Connecting to Novell GroupWise

If your organization uses a Novell GroupWise messaging system, and you cannot migrate from it to Exchange Server 2003, you are not completely out of luck. Exchange Server 2003 does provide a Novell GroupWise connector that can be used to connect the two messaging systems so that your organization can function smoothly, with messages flowing between both systems invisibly to the end user .

Note ‚  

The GroupWise connector has been tested for GroupWise versions 4. x and 5. x , but it should work with 6. x since the APIs have not been changed.

To configure the Novell GroupWise connector, you need only locate it in the routing group of your choice, right-click it, and select Properties from the context menu. We will examine each of the pertinent property pages in the following sections.

General The General page, seen in Figure 13.24, allows you to specify the UNC path to the API Gateway, the GroupWise server, and the user account and password of a NetWare user with administrative rights on the GroupWise server configured on the connector. You can also specify the maximum message size that is allowed to cross the connector as well as the message delivery order.

Figure 13.24: General properties of the GroupWise connector

Address Space The Address Space page for the GroupWise connector has the same options as for the Notes connector.

Delivery Restrictions The Delivery Restrictions page for the GroupWise connector has the same options as for the Notes connector.

Dirsync Schedule The Dirsync Schedule page, seen in Figure 13.25, allows you to configure multiple synchronization options, such as when the synchronization event should take place, and it also lets you force an immediate Exchange or GroupWise synchronization event to occur.

Figure 13.25: Import Container properties of the GroupWise connector

Import Container The Import Container page, seen in Figure 13.26, allows you to select the Active Directory container that will be used when synchronizing items into Active Directory from GroupWise. You also have the option to specify what action should take place when a GroupWise mailbox that does not have a Windows account is synchronized. In addition, you can configure several Filtering options that will affect which items are synchronized.

Figure 13.26: General properties of the GroupWise connector

Export Container The Export Container page for the GroupWise connector has the same options as for the Notes connector.

Note ‚  

After you ‚ ve completed configuring the GroupWise connector, you will need to configure the Calendar connector.

Coexisting with Multiple Foreign Systems

So what does your organization do when you have the unlucky task of configuring connectivity to both Lotus Notes and Novell GroupWise at the same time? No problem as long as you ‚ ve enough Exchange Server 2003 servers installed to go around!

Since each installation of Exchange Server 2003 includes only one instance of the Notes connector, the GroupWise connector, and the Calendar connector, you will need to configure one Exchange server with the Notes connector and its associated Calendar connector. You would then need to configure a separate Exchange server to host the GroupWise connector and its associated Calendar connector. Routing group connectors, X.400 Connectors, and SMTP Connectors are not limited to one per server.

Depending on the amount of message and calendar traffic that is crossing your Notes or GroupWise connectors, having one server that hosts each one is likely to be a more reliable and effective solution. On the other hand, if you have a small organization and you don ‚ t mind not being able to synchronize calendaring information between both foreign e-mail systems and Exchange at the same time, you could create both the Notes and the GroupWise connector on the same server.