Lotus client rollout

Notes Newbie here, so any help is really appreciated.

Current configuration:

Using citrix to host lotus, user’s data directory in their home directory on a file server. Works no matter what PC you logon to.

Future:

Looking to remove citrix entirely, drop all new PC’s with standard image and run notes locally.

I want to be able to install the client on a PC and when existing user logs in, starts the client, I want them to login in and receive the workspace they currently receive. Its also important to say that users here jump from PC to PC frequently. Any suggestions to get me off and running?

I read about multi-user installs, roaming users and am not sure what path to go.

Also, any good Lotus books you could recommend?

Subject: Lotus client rollout

James,

Multi-user workstations are useful if multiple persons use the same physical computer, but use (important!) a different Windows login for each of them.

The baseline of multi-user workstations is, that the data directory is put to the user’s personal profile on the Windows machine.

Roaming users are users who jump from PC to PC regularily. In this case the “personalized” files are kept on the Domino Server, and will be replicated to the workstation as soon as the user logs on to Notes.

With roaming users you have a couple of “cleanup” options (what happens to the personal files when the user logs off?). To understand this just assume the following two scenarios:

(1) if you would be using a “public” computer and needed to make sure that no one can access your personal data after you have left the computer (or if you probably will never come back to this computer), you would want to clean up your personal files when logging off Notes.

(2) if you will return to this computer regularily, you will want to keep the files on the computer so that only the recent changes have to be relicated, and not the complete databases.

You can also combine those two scenarios. This is useful if users jump from PC to PC but regularily come back to a certain PC (i.e., the number of PCs they jump in between is limited).

However, there is a disadvantage: if you don’t clean up the computer upon logoff, and have a considerable number of users, then this will end up in consuming considerable diskspace on your workstation. This will probably affect your fileserver too if your Windows profiles should be stored on a Windows servers, and not locally…

So, quite some side effects (and a couple of more variations which are possible), but those are the absolute basics you need to know for planning your environment.

For more, check the admin documentation and probably the UPGRADING TO DOMINO 6 REDBOOK.

Subject: RE: Lotus client rollout

Thanks for responding.

But if I install notes multi-user, the data directory is now different, its in their profile and the one on the file server is ignored. Hence, when notes is launched, it wants to go through the first time setup. I may be missing something but is it possible to always have notes look to the data directory on the users home dir? If so, is that advisable? I am trying to make it as easy as possible.

Subject: Lotus client rollout

One easy way assumes that your users are on the same network, even though they may switch among machines. If this is the case, you can put the users’ data directories all on a file (not Domino) server. Have the workstation map a drive to the the user’s personal data directory when he logs into the network. Specify this drive as the location of the data in notes.ini. The connection to the file server must be fast, though. Otherwise, Notes’ performance will be degraded. If you want to keep the users’ existing desktops, copy the desktop files from the Citrix system to their data directories.

Subject: Lotus client rollout - considerations

This was the “old” method we used in pre-R6 to enable roaming users.

I’m not 100% sure, but I recall that in R6 there is a serious issue with the notes.ini file if you do this, especially if you put the notes.ini file to the user’s network drive too (what you probably want to do in order to use a personalized name for the user id file).

Just as a word of warning …

Subject: Lotus client rollout

May I ask why you’re moving away from thin clients to fat clients? We’re doing the opposite and having great success so I would be interested to hear what your driving factors are.

– Charles

Subject: RE: Lotus client rollout

A few reasons.

Most because of cost. Other things that just make it a mess to keep.

Basically I walked into a fire.

Subject: Lotus client rollout

This should work.1. Move the citrix notes files to the users home directories

  1. Create a standard notes install for your image but change your Notes icons to have the

Target path: “c:\lotus\notes\notes.exe f:\notes\notes.ini”

Start in: “c:\lotus\notes”

2b. Make sure the f:\notes\notes.ini paths are correct:

Directory=f:\notes\data

WinNTIconPath=f:\Notes\Data\W32

Make sure you test this out first.

Subject: RE: Lotus client rollout

Ok cool.

On step 1, specifically what do you mean by the citrix notes files?

Their data files are currently in their home directory.