Planning GroupWise WebAccess

Before installing GroupWise WebAccess, you should complete the planning tasks listed below. The planning tasks help you gather information you will need as you install and set up GroupWise WebAccess. You can use the GroupWise WebAccess Installation Worksheet to record your installation and setup information.


Deciding Where to Install the GroupWise WebAccess Components

After reviewing GroupWise WebAccess Overview and the system requirements listed in WebAccess System Requirements, plan where you want to install the WebAccess components in your system.

After you've selected the servers where you will install the WebAccess components, you need to make sure they meet the requirements listed below.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 2: Server Platform and Installation Directory, specify the platform where you will install the WebAccess Agent, then specify the directory where you want to install the WebAccess Agent files. The default NetWare directory is sys:\system. The default Linux directory is /opt/novell/groupwise/agents/bin. The default Windows directory is c:\webacc.

If you are installing the WebAccess Agent on a NetWare server that is using Novell Cluster Services, under Item 4: Clustering Support, select Yes.

Under Item 13: Web Server Type and Root Directory, select the type of Web server where you will install the WebAccess Application and WebPublisher Application, then specify the Web server's root directory.

Under Item 17: Novell Root Directory, specify a directory on the Web server where you want to install the configuration files for the WebAccess Application and WebPublisher Application.

Under Item 18: Java Servlet Engine, if you are installing to a NetWare or Windows server, select whether you want to use the Novell Servlet Gateway, the Tomcat servlet engine, or another Java servlet engine. If you use the Tomcat servlet engine or another Java servlet engine, it must already be installed and you must specify the path to its root directory. (If you are installing to a Linux server, the Apache 2 Web server, Java SDK, Tomcat 4 servlet engine, and Jakarta connector are all installed and configured when you install the WebAccess Application and WebPublisher Application, so you do not need to make this selection.)


Determining the WebAccess Agent's Configuration

As you install the WebAccess Agent, you are prompted to supply the configuration information described in the following sections:


Network Address

The WebAccess Agent communicates with the WebAccess Application and WebPublisher Application (on the Web server) through TCP/IP.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 3: Server Address, specify the IP address or DNS hostname of the WebAccess Agent's server, then specify the port number for the agent to use. The default is 7205.


Gateway Directory Location and Name

The WebAccess Agent requires a GroupWise gateway directory in which to store configuration information and work files. The gateway directory must be located under a GroupWise domain directory. The default directory name is WEBAC65A on NetWare and Windows, webacc65a on Linux. If you change the name on NetWare, use a maximum of 8 characters in the new name. If you change the name on Linux, use lowercase letters.

After you specify the domain directory location and a gateway directory name, the WebAccess Installation program creates the gateway directory under the domain\wpgate directory (for example, provo\wpgate\webac65a on NetWare and Windows, provo/wpgate/webacc65a on Linux).

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 5: Gateway Directory, specify the domain name and the full path to the domain directory where you want to create the gateway directory, then give the gateway directory a name.

If you are installing the Linux WebAccess Agent, record the eDirectoryTM context of the Domain object (for example, cn=provo3,ou=groupwise,o=corporate).


Gateway Object Name

The WebAccess Agent also requires a GroupWise Gateway object in Novell eDirectory. This object stores the WebAccess Agent's information and enables configuration of the agent through ConsoleOne®.

The WebAccess Agent's object is created below the Domain object. If you have multiple domains, the WebAccess Installation program uses the Domain object associated with the domain directory where you are creating the WebAccess Agent's gateway directory.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 6: Gateway Object, specify the name you want to give the WebAccess Agent's object. The default name is the same as the gateway directory name you chose for Item 5.


Domain and Post Office Access

The WebAccess Agent requires access to the domain. It also requires access to each post office where mailboxes or libraries are located that WebAccess or WebPublisher users will access.

Domain: The WebAccess Agent needs direct access (mapped drive, UNC path, or file system mount) to the domain directory.

Post Offices: The WebAccess Agent needs direct access (mapped drive, UNC path, or file system mount) to the post office directory or client/server access (TCP/IP) to the post office's POA. By default, the WebAccess Agent uses whatever access mode has been established for the post office (ConsoleOne > Post Office object > GroupWise tab > Post Office Settings page).

If you are using the NetWare or Linux versions of the WebAccess Agent, you need to ensure that an eDirectory user account exists that provides the required access to the domain and post office directories. For direct access to the domain directory or a post office directory, the WebAccess Agent needs Read, Write, Create, Erase, Modify, and File Scan rights.

If you are using the Windows version of the WebAccess Agent, you need to ensure that:

  • A Windows user account exists on the Windows server for the agent.
  • If the domain or any post office directories (directly accessed by the WebAccess Agent) are on Windows servers, the Windows user account provides Full Control access to those directories.
  • If the domain directory or any post office directories (directly accessed by the WebAccess Agent) are on NetWare servers, the WebAccess Agent has an eDirectory user account with the same username and password as the agent's Windows user account. The eDirectory account must provide Read, Write, Create, Erase, Modify, and File Scan rights to the directories.
  • If the WebAccess Agent does require an eDirectory user account, the context of the account is defined in the bindery context of all NetWare servers that will be accessed.
GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 7: eDirectory Authentication, specify the eDirectory username and password you want the WebAccess Agent to use to access the domain directory and post office directories. This applies to the NetWare WebAccess Agent only.

If you are using the Windows WebAccess Agent, ensure that the appropriate Windows and eDirectory user accounts exist.


Windows Options

This section applies to the Windows version of the WebAccess Agent only.

The Windows WebAccess Agent can be configured to support SNMP. This enables the WebAccess Agent to be monitored and managed through an SNMP management program.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

If you want the WebAccess Agent to support SNMP, under Item 8: Execution Options, select the Install and Configure SNMP for WebAccess Agent option.

NOTE:  The NetWare and Linux WebAccess Agents rely on operating system components for SNMP functionality and do not require this installation option.

The WebAccess Agent can also run as a Windows service rather than a standard Windows application. To do so, the WebAccess Agent service requires a user account. The requirements for the Windows service user account are the same as those listed for the Windows WebAccess Agent in Domain and Post Office Access.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 8: Execution Options, select Run WebAccess Agent as a Windows Service.

Under Item 9: Windows Service User, enter the username and password for the service's user account.


Web Console

The WebAccess Agent console enables you to monitor the WebAccess Agent from the server where it is running. If you want, you can enable the WebAccess Agent's Web console. The Web console lets you view the WebAccess Agent's statistical and diagnostic information through a Web browser, which is useful if want to see the WebAccess Agent's activity without physically visiting the agent's server.

You access the Web console by entering the WebAccess Agent's network address and HTTP port number in a Web browser (for example, http://172.16.5.18:7211). If necessary, you can change the WebAccess Agent's default HTTP port number (7211).

If you want to restrict access to the Web console, you can assign a username and password. This can be any username and password you want. By default, the username and password are passed through an unsecure connection between the Web browser and the WebAccess Agent. Therefore, we recommend that you do not use an existing eDirectory or Windows username and password unless you secure this connection using SSL. For information about securing the WebAccess Agent's connections, see "WebAccess" in the GroupWise 6.5 Administration Guide.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 10: Web Console, select Yes if you want to enable the Web console. If you want to restrict access to the Web console, enter a username and password.


LDAP Information (Linux Only)

If you are installing the Linux WebAccess Agent and WebAccess Application, the Installation Advisor needs to access eDirectory through LDAP. eDirectory access is required in order to create the WebAccess Agent and WebAccess Application objects. To obtain access, the Installation Advisor needs the IP address and port number of an LDAP server, along with a username and password to log in with. Because the Linux Installation Advisor uses LDAP to access eDirectory, you must provide the username in LDAP format. For example:

cn=admin,ou=users,o=corporate

If you want to secure the connection to eDirectory with SSL, you can specify a certificate file. For background information about SSL, see "Encryption and Certificates" in "Security" in the GroupWise 6.5 Administration Guide. If you do not want to use SSL, the LDAP server must be configured to accept clear text passwords.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 11: LDAP Information, specify the IP address and port number of an LDAP server, a username in LDAP format, the password for the username, and if necessary, the full path to your SSL certificate file.


WebPublisher

You can choose whether or not you want the WebAccess Agent to support GroupWise WebPublisher. If you enable WebPublisher support, you need to specify a GroupWise account (mailbox ID and password). The GroupWise account serves two purposes:

  • GroupWise users publish documents to WebPublisher users by sharing the documents with the GroupWise account.
  • When Web users access WebPublisher, the WebAccess Agent logs in to this GroupWise account. This lets the WebAccess Agent know which documents have been shared with WebPublisher users. It can then retrieve these documents (and only these documents) for the WebPublisher users.

We recommend that you create a new GroupWise account specifically for GroupWise WebPublisher. If you've already created an eDirectory account for the WebAccess Agent to use when accessing domain or post office directories (see Domain and Post Office Access), you might want to create the GroupWise account under that eDirectory user account.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 12: WebPublisher Support, select Yes if you want to enable the WebAccess Agent to support WebPublisher, then enter the Mailbox ID and password for the GroupWise account you want the WebAccess Agent to use.

If you enable GroupWise WebPublisher support, you need to select the libraries that you want to make public. The WebAccess Agent, acting on behalf of WebPublisher users, will only access documents in public libraries.

Making a library public does not automatically give WebPublisher users access to all documents in the library. For WebPublisher users to have access to a document in a public library, the document's owner must have shared the document with the WebPublisher user account.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 13: Libraries, list the libraries from which documents can be shared. The WebAccess Installation program will list all libraries in your GroupWise system. If you want, you can wait until then to select libraries.

NOTE:  When a WebPublisher user requests a library document in HTML format rather than its native format, the WebAccess Agent renders the document from its native format to HTML format. It also caches the HTML document to a directory on the agent's local drive. This enables the WebAccess Agent to use the cached document for future requests. For NetWare, the cache directory is the sys:\system\cache directory. For Linux, the cache directory is /opt/novell/groupwise/webpublisher/cache. For Windows, the cache directory is the c:\webacc\cache directory. For information about changing the cache directory's location, size, and refresh interval, see "WebAccess" in the GroupWise 6.5 Administration Guide.


Determining the WebAccess and WebPublisher Applications' Configuration

As you install the WebAccess Application and/or the WebPublisher Application to a Web server, you are prompted to supply the configuration information described in the following sections:

NOTE:  You should have already selected the Web server where you will install the WebAccess Application and WebPublisher Application. If you have not, see Deciding Where to Install the GroupWise WebAccess Components.


Web Clipping Application (PQA) URL (NetWare and Windows WebAccess)

When installing to a NetWare or Windows server, the WebAccess Installation program creates a Web Clipping Application (PQA), also referred to as a Palm Query Application, to enable Palm OS device users to log in to GroupWise WebAccess. (The Web Clipping Application is not available on Linux.)

The Web Clipping Application, named groupwise.pqa, includes the URL required to connect to your GroupWise WebAccess installation, a Login page, an About Novell GroupWise page, and the images used when displaying GroupWise WebAccess on the Palm OS device.

You need to specify the URL you want used. For example:

http://groupwise.novell.com

The WebAccess Installation program automatically appends /servlet/webacc to the URL so that users are directed to the WebAccess login page. For example, using the URL above, the WebAccess Installation program would create the following URL in the groupwise.pqa file:

http://groupwise.novell.com/servlet/webacc

As you determine the URL, keep in mind the following:

  • If the Web server uses SSL, change http to https.
  • If you are using a proxy server, enter the proxy server's address.
  • The web clipping proxy server (gateway) does not currently support challenge and response authentication. Therefore, ensure that the Web server is not configured to require basic challenge and response authentication, or at least is configured not to require this authentication for the URL defined in the groupwise.pqa file.
GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 14: Web Clipping Application (PQA) URL, specify the URL you want included in the groupwise.pqa file.


Web Server Default Page

When installing to a NetWare or Windows server, the WebAccess Installation program copies the Novell Web Services page to the Web Server's root directory. This page includes links for GroupWise WebAccess and GroupWise WebPublisher (provided you are installing both). You can have this page replace the Web Server's current default page, or you can retain your current page and create a link to the Novell Web Services page. This Web page is handled differently on Linux, so there is no need to replace an existing Web page on Linux.

The Novell Web Services page simply provides a link to the WebAccess login page and to the WebPublisher user interface. You or your users can bypass the Novell Web Services page and go directly to WebAccess or WebPublisher by using the following URLs:

NetWare/Windows: http://web_server_address/servlet/webacc
Linux: http://web_server_address/gw/webacc
NetWare/Windows: http://web_server_address/servlet/webpub
Linux: http://web_server_address/gw/webpub

where web_server_address is the IP address or DNS hostname of your Web server. If the Web server uses SSL, you'll need to use https rather than http.

If you use the Novell Web Services page as the default, the Installation program renames the current default page to filename.001 (for example, default.001 or index.001). You should change the default Web server page only if the Web server is used solely for Novell products. As you install additional Novell products, such as GroupWise Monitor, the Novell Web Services page is updated to allow access to each product. On Linux, the Novell Web Services page is located in the gw directory, so the default page for your Web server does not need to be renamed.

If you retain your current default page, the Install program copies the Novell Web Services page (novell.htm) to the Web Server's root directory. You need to add a link from your default page to the Novell Web Services page.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 15: Web Server Default Page, select whether or not you want to use the Novell Web Services page as the Web server's default page.


Default Language

The WebAccess Installation program installs all available languages. You need to specify which language should be used when displaying the Novell Web Services page. When users access the Novell Web Services page, they can use the default language for WebAccess or WebPublisher, or they can select another language.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 18: Default Language, specify the language for the Novell Web Services page.


eDirectory Objects and Configuration Files

WebAccess Application and WebPublisher Application configuration information is stored in two places: 1) eDirectory objects and 2) the webacc.cfg and webpub.cfg files, located by default in the Web server's novell directory (worksheet item 16).

The WebAccess Application object and WebPublisher Application object allow you to easily modify configuration information in ConsoleOne. The eDirectory information is the master information; any changes made to the objects in eDirectory are also written to the configuration files.

In some installation scenarios, such as installing to a Web server outside a firewall or installing to a UNIX Web server, you might not have access to eDirectory, which means the WebAccess Installation program cannot create the objects. It can, however, still create the configuration files on the Web server. In this case, to change the application's configuration, you need to manually modify the webacc.cfg and webpub.cfg files.

You need to select the eDirectory container where you want the objects created. They are all created in the same container. The default container is the Domain object, which means the objects are created beneath the Domain object (similar to GroupWise MTA and Gateway objects).

NOTE:  Each application also has several providers associated with it. For example, the WebAccess Application has a GroupWise Provider and an LDAP Provider. The GroupWise Provider is the component that actually communicates with the WebAccess Agent to request information for users. The LDAP Provider communicates with LDAP servers to enable users to search LDAP address books. Provider objects are created in the same location as the application objects.

GROUPWISE WEBACCESS INSTALLATION WORKSHEET

Under Item 19: eDirectory Object Configuration, specify the tree where you want the objects created, then specify the context. If you will be installing from a location where you don't have access to eDirectory, you can skip this item.