Because GroupWise uses Novell eDirectory as its master directory, administrating GroupWise has never been easier. Integration with eDirectory means that GroupWise can use data that has already been defined in the system, eliminating the need to enter common user information more than once. The administration user interface has been integrated with the ConsoleOne program to give users a single point of administration.
A simple GroupWise system is a collection of data storage areas and agent programs. Understanding GroupWise data storage and agent relationships is important to understanding how a GroupWise system is administered.
User data is generated when a user creates a message (email, calendar, notes) or document and is stored at a GroupWise post office and moved through the system by the message transport subsystem. Administrator data defines the system’s organizational structure, its users, and various grouping and naming objects. Configuration information for agent programs is also found in the administrator data.
The GroupWise Directory refers to all administrator data in a GroupWise system. A copy of the administrator data is stored at each post office and domain in the system. The GroupWise Directory is secondary to eDirectory, which is the global Directory. A subset of the information available in eDirectory is replicated to the GroupWise Directory which is indexed at each access point to enable fast lookup of information.
GroupWise has a set of processes, called agents, that manipulate the system’s data so it can be properly stored and accessed. There are three distinct types of agents: the Post Office Agent (POA), the Message Transfer Agent (MTA), and the Internet Agent (GWIA). Each agent is available on a variety of operating system platforms.
The administration of GroupWise requires the ability to manipulate objects in the system. Each major object class in GroupWise is described below.
|
Object Class |
Description |
|---|---|
|
domain |
A directory object that contains a set of post offices, agents, and connectivity agents, and information about the way they link (pass data) to other domains in the system. A domain is the topmost object in the GroupWise object hierarchy. An important attribute of the domain is the path to the location of the administrator data file. |
|
post office |
The location where user data is stored and accessed. An attribute of the post office object is the path to the location of the message databases and subdirectories. Another attribute identifies the users who access their data at the post office. |
|
user |
A person who is authorized to use the GroupWise system. Each user object has a distinguished directory name and a GroupWise address which consists of the domain and post office the user belongs to and the user’s name. |
|
resource |
A non-user object which can be scheduled. Meeting rooms and equipment are examples of resource objects. |
|
distribution list |
A list of users and/or resources which receive any message addressed to the distribution list. |
|
library |
A storage location for documents with an associated access list and profile attribute set. An attribute defines the locations where the documents will be stored. |
|
agent |
A process that works on a specific set of GroupWise data. The Post Office Agent delivers messages to the user data store. The Message Transfer Agent transports messages between domains and post offices. |
|
connectivity agent |
An agent that provides conversion from GroupWise to another message or communication protocol. The Internet Agent transfers messages two and from Internet email systems. |