I’ve just inherited a website from another company, and it’s a Domino website, which I’ve never worked with before. We found a company that offers Domino hosting, and we should be getting the files on CD any day now.
I’ve never worked with this platform before, so I’m at a bit of a loss as to what I need on my end. Will I need a Notes client to interface with the webhost, or can I do it all just by uploading the files and letting it go at that?
I’m so lost on this basic question. I’ve tried googling variations on my question, but haven’t been able to turn up an answer.
It is very unlikely that you are going to do well with this assignment. As mentioned in other posts, you should think about contracting Domino development to an established entity at least until you learn the basics. There are many resources available for learning Notes and Domino. Search this forum on learning and web.
Lisa, you might want to pick up a book on Domino Application Development. There may even be a Domino for Dummies out there. To answer your question, you will need both a Notes client and the Domino Designer client. Years ago these two clients were one and the same, but are now seperate. Usually, when you install Domino Designer, you will also have the opportunity to install the Notes client (and Domino Administrator client). [There are 3 clients]
The hosting site will also need to issue you a Notes ID which allows you and your Notes/Domino clients to authenticate with their Domino server.
Finally, you will need to understand Domino development in order to modify/maintain your newly acquired Domino website. (Buy a book or better yet, take one of the Lotus App Dev training courses if you have the $$$)
Thanks for the advice! We’re trying to support this with a minimum of fuss, because the site isn’t actually for our programs. I’ve done PHP/MySQL on an Linux server (well, run by someone else, anyway), and I could do that with an FTP program, a web browser, and a text editor if I had to, but I’m in the dark when it comes to Lotus stuff. I’ll see what the library has as far as help books.
Perhaps the powers that be are asking too much of you (and I don’t mean that to sound patronizing). What technologies are you familiar with? Apache/Php, IIS/ASP, J2EE/.Net? They all have some stuff in common - HTML, CSS, Javascript, HTTP etc - but that is just part of what Domino websites are about.
Firstly you are dealing with a proprietary client/server application server that does HTTP as well as LDAP,IIOP,NNTP,WebDav etc.
Before web technologies ruled the earth Lotus Notes client software provided rich collaborative applications within and across thousands of large corporations. Adding a HTTP rendering service wasn’t too hard. Notes is built with half a dozen services; rendering, storage, mail, security etc. Unfortunately you have to understand how to create a Notes application using the Notes Designer client to create a ‘website’.
It sounds as though TPTB you have already outsourced running Domino. Might as well go the whole way and outsource the maintenance too while you migrate the application to what you know.
What email system does the other company use? Assuming it was Notes are they being migrated to your system? If they weren’t using Notes then WTF are they using Domino for as a web server? Either way it doesn’t belong in the new IT infrastructure.
I’ve worked with Notes/Domino for over 10 years and delivered some great apps. They succeeded because they had the support of TPTB. If your organization does not support the platform then it can go hang!
I’m very comfortable with PHP/MySQL in a linux environment, though I’ve always outsourced the hosting. Unfortunately, I’m coming into this project blind, as the people whose site it is aren’t knowledgeable at all, and their contractors haven’t been particularly communicative. I think the application is all developed, so it’s just a matter of getting it set up in its new environment, which is turning out to be more complicated than I originally foresaw.