NOTES CLIENT INSTALLATION AND SMART UPGRADE

Installing the Domino clients in a shared network directory
As an administrator, you can offer a shared network installation to your users. In a shared network installation, all program files are installed on a file server and the users' data files reside on their local workstations.

Note Shared network install is not supported in IBM® Lotus® Notes® 8. Shared network install of Lotus Notes 8 basic configuration remains available.

During the installation of the network image, all program files for IBM® Lotus® Notes®, IBM® Lotus® Domino™ Administrator, and IBM® Lotus® Domino™ Designer are installed. To run Lotus Notes, Domino Administrator and Domino Designer client installs from one set of program files on a file server, create multiple transform files.

Note To perform a shared installation and run the transform file, end-users must have the Microsoft® Windows® Installer service on their workstations.

After you install the program files to a directory on a server, users can run a shared version of the software, thereby saving on disk space usage. However, if the server is unavailable, users cannot run Notes. When users install Notes from this directory, only the data files (DESKTOP.DSK, BOOKMARK.NTF, and all local databases) are copied to their workstations. The program files remain on the server, where they are shared among all users. As users run Notes, the program files are read into memory on their workstations.

Assign to those users who install Notes client software from the file server "Read" access to the directory containing the files.

Note Set the access to the administrator image on the network to "Read Access" -- that is the only supported access.

Multi-user installation is neither supported in a shared file configuration nor available for use on Macintosh computers.

Upgrading shared installations

Do not attempt to upgrade over existing network image files. To upgrade an existing network image, delete all files in the existing network image and install the new network image files to the same location.

To set up the shared network installation

1. Before you begin this installation process, do the following:

2. Log on as administrator on the drive on which you are installing the program files.

3. From the command line, use this syntax to run setup and create the administrator image on the network:


4. Enter the name of the directory that will store the installed files. By default, this directory is the first network drive accessible from your workstation. To specify a network drive and directory other than the default, click Change.

5. Click Install. Every client option is installed. A directory structure that is useable and understandable by the operating system is created. Users can run the install program directly from this directory structure that you provide using the Lotus Notes 8.0.msi file created in the root of the directory structure.

6. Create a transform file for the installation of the end user's local data files.

After successfully installing all client files to a shared directory on the network, you can instruct users to use the transform file to install the client on their own workstations.

For information about creating a transform file, see Creating a transform file.

See also