3.1 Planning Your GroupWise Messenger System

The Messenger Installation program helps you install and set up your Messenger system. The Installation program also provides information to guide you through the process.

Review the following sections while filling out GroupWise Messenger Worksheet. The worksheet lists the information you are prompted for as you run the Installation program.

3.1.1 Planning the Messenger Agent Configuration

Your GroupWise Messenger system can include two agents:

  • Messaging Agent: The Messenger client communicates with the database for messaging, presence, and searching for users to add to the Messenger Contact List. The Messaging Agent also manages the queue for archiving conversations.

  • Archive Agent: The Archive Agent archives conversations, indexes conversations, and performs searches on the archive when contacted by an authorized Messenger user. You can disable archiving, but it must be done after the installation and configuration.

The following sections prepare you to supply the information required when installing the Messenger agents:

System Objects

The system objects are used in the database to designate the Messenger system and the Messenger server. The default values for these are MessengerService and the name of your server. If you want the objects to have different names, you can specify them during the installation.

WORKSHEET

Under Messenger System Objects MessengerService server_name, specify the Messenger system and server object names if you do not want to use the default.

Agent Network Address

The Messenger Installation program obtains the IP address and DNS hostname of the server where you want to install the Messenger agents based on the agent software location you provide. If the server has multiple IP addresses and DNS hostnames associated with it, you can specify different information from what the Installation program obtained automatically. You can also have the services bind to that IP address if you desire.

If you are using IPV6 for your Messenger agents, you must use the DNS hostname instead of the IP address for the agents.

WORKSHEET

Under Agents IP address Bind(Y/N), list the IP address or DNS hostname of the server where you want to install the Messenger agents. Also specify if you want to bind the agents to that address.

TLS for Agents and Database

The agents and the database are configured with the same certificates. You can use your own certificates for the server or you can have Messenger configure the certificates. If you decide to have Messenger configure your certificates, you need to specify the DNS name or IP address that you want used for the certificate.

When using external certificates, you need to have the certificates on the Messenger server and point to them during the installation. If your external certificates are self-signed, then you need to enable weak certificates during the installation for them to work or the agents and database will not run.

IMPORTANT:Make sure your certificates follow the Server Certificates requirements in the Messenger Server Requirements.

WORKSHEET

Under Security Configuration Internal or External Certificate? Internal: Hostname or IP address for certificate: External: Certificate file: Key file: Key password: Allow self-signed certs:, specify if you are using internal or external certificates. If you are using external, specify the path to the certificate files. If you are using external self-signed certificates, than weak certificates needs to be enabled. If you are using internal certificates, specify the DNS name or IP address you want to be used for the certificate.

Under Server Certificate path, specify the path to store the TLS certs if you do not want to use the default.

System User for Messenger Services

Messenger requires a system user for the services. The installation can create the user for you, or you can create a user manually. The default user is gwmsgr.

WORKSHEET

Under System user for Messenger service, specify a user for the Messenger agents if you do not want to use the default. If the user does not exist, the installation can create the user.

3.1.2 Planning the Messenger Database Configuration

The Messenger database stores all of the Messenger objects. Messenger uses ArangoDB for the database. When you install Messenger, you are prompted for a database address, password, and port. The database password is only created once and cannot be changed after the installation. Do not lose the database password. The default port is 8320.

WORKSHEET

Under Database address specify either the DNS name or the IP address of the Messenger server.

Under Database password, specify the password to by used by the database.

IMPORTANT:This password cannot be recovered or changed after the installation, so do not lose the password.

Under Database Port <8320>, specify the port for the database to use if you do not want to use the default.

3.1.3 Planning the MARS Configuration

MARS is the Messenger Admin Rest Service. The user name, password, and port specified here are used by GroupWise to connect to and manage Messenger. The default user name is GWAdmin. The default port is 8315.

WORKSHEET

Under MARS Configuration Username: <GWAdmin> Password: Port: <8315>, specify the user name, password, and port if you do not want to use the default user name and port. You must specify a password.