Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack 1.2

Readme

August 4, 2011

1.0 Overview

The Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack creates or updates a Synchronizer system that consists of the Synchronizer services, the GroupWise Connector, and the Mobility Connector on a single server. This Synchronizer system enables you to easily synchronize GroupWise data to mobile devices.

Mobility Pack 1.2 provides the following enhanced features compared to Mobility Pack 1.1:

  • Increased Number of Supported Users: A single Synchronizer server can now support as many as 500 users/devices.

  • HTML Support: E-mail messages that display in HTML format in GroupWise now display in HTML format on Apple iOS mobile devices.

  • Reply/Forward Icons: If you reply to or forward an item on your mobile device, the typical Reply or Forward icon now displays when you view the item in a GroupWise client.

  • Plug-in for the Novell Technical Services supportconfig Utility: The Mobility Pack now includes a plug-in for the Novell Technical Services supportconfig utility, which gathers system information to help you analyze and troubleshoot your Synchronizer system.

  • Performance and Stability Improvements: Synchronization occurs more rapidly and consistently.

  • Improved Browser Support: Synchronizer Web Admin now displays correctly in Internet Explorer 8 and 9 without enabling Compatibility View. Firefox 4 is fully supported.

Updates to the Mobility Pack are released regularly. Some updates are major version updates, such as Mobility Pack 1.1.x to Mobility Pack 1.2. Other updates are minor updates to an existing version, such as Mobility Pack 1.2 to Mobility Pack 1.2.x.

For a list of the bugs that have been fixed since Mobility Pack 1.1, see Section 8.0, Mobility Pack 1.2 Bug Fixes.

2.0 Mobility Pack System Requirements

See the system requirements for each component of your Mobility Pack installation:

3.0 Installation Instructions for Creating a New Synchronizer System

Follow the instructions in this section if you are installing Mobility Pack 1.2 in order to create a new Synchronizer system.

The Mobility Pack 1.2 ISO is available from the Novell Downloads Web site. You use YaST to install Mobility Pack 1.2 from the downloaded ISO.

NOTE:If you need to uninstall and reinstall the Mobility Pack, follow the instructions in Uninstalling the Mobility Pack in the Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack Installation Guide. See also Section 5.11, Thorough Uninstallation Required.

3.1 Obtaining the Mobility Pack 1.2 ISO from the Novell Downloads Web Site

  1. On Novell Downloads, click Search Patches.

    IMPORTANT:The Mobility Pack 1.2 software is located in the Patches list, not the Products list.

  2. Select Data Synchronizer, then click Search.

  3. Under Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack 1.2, click Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack 1.2 x86-64.

  4. Click Proceed to Download, then follow the online instructions to download the Mobility Pack 1.2 ISO to a convenient temporary directory on the Synchronizer server.

  5. Continue with Installing Mobility Pack 1.2 to Create Your New Synchronizer System.

3.2 Installing Mobility Pack 1.2 to Create Your New Synchronizer System

  1. Make sure that the Linux server where you plan to install the Mobility Pack meets the system requirements.

  2. If a Web server is currently running on the Synchronizer server, stop it, and preferably disable it.

  3. Use YaST to install the Mobility Pack 1.2 ISO:

    1. Under Groups, click Software, then click Add-On Products.

    2. Install the Mobility Pack as an add-on product.

Complete installation instructions are available in Installing and Setting Up a Data Synchronizer System in the Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack Installation Guide.

For additional planning assistance, see the Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack Best Practices Wiki.

4.0 Installation Instructions for Updating an Existing Synchronizer System

Follow the instructions in this section to update an existing Synchronizer system.

IMPORTANT:Mobility Pack 1.2 includes a Mobility database schema update, which makes the update process take substantially longer than updates that do not include database schema updates.

  1. Obtain the Mobility Pack 1.2 ISO from the Novell Customer Center.

    or

    Obtain the Mobility Pack 1.2 ISO from the Novell Downloads Web site.

  2. In YaST, run Patch CD Update to install the updated Mobility Pack ISO to your Synchronizer system.

  3. Make sure that PostgreSQL is running:

    rcpostgresql status
    
  4. Run the Mobility Pack Update script:

    /opt/novell/datasync/update.sh
    

    For some version updates, the update process finishes quickly. However, when the version update includes database schema modifications, the update process can be lengthy for a large database.

    WARNING:Do not cancel this process, even if it takes a very long time. Cancelling the process before it completes can cause damage to the Mobility database.

  5. Restart the Synchronizer services and PostgreSQL:

    rcdatasync stop
    rcpostgresql restart
    rcdatasync start
    

For more detailed instructions, see Mobility Pack Update in the Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack Installation Guide.

5.0 Installation Issues

5.1 Database Schema Update in Mobility Pack 1.2

If you are updating your Synchronizer system from an earlier version of the Mobility Pack, the update process includes a schema update for the Mobility database. As a result, when you run the update.sh script, the update process might take a long time to complete, even up to an hour or more for a large Mobility database. Be patient while the update process completes.

WARNING:Do not cancel this process, even if it takes a very long time. Cancelling the process before it completes can cause damage to the Mobility database.

5.2 Synchronizer System Configuration

A Synchronizer system can communicate with only one GroupWise system. Creating multiple connectors of the same type on a single Synchronizer server is not supported. For more details, see Synchronizer System Configuration in Mobility Pack Product Overview in the Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack Installation Guide.

5.3 Special Characters in the Mobility Database Password

If you have used special characters such as a dollar sign ($) or an ampersand (&) in the Mobility database password, the Update script displays the following error:

psql: FATAL: password authentication failed for user datasync_user

This error is merely cosmetic. The schema update has been successfully completed.

5.4 Virtualization Support

The Mobility Pack is supported in a virtual environment, but performance might be somewhat slower when virtualized. Individual results might vary.

5.5 GroupWise Trusted Application Creation

Before you run the Mobility Pack Installation program, you must create a GroupWise trusted application so that the GroupWise Connector can log in to a GroupWise Post Office Agent (POA) in order to access GroupWise mailboxes without needing personal user passwords. When you set up the GroupWise Connector as a trusted application, you need to fill in only three fields in the Create Trusted Application dialog box in ConsoleOne: Name, Location for Key File, and Name of Key File. Do not fill in any other fields. If you fill in additional fields, the trusted application does not work correctly with the GroupWise Connector.

5.6 YaST Proposal Error

When you run the Mobility Pack Installation program in YaST, you might see the following error:

The proposal contains an error that must be resolved before continuing

This error indicates that you clicked Next without providing the configuration information for your Synchronizer system. Instead of clicking Next, click Change > Mobility Pack Configuration, then provide the configuration as prompted. After you provide the configuration information, click Next.

5.7 YaST Hangs When Browsing Files in the Installation Program

When you run the Mobility Pack Installation program on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 SP1, the Installation program might hang if you browse to and select a file. This can occur if you try to browse to and select any of the following files during installation:

  • Mobility Pack ISO file

  • GroupWise trusted application key file

  • Certificate file

As a workaround, type the full path and filename for the file instead of browsing to it.

5.8 Required Python Package Version

If you already have Python packages installed on the server where you are installing the Mobility Pack, the Installation program needs to update the existing packages, rather than install new packages. This does not happen by default.

When you run the Installation program, you are prompted if packages need to be updated. Enter 1 for Solution 1 to update each package.

5.9 Mobility Pack Installation Program Fails on a 32-Bit/x86 Processor

The Mobility Pack must be installed on a server with a 64-bit/x86 processor. If you try to install it on a server with a 32-bit/x86 processor, the Mobility Pack Installation program does not detect the problem. It tries to run, but it cannot run correctly.

If the behavior of the Installation program does not match the installation instructions provided in the Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack Installation Guide, make sure that you are installing the Mobility Pack on a server that meets the documented system requirements.

There are currently no plans to make the Mobility Pack available in a 32-bit version.

5.10 Unnecessary Traffic Created by Extraneous Users

When you add users to your Synchronizer system, data is automatically synchronized from GroupWise to the Mobility Connector before users connect their mobile devices to your Synchronizer system. Do not add users to your Synchronizer system who do not have mobile devices. Extraneous users create unnecessary synchronization traffic in your Synchronizer system.

5.11 Thorough Uninstallation Required

The standard uninstallation procedures provided in Uninstalling the Mobility Pack in the Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack Installation Guide occasionally fail to completely uninstall the Mobility Pack because of various server-specific issues. When the Mobility Pack software is not completely uninstalled, the next installation does not proceed normally. For example, you might encounter problems configuring LDAP access during installation. To ensure that the Mobility Pack software has been completely uninstalled, perform the following checks:

  • In YaST, click Software > Add-On Products. The Mobility Pack should not be listed. If it is still listed, select it, then click Delete.

  • In YaST, click Software > Software Repositories. The Mobility Pack repository should not be listed. If it is still listed, select it, then click Delete.

    IMPORTANT:If you do not remove the existing Mobility Pack repository, you cannot successfully install the next version of the Mobility Pack software.

  • In YaST, click Software > Software Management. In the Filters drop-down list, select Patterns. Under the Primary Functions heading, the Mobility Pack should not be listed. If it is still listed, select it. Review the Packages list for any packages that were not successfully uninstalled and uninstall them.

  • In YaST, click Software > Software Management. In the Search field, specify datasync, then click Search. The Packages list should be empty. If any Data Synchronizer packages are still listed, uninstall them.

  • Log in as root in a terminal window, then check for Data Synchronizer RPMs:

    rpm -qa | grep datasync
    

    If any Data Synchronizer RPMs are still installed, uninstall them:

    rpm -e rpm_name.rpm
    
  • Make sure that none of the following directories still exist on your server:

    /opt/novell/datasync
    /etc/datasync
    /etc/init.d/datasync*
    /var/lib/datasync
    /var/log/datasync
    /var/run/datasync
    /var/lib/pgsql
    

    If any of these directories still exist, delete them.

  • After performing all these checks, reboot the Synchronizer server.

  • Remove the Synchronizer certificate from any workstations where you have run Synchronizer Web Admin. For example, in Firefox, click Tools > Options > Advanced > Encryption > View Certificates. Select the certificate named DataSync Web Admin, then click Delete.

6.0 Data Synchronizer Issues

6.1 Moved Users in eDirectory Groups

If you add a user to a connector as part of an eDirectory group, and if you subsequently move the user from one eDirectory container to another, the user is removed from the connector because the user’s context has changed. There is currently no mechanism for the connector to detect this change.

As a workaround:

  1. Delete the user from the eDirectory group.

  2. Wait until the user has been removed from all connectors.

  3. Add the user back to the eDirectory group, so that the user’s new context is available to the connectors.

6.2 Users and Groups Not Displayed Correctly in Synchronizer Web Admin

When you add or delete a large number of users or groups in Synchronizer Web Admin, the Manage Users page or the Manage Groups page might not correctly display the presence or absence of the users or groups. Refresh the page in your browser to correctly display the users or groups.

6.3 Synchronizer Web Admin Responsiveness

After you add a large number of users to the GroupWise Connector, the responsiveness of Synchronizer Web Admin might diminish each time you restart the GroupWise Connector. For example, it might take longer to log in to Synchronizer Web Admin, or you might not be able to navigate easily between pages while the GroupWise Connector is starting. This occurs because the GroupWise Connector verifies all of the users each time it starts. After the user verification process is completed, Synchronizer Web Admin behaves normally.

6.4 Connector Configuration Settings

On the Connector Configuration Settings pages for the GroupWise Connector and the Mobility Connector, if you set and save general connector settings, then set and save connector-specific settings, the general connector settings are not actually saved. However, if you set and save connector-specific settings, then set and save general connector settings, all changed settings are saved as expected.

6.5 GroupWise Mobile Server Compatibility

The Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack is the replacement for GroupWise Mobile Server (GMS). These two synchronization solutions can coexist successfully, as long as users are transitioned from GMS to Synchronizer in a timely manner. An issue with GMS can cause a user whose mobile device is configured to use both synchronization solutions to occasionally receive a large quantity of extraneous items. As you add users to Synchronizer, you should delete them from GMS. You can continue to run GMS indefinitely to support users with older mobile devices that are not supported by Synchronizer.

7.0 Connector Issues

7.1 General Connector Issues

7.1.1 User Deletion

In order to delete users from a connector, the connector must be running. If the connector is not running, some user event data is not properly deleted. When the connector starts again, the administrator does not need to take any additional action.

7.1.2 Connector Does Not Stop

When you stop a connector in Synchronizer Web Admin and then start it again immediately, the status might indefinitely remain as Starting. This can happen because the connector did not completely stop before you tried to restart it. The connector might have been completing a polling cycle before shutting down, even though Synchronizer Web Admin displayed the status as Stopped. When you try to start a connector that is still shutting down, it cannot start normally.

To restart the connector when this situation has occurred:

  1. Restart the Connector Manager on the command line:

    rcdatasync-connectors restart
    

    This should change the connector status in Synchronizer Web Admin from Starting to Stopped.

  2. Start the connector in Synchronizer Web Admin.

  3. Start any other connectors that stopped as a result of restarting the Connector Manager.

    Some connectors restart automatically when the Connector Manager restarts.

If this problem occurs repeatedly, wait a few seconds between the time when you stop the connector and when you start it again to allow the connector to shut down completely before restarting.

7.1.3 Multiple Instances of the Same Connector

Synchronizer Web Admin allows you to manually create multiple instances of the same connector. However, this configuration is not currently supported.

If you have more users than a single connector can service, you can install one or more additional instances of the Mobility Pack on additional servers until all users are being successfully serviced. Users can be organized on multiple instances of the Mobility Pack based on various schemes such as the location of the users, the location of the synchronized applications, or the desired quality of service (executives vs. regular employees, for example). Instances of the Mobility Pack do not need to mirror the structure of your GroupWise system.

7.2 Connector-Specific Issues

Refer to the Readme for each connector on the Novell Data Synchronizer Connectors Documentation Web site.

8.0 Mobility Pack 1.2 Bug Fixes

For all bugs that have been fixed since Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack 1.1, see the following bug fix lists:

If you have access to Novell Bugzilla, you can look up the bug numbers for more information about each bug.

9.0 Documentation

The Mobility Pack documentation is available at the Novell Data Synchronizer Documentation Web site:

  • Mobility Pack Readme

  • Mobility Pack Installation Guide

  • Data Synchronizer System Administration Guide

Data Synchronizer connector documentation is available at the Novell Data Synchronizer Connector Documentation Web site

  • Connector Readmes

  • Connector Quick Starts

  • Connector installation and configuration guides

In addition to the Data Synchronizer product documentation, the following resources provide additional information about Data Synchronizer: