Novell Virtual Office


Novell Virtual Office allows network administrators to quickly and easily provide browser-based access to network resources. Effectively, Virtual Office enables you to create personalized user portals through which users can access their data and applications from a single website. Not only that, but Virtual Office also provides the capability to create virtual teams, or ad-hoc shared portals that can support a project or any other group that needs access to shared resources.

Virtual Office provides services that allow you to access network resources through the Virtual Office interface. Services are little Java-based servlets or applications that provide access to specific types of network resources. OES Linux includes several default Virtual Office services for accessing network resources and performing common network tasks:

  • NetStorage Provides access to the Novell NetStorage service. NetStorage provides Internet-based access to file storage on an OES server, including access to iFolder. Both NetStorage and iFolder were discussed in Chapter 12, "OES Linux File Access."

  • iPrint Provides access to Internet printing via iPrint. For more information on iPrint, see Chapter 13, "OES Printing Services."

  • Email Provides support for popular email applications and protocols, including Novell GroupWise, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, Novell NetMail, POP3, and IMAP.

  • eGuide Provides a simplified screen to access phone numbers and other user information stored in eDirectory. eGuide is discussed in more detail later in this chapter.

  • Change Password Links to a page where users can change their password in eDirectory.

  • Web Search Provides integration with a Novell Web Search, or QuickFinder, server. QuickFinder is discussed in more detail later in this chapter.

  • ZENworks Provides integration with Novell ZENworks for Desktops functionality, such as application delivery, through the Virtual Office interface.

Perhaps most important to you as a network administrator, Virtual Office doesn't require any complicated web development or programming. It's pretty much ready to go right out of the box.

Installing Virtual Office

Virtual Office can be installed on a dedicated server using the Novell Virtual Office Server installation pattern or as an optional component during the OES Linux installation. Virtual Office can also be installed later through YaST.

NOTE

For most networks, you will need to install Virtual Office on only one server in each eDirectory tree.


The only requirement for Virtual Office, beyond the minimum requirements for an OES Linux server, is a web browser. To install Virtual Office using YaST, complete the following steps:

1.

Access YaST from a terminal using yast, or from a graphical environment using yast2 or the YaST launcher from the application menu.

2.

Select the Network Services category in YaST. From within this category, locate and select the Virtual Office module. This module will detect that the RPMs for Virtual Office are missing and ask if you want to install them. Select Continue to install the necessary packages.

3.

At the conclusion of the software installation, SuSEconfig is executed to update the system configuration. When this completes, the configuration of the OES component will begin automatically.

4.

At the Virtual Office LDAP Server Configuration screen, enter the following information and click Next:

  • Local or Remote Directory Server Select the radio button that indicates whether eDirectory is running on the local server or a remote server.

  • Directory Server Address If a remote eDirectory server is in use, enter the IP address for this server.

  • Admin Name with Context Enter the eDirectory administrator's credentials using fully qualified dot notation, for example, cn=admin.o=novell.

  • Admin Password Enter the password for the administrator user.

  • Port Details If necessary, select this button to change the configured ports for the eDirectory server you specified earlier. The default LDAP port for unencrypted communications is 389 and port 636 is used for SSL-encrypted communications.

5.

At the Virtual Office Configuration screen, enter the required information (see Figure 15.1), and click Next.

  • Virtual Office Server Address or DNS Hostname Specify the DNS name or IP address of your Virtual Office server.

  • User Context Specify the base context in which valid Virtual Office users may be located. Users found in the subtree beneath this context will be able to use Virtual Office. If you want to use the entire tree, specify the root context, for example, o=novell.

Figure 15.1. Virtual Office Configuration options.


6.

In order for Virtual Office to be active, select to restart Apache and Tomcat when prompted.

After installing Virtual Office, you can access a default Virtual Office web page by pointing your browser to the following page: https://<server DNS name or IP address>/vo. For example:

https://wal-serv1.quills.com/vo

This page will include links to all the gadgets you can use from the Virtual Office portal.

Preparing Virtual Office for Use

Configuring your Virtual Office environment has two aspects: configuring Virtual Office itself and configuring Virtual Office services. Both of these are discussed in the following sections.

CONFIGURING VIRTUAL OFFICE

To perform the initial configuration of Virtual Office, complete the following steps:

1.

Launch the Virtual Office web interface (https://<virtual office server>/vo) and authenticate as a user with administrative rights in eDirectory (for example, Admin).

2.

When the Virtual Office page loads for administrative users, you will see a set of Administrative links in the Navigation frame that are not present for normal users, as shown in Figure 15.2.

Figure 15.2. Virtual Office administration view.


3.

Select Environment in the Navigation frame.

4.

Configure Virtual Office as required for your environment and click OK to save your changes. Three tabs are available in the Environment page:

  • Team Configuration Virtual teams let you create virtual ad-hoc groups that can share resources and information through a centralized portal dedicated for that purpose. More information on virtual teams is provided later in this chapter. To configure your virtual team environment, provide the requested information and click Save.

    • Virtual Teams Enables/disables virtual team functionality.

    • Allow Access to Existing Teams Enables/disables access to existing virtual teams. When this option is enabled, existing teams are accessible, even if virtual teams and/or new team creation is disabled.

    • Enable Team Creation Enables virtual team creation. This option is enabled by default. When this option is disabled, no virtual team functionality is available.

    • Manage Team Access Click Edit to specify those users who have rights to create virtual teams.

    • Team File Share Click Edit to specify the location where virtual team members will be allowed to store shared files. File sharing requires the use of Samba integration with OES Linux because the location where virtual team files will be stored must be configured as a CIFS/SMB share point. For more information on Samba with OES Linux, see Chapter 11, "OES Linux File Storage and Management."

    • SMTP Address Click Edit to specify the IP address or DNS name of your SMTP mail server. This is required if you want Virtual Office to be able to send email notifications to virtual team members.

    • Chat Server IP Port Specifies the TCP port that will be used for chat communications for virtual teams.

  • Portal Information On this page, you define how your Virtual Office portal can be used. This page has three options:

    • Portal Containers Sets those contexts from which users can log in and access Virtual Office. Effectively, this restricts the list of potential Virtual Office users to those within the contexts you specify.

    • Portal Locations If you are running Virtual Office on multiple servers, make sure that all portal addresses are listed here. Remember, you can specify the same storage location for multiple Virtual Office portals.

    • Teams Lists all virtual teams that have been created on the selected Virtual Office portal.

  • Logging On this page you configure the information that will appear in Virtual Office log reports. Virtual Office logs can help you track service usage and diagnose problems. Typically, you won't use logging because of the overhead that it requires, but it is useful for gathering environment and troubleshooting information.

    • Logging Check this box to enable logging.

    • Logging Level Sets the level of logging that will be performed. There are three levels of information you can obtain from the logging report. It's counter-intuitive, but selecting Low will log all available information, Medium limits logging output, and High restricts log output even more.

    • Logging Modules Lets you specify the specific Virtual Office modules that you want to include in the logging. Leave the field blank to log all modules.

    • Logging to Standard Error Check this box to log to the defined Standard Error device. By default, this is the Tomcat logger screen.

    • Logging to Standard Out Check this box to log to the defined Standard Out device. By default, this is the Tomcat logger screen.

    • Logging to File Check this box to send the log to a file. By default, the log file is /var/opt/novell/tomcat4/webapps/vo/WEB-INF/debug.xml.

When you have completed the initial configuration of Virtual Office, you can move on to the configuration of the services available through the Virtual Office portal.

CONFIGURING VIRTUAL OFFICE SERVICES

Several Virtual Office services ship with OES Linux, but in order to use each you must perform some basic configuration, primarily centered on enabling the service and specifying the location of the service on the network.

NOTE

If you are interested in doing more advanced customization, or in developing your own Virtual Office services, you can use the Novell exteNd development tools for doing this. For more information on exteNd, see the OES online documentation.


To configure the various Virtual Office services, complete the following steps:

1.

Launch the Virtual Office web interface (https://<virtual office server>/vo) and authenticate as a user with administrative rights in eDirectory (for example, Admin).

2.

Select Services in the Navigation frame to open the Services configuration page.

3.

Use the tabs provided on the Services page, as shown in Figure 15.3, to configure Virtual Office services. If you don't select Enable on one or more of these tabs, that service will be removed from your Virtual Office web page.

  • Company Info Use this option to specify the information that will appear in the News field in the Virtual Office web page. Enter regular text or HTML in the text box to specify the information that should appear in the News field.

  • NetStorage You must have NetStorage installed and configured before enabling this service. For more information on NetStorage, see Chapter 12. Specify the location of the NetStorage service to be used by Virtual Office. You can run NetStorage from the same server that is running Virtual Office, or from a different server, or you can specify a custom location for the NetStorage service. Unless you are using the default local location for NetStorage, you will have to provide the complete IP or DNS path to the NetStorage service.

  • iPrint You must have Novell iPrint installed and configured before enabling this service. For more information on iPrint, see Chapter 13. Specify the location of the iPrint service to be used by Virtual Office. You can run iPrint from the same server that is running Virtual Office, from a different server, or specify a custom location for the iPrint service. Unless you are using the default local location for iPrint, you will have to provide the complete IP or DNS path to the iPrint service.

  • eGuide You must have eGuide installed and configured before enabling this service. More information on eGuide is available later in this chapter and in the OES Linux online documentation. Specify the location of the eGuide service to be used by Virtual Office. You can run eGuide from the same server that is running Virtual Office, from a different server, or specify a custom location for the eGuide service. Unless you are using the default local location for eGuide, you will have to provide the complete IP or DNS path to the eGuide service.

  • ZENworks You must have ZENworks for Desktops installed and configured before enabling this service. When enabled, certain ZENworks services can be accessed through Virtual Office, such as application distribution. For more information, see the OES online documentation.

  • Bookmarks Virtual Office allows you to specify default web links that you want to appear on the Virtual Office Navigation bar and/or a user's Virtual Office Web page.

  • Email You must have an email service installed and configured before enabling this service. There are two steps to making a user's email available through Virtual Office: First, you specify the type of email system with which Virtual Office will integrate, and then you click the Edit button next to the server link to specify the type and location (IP or DNS name) of the mail server to which Virtual Office should attach.

  • Public Web Page Enables/disables users' ability to configure personal web pages that will be accessible through Virtual Office. Users will do the Public Web Page configuration if you enable the service.

  • Change Password Enables/disables users' ability to change their passwords, both regular and universal, through Virtual Office. This can be an important self-service tool to reduce burden on your help desk.

  • Web Search Configures access to QuickFinder web search through Virtual Office. You must have QuickFinder installed and configured prior to accessing it through Virtual Office. You can run QuickFinder from the same server that is running Virtual Office or from a different server. Unless you are using the default local location for QuickFinder, you will have to provide the complete IP or DNS path to the QuickFinder service.

Figure 15.3. Virtual Office services configuration.


When you have configured the various Virtual Office services to your satisfaction, Virtual Office is ready to use.

Virtual Teams

A virtual team is an ad-hoc shared portal that can support a project or any other group that needs access to shared resources. To create a virtual team, complete the following steps:

1.

Launch the Virtual Office web page, which is available at https://<server DNS name or IP address>/vo by default.

2.

Select Create Virtual Teams in the Navigation bar.

3.

Specify a name for the new virtual team and click Create. You can also enter a description for the team you are creating.

Within a virtual team, team members can exchange information, share files, and maintain a calendar of events. Virtual Office enables you to create and manage your own virtual teams and/or become a member of teams created by others.

CONFIGURING VIRTUAL TEAM SERVICES

Certain services are available only within the context of a virtual team. These special services are designed to enhance communication and productivity between the members of a virtual team. Clicking the icon for your newly created team in the My Virtual Teams section of the Navigation frame will open a web page (see Figure 15.4) from which the following team-specific services are available:

  • Discussion Team members can use the Discussion service as a web log of sorts to capture online discussions, and exchange ideas and messages. The discussion threads are accessible by all members of the team.

  • Files Team members can use the Files service as a web-based file-sharing tool. Files can be created, uploaded, deleted, and browsed through this service. The Files service uses the Team File Share location specified during the configuration of Virtual Office, discussed previously.

  • News The News area contains information provided by the owner of the Virtual Team. This is intended to be used as a tool for sharing important information quickly to all team members.

  • Links The Links service enables you to create a list of team-related links that can be shared among team members to facilitate research or collaboration.

Figure 15.4. Default virtual team portal in Virtual Office.


In addition to the team-specific services available through the Virtual Team link, two other resources are available to virtual team members:

  • Calendar From the Navigation frame, select Show Team Calendar. From this page, you can schedule team-related events and appointments and share this information with team members.

  • Team Webpage From the Navigation frame, select Show Team Webpage. The team web page provides basic information about the virtual team, including its purpose, team members, and lists of published web links and files that the team wants to make readily available.

MANAGING VIRTUAL TEAMS

As the owner of a virtual team, you have several management tasks available to you for configuring and managing your virtual team. When you have created a virtual team, open the team web page to perform one or more of the following tasks:

  • Show Team Members From the Team Membership column, select Show Team Members, and then click Membership.

  • Invite a User From the Team Membership column, select Invite a User, and then click Add. When invited, a user can choose to accept or reject the invitation.

  • Approve a Request From the Team Membership column, select Approve a Request, and then click Approve or Deny.

  • Show Team Owners From the Team Membership column, select Show Team Owners, and then click Add. After being added, new team owners have the same rights you do, including the capability to remove you as an owner! For this reason, make sure team ownership is handed out carefully.

  • Show Blocked Users From the Team Membership column, select Show Blocked Users, and then click Add. This option enables you to manage team membership by exception, rather than having to specify each user who should be a member.

  • Show Team Properties From the Team Membership column, select Show Team Properties. From this page, you can update the name, description, or services associated with a virtual team.

  • Set Notify Preferences From the Team Membership column, select Set Notify Preferences and select each event for which you want team members automatically notified via email.

  • Delete This Team From the Team Membership column, select Delete This Team, and then click Delete twice more. When a virtual team has served its purpose, you can delete it very easily.

As you can see from this list, virtual team owners have several tools at their disposal to manage the operation of the team portal, control access to the team portal, and make sure that usage of the team portal is only for designated purposes.

JOINING A VIRTUAL TEAM

You must be a member of a virtual team to have access to information and services associated within that virtual team. To request membership in a virtual team, complete the following steps:

1.

Launch the Virtual Office web page, which is available at https://<server DNS name or IP address>/vo by default.

2.

Select Join Virtual Team in the Navigation frame.

3.

Select the team you want to join from the list of available teams, and click Join.

4.

Click Request to request permission to join the team of the team's owner. Click OK to finish the team joining process.

After the owner approves your request, you become a member of the team and will have access to the virtual team resources. Any user can request membership to virtual teams, but membership is granted only when approved by the virtual team owner.



    NovellR Open Enterprise Server Administrator's Handbook SUSE LINUX Edition
    Novell Open Enterprise Server Administrators Handbook, SUSE LINUX Edition
    ISBN: 067232749X
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 178

    flylib.com © 2008-2017.
    If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net