The default route is 0.0.0.0/0
Interface:
Gateway
In some cases, specifying an interface is not enough. If the destination can only be reached if all traffic is sent through a particular address on the given device, that address must be specified here as the route's gateway.

One of the interesting options is to activate automatic route config:

Manual override: automatic route configuration is disabled. Click below to have your server set up routes automatically.

Switching the routing table to automatic mode. (All manual changes have been discarded.)

Setting the default route will revert back to manual routing.

This is just a subset if what is available on Lotus Foundations. The interface is designed to keep things simple but if you know how you could go much deeper and make changes.

Some command line magic.

prime:~# route -n
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
192.168.1.38 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.255 UH 0 0 0 tap0
192.168.1.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 eth0
9.127.122.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 U 15 0 0 eth0
127.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 U 0 0 0 lo
prime:~#

prime:~# netstat -rn

Kernel IP routing table

Destination Gateway Genmask Flags MSS Window irtt Iface

192.168.1.38 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.255 UH 0 0 0 tap0

192.168.1.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 eth0

9.127.122.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 eth0

127.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 U 0 0 0 lo

prime:~#

Use this command to show the IP-Advancer routing

prime:~# ip route list table all

default via 192.168.1.1 dev eth0 table 40 metric 15

default via 192.168.1.1 dev eth0 table default metric 15

192.168.1.38 dev tap0

192.168.1.0/24 dev eth0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.38

9.127.122.0/24 dev eth0 metric 15

127.0.0.0/8 dev lo

broadcast 192.168.1.0 dev eth0 table local proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.38

broadcast 127.255.255.255 dev lo table local proto kernel scope link src 127.0.0.1

local 192.168.1.38 dev eth0 table local proto kernel scope host src 192.168.1.38

local 192.168.1.38 dev tap0 table local proto kernel scope host src 192.168.1.38

broadcast 192.168.1.38 dev tap0 table local proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.38

broadcast 192.168.1.255 dev eth0 table local proto kernel scope link src 192.168.1.38

broadcast 127.0.0.0 dev lo table local proto kernel scope link src 127.0.0.1

local 127.0.0.1 dev lo table local proto kernel scope host src 127.0.0.1

local 127.0.0.0/8 dev lo table local proto kernel scope host src 127.0.0.1

prime:~#

prime:~# ip route list table default

default via 192.168.1.1 dev eth0 metric 15

prime:~#

Some Weaver subsystem commands.

wv sect network routes

wv sect tunnel vision routes

wv set [DNS]Forwarder = IP_OF_OTHER_DNS_SERVER

Reinstalling Lotus Foundations 1.2 - 26 days uptime

2010-04-29T05:47:00.000+01:00

It has been 26 days since I last touched the Lotus Foundation server. It seem all is still OK!

Time to update and reboot and install Lotus Foundations 1.2

Reinstalling Lotus Foundations 1.2 - Disk - Zot

2010-03-31T15:08:00.001+01:00

There is only one thing left to do and that is format the disks and start again. There is a hidden program available for this called disk-zot. It does not format the drive but rewrites the MBR and other hidden parts of the disk.

I rebooted and the system was still active! Arggghhhh, so do not reboot, type in setup and ZAP the config as well. :-(

Some hidden commands that can be used:

Weaver commands can be used to tell Nitix to always use a specific file system. For example, if you have a server that was upgraded to Nitix v5.0 and you never want disks formatted as ext3, you can use these commands to force the use of ReiserFS always.

Note that these commands cannot be used to automatically switch a disk from using one file system to another. For example, if you have disks using ext3, you cannot use the commands to have it automatically convert the file system to ReiserFS. You will first need to zot the disks, set the commands, then reformat the drives. If the drives are reformatted before the commands are applied, you may have to wipe the drives and start over.

To determine which file system the disks are currently using, read the article [Determining the file system type in Nitix v5.0 and later].

Configuring idb Disks

To indicate a given file system for an idb disk:

[
wv set [Disk/idb]fs=fstype ]

Valid values for fstype are:

o ext3
o reiserfs
o vfat

Configuring Main Disks

To indicate a given file system for a main disk:

[
wv set [Disk/raid]fs=fstype ]

Valid values for fstype are:

o ext3
o reiserfs
o vfat

Reinstalling Lotus Foundations 1.2 - Frustration city

2010-03-31T12:29:00.000+01:00

Many hours have been wasted. There has been changes to the core and unetbootin no longer worked properly. Yes the image was written and kinda booted but barfed.

I did not have a spare blank CD with me so I had to wait till I got home. Anyway, I used K3b to write a DVD and boot the new system.

One of the things that Ozzie always mentioned was that Foundations was like a virus and installed itself every where. How true. Even though I booted from a DVD it always booted the installed system no matter what I tried. There is only one option left and that is to DISK-ZOT the system. For completeness I have added the unetbootin video but untill I find out what happened it is not reliable. Arghhhhh.

Reinstalling Lotus Foundations 1.2 - Start failure

2010-03-31T07:30:00.000+01:00

As feared the system ZAP did not make any difference. The system name has been redefined and the install restarted but still fails without any explanation.

This is a pain as this demo Foundation server is my main backup server for all the Foundations related files. Here is the file system:

The next step is to ZOT the disk but it is running on a T60 and not an Appliance therefore the OS is not embedded so I have to boot of CD/DVD or USB.

Let's see what we can find in the drawer!

Reinstalling Lotus Foundations 1.2 - Start Again

2010-03-31T07:06:00.001+01:00

Once the config is zapped we can restart the system.

Reinstalling Lotus Foundations 1.2 - Let's Zap it!

2010-03-31T04:26:00.002+01:00

Step 1 to reinstalling Lotus Foundations is to ZAP the system. This will clear the configuration. It may not be enough but it is a good start.

Here is how:

Reinstalling Lotus Foundations 1.2 - as it is right now

2010-03-31T03:45:00.002+01:00

Let's reinstall Lotus Foundations 1.2 but first. Here is a look at the working system minus Lotus Domino 8.5 as the upgrade failed.

Thank you Stephan Wissel for reminding me that Shutter is cool!

Not Funny :-(

2010-03-31T03:24:00.000+01:00

I have tried over the last few days to reinstall my demo Foundations setup to 1.2 or 8.5.1. It failed continuously with no indication of why toys were chucked out of the pram!

I know this product inside out and have done everything to bypass the error but obviously not enough. I am at the end of my tether so there is only one thing left to do and that is restart everything.

No issues and good for all as I have decided to record and document all actions.

In the next few blog pages I will described how and why. However, I am also attending an xPages class with Stephan Wissel and have to tell and show as well so progress may be a bit slower than usual!

In the immortal words of Steve Jobs, Lets get started!

Foundations 1.2 released

2010-03-29T09:55:00.004+01:00

Version 1.2.0 #27 includes the following changes since 1.1.3 #4:

NOTICE: Please note that Lotus Foundations Start 1.2 Add-ons requires the installation of the Lotus Foundations 1.2 release. In particular, if you are currently running either Lotus Foundations 1.1.2 or 1.1.3 releases, then Lotus Foundations Start 1.2 Add-ons installation on these core releases will fail.
NEW: Starting with this release, IBM export control administration requires that Lotus Foundations Softupdate interaction comply with US export regulations. Specifically, this new policy requires Softupdate to verify that the end user and the location of the download are not prohibited from downloads by US export regulations. With this new policy, users must explicitly undergo a one-time registration process by clicking on the new "Registration" icon in the Software Update page in Webconfig before downloads can commence.
NEW: This release contains the following idb enhancements: 1) backups based on binary differentials and 2) support for external attached idb Array enclosure connected via USB.
NEW: This release contains support for the new Lotus Foundations Rescue Server which allows for remote idb backups. Now remote idb backups from multiple Lotus Foundations Start servers can be stored on a single Rescue Server off site.
NEW: Windows interoperability has been upgraded with support for Windows 2008 Active Directory and limited support for Windows 7. Please see http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21409287 for further detail on Windows 7 support.
NEW: This release contains support for Tivoli CDP desktop backups from client PCs onto a Lotus Foundations appliance.
NEW: The user management interface has been substantially rewritten and improved.
NEW: This release contains a new Auto-Installer mechanism. It has a new UI, an enhanced dependency system and allows add-ons to be downloaded from the cloud.
NEW: This release contains a new service called Remote Monitor. By enabling the Remote Monitor, an external Network Management System can be used to monitor the system services and vital system resources.
IMPROVED: We have enhanced the algorithm for swap space generation to improve the performance of Domino running on Lotus Foundations.
IMPROVED: This release contains support for field validation of domain name entries in Webconfig, which had been lacking in prior releases.
FIXED: An issue with our IPSec implementation that would sometimes cause system crashes has been fixed.
FIXED: A number of issues related to how we back up domain user IDs and passwords that had been causing lost domain membership info and generally poor system performance when the domain membership is large have been fixed in this release.
FIXED: In prior releases, the Safari browser on both Macs and Windows displays a blank page when user tries to browse the backup pages on Webconfig. This issue has been fixed.
FIXED: In prior releases, NetIntelligence would delete routes set by PPTP clients. This issue has been fixed.
FIXED: A memory leak in the SMTP authentication mechanism has been fixed.

Lotus Foundations Add-on Release Notes Index

Lotus Foundations Run:
Version 1.2 Release Notes

March 16, 2010

The Lotus Foundations Run add-on provides users with the ability to run Windows applications on a Lotus Foundations server.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION

IBM is providing this free one click install to enable Lotus Foundations business partners and their customers to easily deploy and run applications on any operating system that is supported by VMware Server 2.

However please note that support for VMware Server 2 is not provided by IBM. For VMware support terms, conditions and options please refer to the VMware support website at www.vmware.com/support.

NOTICE: You must obtain a VMware license from the VMware Server 2.0 Site. After obtaining a VMware license make sure to follow the installation instructions included with the Lotus Foundaitons Run add-on documentation.
NOTICE: This package is for Lotus Foundations 1.2 only!
NOTICE: Updated license files for Lotus Foundations 1.2.
NOTICE: Changed packaging to work with new Lotus Foundations installer.

Thanks to our customers for their suggestions and problem reports! Remember that if we don't know about a problem, there's no way for us to remedy it.

©2009 IBM Corporation. All rights reserved. Lotus Foundations operating system, Lotus Foundations logos, and all IBM Corporation product and service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of IBM Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Please contact IBM Corporation technical support if you have any questions or concerns.

Phone:	905-946-1777
Toll free:	1-866-384-8324
Fax:	905-946-2468
E-Mail:	LF-Support@ca.ibm.com

Lotus Notes:
Version 8.5.1 Release Notes

March 16, 2010

Version 8.5.1 #7481 includes the following changes since 8.5 #6870:

RESTRICTION: This package requires Lotus Foundations Start 1.2.
NEW: Upgraded to Lotus Notes version 8.5.1 Fix Pack 1

Thanks to our customers for their suggestions and problem reports! Remember that if we don't know about a problem, there's no way for us to remedy it.

©2010 IBM Corporation. All rights reserved. Lotus Foundations operating system, Lotus Foundations logos, and all IBM Corporation product and service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of IBM Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Please contact IBM Corporation technical support if you have any questions or concerns.

Phone:	905-946-1777
Toll free:	1-866-384-8324
Fax:	905-946-2468
E-Mail:	LF-Support@ca.ibm.com

Lotus Foundations Add-on Release Notes Index

VMware ® Server 2 for Lotus Foundations Run:
Version 1.2 Release Notes

March 16, 2010

The VMware Server 2 for Lotus Foundations Run is the VMware piece for the Lotus Foundations Run add-on. This must be installed after the installation of the Lotus Foundations Run package.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION

However please note that support for VMware Server 2 is not provided by IBM. For VMware support terms, conditions and options please refer to the VMware support website at www.vmware.com/support.

NOTICE: You must obtain a VMware license from VMware Server 2.0 Website. After obtaining a VMware license, make sure to follow the instalation instructions included with the Lotus Foundations Run add-on documentation.
NOTICE: This package is for Lotus Foundations 1.2 only!
NOTICE: Updated license files for Lotus Foundations 1.2.
NOTICE: Changed packaging to work with new Lotus Foundations installer.
NOTICE: The VMware Server 2 for Lotus Foundations Run requires the installation of the Lotus Foundations Run add-on and Lotus Foundations version 1.2 or later.

Thanks to our customers for their suggestions and problem reports! Remember that if we don't know about a problem, there's no way for us to remedy it.

Please contact IBM Corporation technical support if you have any questions or concerns.

Phone:	905-946-1777
Toll free:	1-866-384-8324
Fax:	905-946-2468
E-Mail:	LF-Support@ca.ibm.com

Lotus Foundations Start Release Notes Index

Lotus Foundations Start:
Version 1.2 Release Notes

March 16, 2010

Lotus Foundations Start 1.2 includes the functionality of Lotus Foundations 1.1.0.b with the additional changes noted below.

For a full description of Lotus Foundations Start 1.2 including new features please refer to the Start 1.2 online product documentation.

Version 1.2 #7470 includes the following changes since 1.1.0b #6825:

RESTRICTION: Lotus Foundations Start 1.2 cannot be installed on the same system which already has Lotus Foundations Branch Office installed.
RESTRICTION: Lotus Foundations minimum version 1.2 is required to install this package.
RESTRICTION: Before downgrading Start to an earlier version, the current version of Start must first be uninstalled.
IMPROVED: Restore of Domino backups is now fully automated. It is strongly recommended that you review the backup and restore documentation before performing a restore. See the Start 1.2 documentation for more information.
NOTICE: It is strongly recommended that language packs be uninstalled before upgrading to this version of Start. The new 8.5.1 language packs can be installed after Start 1.2 is installed. For more information about recommended upgrade procedures, please review the upgrade technote.
NEW: Upgraded to Domino version 8.5.1
NEW: Domino mail journaling is used to log all email on the server if mail logging is enabled.
NEW: HTTP and HTTPS access on standard ports can be enabled to the Domino web server.
NEW: Users can be selectively configured as Notes Roaming users.
NEW: Domino Team Rooms will be automatically created for all non-system teams.
NEW: Email attachments are now stored in a common object repository using Domino DAOS.
NEW: iPhone access to Domino email is now supported.
NEW: Low disk space is now detected and will cause Start to become disabled and all email services on the system to be suspended until disk space becomes available.
FIXED: A problem which sometimes prevented deleted users from being recreated.
FIXED: When Start is uninstalled, the backup job can now be deleted.

Thanks to our customers for their suggestions and problem reports! Remember that if we don't know about a problem, there's no way for us to remedy it.

Please contact IBM Corporation technical support if you have any questions or concerns.

Phone:	905-946-1777
Toll free:	1-866-384-8324
Fax:	905-946-2468
E-Mail:	LF-Support@ca.ibm.com

Project Vulcan

2010-01-20T02:50:00.000Z

I have been aware of this for some time after a discussion in Frangipani in KL so I have had time to digest.

Here is a journalists view of Project Vulcan's "conceptual representation"

IBM is giving its researchers a new pipeline to show off early versions of net-based Lotus collaboration tools.
As part of its annual Lotusphere conference on Monday, the company also provided a peek at what it sees as the future of the business collaboration suite, a thing called "Project Vulcan."

Taking a page from Google Labs, Big Blue's new LotusLive Labs website is designed to spur public feedback (and hype) on LotusLive cloud collaboration technologies while they're still cooking in pre-production.

The project is a joint effort from IBM's Research unit and its Lotus software team
.
Scheduled to make a beta appearance on the LotusLive Labs in the second half of 2010, Project Vulcan looks to be the most ambitious of the Lotus previews debuting on the website this year.

According to Ed Brill, IBM chief of product management for Lotus software, Project Vulcan represents the future direction for Lotus Notes. It's described as combining email, profiles, calendars, and social analytics in one spot, and it will use analytics engines and business-specific scenarios to make collaboration more relevant and focused.

It also promises to include developer-friendly services and APIs.
Shades of Google Wave, with a bit of IBM's analytics oomph behind it. But user interface-wise, it's all Facebook - judging by the "conceptual representation" graphic Mills supplied:

"One of the key evolutionary thoughts in IBM Project Vulcan is to move from what we currently refer to as 'linked value' across the IBM portfolio to the notion of 'loosely-coupled' services," Brill wrote in his blog. "This makes sense in an increasingly-expected hybrid environment, and will simplify deployment and adoption of collaboration and productivity within your organization. Web services, xPages, HTML5, RESTful APIs, will all be tools in pushing Project Vulcan forward."

Other LotusLive previews in the pipeline include Slide Library, a collaborative way to share presentation resources; Event Maps, an interactive way to organize and browse conference schedules; Collaborative Recorded Meetings, a service that records and transcribes meeting presentations; and Composer, which lets users create new applications by mashing up existing services from the web, email, and collaboration tools.
The four can be previewed now by signing up for IBM's LotusLive Labs website. ®

Uhmm

DB2 for Lotus Foundations?

2010-01-14T00:25:00.000Z

Adam has published some nuggets of information on his blog site

I will try and find more information on this and publish the results.

My colleagues over on the DB2 team have shared some information about their presence at Lotusphere next week. If you're interested in learning more about the free DB2 Express-C - and especially if you're a business partner - please do stop by the booth and session.

A new Linux magazine in Asia

2010-01-04T01:13:00.000Z

My link in my Linux blog

Take note all!

LINUX For You is Asia’s first publication on Linux and Open Source Software. Always accompanied by FREE CDs and DVDs−carrying source code, software tools, Linux distributions, and even games.

Linux For You

I have now moved my non Lotus blogs to seperate blog sites

2009-12-28T02:33:00.002Z

Hi Followers!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

Due to the incredibility bad service from Streamyx in Malaysia I have had to close down all my blogs and web sites and move them into cyberspace. I like Google and all it stands for so I have decided to make that my primary web presence for now.

I will now be publishing Lotus Notes and IBM nuggets on this web site. From the name of this site you can see that it is all about Lotus Notes. (SETONMBI)

I have a few more web sites where I will be publishing other entries and I will also be uploading some of my old blog content into the new sites.

This will allow me to publish relevant info to Planet Lotus.

Here is a list (not complete yet) of my blogger sites.

Ray's IBM Lotus Notes Nuggets Site
Ray's Linux Observations
Ray's South African Food site

rayd.co.uk is dead. long live ...

2009-12-22T07:49:00.002Z

What to do. So many things to communicate but I am in limbo land. First things first though. Rayd.co.uk must be silenced.

It is attracting attention and has now become all that it is not suppose to be and that is my little view on life as I see it.

I was not king of the castle after all.

Will it come back? Who knows?

Ray

KL Travelogue

2009-09-09T06:15:00.001+01:00

My first day as a inhabitant of Kuala Lumpur has been interesting. Due to a miscommunication my work visa will only be stamped on the 16th. I was planning on sorting a bank account, getting a house etc but without a visa it is not an option. Most will think this is a real set back but being a rather positive person this is simply a weeks worth of extra holiday!

My new priorities are now to do a PADI refresh tomorrow, go to the low yat centre and just chill for a while starting with a quick jet lag nap in 10 minutes.

So far KL has been great. The food is good and people very friendly. My manager is a top bloke so I look forward to next week.

hopefully this bog post will work as the only pc I have is my HTC phone and moBlog!

Ten concurrent tasks on the go but I still found this Notes 8 gem

2007-09-29T16:48:00.000+01:00

The new Notes 8 desktop running on Linux with Beryl 3d

It was sent out and created by Kam, Han Wen (甘汉文), Enterprise Linux Solution Leader (Asia Pacific), IBM Software Group, The IBM Place, 9 Changi Business Park Central 1, Singapore 486048

Pretty impressive! And I thought I was pushing my Linux Desktop!

Please log on to YouTube and vote!

Shady Okes - John Vlismas - Mark Banks - Riaad Moosa

2007-09-17T11:30:00.000+01:00

Last night I had tickets to go and see a few South African comedians in London in a show called Shady Okes. As usual with SA performers it was more a case of an excuse to visit London but hey, as an expat who am I to complain. So, what I mean to say is hat it was not very well organised, at least not as well as the Casper de Vries shows.

However, it was funny with Riaad being the funniest of the three. John was a bit vulger, ok a lot, and not quite as funny but still made me chuckle. The only downside to the whole night out was this absolute sour cockney hard man standing in the front left with his arms folded looking at the SA audience with utter contempt. The audience was pissing them selfs yet he stood there emotionless. A real hard man and and I guess an argument with him will put you in hospital or get you face to face with some pigs that would like to eat you.

I can not remember many of the jokes but one that stood out was Riaans story about Muslims and body cavity security searches. He observed that "random" checks were not always that random and he spoke of "Richard", a whitey, dressing up as a Muslim. When asked why the gay Richard retorted that he was looking forward to the probes and quite enjoyed it. OK, well, it was funny when Riaan said it!

So all in all a great night out with many fellow safers in the audience.

The information SA Reunited sent through.
John Vlismas headlines the show, making a welcome return to the London stage, having previously enjoyed a series of annual, sold out one-man shows. Described by South African comics as the godfather of comedy!

Mark Banks is well-known on the theatre circuit, having performed the most successful one-man show to date in South Africa, "Ek's 'n Doos (exodus) from South Africa". A leading satirical sketch artist, Mark's mimicry and inventiveness make him the perfect sniper for hypocritical politicians, bigots and other members of the community, and he has kept audiences hooting in recognition, outrage and terror for decades

Riaad Moosa is one of the hottest tickets in South Africa today: his show "Strictly Halaal" played to in excess of 15 000 people. He is both Muslim & a fully qualified medical doctor, "funny, unpredictable and well paced, each sharp line brilliantly topping the last. South Africa is proud to have the most liberal constitution in the world. Come and see three of her biggest problem children celebrate freedom of speech in a way that will have you laughing all the way to your lawyer."

Interested in Lotus Connections? Of course you are!

2007-08-24T10:14:00.000+01:00

IBM has released Lotus Connections. The social software is ready for business. Why not embrace social networking and social software. It is easy to use as part of your daily routines to communicate and easily network with colleagues and customers. You can share ideas, locate experts, and most importantly respond to new business challenges in an innovative way.

IBM has assisted many customers in depolying Lotus Connections and IBM Software Services for Lotus (ISSL) team has shared some of the experiences of how to deploy the different components of Lotus Connections (Activities, Blogs, Communities, Dogear, and Profiles).

A new six-part article series called Deploying IBM Lotus Connections has been started and the first three articles have been published on IBM DeveloperWorks.

Part 1 - Planning and architecture considerations focuses on what to consider to ensure that your deployment is built properly.

Part 2 - Post-installation tuning covers the common steps to follow after installing Lotus Connections and provides tips to ensure that your deployment is performing optimally.

Part 3 - Maintenance covers system maintenance, backup/recovery strategies, and tips for protecting your environment from unexpected data loss or corruption.

Look for future installments to be published in the next few weeks on developerWorks that cover topics such as troubleshooting, integration, and customization.

This is an extract from a memo from John C.P. AllessioVice President, Software Services

Lets get two birds stoned at once - Ricky

2007-08-16T16:58:00.000+01:00

My favorite TV show is back, well almost. It is not in the UK yet but clips are available. Here is the URL for the final Season 7 show. This is the funniest show on TV! And of course now that Lucy is pregnant with Randy's child (cheese burger man) it is even funnier! Here is the overview of Season 7

Here is the official web site.

Starbucks and automotoms

2007-08-01T08:57:00.000+01:00

Question? If a Starbucks with a manual Coffee machine is upgraded to a fully automated machine should it still be called a coffee house or should it be called a convenience store.

I am sorry but I own a La Pavoni professional coffee machine that has see daily use for close to 4 years now where I have to grind coffee, manually measure it, determine the closing pressure and then manually pull the lever and depress it in the right way to get the perfect cuppu. At ever stage there are variables such as the gind settings for the coffee and that depends and whether it is fresh and what the humidity is like. Each type of bean also requires adjusting. The amount of force you apply to the closing lever directly translates to how much pressure you have to put on the lever. To compressed and you will never get a drop out and too loose and substandard coffee without crema will stream out. It is directly proportional to the diameter of the ground coffee with all its variables discussed. I do cheat sometimes and use pre-ground Illy coffee that is superb. Hmmm, chocolaty.

So should a person that simply adds hot milk to a cup of coffee be called a Barista. Hell no.

So, as far as I am concerned Starbucks is loosing direction. My Preference in Coffee vendors is thus AMT Coffee, Costa Coffe, Independents, and then Starbucks.

Hmmm, caffeine buzz.

Today is significant

2007-07-15T14:25:00.000+01:00

As from Monday I am part of the IBM Technical Channel Sales Team and my roles is Channel Technical Sales Pre-Sales Consultant. For me this is a significant step in my career and is a position I have always admired and always aspired to. Although Monday will not be an a roller coaster of a day at least I will know its important and as I am a typical human being that also thrives on appreciation so I thought I would post this thought for all to read. :-)

My current role is in the IBM Field Support Services team looking after IBM Premium Services customers. There has been some very significant engagements and I am happy to say no real disasters.

One of the highlights was a call out to Iceland. One of the roles the FSS team is Emergency Onsite Support for the UK and Northern Europe. IBM endevours to get a suitable support person in front of a Severity 1 Problem Managed Report (PMR) within 24 Hours. Usually this is far less and really depends on how fast the FSS team can react.

One Friday afternoon at 16:45 I heard the first rumblings of a Sev1 going ballistic. At 16:55 I was asked if I was available for an immediate Onsite and whether I was packed and had my passport ready. That was the clue!

At 17:05 I was told to get on a plane to Iceland as soon as possible. At 20:15 I was on board a flight destined for Reykjavík. I was hardly in the Hotel when I received the call to meet my host at Iceland Telecom about half a mile down the road. Being Me I insisted on walking down as I need the exercise. Unfortunately it was -15 and I walked in the wrong direction! Well, I eventually got to the offices, frozen, and by 09:00 this problem was identified and the solution in progress. My hosts treated me t0 a stunning meal in Iceland and by 19:00 all systems were up and running and Iceland Telecom had service again.

My hosts then treated me to another stunning meal, food is good in Iceland, and then a very pleasant but extremely expensive drink. The night was young and I decided to visit some of the local establishments. It was cold but not snowing or unpleasant. My flight back was for 08:15 so I thought if I made my way back at around 03:00 I would have plenty of time. After a wonderful night with some very interesting Icelanders I decided to go back. Well, shock and horror. There was half a meter of snow outside and it was coming down at a rate of knots. Apparently this was "out of season" snow and just like in the UK everything stopped.

Unfortunately there are no trains in Iceland and everybody use Taxi's. However, Taxi's drivers thought a warm bed was nicer than having to put up with rowdy Icelanders and just went home! The queue for a taxi was enormous and everybody huddled for warmth. It was quite fun and although I was not dressed for a blizzard I did have some protection on. By 07:45 I was fed up and not even in the front yet. I was cold and miserable. Fortunately I had a Business Class ticket, highly frowned upon, but I was able to change to fly out on the Monday.

Now for the best part of this story! Because I had an extra day I decided to go to the Blue Lagoon. This amazing place was even more spectacular because it was -17 and snowing while the water temperature was like the best hot bath temperature you could wish for. Hmmmmm. Anyway, this girl kept swimming/waddling past me with her kids and somehow my brain told me that I am suppose to know this person. As she came past my mouth blurted out, without permission from my brain of course, hello Bjorn. I got the old evils and just carried on wondering what I did wrong. Later in the restaurant after seeing "Bjorn" again and still getting the evils I called my daughter and after laughing her head off corrected me and suggested the girl is probably called Bjork! Doh! Doh!

Anyway, Iceland was spectacular and very cold. Recently I have just come back from Qatar where it was unbelievable hot, oven door left open type of hot, and extremely humid. So much so that you could not see a single star through the humidity. Very nice people though and hope to go back to Dohaa soon.

Hopefully my new job will also have some interesting travel. I will be in Dublin on Tuesday and Wednesday so it is a good start. I will keep my WAYN profile updated.

Fun fun fun!

Flying and the pleasures of using Heathrow

2007-05-20T13:01:00.000+01:00

I have blogged about this before on one of my many unpublished blogs. On my gom blog (grumpy old man) I noted many tips for frequent flyer's. Flying is one of the most stressful pastimes ever. You need to be at the airport early to reduce initial stress or you will be a nervous wreck. You will then have to face the traffic either in a taxi or car or god forbid, public transport! (nothing wrong with Public transport until you are in a hurry) You will need to remember everything important for your trip. This means "rehearsing" you're day a few times in your mind's eye and guess when you will realise you forgot something? And then there is airport parking. It costs an arm and a leg but I guess they have you by the short and curlies as a taxi is not much cheaper.

And then there is the inevitable security checking.

It is humiliating and infuriating experience at the same time. As a frequent traveler I pride myself in knowing what to take and which rules not to challenge. If it was only me in the queue I would be through before you would notice. I am the ninja of security check ins. So why the stress? arghhh, I am not the only one in the queue!

Let me stereotype a little. There is the guy with 3 bags even though it clearly states one bag only. There is the unorganised lady, passport in the shoes, boarding card in the hair, coat hanging on the floor. Then the old fart, slow, slow, everything must be explained. I can go on but suffice to say it can be stressful.

And now the captain has just explained how Paris handles excess traffic. Our departure time has just been extended by 50 minutes. So, get up at 4 to be at the airport for 5 for a plane scheduled to leave at 6 that will only leave at 7 and will travel on hour and then be in a holding pattern till 9. I see a pattern here.

My top tips then for a stress free (ok, less stressful ) flight:

Always check in electronically the night before.
Isles seats are always better apart from no view but that is wheather dependent anyway.
For short trips travel light and leave stuff you will not need.
Use the motto "have American Express will travel" and buy stuff if needed.
Instead of packing multiple shirts in case of spillage buy another shirt. It will always be used.
Make sure your laptop can easily be pulled out.
Make sure that you consider security searches when packing by grouping items.
Always remove all metal items and place them in a tray for xraying. Setting off the walk through detectors delays everyone and only encourages the already gungho security staff.
NEVER LOOSE SIGHT OF YOUR STUFF IN THE TRAYS.
If your damn belt buckle sets of the alarm consistently buy a new belt.
If security searched don't argue, be polite and grin and bear it, ie, take one for the team.
If you packed a small pair of scissors or took any sharp pointy things then you are an idiot and deserve to miss your flight.
Yes, security has the authority to make sure you will have a very bad day.
Once at the destination airport make it a priority to find a toilet before picking up your bags or leaving customs. You never know when an inconvenience will change to a desperate situation and being stuck in a 20 mile traffic jam will make you wish you listened to me!
If you are fortunate enough to have a business funded hotel then always consider using courtesy buses. It may be difficult to find but at least they know where you want to go and is not hell bent in removing you from your money.
If you have to use public transport then do not waste time trying to operate foreign machines unless you are familiar with them or just like wasting you're and everybody else time.
At least queuing for a ticket will put you in front of a human being and if you are friendly and approachable you may get a warm welcome, the correct ticket and a valuable map.
Smile, it cost nothing but pays handsome dividends.
When using subways be aware of bad people and WATCH you're stuff or you will soon be parted from your valuables.
Concentrate on the route and make sure you know when and where to change lines.
If you have to read a map do so at an inconspicuous place so that you don't broadcast, I am a tourist,Mug me please.
Or just hop into a taxi and get taken for a ride!

Chalet-les Halles coming up gotogo. Oh one more piece of wisdom. A famous South African cricketer was once asked about all the exotic traveling he has done and retorted, what the airports, hotels and cricket grounds? Always try and travel the day before and take time out to see the wonderful places you visit. Stay an extra day and pay for the hotel. It is better to say you have seen the sights than to say you have seen the airport.

"life's a journey"

Never trust a man with no shirt on (Randy) - Ricky

2007-05-17T12:56:00.000+01:00

You had to bet there! Classic quote.

While installing Lotus Connections between the banter there was an oppertunity to quote Ricky from Trailer Park Boys. It reminded me of the new Trailer Park Boys movie I saw Last weekend. Brilliant! If you have a wicked sense of humor then Trailer Park Boys is brilliant.

Here are some links including my MySpace page that plays the theme tune!

Wikipedia Links
TV.com links
My MySpace

Whoo Hoo, Notes 8 B3 M5 (internal)

2007-05-08T19:17:00.000+01:00

I decided to upgrade my internal client to today's build of Notes 8 standard, as opposed to basic, and it is impressive. It is a lot faster and everything still works. I will be testing it to breaking point over the next few days and will post another entry about it soon.

There are very few products that can still runs its V1.0 programs but Notes can. It just gets better and better. I will try and run a composite application demo install tonight to make sure I know what I am talking about.

It is funny though how the press or PR people can cause untold issues by issuing daft statements. for example: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/050707-ibm-layoffs.html?nlhtspec=050707specialalert1&

Why?

Fedora Core 6 and IBM's software

2007-05-07T21:47:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago I decided to do a hardware refresh and a software refresh of my internal systems. My internal systems are based on Lotus Notes and other technologies such as PHP.

I decided to use Linux fore a few reasons. Firstly my skill level was not good enough and it is a big part of my job. Secondly I can translate these new skills into goals and objectives for my job.

Also, most of IBM's systems can run on Linux inlcuding Portal and WCM.

What I can say is that it has been an intense learning curve even though I do have quite a bit of Linux/AIX/Solaris knowledge.

So why Fedora? Well of course it is free but it is also the closest to RedHat and that is one of IBM's supported distributions. As an added bonus I should be able to write my RedHat engineering exams as part of my work commitment.

So far Fedora has been great. I have two current servers with more to follow. One has 3GB of memory and the other 4MB. The video card on one is not so great and beryl does not work. Ah well, so no cubes for me.

Both servers have 2 Domino LPARS and three Network interfaces. I have just installed VMWare on both and talk about a learning experience. My next post will help you install VMWare on Fedora 6.

The plan is to ensure both servers can Portal Express and WCM and TAM (Tivoli Access Manager) Lots of work ahead.

:-)

What is this about then?

2007-05-07T20:44:00.000+01:00

OK, I have my own blog and at one stage it was very popular. However, blogs are double edged swords. The good part is you can write anything you want the bad part is anybody can read it! Think about it. You air your views about your job, good or bad, and your boss reads it. Now you did not tell your boss about your blog, he found it. Hmm, that really puts a damper on what you say. This is all hypothetical though just in case you read my blog, bossman.

OK, so if you are a mensa member setonmbi would have meaning to you and tell you where I work. I am at the coal face of my favourite product. Again a product that splits me in two. I am an aficionado but I also recognise that it is (can be) pants.

I am not going to rant about issues but share some valuable knowledge with you. My experiences trying to get the "domino's" to go my way. :-)

OK here goes...