I’ve just had a very frustrating exchange with a Lotus Support technician.
Scenario:
Notes clients use Notes roaming on Win XP (or 2000 or NT) workstations. When the user logs in to a machine for the first time (and the user’s profile is created from the roaming server data) the following error prevents completion of the client configuration:
“The Notes 6 client requires an up to date bookmark template, BOOKMARK.NTF. Please obtain a copy and restart Notes.”
Lotus support acknowledges this problem in SPR # TNIT5CAJZR (originally created in Sep 2002 apparently), but “it was closed with ‘no plans to fix’ in R6 codestream.”
There are two workarounds available to us:
-
Each user must be a (Local) Computer Administrator on each workstation they log in to (this is the Lotus suggestion); or
-
We must create a copy of the bookmark.ntf file in each user’s Notes data directory prior to them logging in for the first time, as well as leaving a copy in the ‘All Users’ profile shared Notes data directory (our workaround).
I’d be interested to know why this SPR was closed with no intention to fix in the Notes 6 codestream, and why this bug/SPR is not available as a published technote in the Lotus Support web-site (I searched for the text of the error message, which usually works well enough).
When does Lotus plan to fix this obvious problem with the roaming user feature?
Subject: Beware: Notes 6 Roaming bug for which Lotus has no fix plans
As a matter of interest what level of authority did the user’s have to their local machine? Users or Power Users?
Subject: RE: Beware: Notes 6 Roaming bug for which Lotus has no fix plans
They’re set to be just a ‘user’.
This is part of an Active Directory roll-out, so upgrading their local access isn’t really an option.
Subject: re: Beware: Notes 6 Roaming bug for which Lotus has no fix plans
I’m using this functionality and have had little problem so far. Can you let me know more specifics with your problem.
I have roamin admins, power users and plain users. No apparent problem so far.
Cheers,
Ben
Subject: RE: re: Beware: Notes 6 Roaming bug for which Lotus has no fix plans
Ben,
The specifics are in the original post.
An XP ‘user’ (not Power User or Computer Administrator) logs into a workstation they’ve never used before.
They have a roaming Notes client configuration, so are prompted for name, home server and then password. Once the client setup is complete (they actually get the setup finished dialogue box) they get the error message “The Notes 6 client requires an up to date bookmark template, BOOKMARK.NTF. Please obtain a copy and restart Notes.”
Notes exits on clicking OK, and will not run until bookmark.ntf is copied from the shared Notes data directory - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Lotus\Notes\Data\Shared to the user’s Notes data directory - C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Local Settings\Application Data\Lotus\Notes\Data
Can I be more specific?
Subject: RE: re: Beware: Notes 6 Roaming bug for which Lotus has no fix plans
OK, just had this issue for the first time. By a fluke of conincidences, I’ve avoided it until now.
I’ve raised it straight to our top Win2K who reckons he can apply a simple workaround.
He reckons he should be able to modify the Active Directory policies to allow users write access to the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Lotus\Notes\Data\Shared folder or maybe even just the bookmark.ntf file. This should do the trick.
Anybody else thought of doing this?
Subject: RE: re: Beware: Notes 6 Roaming bug for which Lotus has no fix plans
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=899&uid=swg21152655
Subject: Suggestion for workaround
I just read the SPR history and I have a suggestion for a workaround. To be honest, I haven’t tried it myself, so your mileage may vary.
After installing Notes on the machine (as admin), you have some options.
First, you can try actually firing up Notes as the admin (so it will set up a data directory for the admin). Doing this will automatically make necessary updates to the shared bookmark.ntf that should make it ok for a regular user to subsequently roam to the machine.
You can either do this on all machines or you can just do it on one machine and then copy the resulting bookmark.ntf from \documents and settings\all users\application data\lotus\notes\data\shared\bookmark.ntf on that one machine to the same place on all the other machines you want to set up.
Not sure whether bookmark.ntf is the only template/database that will have this kind of a problem. Could also be for other templates and maybe help files. So, repeat for other files as necessary.
Jeff Eisen
Lotus Notes Technical Lead
Messaging and Collaboration
Lotus Software/IBM Software Group
Subject: Re: Suggestion for workaround
Jeff,
Thanks for the suggestion. I think we have (unsuccessfully) tried that along the way, but I’ll check and get back to you.
Can you tell me what the Notes client is trying to do with the bookmark.ntf?
I’m sure that the root cause of the problem is the user’s inability (because of XP permissions) to write to the shared data folder and its contents. But why would a Notes client installation try writing to a NTF?
I think it is something to do with verifying that the bookmark.nsf in the user’s data directory has a ND6 design. But the problem we experience is occurring on new installations (not upgrades) where the bookmark.nsf is created and stored on the roaming profile server and then downloaded to the new client. Surely this file has the correct design?
I read a technote (1090370) which described a similar problem where a customised Welcome page is in use. We have enabled a custom welcome page via profiles in this environment…could that be adding to our problem?
Subject: RE: Re: Suggestion for workaround
I believe that Notes is trying to update the view indexes in bookmark.ntf (used for things like enumerating the design collection in order to copy design elements into bookmark.nsf). It is choking because the file is read only so it cannot update the indexes.
The basis of my workaround is to essentially have the Admin update the view indexes so that Joe User doesn’t have to (because they will already be up to date).
Doubt if your customized welcome page is related.
Subject: RE: Re: Suggestion for workaround
Another suggestion - add “properly indexed” bookmark.ntf into Notes client setup pakage
Subject: RE: Re: Suggestion for workaround
That is a possibility that we are already considering.
Note the title “Suggestion for workaround”
Subject: Beware: Notes 6 Roaming bug for which Lotus has no fix plans
Glad we’re not using Active Directory. Sounds like a nightmare to administer. “Cost of ownership” too.