04
Mon, Nov
1 New Articles

Domino R6 Hits the Streets

Collaboration & Messaging
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

On October 1, 2000, IBM's Lotus division released the long-awaited Domino R6 email and collaboration server. Beta versions of R6 have been widely circulated over the last year to both large and small organizations, and IBM's goal to bring Domino into line with its larger WebSphere strategies seems to have been successful. In addition, IBM released the newest versions of Lotus Sametime, QuickPlace, and LearningSpace.

During this climate of severe IT recession--when companies and organizations are reluctant to spend on new installations or upgrades--Lotus has crafted this release to address the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of collaboration suites. Simultaneously, the new and advanced features of Domino R6--combined with SameTime, QuickPlace, and LearningSpace Virtual Classroom--offer a new range of functionality that is more affordable to a larger market segment.

Domino R6: Reaching Beyond Email

Lotus' pedigree in providing collaboration services has been extraordinary. Starting with cc:Mail, Lotus intuitively understood that messaging would revolutionize the work place as PCs evolved. The cc:Mail product was followed by the original proprietary Lotus Notes messaging workflow server and--with the proliferation of TCP/IP--evolved its products and services around the concept of cross-platform servers that could facilitate Knowledge Management.

However, the consumer market seemed to view the Notes server offering only as a contestant against Microsoft's Exchange Server and Outlook email client in a race to establish the largest installed base for email client seats. How could Lotus, the press asked, compete against Microsoft's bundled Exchange Server and its free Outlook desktop client?

Instead of counting installed client seats, they should have been counting collaborative applications that could be quickly built and customized to meet the workflow needs of organizations. Here, Lotus has had a significant edge in automating the office workspace: Its established Business Partner and developer network continues to offer some of the most advanced capabilities at the least expense. Today, Lotus Domino Server installations exist in 96 of the Fortune 100 companies, nine of the largest U.S. chemical companies, 14 of the largest worldwide automobile manufacturers, nine of the largest healthcare/pharmaceutical companies, and seven of the largest U.S. aerospace and defense companies. R6 of Domino will undoubtedly continue to win converts. Why? As soon as companies reach beyond the email to automate messaging workflow, they instinctively reach for the functionality of Domino applications.

Lotus Notes and Domino 6 include new anti-spam features, increased security features, improved administration tools, and more than 1,000 client improvements to help users enhance their productivity. Domino 6 also includes a limited-use license for IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) to enable the reuse of Domino objects in J2EE applications. Lotus believes that this combination of new features and integration across IBM's software portfolio can provide a distinct advantage over Microsoft and will help IBM to build on its installed base of 95+ million users.

Other new features help to consolidate server hardware, reduce disk space use, and minimize network traffic. New policy-based administration and client-upgrade automation tools help lower administration costs while improving in-box management and advanced calendar and scheduling functionality. New information control features--such as improved mail archiving, mail journaling, and new spam control--help to increase worker productivity and conserve IT resources.

In addition, Lotus has brought its Domino R6 development environment into closer alignment with IBM's entire software portfolio and has provided greater support for Microsoft's Active Directory, which will allow customers to blend Notes and Domino 6 into their current infrastructure. Finally, customers will get a free copy of IBM's WAS, which will provide J2EE support.

Bundling Strategies for TCO: Sametime, QuickPlace, and LearningSpace

Lotus timed its release of R6 to coincide with the latest releases of its Sametime, QuickPlace, and LearningSpace products. Lotus says that Sametime 3 is the first enterprise instant messaging and e-meeting solution to offer the ability for community-to-community connection with security features.

Lotus QuickPlace 3 offers close integration with Lotus Sametime, enabling users to see which of their colleagues are online and initiate an e-meeting or a Sametime chat right from a QuickPlace. By building on the already robust features of Lotus Sametime and QuickPlace, these enhancements help to provide an even more reliable and stable platform for collaboration.

Lotus LearningSpace - Virtual Classroom is an easy-to-deploy and cost-effective e-learning system that helps enable real-time collaboration between instructors and learners and helps organizations rapidly implement an e-learning solution. It's an ideal solution for organizations that need to frequently and efficiently train geographically dispersed employees, business partners, and suppliers on critical matters such as industry regulations, product development changes, and business transformations.

Lotus' strategy is to either offer each of these products as standalone offerings or bundle them into attractive suites that can significantly lower the TCO. In addition, by making the suites run on a variety of hardware platforms, customers can choose the most cost-effective hardware profile for their sites.

Integration: How It's Employed in Collaboration Services

One good example of how Lotus is defining collaboration integration between its various products might be in Web conferencing. Using Lotus QuickPlace, Sametime, and the R6 Notes client, a Web conference can be scheduled to automatically appear on a participant's Notes client calendar. At the appropriate conference meeting time, a single click activates the connection for the user to participate with voice, video, and whiteboard across the Internet. The connection is secure, and the performance is skillfully controlled by virtual participants across the hall or across the country. A similar scenario might unfold for someone using the LearningSpace Virtual Classroom, where participants can ask questions of remote instructors across a virtual network. This type of seamless integration is the hallmark of a maturing automation technology, and in this era of restricted travel budgets for face-to-face meetings, integrated collaboration services represent a significant cost savings to large and growing organizations.

Availability

Notes and Domino 6, Sametime 3, QuickPlace 3 and LearningSpace - Virtual Classroom are now available through IBM Business Partner Channels. For more information visit the Lotus Web site.

Thomas M. Stockwell is the Editor in Chief of MC Press, LLC. He has written extensively about program development, project management, IT management, and IT consulting and has been a frequent contributor to many midrange periodicals. He has authored numerous white papers for iSeries solutions providers. His most recent consulting assignments have been as a Senior Industry Analyst working with IBM on the iSeries, on the mid-market, and specifically on WebSphere brand positioning. He welcomes your comments about this or other articles and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thomas Stockwell

Thomas M. Stockwell is an independent IT analyst and writer. He is the former Editor in Chief of MC Press Online and Midrange Computing magazine and has over 20 years of experience as a programmer, systems engineer, IT director, industry analyst, author, speaker, consultant, and editor.  

 

Tom works from his home in the Napa Valley in California. He can be reached at ITincendiary.com.

 

 

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: