I was informed yesterday by Lotus Support that the Notes R6 Client will not be supported on Windows 2003, but support for Windows 2003 will begin with Domino versions 6.0.3 and 6.5.
My organization runs the Notes Client for 550 users with Citrix Metaframe XP on top of Windows 2000 Terminal Servers. We are planning an upgrade to Windows 2003 in our Citrix environment in the near future.
This possibily could impact the future of Lotus/Domino in our organization.
Does anyone know if Lotus will be supporting the R6 client on Windows 2003 in the future or is this a concrete decision?
Subject: Notes R6 Client Will Not Be Supported on Windows 2003
This isn’t hard to understand, or believe. Windows 2003 is brand new. It was released after the Notes releases were out or in final build. The differences in Windows 2003 from XP are obviously great enough to warrant this stance. IBM is doing what every other software company will do. They will make future releases work on Windows 2003, but they are not going to try and retrofit existing releases. If Notes 6.01 or 6.0.2 had been stable enough on 2003, IBM would have supported it. It sounds like testing did not go well. You will need to move your clients to a new release if you intend to be on 2003 and get support from IBM.
Subject: Notes R6 Client Will Not Be Supported on Windows 2003
I think you have the answer already in what you posted. If you are going to run any R6 client from 6.0 to 6.0.2 CF1 then you won’t have a supported version. It doesn’t mean they won’t work in Win2k3, it just means don’t call support and expect them to help you with an unsupported installation. There’s no going back so those versions won’t be supported in the future either. It wouldn’t make sense. Hope I understood what you were asking.
My first question is why would you even contemplate “upgrading” any single part of an integrated system knowing that “upgrade” will break part of the system. Yeesh, organizations that think the leading/bleeding edge is the place to be need to have their heads examined.
I do realize that current R6 clients will not be supported in Windows 2003. However, the document that I read directly stated “The Notes R6 client will not be supported on Windows 2003”, end of quote.
I was concerned that Lotus will not be attempting to support the R6 client (future versions) in the Windows 2003 environment. Is this a concrete decision for future releases or just current releases? The article did not give any indication that future releases of the R6 client were being evaluated for the Windows 2003 environment.
First the material you read was in reference to that version of R6. To wit, 6.0.1 and 6.0.2 will not be supported on Windows 2003.
As many others are stating the concept is not hard to comprehend. IBM has to say the current versions at the time of the published document will not be supported. IBM will not say something in the future is support until it is actually out in public distribution.
Take the other flip of a coin: IBM will not say Domino server on Linux will be supported for the 2.6 linux kernel until there is a 2.6 linux kernel released. Then they can try to make the next version work on that released kernel.
Moral of the story: What came first the chicken or the egg? (How can you build a future software to be supported by an non public distribution operating system?)
seems like there is a difference between supporting Notes on Windows 2003 as an operating system and supporting Notes running in a Citrix environment hosted on Windows 2003 Server.
Since Windows 2003 is only a server platform, the Lotus Notes 6 client is not and will not be supported running on the server. Domino 6.0.3 and Domino 6.5 will be supported on Windows 2003 server.
That does not say that Notes 6, in a a Citrix environment running on Windows 2003 server, would be unsupported. Support for Citrix is an area where I don’t have enough expertise to comment. But I think you need to get clarity over what exactly you are asking us to support or not support.
I’m still trying to find the right answer. Windows Terminal Services are not supported with Notes/Domino 6, according to one of my product managers. But again, I’m not personally familiar with this technology enough to know what you mean by WTS “with” Citrix. Let me keep poking.
Darrell, your IT specialist Hazel will also contact you with this…
The Notes client Citrix support in 6.0.2 was tested with Citrix on Windows 2000 server. We plan to test Citrix on Windows 2003 Server, but that will be post 6.0.3.
Well, that is disheartening to say the least. The Notes Client is necessary to run the Notes Connector that Microsoft Exchange server needs to communicate to my Notes Organization.
I’m getting pressure to Upgrade my W2K Servers with Exchange 2000 to W2K3 + the released Titanium Server (Exchange 2003). AND upgrade Notes to keep everyone in step (there goes my budget for the year . . )
Ed, can you comment on HOW I will be able to obtain a SUPPORTED Email and Calendar connection based upon a Windows 2003 server topology / platform?
[]Since Windows 2003 is only a server platform, the Lotus Notes 6 client
is not and will not be supported running on the server. Domino 6.0.3 and Domino
6.5 will be supported on Windows 2003 server.[]
What about Windows 2003 Terminal Services?
Will that be supported?