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Practical Networking: Setting Up the GroupWise Internet Agent

Articles and Tips:

Mickey Applebaum

01 Apr 1998


Novell's GroupWise 5.2 includes the GroupWise Internet Agent, which allows you to exchange e-mail messages between GroupWise 5.2 and the Internet and to attach files to these messages. This new gateway service replaces the GroupWise Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) gateway, which you had to purchase separately with previous versions of GroupWise.

The GroupWise Internet Agent supports several protocols that were not supported by the GroupWise SMTP/MIME gateway. For example, the GroupWise Internet Agent supports Internet Messaging Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) and Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3). As a result, you can access GroupWise 5.2 using any Internet e-mail client software that is IMAP4 or POP3 compliant, including Netscape Mail and Eudora Pro.

Although the GroupWise Internet Agent is a great tool that extends the capabilities of GroupWise 5.2 to the Internet, setting up this agent can be difficult because the GroupWise 5.2 documentation is somewhat confusing. (You install and configure the GroupWise Internet Agent separately from GroupWise 5.2.) This article explains how to avoid a few of the most common setup problems.

DROPPED E-MAIL MESSAGES

Because the GroupWise 5.2 documentation does not clearly explain how to enter your company's domain name when you set up the GroupWise Internet Agent, you may inadvertently enter no domain name. If you do not enter this domain name, however, the GroupWise Internet Agent drops all incoming e-mail messages into the Problem directory, and recipients do not receive these messages. Senders then receive a notification that the destination is unavailable.

To enter your company's domain name, you must ensure that Novell's NetWare Administrator (NWADMIN) utility for Windows 95 or Windows NT is installed on at least one workstation. You must also ensure that the GroupWise snap-in module for the NWADMIN utility is installed. (This snap-in module is included with GroupWise 5.2.)

Once the NWADMIN utility and the GroupWise snap-in module are installed, you complete the following steps:

  1. Launch the NWADMIN utility from the Windows 95 or Windows NT workstation on which you installed the GroupWise snap-in module.

  2. Browse the Novell Directory Services (NDS) tree, and locate the object that you created for the GroupWise Internet Agent during the installation process. Double-click this object's icon.

  3. The Details page appears. In the Foreign ID field, enter your company's domain name, such as novell.com. Click the OK button, and exit the NWADMIN utility.

  4. At the server console, restart the GroupWise Internet Agent by entering the following commands:UNLOAD GWIALOAD GWIA

INCORRECT IDENTIFICATION

Unfortunately, the GroupWise 5.2 documentation does not explain how the internal naming operations of the GroupWise Internet Agent affect the agent's ability to connect to the GroupWise 5.2 post office and message transfer agents. Because the internal naming operations are unclear, you may not understand that you must enter the TCP/IP address for the server running the GroupWise Internet Agent. If you do not enter this TCP/IP address, GroupWise 5.2 cannot find or load the GroupWise Internet Agent.

To enter the TCP/IP address for the server running the GroupWise Internet Agent, you complete the following steps:

  1. Launch the NWADMIN utility from the Windows 95 or Windows NT workstation on which you installed the GroupWise snap-in module.

  2. Browse the NDS tree, and locate the GroupWise Internet Agent object. Double-click this object's icon.

  3. The Details page appears. Click the Network Address button.

  4. The Network Address page appears. Click the TCP/IP button, and click the Add button. Then enter the TCP/IP address for the server running the GroupWise Internet Agent. Click the OK button, and exit the NWADMIN utility.

  5. At the server console, restart the GroupWise Internet Agent by entering the following commands:UNLOAD GWIALOAD GWIA

NO LINE FEEDS

By default, the GroupWise Internet Agent does not insert line feeds into e-mail messages. If you do not set up the GroupWise Internet Agent to add line feeds, the text may not wrap properly when recipients view e-mail messages.

To ensure that the GroupWise Internet Agent adds line feeds, you complete the following steps:

  1. Launch the NWADMIN utility from the Windows 95 or Windows NT workstation on which you installed the GroupWise snap-in module.

  2. Browse the NDS tree, and locate the GroupWise Internet Agent object. Double-click this object's icon.

  3. The Details page appears. Click the Advanced Settings button.

  4. The Advanced Settings page appears. Scroll down the list of available options, and select the Line Wrap Length for Message Text on Outbound Mail option. Then enter the number 70 in the Setting field to force the GroupWise Internet Agent to add a line feed after the 70th character on each line of an e-mail message. (The GroupWise Internet Agent can detect when the 70th character is in the middle of a word and will add a line feed before the word begins.)Click the OK button, and exit the NWADMIN utility.

  5. At the server console, restart the GroupWise Internet Agent by entering the following commands:UNLOAD GWIALOAD GWIA

READ STATUS NOTIFICATIONS

By default, the GroupWise Internet Agent sends read status notifications. When recipients read their e-mail messages, the GroupWise Internet Agent sends a notification to the senders, reporting that these messages have been opened. Because this capability imposes significant overhead on the server running the GroupWise Internet Agent and generates unnecessary traffic, you should disable this capability.

To prevent the GroupWise Internet Agent from sending read status notifications, you complete the following steps:

  1. Launch the NWADMIN utility from the Windows 95 or Windows NT workstation on which you installed the GroupWise snap-in module.

  2. Browse the NDS tree, and locate the GroupWise Internet Agent object. Double-click this object's icon.

  3. The Details page appears. Click the Optional Gateway Settings button.

  4. The Optional Gateway Settings page appears. Scroll down the list of available options in the Outbound Status Level pull-down menu, and select the Undelivered option.Click the OK button, and exit the NWADMIN utility.

  5. At the server console, restart the GroupWise Internet Agent by entering the following commands:UNLOAD GWIALOAD GWIA

CONCLUSION

By spending just a little time setting up the GroupWise Internet Agent, you can reduce the amount of time you will spend tracking down problems on your company's GroupWise 5.2 system. In addition, you can reduce the amount of traffic that travels over your company's Internet connection.

Mickey Applebaum has worked with NetWare for 14 years. Mickey currently provides technical support on the Internet for The Tech Forums Inc. (http://theforums.com). You can reach Mickey atmickey@homein.salt-lake-city.ut.us.

NetWare Connection,April 1998, pp. 36-37

* Originally published in Novell Connection Magazine

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