Getting Windows RT to work with IBM Notes Traveler 9 and a Domino self-signed SSL cert.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to upgrade my administration server and production/test Traveler server to the new and improved IBM Domino 9 and IBM Notes Traveler 9.  Now, with fresh social scent!

Being that I had things upgraded to the latest and greatest, I wanted to take advantage of setting up our test Windows RT device we have in the office with the new server.  I found on the wiki that the steps seemed pretty straight forward, (see Wiki article here), and followed the instructions to the best of my ability.  Everything seemed to work okay, that was until I tried to get the self-signed certificate installed correctly.  It just wouldn't take for some reason.  I was running Internet Explorer as a local administrator and it had given me the message the the import was working correctly, but anytime I would go into the website, the address was still coming up in red with the certificate error message.  What I found after playing with it for a while was that I was selecting the wrong cert.  The wiki steps list:

1. Click View certificates.
2. Click Install certificate. The Certificate Import Wizard displays.
3. Leave Store Location as the current user.
4. Select Place all certificates in the following store, then click Browse to select Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
5. Complete the wizard.
6. Click Yes to install the certificate. 

But, what it doesn't list is to do this:

1. Click View certificates. 
2. Click on Certification Path
3. Under Certification Path window, select your root certificate name for your self-signed certificate, (it's the one above the server name).  You should see under Certificate status it say, "The CA Root certificate is not trusted because it is not in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store."
4. Once selected, click on View Certificate
5. Click Install certificate. The Certificate Import Wizard displays. Click Next.
6. Leave Store Location as the current user.
7. Select Place all certificates in the following store, then click Browse to select Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
8. Complete the wizard.
9. Click Yes to install the certificate. 
10. You should see the prompt that the install was successful
11. Click Ok to close out the windows
12.  Now, continue on with the rest of the wiki.

 I've tried to get screen captures off the RT to but, it had too much "company" data in it.  Was like looking at a declassified CIA document.  But, if you get stuck trying to set one of those devices up, give these steps a try.

It might not have been called Lotusphere......

But it sure as hell felt like it.

I wanted some time to pass before I put my two cents in on this years event in Orlando that they used to call Lotusphere.  First off, it was an emotional time for many.  Many felt that this years conference would be their last either due to changing jobs or changing tides within their respective companies.  Unfortunately, this was the last conference for one poor soul that wanted nothing more then to enjoy a day out with friends on a motorcycle.  Change is always a force that as humans we love to hate.  There's nothing we can do about it, really.  Things can, do and will happen that we have no control over no matter how hard we try to resist. It overtakes us like a wave smashing into the side of a sand castle on a beach as the tide comes in.  But with the sadness aside, this to me, felt like one of the better technically sound Lotusphere I've been to in a while.  It was also the first time I brought my wife, Denise, along with me so that could get a taste of what the hype is all about.  It didn't take her more then a few minutes of meeting folks that I only see for one week a year for the most part for her to tell me, "Okay, I get it."  Also want to thank those that made her feel so incredibly welcome too.  It meant a lot to her and to me.  But that's the key to what has become so important to many of us in our "yellow bubble".  It's about people.  Yes, technology is important to us because for most all of us, that's what keeps the roof over our heads and the lights on.  People, not software, drive us.  Collaboration doesn't need to center around a piece of software.  Don't believe me?  Go back and read this post I did in September about how a group of artists collaborate and get social all at the same time.  On a blank canvas.

With regards to the conference as a whole, I really don't have much negative to critique about it.  Well, there is a couple things I can nitpick. One down side for me was the OGS.  As many other had said, the Notes client really didn't get any play during the two hour conference opener.   But, we get it.  The message moving forward is that of social and how to implement it within organizations.  Notes/Domino is no longer the central component of that necessarily.  Will every company, (including my own)*, make that move willingly?  Who knows.  For a lot of companies I'm sure there is a HUGE culture shift for something like that to take hold.  But then again, 10 years ago could you imagine not having to post your every thought for the world to read, 140 characters at a time?  I don't know if it was just me, but, the food this year seems to be lacking again.  Especially the breakfasts.  Again, nitpicking, I know.  And not getting a conference shirt at the end of the conference seemed a little weird to me also.

I felt the session content this year was spot on!  The right mix of speakers with the right technical content for us to take back and digest and figure out how to fit into our environments.  And while I was not an official speaker this year, (I did submit my session from last year on InstallShieldTuner for Notes, but wasn't accepted), I did take part in the Nerd Girls Spark session talking about what photography means to me.  Speaking of photography, I did drag my camera gear with me this year and SOOOOOO happy I did.  If you head over to my Flickr site, you can see the sets.  At the end of the show, we all got back up on stage, one more time, for the blogger picture.  Many faces that we've grown accustom to over the years were missing, but there were also a couple new ones.  Will my face be there next year?  Who knows.  I can't say.  Will I be sad if it's not?  Probably.  But some of those people on that stage have become important people in my life.  And in this case, technology keeps us together.  Either Skype or Twitter or Facebook, I know they are there.  But, whoever said that lightning can never strike twice in the same place was wrong.

So, if this was my last Lotusphere, I can go forward holding my head high knowing that I have been fortunate enough to have spent what totals to close to 3 months of my life learning and contributing to a community that I've become a part of.  And even with all it's flame wars on PlanetLotus at times, is still a great group of people to be associated with.
So onwards to the future.  Regardless of the technology in the day job takes me, I'll still have my friends I've made, a camera in my hand and a witty comeback to a Tweet war between Tom, Marie, Mitch and myself.  Onward to the future.

* Remember, the comments, views and opinions on this site are mine and in no way should be taken as, "Andy's company is doing X".  Because, well, I have no flipping clue what we are going to do.  Period.

Lotusphere/Connect Protip - Whatdoyaknow? You CAN use Traveler too!

Yesterday I posted a tip here on the House O' Blog about using mail rules to forward your often overlooked conference mail to an email account you check more frequently.  After posting that, my buddy Don McNally pinged me on Twitter wondering if Traveler could be used like he had in the past.  I hadn't noticed anything on the page that stuck out about that and didn't think much about it further.  That was until this morning and I was on the site taking a look around and I see this.

The information is under the Mobile Site Tips tab.  I went ahead and set it up on my iPhone this morning and it was giving me an error that it "Cannot Get Mail", so your mileage may vary.  But, that does give you the option to try out the Traveler experience as well if you are new to the product stack.  

Enjoy!

Lotusphere/Connect Protip - Don't neglect the conference mail

For years there has always been a lot of complaints/jokes about the Lotusphere Online, now SocialBiz Online, user experience.  Okay, I agree that spinning up a system for the community to use for a month and then tearing it down doesn't make for great adoption.  However, for customers like me, I do find some use out of it.  Not getting to play with Connections a lot, (yes, I know there is Greenhouse), this is nice because it forces/reminds me to use it.  

Then, there is the mail system included in the online conference experience.  Again, another area where a lot of folks make commentary about its lack of purpose.  I've always liked it because it usually uses the latest and greatest version of iNotes that I've probably not gotten to yet, so there is that.  But, it's always been a low priority to check this account daily.  One year, I actually had a situation where I missed an invite to an event because I hadn't checked my conference mail.  So here's a new addition to my "Andy's Guide to...." that I think has some value.

Before the conference, go into your mail file and simply set up a mail rule that on any message sent to your conference address be forwarded to another address that you check regularly.

  

Simple, right?  Now you won't miss a thing.
See ya in Orlando.

Need to test Traveler for Android but don't have one?

Seems like there is a flood of some good Traveler knowledge being shared by Andy, so I wanted to throw something in that I use as well.  (Us Andy's have to stick together after all, right!?)

When I was asked to put in Traveler, that wasn't too big of a deal.  

Install Domino.

Install Traveler.

Open firewalls and other things.

Enjoy.

But then that opened up another can of worms for me.  Now that we had Traveler and we can support iOS and Android devices, I also had to test the upgrade process on those devices in my lab environment before I roll them out to live production.  I needed a way to test not only the server upgrades, but the user experience as well.  Luckily, I have my iPhone and iPad set to my test environment so if I break it, no big deal.  But when it comes to Android, that's where the "fun" is.  You see, when upgrading the Traveler server from one version to the next, iOS users don't really notice anything outside of the downtime the server takes for the upgrade to run.  But Android users have to go through an upgrade process on their devices every time a server upgrade is performed.  Mind you, it has gotten MUCH less painful then it was in days past.  So any time I plan an upgrade, I also have to produce user documentation.....with screenshots.  As we know, iOS screenshots are easy to do.  Android doesn't have native screenshot ability.  That's where the Android SDK comes in handy.  (Barb asked about this last night in her blog and it reminded me of it. I use it all the time!)

Using the takes a little getting used to at first, but once you have the hang of it, it is your upgrade plannings best friend. 

What the Android SDK gives you is a base Android device virtually on your PC.  And when I say base, I mean, bare-bones.  No Google Play market.  No Angry Birds.  Just a straight Android OS in a virtual setting that can connect to your network via your PC's connection.  The emulator will allow you to setup a device in your test environment before you begin your server upgrade and will behave almost exactly like a users device should when the server returns to service post upgrade. 

So if you haven't taken a look at it yet, go for it! 

Later, 2012.

So I'm sitting in the office right now and it's almost time for me to scamper out of  here for the rest of the year.  2012 was a busy year for me.  Spent a lot of time working on stuff outside of work, which is a good thing.  So here's my random rundown of the cool things, at least for me, that happened this year.

• Spoke at Lotusphere 2012.  Couldn't have done it without the help and support from my family putting up with me talking to the wall in the basement for a month while I practiced.  Also couldn't have done it without the support and mentoring of some great friends.
• Spoke at MWLUG 2012.  Same session as I did at Lotusphere, but had to cut it down from 2 hours until 1.  I talked fast, but I did it.  I also got to present with my son "on stage" with me.  Best feedback I heard was "this was worth the price of the plane ticket."  That was cool to hear.
• Blogged less then I had in the past.  Maybe the fad/trend is fading a bit due to everyone putting their thoughts on Twitter/Facebook every two seconds.  Still, this site is my my own personal knowledge base.  Several times searching for something I'm trying to find an answer for leads me back to this site.  
• I got a Mac!  A couple year old hardly used dual-core Mac Mini.  I love it!
• Photography, (shock, I know), was a huge part of my year.  Getting recognized for my work and having it used to hopefully help save a town is a pretty cool feeling.  The reason I got back into that is I realized I want to make a small difference in the world.  Being an "IT Professional", probably won't give me that gratification inside.  Hopefully having an image I took on someone's wall 100 years from now is what I would love.

So as we head into 2013, I wish you nothing but the happiest of  holiday seasons.  May your 2013 be filled with happiness, joy and whatever you find to make your soul feel alive.  Life is short.  Let's not waste it worrying about silly crap.

Update on Domino Directory to LDAP migration

Well, it's done.  I migrated my Sametime infrastructure this morning to support LDAP.  A lot of people had warned me it wasn't pretty.  They were right.  I got a nice early start in hopes that I would get done quick.  That didn't happen.  It took over three hours to get the first server updated.  The problem I ran into which I hadn't seen before was that my Domino program folder and data folder are on too different drives.  So when you run the stnamechange.cmd file, it's assuming the data folder lives where the program folder is.  Since it didn't I opened a Sev1 call.  We looked in the trace folder and found the error that led to this link
Sametime Name Conversion fails if data directory is not under program directory
Running the command stnamechange.cmd <prog dir> <data dir> immediately converted it and I was good to go!
Another heads up that someone pointed out the other day was to apply a policy to everyone's Sametime that would force the client to download and overwrite the local buddy list.  Well, some people didn't get the policy the other day and they reported duplicates today.  I'm sure I'll have to deal with that tomorrow.

I've updated the SnTT-Sametime Woes (Domino Directory to LDAP) - Now Happy!  post with the few gotchas that showed up.  At least now we are set up right.

Andy's Guide to Whaterver We're Calling It.

For the past several years, I've written a blog post that, for me at least, grew into a themed fun post on what to do to get ready for another Lotusphere.  We're under 50 days away from the conference that we formally knew as Lotusphere and I'm having a bit of a problem this year.  Yes, change does happen and I'm okay with that.  But going into this years Lotusphere, the winds of change are blowing and they are even gusting a bit.  Several of the things on the prior lists no long longer seem to be valid, so my list is going to be a bit shorter this time around because there is a lot of the unknown factor.

First off, the conference is no longer called Lotusphere.  It's IBM Connect.  They have Lotusphere technical tracks as a part of the conference and many of us in the community will continue to call it Lotusphere regardless, but I don't want to get into that debate here.  So, I'll try and be a good boy and call it Connect throughout this post. 

(And now, the yearly disclaimer:)
What you will not find in this blog post is who the secret OGS speaker is.  What you will find here is a somewhat practical guide on what you can do to get yourself prepared and ready for the drinking of the fire-hose of knowledge that is Lotusp....I mean, Connect.

Part 1 - The Prep:

Like any good plan to work, preparation is KEY. If you are an Domino administrator, Domino developer, someone that manages a Sametime environment, someone that manages a Connections environment or someone that wants to see that there is other life out there beyond Failpo...I mean Sharepoint, the Lotusphere Connect conference is the place to go to learn from IBM and others what their software CAN do and how people ARE using it. It is also the place to get the inside track on things to come!  So, if you haven't already, GO ASK YOUR BOSS!  I'll wait.
Oh, you're back.  And the answer was...yes!?  Great.  Okay now that you are allowed to go you have to prepare yourself for a week of drinking from the fire-hose of knowledge.  This will be my 11th Lotusphere first Connect conference and every year, (I think, I mean, it's the first year under this name so I'm assuming it will be very similar), when I get back home it's the same thing.  Soar feet and brain overload.
Here are some of my usual tips that have not failed me yet!  Remember, preparation can save you some time and money later.

1.  Internet Resources

• Follow the Lotu...I mean, Connect 2013 website for up to date information.
• Follow Collaboration Today.  A site dedicated to all the news within the IBM Collaboration Solutions space that for sure will have detailed information about Connect 2013.
• Follow PlanetLotus.org.   Many of the sites listed on there will have information regarding the conference. Both posts and podcasts. 

2.  Go and get yourself a new pair of tennis/walking shoes NOW. Wear them and break them in. If you can, get two pair so you can switch back and forth during the week.  This will save your feet some pain after the first day of walking around the conference. And you will do a LOT of walking around while you are there. You may also want to get a new pack of white socks at Walmart or Target. The real cushy kind. Those help a lot too.

3.  Before you leave on your adventure, stop by that section in cosmetics at the Walmart or Target that has all the neat little travel sized stuff and pick up anything you can think of that you may need! Aspirin, Advil, Tylenol, NyQuil, baby powder, Q tips, etc, etc. But most importantly PEPTO-BISMOL. I got REALLY ill once and had to dish out a lot of money at the little store in the Dolphin for supplies. Bringing a small drug store with you can really save you some bucks. It's usually 3-4 times more on site.  After all, you are staying at Walt Disney World.  Also PRESCRIPTIONS! If you have some that you need to maintain your quality of life, make sure you bring them with you!  When you stay on-site and you don't have a car, it can be a real task to get to a pharmacy.

• Building on that point about bringing your drugs with you, Susan Bulloch, whom you should all know, respect and fear, brings up a great point in the comments below.  GET A FLU SHOT!  If you are reading this in December, there is still time.  Plus, the CDC has stated that flu season is starting early this year and it's a nasty one.  The good news is that the current flu shot for 2012-13 is 90% effective at the current nasty strain going around.  Being sick in Orlando sucks.  I know. So get your shot and start slamming the Vitamin's C, D3 and B12 NOW! 

4.  Here is where I would tell you to download the Notes database created by Ben Langhinrichs.  Well, this year he will not be creating this resource that has saved MANY of us time and effort when putting together our weeks schedule.  Thank you, Ben, for your commitment to the community and all the hard work over the years!
UPDATE: The genius that is Mat Newman has come through for us.  Picking up the flag carried by Ben all these years, Mat had gotten a team together and has created the "The totally unofficial, totally unsupported IBM Connect 2013 session database!"  Head on over to Mat's site to download yours today!  It works just like before where you can select your sessions and add them directly to your Notes calendar!  Great work Mat and team!

5.  If you need to, order more business cards now, if you still use them. You can go through a lot of them. Downside - Your phone will ring for a couple of weeks afterward.  (Yes, people still use business cards)

6.  Pay attention to the weather forecasts leading up to (insert conference name here). Orlando can be really nice and warm in January but it can also get downright cold at night. Pack appropriately.

7.  Dress for Connectosphere is casual. Jeans, shorts, polos and t shirts seem to be the norm. Even kilts for some! But no mankinis, please.

8.  Bring a plug strip, or two, with you. Most hotel rooms are limited on power outlets and having several outlets extra can always come in handy.

9.  And don't forget all of your accessories power cords for charging your stuff! You don't want to show up Saturday and realize that you are short a power cord for your iPhone. Not that I've ever done something like that, ever.

10.  If you can, get a portable charger like this. I brought one of these with me and saved my phone from running out of charge during the day.

11.   If you have access to a Mi-Fi or cellular wireless card for your laptop, bring it.  Yes, wifi is made available during the conference for your use.  Good luck trying to get on it.  There are several thousand other geeks there with you all trying to get connected at the same time during the day.  Access points can only do so much.  Historically, on Monday, the wifi is usually unusable because of overload.

12.  If you have a tablet...BRING IT.  I have found that carrying a tablet around in a small bag all day is MUCH easier on the body the lugging a huge bag o' stuff with your laptop in it.

Part 2 - You're There!: 

So now that you packed all your power cords, plug strips and comfy shoes, you arrive in Orlando to hopefully warm, sunny skies and are ready to begin drinking from the fire hose of knowledge that is (redacted conference title).

1.  Since Orlando is a tourist mecca, there are several ways to get to and from the airport.  The most expensive option is of course a private car or taxi.  But those can be a little costly.  For $34 (plus tips) round trip, you can take advantage of the Mears Shuttle.  This will get you to the hotel and back relatively easy.  But, you do need the coupon. Click here for coupon.  If you are staying at a Disney property (non-Swan or Dolphin hotel), you can also look into using the Magical Express for free.  See your hotel information for details.  However, I'm not sure about the Swan, but I know the Dolphin has car rental drop offs available which is important to note further down the list.

2.  If you are staying at the Swan or Dolphin, great.  You're right where the action is.  The Yacht and Beach is the next closest official hotel right within walking distance of the event.  If you are staying at one of the other Disney properties, get to know early where the conference shuttle pick up and drop off is at.  It's usually right out front of the hotel and you can always ask an ever helpful Disney cast member where they are.  My first year down there, I missed Saturday night registration by 10 minutes because I used the Disney transportation to get me to Downtown Disney first, then back to the Dolphin.


3.  To go along with point #2, don't be afraid of getting stranded at the Swan or Dolphin after the conference shuttles run.  You can use the Disney buses to get around.  From the hotels, they go to Downtown Disney and from there you can catch a bus back to your hotel. (Disney properties only)

4.  Once you checked into the conference DO NOT LOSE YOUR BADGE!  There are no mulligans.  You are Gollum and that is your precious. You loose it, you either go home or buy a new one.

5.  Meet people and make contacts. Very useful and fun. Sitting in your hotel room at night is no fun. There are not a whole lot of cable channels anyway.  So, get out and mingle, network and collaborate! Get social, dangit! If you arrive on Saturday and have nothing to do, wander on down to the Boardwalk area and stop in to the Big River Grille & Brewing Works. On Saturday afternoon, the Bloggers -and friends- Annual Lotusphere Dinner, BALD, takes place. It's nothing more then a bunch of Lotus geeks hanging out for a few adult soda pops and enjoying each others company. Very family reunionish without that odd aunt nobody likes anyway.  Then later in the evening on Saturday, wander on down to the ESPN bar for The Turtles get together. Always a fun time!  The Lotus community is one that is very accepting and social.  Very social. Make some friends, dang it! Seriously, get out and have fun.  You will meet people from ALL over the world and they will become your friends. But watch out for "handsy" Australians.  That's right Mat, I'm still talking to you.

5a.  There are a couple of social events also on Saturday you may want to check out!

• I've just learned that our pal, Bill Mal, (Bill Malchisky), is hosting "Soccer Saturday".  It's a free fun event on Saturday and you should be sure to check out!  Check out the information on Bill's site for all the details! 
• There is also the "Connect13 Hog Ride".  This is where a bunch of geeks rent Hogs, (Harley Davidson motercyles), and tear around central Florida.  I've never done it, but from what I've heard in years past, it is a great time!  Check out all the information about the event on Paul Mooney's site if you are interested in joining in!
• Also, Saturday is the annual Australia Day.  It's 4th of July for our fellow ex-colonists from down under.  So make sure to celebrate with them!

6.  While we're on the topic of getting out and having fun, go to the vendor sponsored events usually on Tuesday night. They are always a lot of fun! (And saves you from having to find something for dinner that fits your expense account.)  Seriously though, if you are a customer of a vendor there, ask them if they have anything going on that week.  Remember, you are spending money with them normally.
Also, there is always a party or event to be found on either Monday or Tuesday night.  Work the show floor and you can usually score an invite.

7.  Your first time at Lotusphere is like your first day at college. You will be wandering around wondering where in the hell SW10 is. Ask people! Or if you look lost enough, (like I did my first year), someone will help you out.

8.  If you are certified take advantage of the Certification Lounge. Hang out, get some eats, and get a chair message (if they have them again.)

9.  Don't miss breakfast and lunch. I've really enjoyed the food that the catering folks put out for us. Especially at breakfast, drink lots of OJ, eat a bran muffin or two and have a bowl of cereal. Really pays off for the rest of the day. Also, be sure to thank the nice folks that are there taking care of us. They are always real nice people and seem to appreciate someone thanking them.  Also, do not be wary of approaching anyone there. Make yourself sit at tables with those you do not know and engage in conversation. Sometimes you meet awesome people. Sometimes it doesn't work. Either way it is how the community grows.

10.  Speaking of food, one thing I did different in recent years was rent a car to get to and from the airport.  One of the reasons why was that I wanted to stop at the store and grab some room snacks.  Pop tarts, pork rinds, green tea, etc.  Just general munchies.  There's nothing worse on one of the nights getting the munchies and not wanting to spend $8 bucks on something that's $2 at Walmart.  The rooms in the Dolphin have a fridge, so there's a plus right there.

11.  During the morning and afternoon, there are break stations set up throughout the conference.  Usually coffee, water/juice and a snack. Grab couple extra waters and snacks and throw them in your bag for either a late night snack (if you don't have a car) or just to have the water around.

12.  Keep yourself hydrated while you are on the go down there.  A full day of sessions and running between hotels can be draining.

13.  Stop into the developer labs and have all your burning questions answered! All of the top folks from IBM are there to help you through all of those tough questions you've been meaning to ask! Also, if they have the User Experience lab again this year, it's really cool! Check them out!  They are there to listen to us, the customer!  Do not be afraid of them, they won't bite, mostly.  You can have some very open and honest dialogue and work through your problems.

• IBM'er Chris Reckling says:, "Yes, there is a UX Lab this year again. We also have planned some fun stuff, because that's what we do! (And I'll be showing new and 'old' mobile apps!)"

14.   Take Visio's with you of your environment. What better way to explain the layout of your environment than to have the graphical representations of it with you.

• IBM'er Wes Morgan suggesting the following: "As a longtime staff member, I'd add one to your list:
  
  "When visiting the labs, be kind to your fellow attendees. Yes, it's a great opportunity to brainstorm with IBMers, but remember that others want to talk with them too! Basically, it comes down to "if a line is forming behind you, wrap it up and give someone else a chance."

15.  When "the conference" is over and you're getting ready to jump a plane home, be sure to check your receipt from the hotel. The Swan and Dolphin are notorious for charging you for things you didn't use, like the mini-bar in the hotel room. They almost got me one year. I'm sorry, $3 for a Snickers bar is just insane!

16.  When you see me, buy me a beer!  Oh wait, that doesn't belong here, moving on.

17.  IdoCheckin is back this year, so finding everyone around the conference is even easier. Visit the site, get yourself a Foursquare id and make friends.

18.  Stay tuned for a possible community event on Thursday after the closing general session.  In years past, the awesomeness that is Mitch Cohen had spearheaded an event that had to be cancelled this year.  Stay turned!

19.  If you are a Nerd Girl, you need Nerd Girl ware!  Stop by the shop here and get your swag early!

Now here is the MOST important thing you can take away from this blog entry/guide/manifesto:
Lotusphere, Connect, WHATEVER it is called is what YOU make of it! Take advantage of everything that you can, but pace yourself. You will be absorbing so much knowledge and sometimes by Wednesday, you may start burning out. Take it easy, take care of yourself, but just have fun!  Be Social!  I know it's a year of change for many things.  But sometimes change can be good.

Stay tuned to this blog post.  As new things become available, I will be updating it.  If you have anything to add, please leave a comment below and I will add it in!

My Connect 2013 abstract has been.....

Declined.
Am I sad?

Maybe a little, but not really.  

I'm actually kind of relieved that I'm not presenting this year.  I can head to Orlando and enjoy myself!  Relax!  Learn lots of good stuffs!  No stressing out all week leading up to the session.  I mean, I did get to speak at Lotusphere 2012, the last time the conference was officially called Lotusphere.  And I did get to share the stage with Tom!  I also got to present the same session again at MWLUG2012 in Pittsburgh and, I had my son Alex present with me.  First Father/Son Lotus conference presentation team?  So I've had a good year when it comes to speaking and I cannot complain at all.  

So if you are interested in learning about InstallShield Tuner for IBM Lotus Notes, you can download the latest, most up to date info on creating a custom installation of the Notes client for your organization, click here.  It's a cookbook for your success!

(Here's a tip: Allow it to open in Google Docs, then download the .pdf file. It keeps the formatting that way)
So for those that will be speaking, I wish you nothing but the best of luck!
And if you are a first time speaker allow me to give you some words of advice.  Just remember to relax and breath.  Enjoy the session.  You've made it to the big leagues.  Swing away!  Don't look to it as a burden.  Have fun with it.  Get up, walk around during it.  Make stupid jokes.  Just have fun!
See ya in Orlando!

SnTT-Sametime Woes (Domino Directory to LDAP) - Now Happy!

In my previous post, I was pretty upset with the instructions I found online about migrating my IBM Sametime Entry 8.5.1 installs to LDAP from the Domino Directory configuration they were set up with.  So, I decided to document my steps in case someone else along the way comes across the same issue.  YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY depending on how your environment is set up, so take this with a grain of salt.  Again, I'm using Sametime Entry 8.5.1.  Let's begin.  Also, I've decided to make it a SnTT post!



**BEFORE YOU BEGIN**
You will need to create a directory assistance database for this to work!  Again, this is something that will be different for each company.  I'm using a Domino server for LDAP.  My consultant set that up for me and by the looks of it, he followed the steps that are listed in the book IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide, available on Amazon.  As those steps are listed in a book written by people I admire greatly, I will not highlight those steps here.  But if you get the book, the steps are there. Also need to make sure that you server document is set up with the da.nsf file.
But assuming that you have that complete, here are all the steps!

1.  On your workstation, create a text file called domtoldap.csv using a text editor.
2.  In the file, type the word LDAP
3.  Save and close the file.
4.  In the Domino Console, issue the command Tell staddin q
5.  You will need to create an LDAP document in the STConfig.nsf database
6.  Open STConfig.nsf on Sametime server via your Notes client.
7.  Click Create-Other-LDAPServer and then OK
8.  In the new document, in Network address of LDAP Connection, type the FQDN of your LDAP server.  I'm using my Domino application server for this process.
9.  In the field for “Login Name for LDAP Connection”, type in CN=The Name used for authentication to your ldap server.
10.  In the field for “Password for LDAP Connection” type in the password for the account used for authentication.
11.  Press esc and save and close the document.
12.  Make sure all ST processes are not running in the services section of the server before going any further.
13.  Locate the following files in \Lotus\Domino folder
STAuthenticationLdap.dll
STGroupsLdap.dll
STResolveLdap.dll
StBrowseLdap.dll
14.  Make a backup copy to another folder of those files.
15.  Rename each of those files removing the LDAP so they should read
STAuthentication.dll
STGroups.dll
STResolve.dll
StBrowse.dll
16.  If you get a file already exists/overwrite message, make a backup of the original file first, then do the rename.
***DO NOT SIMPLY RENAME THE FILES. COPY THEM OUT, RENAME THEM AND COPY THEM BACK. NOT SURE WHAT DID/DIDN'T WORK, BUT I RENAMED THE FILES. WHEN I RESTARTED THE SERVER, SAMETIME WOULDN'T START UNTIL I BUT THE ORIGINAL FILE WITH THE LDAP NAME IN THEM BACK. DON'T KNOW WHY. AGAIN, ANOTHER UNDOCUMENTED FEATURE!***
17.  Open the sametime.ini file.
18.  Locate the line DirectoryType=NOTES.
19.  Change that line to read DirectoryType=LDAP
20.  Save and close the sametime.ini
21.  From a web browser, open the following site http://(yourservername)/stcenter.nsf
22.  Click on the Administer the server link
23.  Click on Domino Directory->Name change Tasks
24.  Click New
25.  In the description field, type ToLDAP
26.  Click Browse
27.  Locate the domtoldap.csv file and select it.
28.  Click OK
29.  Go back to your Domino server and open a command prompt
30.  Go to your Lotus\Domino install directory.
31.  Type in stnamechange.cmd and press enter.
***IF YOU ARE ON A WINDOWS SERVER WHERE THE DATA DIRECTORY IS NOT ON THE SAME PHYSICAL DRIVE AS THE PROGRAM FILES, RUNNING THIS .CMD WILL NOT WORK.  YOU NEED TO ISSUE THE COMMAND
stnamechange.cmd <program dir> <data dir>
IF YOU DO NOT, THE UPGRADE .CMD DOES NOT KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FOR THE STNAMECHANGE.NSF AND YOUR UPGRADE WILL FAIL.***
32.  Once the command finishes running, type exit to close the command prompt.
33.  Type q in the Domino console and quit Domino.
34.  once Domino and all related tasks have stopped, reboot the OS.  Not doing this had led to errors with STUser.exe not working correctly and causing Sametime not to launch.
35.  Once the OS has restarted and if you don't have Domino set to launch automatically, start Domino.
36.  Once Sametime starts up, you should see a graphic like this appear on your Notes client.  That means you've done it right.

37.  Do happy dance.
38.  If you don't get that message, start over with great sadness.


So there.  A long, drawn out wiki reduced to 38 steps.  Again, YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY and if it doesn't work, I'm not sure what to tell you.  But in my environment where I had installed several Sametime Entry 8.5.1 instances and I couldn't get things to convert, these steps fixed it for me!

**Special thanks to Gab Davis for leaving a comment on something that I had tried before, but missed in some testing. Once she reminded me of that, all the pieces fell together.  She rocks!**

Sametime Woes (Domino Directory to LDAP)

***QUICK UPDATE***
Issue resolved, but, I still think the wiki should be worded better. Here is the updated blog post on the resolution.
********************
For the past couple of days, I have been having a real problem.  And that problem is Sametime.  I have been tasked with getting an instance of Sametime Standard up and running in our environment.  Most of that work has been done by a consultant who knows what he is doing.  While he is working on finishing that up, I have decided to test the steps of getting my current environment of Sametime Entry migrated to talk to the new Sametime Standard servers.  You see, long ago when I installed Sametime Entry, I used the Domino Directory as the directory source for Sametime and not LDAP.  As I had found out early on in the project, if you have a Sametime configuration set for Domino Directory, it won't talk to an LDAP configuration. So to get the old Sametime Entry to talk to the new Sametime Standard you have to go through a process of copying files, renaming files and overwriting files.  For this task, I found this wiki article online
The steps seem VERY straight forward.  Let's review.  (My comments are italicized)
1.  On the Lotus Sametime server, create a working directory to copy files to so that you can rename them.
Okay, no problem, I can do that.
2.  Copy the "STAuthenticationLdap.dll" from the directory C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino\Directory BB\Ldap to the working directory.
Okay, that shouldn't be a problem...wait, that directory \Lotus\Domino\Directory BB\Ldap is empty on all of my installs.  The folder is there, but it's empty. The .dll that it calls for is located in the \Lotus\Domino folder, okay, I'll use that one instead.  Moving on.
3.  In the working directory, rename the "STAuthenticationLdap.dll" file to "STAuthentication.dll."
Easy-peasy.  Done.  Next!
4.  Copy the renamed "STAuthentication.dll" file to the C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino or $installeddir\Lotus\Domino.
Note Copying the "STAuthentication.dll" file to the C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino or $installeddir\Lotus\Domino will overwrite an existing file of the same name.
Hmm...didn't ask to be overwritten.  The file didn't exist in the first place.  Odd. Moving on.
5.  Copy the file "STGroupsLdap.dll" from the directory C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino\Directory BB\Ldap to the working directory.
Again, the LDAP folder is empty, had to find the file in the Lotus\Domino directory.
6.  Rename the "STGroupsLdap.dll" file to "STGroups.dll."
No probs
7.  Copy the renamed STGroups.dll file to the C:\Sametime directory.
Note Copying the "STGroups.dll" file to the C:\Sametime directory will overwrite an existing file of the same name.
Okay, this one did ask to be overwritten! Next!
8.  Copy the file "STResolveLdap.dll" from the directory C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino\Directory BB\Ldap to the working directory.
Again, not in \LDAP directory, but in the \Domino directory.
9.  Rename the "STResolveLdap.dll" file to "STResolve.dll."
Yup, no probs.
10.  Copy the renamed "STResolve.dll" file to the C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino or $installeddir\Lotus\Domino.
Note Copying the "STResolve.dll" file to the C:\Sametime directory will overwrite an existing file of the same name.
Another one that needed overwritten! WooHoo! Next.
11.  Copy the "StBrowseLdap.dll" file from the directory C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino\Directory BB\Ldap to the working directory.
You guessed it, it was in the \Domino directory. 
12.  Rename the "StBrowseLdap.dll" file to "StBrowse.dll."
Ok.
13.  Copy the renamed STBrowse.dll file to the C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino or $installeddir\Lotus\Domino.
While the steps didn't call for it, this file needed overwritten.
14.  Copy the "StDirectoryListLDAP.sym" file from the directory C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino\Directory BB\Ldap to the working directory.
This file exists NOWHERE.  None of my 6 Sametime Entry servers have this file.  Even a clean installation of Sametime Entry 8.5.1 does not have this file included in it.
15.  Rename the "StDirectoryListLDAP.sym" file to "StDirectoryList.sym."
Can't do it, because I don't have it.
16.Copy the renamed StDirectoryList.sym file to the C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino or $installeddir\Lotus\Domino.
I'm thinking I'm going to need a milk carton "Have you seen me?" for this file.
17.  Copy the "StLdap.dll" file from the directory C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino\Directory BB\Ldap to C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino or $installeddir\Lotus\Domino.
File already existed in the \Domino directory.  The \LDAP, again, NEVER had any files in it.
18.  Copy the "stLdap.ini" file from the directory C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino\Directory BB\Ldap to C:\Program Files\Lotus\Domino or $installeddir\Lotus\Domino.
Again, same as step 17.  That file was already in \Domino.

Okay, so I followed all the steps as listed the best I could, setup up and ran the rename task for the vpuserinfo.nsf file, changed the DIRECTORY= line in the sametime.ini from NOTES to LDAP and started up the STADDIN task.  Hoping that things would "just work", they of course didn't.  Right away I am noticing that the following services won't start:
STDirectory
ST Reflector
ST Resolve
ST Users
Plus, I am seeing this message flash by on my test server
[0A0C:004A-13DC] 11/28/2012 09:41:56 AM  Process E:\Lotus\Domino\StUsers.exe (5400/0x1518) has terminated abnormally

So I ask you, my dear fellow Admins.  What the frak am I missing?

It's been a while

I haven't been much of a blogger lately, so I figured I would use this lazy Thanksgiving Day weekend Sunday to catch up.  Well, I've been busy.  Both at the office and at home.  

At the office, I'm still working with someone to get Sametime up and running.  But here's a pro-tip, when deleting snapshots of VM, don't revert to a much earlier one accidentally and not have a back up available.  A whole lotta work got deleted and likely this person will pound me in the noodle next time he see's me.  I do deserve it though.  Haven't had a whole lot to blog about tech wise in a while.  I did submit an abstract for the conference formally known as Lotusphere.  It's the same one I did last year so we'll see if it gets accepted.  I see from my sitemeter that a lot of people are still looking for info on it, so maybe it still holds some interest.  Really curious to see if I can apply it to the Social version coming out in public beta next month.  

On the home front, I've been spending my nights still playing with pictures and getting my "new" Mac mini set up.  It's the 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo model from a couple years ago with 8 GB of RAM, so Photoshop Lightroom just screams on it.  I know I don't normally cross post stuff from my photo site, but I was pretty happy with how that's progressing.  If you follow my exploits at all, you know I take a lot of pictures.  A many of them are about a nearby down called Zoar.  Zoar is in trouble.  So much so that a group called the National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed Zoar on their list of 11 most endangered sites in the US.  Back in the summer, one of the people in charge of the campaign found my pictures on Flickr.  They emailed me if they could use them for their ad campaigns and since then there's been a lot of stuff back and forth with them.  Well, about a month ago I was interviewed on why I enjoy taking pictures in the town and the article was published on Thanksgiving Day.  Needless to say I was pretty hyped up that!  And of course that only put a fire under my bum to go and take more pictures down there.  With the holiday season upon us, I don't think that will be too much of a problem.

So that's it for the Tao of me.  Off to finish what's left of my holiday weekend before Christmas a month from now.  Where has this year gone anyway?

iOS 6 oddness and Lotus Traveler Part 4 - It's fixed!

Okay, if you've been following the saga of the calendar entries with iOS6 and Traveler not playing nice, it appears to be fixed.  Just after lunch today I saw that iOS 6.0.1 had been released to the public and on the last bullet item of fixes it stated:

Fixes a bug affecting Exchange meetings

So when I had a few minutes this afternoon and after getting a ping from Sam on Twitter, I reconfigured my iPhone to authenticate with Firstname Lastname rather then my internet email address, which was the workaround.  After doing a quick sync to get my data back, I created a new entry on the calendar and now things are working correctly!  Also, Sam mentioned that he had older entries that were "broke" still on his device.  He reported that going in to update the entry and then save it back out cleared the error on those.  Huzzah!
So go quickly and download the update on your iDevices to 6.0.1!
So thanks to the IBM Traveler support team for getting this issue tested and handed off to Apple for them to fix! And thanks to Sam for testing that out for me as well!

Not under NDA - Call for abstracts are open...DO IT!

In case you've been under a rock the past week and missed it, the call for abstracts for Lotusphere...I mean, Connect 2013  is open!  It pretty much still appears to be Lotusphere for the faithful, so don't let the name change scare you off.  (At least for now)

So why would you want to submit an abstract for Connect?

I think the question should be, why wouldn't you?
Have an idea for a session?  DO IT!  Submit it!

I did last year.  Yes, I was nervous.  Yes, it took a lot of my personal time and effort to prepare.  But it was worth it.  Luckily, I had the help of some great friends that mentored me, reviewed slides, gave me ideas of presentation techniques, coached me and even sat up there with me to help with the slides.  It was an exceptional personal growth experience for me because I hate public speaking.  Well, not as much now.  From now on when I think I can't do something, I look at this:

Above is the evaluations people filled out about my session.  That to me is a reminder about not giving up on something.  I've gone ahead and submitted the same session again for Connect because by the hit counts on the blog, people are still looking for this information.  Will it get accepted?  Who knows.  But if I do present it, I plan on bringing that same level of presentation to the show as last year.  So, step outside your comfort zone and do it!  Submit!  If you have questions...ASK.  Put out a Tweet, connect with someone on Facebook.  Someone will help.  It's one of the really cool things about this "Yellow Bubble" we live in.
So go on, SUBMIT!



(Yes, I'm having fun with the shenanigans and tom-foolery of the past week with the title. If you have a problem with it, get over yourself)

iOS 6 oddness and Lotus Traveler Part 3 - Off to Apple!

Greetings, true believers!  (Yes, I know I stole if from Stan Lee)
Just heard back from IBM's dev team on the ongoing issue we've been seeing in the last couple of blog posts.  IBM states the following:

"This appears to be caused by the logon name having a space in it. I was able to recreate this with Exchange, so am working on getting an Apple bug opened.  Hopefully this does not impact as many users. So you don't have to configure with the internet name as logon but right now the logon must not have a space in it."

This is an Apple bug and our dev team will be letting them know about it. Please let me know if you had any further questions.

So it you are seeing issues like this

It's likely associated with the bug.  Best thing to do
-  Remove the current profile
-  Have the user set the iOS 6 device back up, but when looking into the Traveler server, use the internet address as shown in the Domino Directory and not just Firstname Lastname. 

Seems like iOS6 is a bit of a buggy bugger. 

The ticket is still open, so as I get update from IBM, I will share them here on the House O' Blog.