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GroupWise 4.1 Message Server

The GroupWise 4.1 Message Server is the message transport agent used to distribute messages between post offices (i.e., directories and databases for message storage), domains (i.e., groups of one or more post offices), and gateways to external messaging systems. These messages can be E-mail, calendaring and scheduling requests, and message tracking. The message server also handles updates to domains and to databases within domains. The GroupWise 4.1 Message Server is available for Unix, OS/2, NetWare Loadable Modules (NLMs), and DOS. The message server is necessary for GroupWise customers who want to do the following:

  Connect two or more GroupWise post offices
  Connect two or more GroupWise domains
  Install one or more GroupWise gateways to external messaging systems
  Support GroupWise remote users or connect to remote GroupWise sites
  Provide maximum security for message transfer

Features of the message server include compatibility with all major networks, automated maintenance for UNIX, OS/2, and NLM message servers, electronic messaging capabilities, security, flexible configuration, and directory synchronization. The UNIX, OS/2, and NLM message servers automatically clean up problems encountered in the message database without any effort on the part of the administrator. When the message server finds a problem in the database, it notifies the administrator with an E-mail message describing the problem and the actions taken to resolve the problem. Because additional server threads are used for maintenance, messages continue to flow through the system while the automatic maintenance is active. The message server also provides error checking to ensure that messages are not lost in transit.

With the message server, users can communicate with other users in their organization, whether or not they are using GroupWise. They can send messages to other users in their department, building, or a distant office within a matter of seconds. With GroupWise’s connectivity solutions, they can also communicate with almost any other E-mail user in the world. The message server adds security to a messaging system. If users specify secure mode, the message server will take control of all database updates. The GroupWise 4.1 Client will still have read access to databases, but will not be able to write to or delete databases.

GroupWise lets users configure their messaging system flexibly. GroupWise provides direct links, in which message servers in two domains can directly exchange messages, and a gateway link, in which two domains are linked through another messaging system. With the message server, users can integrate the GroupWise messaging system with other messaging systems and enable communication between local and wide area networks. The message server provides simple, effective directory synchronization. When users add, modify, or delete other users, groups, or resources in one domain, the message server sends a message to all other domains informing them of the change. The other domains then handle updates to each directory. Directory synchronization is done continuously, without any effort on the part of the administrator.

The capability for both the client and message server to perform the same processing functions also offers unique load-balancing ability. The GroupWise message server includes a threshold feature that lets the administrator determine what level of processing the client should handle before turning over processing duties to the message server. For example, the client can process small transactions quickly and efficiently with no perceptible performance degradation for the end-user, while freeing the message server to process other transactions (e.g., message routing).

At the same time, a user does not want to wait for the client to process a message to all the people in a department or organization. The administrator can set a threshold that lets the client process small transactions (e.g., message delivery to one or two recipients), while passing all large transactions to the message server for processing. This load-balancing function keeps the client and message server running at maximum efficiency and improves the overall message processing speed.

An aspect of the core engine technology is the ability to support multiple processing models concurrently. For example, for single-post office systems that do not require a server for message routing, the client can perform all message-processing functions. For systems with message servers, the client and message server can share processing responsibilities, or all processing can be forced to the message server for security reasons. Each domain (i.e., message server and associated post offices) within the GroupWise system can use the client and server model that best suits that domain’s needs.

Communication between the GroupWise clients and message servers is message-based (i.e., store and forward). Client/server interprocess communication (IPC) support will be implemented with OME. Although some messaging systems limit the client/server connection to one method or the other, GroupWise will offer the flexibility of using either or both. The message-based communication model provides a fundamentally simple, yet powerful design for cross-platform interconnectivity. Transaction messages are placed in a queue relative to the client’s post office. The message server, which may or may not be running on the same platform as the client, can then pick up and process the transaction. All the client and message server need to work under this transaction model is network file access to the post office.

The client/server engine will also support IPC connections for those network configurations that support direct client/server protocols. In this configuration, the client will pass all transaction requests directly to the message server, which will process the requests on behalf of the client.

GroupWise Gateways

How servers communicate and distribute messages among similar and dissimilar messaging systems is becoming a critical issue for many organizations. The need to communicate with people outside an organization’s network or messaging system is driving organizations to look for far-reaching connectivity solutions. GroupWise gateways are designed specifically to provide reliable and consistent connectivity and interoperability solutions. All GroupWise gateways provide the same level of basic services and support multiple message types. In addition, most GroupWise gateways provide pass-through messaging and directory synchronization services.


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