8.3 Planning a Post Office

A post office contains users’ mailboxes. Like a domain, a post office requires a name and has a folder structure. Post offices should be created around users with common needs and similar settings. This enables you to create post office level settings without having to change settings for smaller groups or users.

As you create the post office, the Installation console prompts you for the following information:

8.3.1 Post Office Server

You can create a post office on Linux or Windows. Your GroupWise system can include both Linux servers and Windows servers.

WORKSHEET

Under Platform, mark the operating system (Linux or Windows) that you plan to use for the post office.

Under Host, specify the IP address or DNS hostname of the server where you plan to create the post office.

8.3.2 Post Office Name

A post office, like a domain, requires a unique name. The name can reflect any element that makes sense for your organization. For example, you could use a location (such as Provo) or a department (such as Engineering).

The name is used as the Post Office object’s name in the Admin console. It can appear in the GroupWise Address Book.

The name should consist of a single string. Do not use any of the characters listed in Invalid Characters in GroupWise Object Names.

WORKSHEET

Under Post Office Settings, specify the post office name.

8.3.3 Post Office Folder

A post office requires a folder structure in which to store database files and temporary files that are created during message routing and delivery. If you want, the folder name can reflect the post office name you chose.

You must specify an empty folder. If the folder does not already exist, it is automatically created. The installation process can proceed more smoothly if you create the folder in advance.

Use the following platform-specific naming conventions for the folder name:

  • Linux:
  • Windows:
  • Use only lowercase characters.
  • No limitations.

WORKSHEET

Under Post Office Settings, specify the full path for the post office folder.

8.3.4 Post Office Language

The post office language determines the sort order for items in the GroupWise Address Book.

The post office assumes the same language as its domain unless you specify otherwise. For example, if you set the domain and post office language to English, the GroupWise Address Book items are sorted according to English sort order rules. This is true even if some users in the post office are running non-English GroupWise clients such as German or Japanese. Their client interface and help files are in German or Japanese, but the sort order in the GroupWise Address Book is according to English standards. Time, date, and number formats for the non-English clients default to the workstation language.

WORKSHEET

Under Post Office Settings, specify the language for the post office.

NOTE:The languages listed for selection in the Installation console includes more languages than GroupWise supports. See Multilingual GroupWise Systems in the GroupWise 18 Administration Guide for a list of valid languages.

8.3.5 Post Office Time Zone

When a message is sent from a user in one time zone to a user in another time zone, GroupWise adjusts the message’s time so that it is correct for the recipient’s time zone. For example, if a user in New York (GMT -05:00, Eastern Time) schedules a user in Los Angeles (GMT -08:00, Pacific Time) for a conference call at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the appointment is scheduled in the Los Angeles user’s calendar at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

In a simple, single-server GroupWise system, the post office is automatically created with the same time zone as the primary domain. In a typical, multiple-server GroupWise system, the post office time zone defaults to the domain time zone, but you can change it as you create the post office.

WORKSHEET

Under Post Office Settings, specify the time zone where the post office is located.

8.3.6 Agents in the Post Office

Two agents run for a post office. As you configure the agents for the post office, the Installation console prompts you for the following information:

The agent consoles are automatically available in the GroupWise Admin console. The agents are configured to start automatically when the server restarts.

POA Configuration

The Post Office Agent (POA) responds to GroupWise client requests for mailbox data and delivers messages between users’ mailboxes in a post office. The POA also communicates with the MTA to route messages to and from the post office. In addition, the POA performs a variety of maintenance tasks in the post office.

The POA requires a TCP/IP connection with the domain’s MTA. It also requires TCP/IP connections with GroupWise clients. In order to configure the POA, you need to plan the following port numbers:

  • Client/Server Port: Used to communicate with GroupWise clients. The default client/server port is 1677.

  • Message Transfer Port: Used to communicate with the MTA. The default MTP port for the POA is 7101.

  • HTTP Port: Used to communicate with your web browser to provide the POA console. The default HTTP port for the POA is 7181.

  • SOAP Port: Used to communicate with SOAP clients such as WebAccess and the GroupWise Mobility Service. The default SOAP port for the POA is 7191.

Use the default port number unless it is already in use on the server.

WORKSHEET

Under POA Settings, specify the required port numbers.

For a complete list of default port numbers used by the GroupWise agents, see GroupWise Port Numbers in the GroupWise 18 Administration Guide.

DVA Configuration

The Document Viewer Agent (DVA) converts attached document files from a wide variety of formats into HTML format for indexing by the POA and for viewing in GroupWise WebAccess. You can run up to three DVAs to service conversion requests for a single instance of the POA. Each DVA must be installed on a different server.

The DVA requires a TCP/IP connection with a POA. The default DVA port is 8301. Typically, the DVA is set up along with a post office.

WORKSHEET

Under Create Document Viewer Agent, mark Yes or No.

If you need to create a DVA on a server that does not have a post office and POA on it, see Scaling Your DVA Installation in the GroupWise 18 Administration Guide.

8.3.7 Administrator Access for Post Office Creation

In order to create a new post office, you need access to the owning domain.

Owning Domain Access

When you create a post office, you must be the GroupWise Super Admin, a GroupWise system administrator, or a domain administrator for the owning domain, and you must know the associated password. For more information, see GroupWise Administrators in the GroupWise 18 Administration Guide.

WORKSHEET

Under System Settings, specify the administrator user name and password that provide access to the owning domain in the Admin console.

You also need to know the network address of the primary domain server or the owning domain server, and the Admin port number for the domain.

WORKSHEET

Under System Settings, specify the IP address or DNS hostname of the domain server and the Admin port for the domain.

Post Office Admin Port

An instance of the Admin Service runs on each GroupWise post office server. You never use this port when you connect to the Admin console, but the Admin Service uses it to communicate with the POA for the post office. The default Admin port for a post office is 9711.

WORKSHEET

Under POA Settings, specify the Admin port for the post office.

Use the default port number unless it is already in use on the server.