IBM Notes
IBM Notes (before March 2013 Lotus Notes) is a document- oriented, distributed database system with a very narrow e- mail connection. It was developed from 1984 by Iris Associates, a later subsidiary of Lotus Development Corporation respectively from IBM. IBM Notes belongs to the category of groupware and is approximately 128 million users (as of 2006, details of IBM Lotusphere 01 /2006) used worldwide.
The product originally called Lotus Notes was renamed on the server side with version 4.6 in Lotus Domino. The client software for ordinary user (but not those for developers and administrators) named IBM Notes today. The databases can be found both the name of the Notes database and Domino database, in the following, according to the habits of many customers continue to Notes databases, etc. are mentioned.
Features
IBM Notes is distinguished from other groupware platforms such as Microsoft SharePoint by the following properties:
History
Early 1970s developed David Woolley at CERL ( Computer Education Research Laboratory ) of the University of Illinois and his team a message board application that mimicked classic notepad electronically. They called the system " Notes".
1984, ten years later, founded three graduates of the CERL ( Ray Ozzie, Tim Halvorsen and Len Kawell ) the company "Iris Associates " in Boston. The company was small and had good contacts for two years older company " Lotus " under the direction of Jim Manzi, where Ray Ozzie materially participated as external staff in the development of " Lotus Symphony ". A year later there was already a Windows-compatible version of Lotus Notes and onto the end of 1985 launched by Microsoft in the market "Windows " was allegedly Lotus Notes as one of the first Windows applications. Until 1991, Lotus Notes was used exclusively in the context of projects and was not officially available. Iris was bought in 1988 by Lotus. Lotus in turn was acquired in 1996 by IBM. The purchase price of approximately $ 4 billion was the largest up to that amount paid for a software company. The main reason for the high price is likely the meantime have been the main product became Lotus Notes. By 2001, Iris Associates was completely integrated into the IBM organization. Ray Ozzie has since developed the product Groove. The company Groove Networks was acquired by Microsoft in 2005.
In March 2013, the product was renamed with the version 9 to IBM Notes.
Functions
Basically, large databases with artikelförmigem content possible. It can store any file attachments. Standard applications in Notes are a mail database, calendar and task management. In the Calendar application, appointments can be managed and invitations will be sent to participants. Furthermore, it is possible to check the free times of participants, and (for example, projector, flipchart, company car ) to reserve rooms and equipment. There are additional database templates ( templates) such as discussion and team databases. All databases can be operated via the Notes client and Web browser. The development of own applications is possible with the Domino Designer. Data and design an application are stored in a common database. All contents of this database ( design and data ) are stored in so-called documents, hence the name " Notes" for " many documents ". This property is one of the most striking, since everything a "document" is.
IBM Notes databases
Lotus Notes databases are as described above, in contrast to relational databases, document-based databases. That is, data and design elements are stored in the form of documents, each document has a unique ID. A document can contain multiple fields (items ) of different types ( for example, text or number). The content is decoupled from the display. To view and modify data content of the documents masks ( forms) are used which can be designed freely. In so-called views ( views) as well as in folders ( folders ) can be filtered lists of documents from the database and displayed in tabular form. Using self-written programs ( agents) can actions are event-driven or scheduled. All the contents of a database including file attachments can be searched via the integrated full- text search. This applies not only for local databases on an IBM Notes client but also for databases that are distributed across multiple Domino servers in a Domino domain ( Domino Domain Search ). File name of Lotus Notes databases ending with the suffix NSF. " Notes storage facility". Database templates ( templates) ending with the suffix NTF. " Notes template file".
A database has the following identifiers:
- File Name: depending on underlying file system
- The database title: visible to the user
- The replica ID: a 16- digit number in hexadecimal notation, which is generated when you created the database randomly
- The template name: If this database is to be used as a template (template ), a template name can be assigned
Differences to other database systems: Notes databases are not relational databases. They follow a document and not a data set model. Documents can ( but need not) have a hierarchical relationship to each other ( Main - Response - ResponseToResponse ). Relations are produced in Notes databases programmatically using a conventional method is to use the @ DocumentUniqueID which is also used for the hierarchical connection. Fields can contain multiple values , which corresponds to a master-detail table in an RDBMS. Other systems with multiple values are, for example, FileMaker or Adabas.
Notes stores all design elements (ie, forms, views, agents, etc. ) of an application also in the form of Notes documents. While that is also common in RDBMS for the data schema and the views, Notes saves and screens ( forms) and resources ( css, jpg, java, etc.). All design elements are signed and thus allow a delicate design of control.
Notes documents are not bound to database tables. Thus Notes documents contain any fields. A change in the form or view layout has no effect on stored data. IBM QuickPlace used as Notes databases without Notes front-end ( ie no masks ).
Notes views ( views) have a physical index (Views in RDBMS are usually "only" query definitions without index). This has the advantage of the fast access and the disadvantage of the resources ( task index ) and space consumption.
Since version 7 of Notes, IBM has implemented support for IBM DB2 as the storage medium for Notes databases, which allows relational tables from DB2 as Notes views (and vice versa) to use.
Another special feature is the support for Rich Text as the field type. Here formatted text, attachments or embedded objects ( images, OLE objects ) are stored. Rich text fields together with the Lotus Notes client allow a particularly user friendly "Upload" resp. Saving of almost any data, among other things by means of drag and drop.
Notes documents and design elements program can convert with available materials to / from XML, which corresponds to an article published by IBM as a DTD schema standard ( DXL ).
Between two computers only databases are replicated, have the same replica ID (the other identifiers database title and file name do not matter here ) - which, for example, has the side effect that a Domino Server administrator can move the databases any subdirectories, without that replication is impaired. The path to the database must be changed for the source server in the Connection documents that are set up for the periodic automatic replication; the paths of the target server are both irrelevant.
The Domino server
The Lotus Domino server provides several services. It is a first database server that provides Notes documents to the Notes client. Then there is a router server task (task " router" ), which both the native Domino routing protocol NRPC ( Notes Remote Procedure Call ) and the Simple Mail Transport Protocol ( SMTP) for sending mail dominates the Internet. The corresponding SMTP server task ( Task 'smtp ' ) on the other hand ensures that Internet messages can be received on this server.
In addition, includes an HTTP server for delivery (task "http" ) and other servers, such as IMAP, POP3, LDAP. In the various databases, the data is stored together with the application logic, and the user interface. The package includes several applications already there: among other things, e- mail, calendar, task list, address management, and reservations of rooms or resources.
Unlike other database systems, the databases can be only with the IBM Notes client, used and edited without having to connect to the Lotus Domino server. Once again there is a connection between the client and server are the changes to the data depending on the configuration automatically - according to the connection defined intervals - or adjusted manually.
This concept is known from the theory of distributed database replication. When a Notes client (or a Domino server ) replicate to a Domino server databases, only new and changed documents are transferred. Also, only a part of the overall data can be replicated, it can then be adjusted on the Replication of each database (selective replication). The replication mechanism can detect changes to documents at the field level and transmit only the changed field contents in large documents. Thus, the available network transmission capacity is used efficiently.
For organizations that only "thin" communication lines (such as analog phone modems, 2.4 to 56 kbit / s) have, replication time, points on low tariff times ( especially at night ) are defined and relatively large amounts of data effectively and with the user to be transferred hamper.
Work "off-line ": the use of Lotus Domino worth if employees on the move need for a secured access to important databases.
The Lotus Domino server is available for a number of platforms such as Windows, Linux, AIX, Solaris, AS/400 ( OS/400), z / OS and zLinux.
Domino servers can be operated in Domino clusters. Here are assigned to each of two or more Domino servers. The underlying operating system does not matter, so it is possible that a Domino server on Windows to AIX form a Domino cluster with another Domino server. A Domino cluster can be constructed from different versions of Domino servers. Domino cluster have nothing to do with clusters at the operating system level. When a Domino server fails, the client is responsible for changing to another Domino server in the cluster. Clusters are used to maximize the availability of server failure and performance through load balancing.
Protocols
A Lotus Notes client communicates with a Lotus Domino server using NRPC ( Notes RPC port 1352 ), a variant of RPC. NRPC can be routed over TCP / IP, NETBIOS, and other protocols. Lotus also has a fault-tolerant protocol for communication over analog modems developed ( X. PC ).
The Notes client
To work with the Domino server, there are various clients:
Lotus Domino Administrator client
For the management of the Domino server Lotus has introduced a special administration client. This client provides features that significantly facilitate administration of IBM Notes domain and not through the normal Notes client are possible.
The Administration Client can be installed on the workstation of the responsible administrator and should not be installed directly on the server, if possible.
Using the Administration Client, most tasks in the configuration and administration of Domino servers can handle. In addition, it is used for the complete user management and complete monitoring and reviewing the operation of the server.
The browser client
A Lotus Domino server also offers an HTTP server, the Notes databases via the browser provides. Many of the applications included such as email, calendar, task list, e- discussion and team room are designed as hybrid applications, that is, they are programmed so that they largely without limitations with both the Notes client as well as with can be used to the Web browser. Own applications can share the same approach. A pure Notes client application is in principle suitable for use in the web browser, there JAVA Applets are used. In particular, for more demanding graphic design and user interfaces web- specific adaptations of the individual application are usually required, however. For visually impaired people, this client of IBM Notes is basically not usable.
With version 8.5 the development environment " Domino Designer " and the Domino Web Application Server has been extended to JavaServer Faces, but IBM calls this technology XPages. With this technology created Web pages do not need Java applets, the above limitations visually impaired people do not apply.
A special feature is the access to mail, calendar, tasks and contacts dar. For this functionality, IBM has developed an intrinsically web client called iNotes. Also iNotes is available for people with visual disabilities.
The Lotus Domino Administrator client only exists for Windows. A suitable replacement is from Domino 7, the web interface via browser dar. Here Internet Explorer and Mozilla - based browsers are supported.
Lotus Domino Designer client
The Lotus Domino Designer client exists only for Windows, but can be used in Linux via Wine.
Using the Domino Designer, you can create new databases and the design of existing databases to be changed if it is not protected. The Domino Designer includes in addition to functions for creating and manipulating the various design elements such as forms, views, pages, frames, etc. also a development environment, using formula language (known as @ commands and @ functions), LotusScript ( with debugger ), Java or JavaScript can be programmed.
Basic elements of any Notes database are masks ( forms) to create, modify and view documents and views ( views) and folders ( folders ) to the tabular representation of documents. Masks can be represented varied dynamically, ie items can be displayed or hidden depending on the content of the document, data calculated or scripts are started by events. To appear in the web browser, it is also possible to specify HTML source code directly, or you can create HTML design elements such as Layer graphically and this, for example, dynamically show and hide.
The Lotus Notes 8 client is an enhanced version based on Eclipse Rich Client Platform (Eclipse RCP). This integrative interface is called IBM Lotus Expeditor and is used among other things already as the basis for the IBM Lotus Sametime Connect client ( since version 7.5). IBM offers the Expeditor at as a separate development and runtime environment. This interface is very flexible and allows the integration and concatenation (composite application) applications of different programming languages and manufacturers (SOA). The beginnings of this development go back to the product line IBM Workplace. Since Eclipse is offered on multiple platforms, including the porting of the Lotus Notes 8 client is guaranteed. The Lotus Notes 8 client runs on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.
More clients
On IBM Notes e -mail can also with other clients, be such as Mozilla Thunderbird, accessed, which support the standards POP3 and IMAP. Microsoft Outlook 2002 and 2003 also can be used by end users to take advantage of using the Domino Access for Microsoft Outlook ( DAMO ) Mail and Calendar capabilities of IBM Notes.
Portability
Notes applications respectively Notes databases are highly portable ( to about 99.9 %, ie, the adaptation effort on another platform is less than one per thousand of the development effort ). This extraordinarily high degree of portability is only achieved as long as the Notes formula language is used. Even the use of LotusScript can reduce the portability when operating system-specific functions are used. So the path for a file under Windows and Unix, for example, different. Further reduces the portability of client-side technologies such as Java, since this is on the staff client is not available for the Macintosh.
However, when using only the formula language and portable LotusScript, as occurs, for example when transferring a Notes application from Windows to Macintosh, the main effort in customizing the fonts and font sizes ( as Times Roman 10 claimed not equal space on both Mac and Windows). This illustrates that when porting classic Notes applications is usually an expense incurred only in the presentation and that the core functions work identically.
But even this, the programmer can already be observed from the beginning, so both Windows and Macintosh useful fonts are used as in the original Lotus - mail template.
Security
The Notes system knows several safety systems:
These safety systems are integrated into the Lotus Notes system, and therefore easier to use and administer than conventional systems, in which it is installed as a separate software systems, configured and must be administered. One thinks here of the distribution of keys on the number of clients or the updating of expired certificates for many users.
Lotus Domino supports the protocol developed by IBM Lightweight Third - Party Authentication for Single Sign -on in your web browser and starting with version 8.5.1 (2009) SPNEGO for single sign-on with Microsoft Active Directory in the Lotus Notes client. For Microsoft Windows operating systems addition is a password synchronization service. As of version 9.0 unsterstützen both the Notes client and the Domino server SAML.
Data format
Domino XML ( DXL )
Starting with version 5.0 supports IBM the reading and writing of Notes data and design from / to XML. The first functionality was implemented by an applet in the browser client as part of the view display and can be used by the Web command ReadViewEntries. This functionality is now used among other things to improve web presentation.
In R5 further XML processing in Java Document class (. RenderXML ) and an external toolkit was available. Starting with R6 IBM supplied this functionality as a built-in classes for LotusScript with greatly enhanced functionality. Using these classes, data and design elements can be extracted, manipulated write back ( via the DOM or XSLT) and in existing or new databases.
Notes Data Link (NDL )
Notes Data Link files are links to databases, views, or documents. They are structured stored as plain text in an NDL file. The appearance is similar to an XML file.. The NDL file extension is entered when you install the Notes client in the Windows registry (path: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT ).
Once a. NDL file has been created, it can be passed as a parameter when calling the NOTES.EXE.
Example: NOTES.EXE C: \ TEMP \ TESTDATALINK.NDL
If the link via the Internet Explorer selected, IBM Notes opens. This is regardless of the content-type, the server passes. The Microsoft Internet Explorer only checks in the system, if the file extension is already known. Alternative browser such as Firefox or Opera can not check in the system, if the file extension. NDL is known. Instead, it depends on the passed from the web server content-type. To the Notes Data links should enter through an alternate browser as content-type: to pass application / ndl. This is achieved, for example under the Apache web server by adding the line " AddType. Ndl application / vnd.lotus -notes binary 1.0 # Notes Data Link " in the httpd.conf.
OSGi
The IBM Workplace Client was an important supplier of technology for the development of Lotus Notes. By integrating the IBM Workplace Client Technology Lotus Notes uses version 8 for the first time on the open source framework to Equinox, which implements the OSGi service-oriented architecture and the IDE is based on Eclipse. Equinox was also originally developed by IBM.
API
Accessing Domino data and functions can be performed through various APIs. The programming languages C / C and Java can be used. From version 7 Domino supports the development of web services. A web service can be implemented in LotusScript or Java.
The generic access via SOAP on Domino documents can be considerably simplified by using the open source tool SOAP GATE.