Cross-Platform Issues in the Post Office

GroupWise is designed to function in a variety of environments. The GroupWise client runs on the following platforms:

In addition, GroupWise users can access their mailboxes without using the GroupWise client through the following applications:

Post offices can be located on the following platforms:

The GroupWise agents can run on the following platforms:

In general, GroupWise is most efficient if you match the agent platform with the network operating system, so the POA and the post office should be on the same platform, and the client should be on a compatible platform. Those with mixed networks might wonder what combinations are possible. You have several alternatives.


Client/Post Office Platform Independence through Browser Technology

If your GroupWise users want to access their mailboxes through POP3 or LDAP4 clients, it makes no difference what platform their post offices are located on. However, users are limited to the client capabilities of their POP3 or LDAP4 clients.

If you install GroupWise WebAccess on a Web server, GroupWise users can still access their mailboxes through their browsers, and with more native GroupWise features available. See WebAccess for more information.


Client/Post Office Platform Independence through Client/Server Mode

The GroupWise 6 client defaults to client/server access mode.With this configuration, it makes no difference what platform users' post offices are located on. The GroupWise client accesses the post office by communicating with the POA using TCP/IP, which is a platform-independent protocol.


POA/Post Office Platform Dependencies Because of Direct Access Requirements

The POA must have direct access to the post office directory. Therefore, the POA must be able to log in to the machine where the post office is located and must be able to write to the databases and directories located in the post office. The table below summarizes the various combinations of POA and post office platforms and indicates which combinations work and which ones do not for GroupWise 6:

  NetWare POA Windows POA UNIX POA

Post Office on NetWare

Yes

Yes

Not supported[2]

Post Office on Windows

No[1]

Yes

Not supported[2]

Post Office on UNIX

Not supported[2]

Not supported[2]

Supported for GroupWise 5.x

Post Office on Macintosh

No[3]

No[3]

No[3]

[1] The NetWare® POA cannot service a post office on a Windows machine because Windows does not support the required cross-platform connection.
[2] For these combinations, an NFS connection would be required, which is not a supported configuration for the agents.
[3] Post offices cannot be created on Macintosh computers.