migration and coexistence of lotus notes applications using microsoft application services for lotus...

Migration and Coexistence of Lotus Notes Applications using Microsoft Application Services for Lotus Notes White Paper

Published: December 1999

The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This White Paper is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company, organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person, place or event is intended or should be inferred. 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and Outlook are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contents

Introduction.............................................................................................................1

Comparison of Lotus Notes and Exchange Server ..........................................................1 Platform Architecture.............................................................................................2

Migration.................................................................................................................5 Migration or Coexistence?.......................................................................................5 Notes Services......................................................................................................6 Migration Process ..................................................................................................7

Migration Toolset ......................................................................................................9 Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes ..........................................................9 Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes ...................................................... 10

Migration and Coexistence of Lotus Notes Applications using Microsoft Application Services for Lotus Notes

White Paper

Published: December 1999

For the latest information, please see http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/

Introduction In the ongoing effort to reduce the total cost of ownership of an IT infrastructure, reducing administrative overhead is the first endeavor undertaken by many organizations. One path organizations often take to reduce their administrative costs is to consolidate systems that perform similar tasks, such as groupware platforms.

Groupware is an integrated application development and deployment platform that meets an organization’s needs for sharing information. Microsoft® Exchange Server, the platform of choice for enterprise messaging, provides a strong backbone for organizations that are developing and deploying complex groupware applications. To take advantage of an existing infrastructure and reduce the total cost of ownership for groupware applications, many organizations consolidate their platforms by migrating existing Lotus Notes applications to Exchange and Microsoft Outlook®.

This white paper provides a methodology for migrating Notes applications to Exchange, and a detailed guide to the Microsoft application toolset available to help you with your migration. This paper assumes that you are an experienced Exchange system administrator with some knowledge of the Notes environment, and that you have a good knowledge of Outlook programming.

Comparison of Lotus Notes and Exchange Server Understanding the fundamental differences between a Lotus Notes application and a Microsoft® Exchange or Microsoft Outlook® application is a prerequisite to planning a migration.

The foundation of the Notes collaborative environment is a network of databases. Exchange, on the other hand, is a messaging-centric application based on folders;

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/

Migration and Coexistence of Lotus Notes 2

it is an enterprise messaging platform with collaborative and application development capabilities. In Exchange, scalable, reliable enterprise collaboration infrastructures are based on a solid messaging backbone.

Lotus Domino is the server-side component of the Notes architecture. The Lotus paradigm is built on bundling many server functions into a single product called Domino. Lotus Domino is a Web server, a database server, and a messaging server in one package. Like Exchange, the Notes database server manages semi-structured data (messages, tasks appointments, notes, and so forth). Most messaging and groupware systems consist of four components: a data definition, the ability to perform queries and construct views on the data, the capacity to design and incorporate forms in which to format and display data, and a container that provides the basic storage mechanism for the data.

Groupware applications such as Notes and Exchange use different terminology for the same application components, as outlined in the following table.

Standard database Notes database Exchange database

Record/field Document/field Message/property

Row/column Row/column Row/column

Form/field Form/field Form/field

Database Database Folder

Notes stores all of an organization’s data in multiple databases; each record in a database is called a document, or record. Exchange stores all data in folders; each record in the folder is called a message, or item. Each folder is part of a unique Exchange public folder database.

Platform Architecture

Exchange and Notes provide similar groupware functionality. Both systems allow users to share public data and participate in threaded discussions; post messages that contain rich text, embedded objects, and document links; and build custom views, forms, and applications. However, Exchange and Notes are built on different architectural models.

Exchange is built on MAPI, an object-oriented interface that defines objects and properties. Common MAPI objects are messages and folders. Folders have a distinct set of properties and can be considered container objects for messages.

An Exchange message is a single object composed of a set of properties. In Exchange, properties are identified by tags, which are 32-bit values; the first 16 bits identify the object, and the second 16 bits describe its data type. In Exchange, properties can be built-in or custom. When properties are built-in, the tags are internally defined by MAPI.

Notes is built on a proprietary API. Unlike Exchange messages, which reside in folders, Notes records are called documents and reside in databases. Notes documents consist of fields instead of properties.

A connection between a Notes database and an Exchange database is illustrated in the following diagram.

Notes Application ExchangeApplication

Ca_nx.ini

.idm .pftNotes API MAPI

Notes items are identified with names rather than tags, and sometimes the data type describes how the data is displayed; for example, Notes numeric data types (general, fixed, scientific, or currency) define how the data is formatted.

Additional architectural differences between Notes and Exchange are summarized in the following table.

Feature Notes Exchange

Application development Integrated environment forms, views, and agents

Part of Outlook

Security Field level Folder level

Replication Selective Full or selective

Structure Proprietary flat folders, databases

Object-oriented interface, nested folders

Data types Limited set of data types that sometimes describe display format rather than define the size of data

Richer set of data types

Views Columns can contain formulas

Columns can contain formulas and formatting, and a rich set of views through Outlook

Forms Standard set of templates for creating forms

Standard set of templates based on Outlook item types for creating forms

Rich Text Format (RTF) No limit on the number of rich text fields with attachments

One RTF field for each form, which can contain attachments and

b dd d bj t



embedded objects

Following are some additional differences to consider when you are assessing a Notes application targeted for migration to Exchange:

• Notes differentiates between document View and Edit modes; Outlook differentiates between Compose and Read modes. Notes hides controls between modes; Outlook uses two separate forms to distinguish between Compose and Read modes.

• Notes allows multiple RTF fields, each of which can contain attachments. Outlook allows one RTF field, which can contain attachments, embedded objects, or HTML text.

• Notes allows computed fields within a form. Fields must be manually scripted or converted to Outlook formula fields in the converted Outlook form.

• Notes uses a series of formulas and functions to build complex applications, including:

• @Functions — Predefined Notes formulas that you can use to perform specific actions without having to use complex LotusScript programs. Some Microsoft ActiveX® controls are provided by Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes, discussed later, to replicate the behavior of the most common @Functions in Outlook.

• @Commands — Special functions that automate standard Notes menu choices and special Notes commands. These agents are often used in buttons and actions; for example, the @Command ([FileSave]) saves the current document the same way as selecting File and then Save from the Notes menu.

• Notes agents, which are similar to Microsoft Exchange Event Scripting Agents in Exchange, allow users and developers to create automation procedures for database functions. Notes agents and Exchange Event Scripting Agents allow you to write custom code that runs when users perform actions on items in the application. Agents must be manually scripted in the Outlook environment. Alternatively, you can create Exchange Event Scripting Agents that run on the Exchange server.

• Notes and Outlook format and display certain date, time, and number values differently, as outlined in the following list:

• Percents — General and Fixed number fields formatted as percents in Notes are created in Outlook as Percent fields. Other number types, such as Currency and Scientific, cannot be formatted in Outlook as a percent.

• Negative Parentheses — Only Currency fields in Outlook can have negative parentheses; all Currency fields in Notes have negative parentheses regardless of the settings.

• Decimals — Outlook supports formats that display zero, one, or two decimal places. Number formats in Notes with more than two decimals places are formatted in Outlook with all decimal places; the format depends on the thousands punctuation setting in Notes. Currency fields in Outlook support two decimal places only. Percent


fields formatted with no decimal places are rounded, and other field types are truncated.

• Thousands Punctuation — All General, Fixed, and Currency fields in Outlook have thousands punctuation, regardless of the thousands punctuation settings in Notes, if the number of decimal places to be displayed is two or less. Fields with more than two decimals places, in which the thousands punctuation is not specified in Notes, are displayed without thousands punctuation.

• Date and Time — Differences in the display of date and time values are summarized in the following table.

Notes Format Outlook Format Comments

17/8/99 2:10 PM 17/8/99 2:10 PM

8/99 2:10 PM 17/8/99 2:10 PM No month/year/time format in Outlook

17/8 2:10 PM Tue 17/8 2:10 PM Day abbreviation must be included in Outlook

17/8/99 17/8/99

8/99 8/99

17/8 Tue 17/8

2:10:00 PM 2:10 PM Seconds cannot be displayed in Outlook Date and Time fields

Migration Migrating Lotus Notes applications to Microsoft® Exchange Server requires careful planning and a good understanding of the application that you are migrating. It is important to carefully consider both the business role and the technical complexity of the application.

Migration or Coexistence?

Before converting a Notes application to Exchange, you must decide whether coexistence or migration is the right option for your organization.

Migration implies that the Notes application will be abandoned after the migration takes place. With migration, the data, along with the adapted design and logic of the application, is migrated to the new system. Migration offers you an opportunity to redesign or reengineer your application so that your organization can take full advantage of the new capabilities the Exchange platform offers.


When Notes and Exchange coexist, only the application is converted to Exchange. The implementation of the application is limited by the Notes configuration, which limits the enhancements Exchange provides.

Because of these limitations, when you begin planning your Exchange deployment, you must carefully consider the effect that migrating the application will have on your organization. A staged approach, which typically includes deploying Outlook and migrating to Exchange for messaging throughout a single business unit or site, gives system administrators time to test or modify the application in the Outlook environment.

To help you migrate your Notes applications to Exchange and Outlook, Microsoft provides Microsoft Application Services for Lotus Notes, a migration toolset consisting of two applications: Microsoft Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes. These tools will be discussed in detail later in this document.

Notes Services

Before you begin planning the migration of a Notes application, it is useful to consider the hierarchy of Notes services. Notes services fall into one of four categories:

• Core messaging services, such as e-mail, address books, and directories. These databases are not considered Notes collaborative applications.

• Standard collaboration databases, such as discussion and document libraries, based on Notes templates.

• Custom applications that range from simple to moderately complex, internally-developed applications. Also, applications that have been customized from Notes templates.

• Complex custom applications built by solution providers or internal Notes application developers. These applications may access two or more Notes databases, or use workflow and other complicated concepts. Complex custom applications are often business-critical.

Note that applications increase in complexity from the core messaging services category (least complex) to the complex custom application category (most complex), as illustrated in the following diagram. Also, the number of applications deployed in a given category decreases from the core messaging services category (largest number of databases deployed) to the complex custom application category (smallest number of databases deployed).

Stored E-mail, PAB, Directory

Standard Databases,Discussion, Doclib

ModifiedStandard

Databases

ComplexCustom

Applications

Com

plex

ity

Low

High

Core Services

.nsf Templates

Modified .nsfTemplates

CustomApplications

Migration Process

Although the details of the migration process vary for each Notes application, the process for all applications consists of the following four steps:

1. Identify and collect information on Notes applications. Use Microsoft Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes to generate a list of the Notes applications in your organization and collect raw data on them.

2. Analyze the collected data and plan the migration process. Analyze the data you’ve collected and generate reports to assist you in planning the migration.

3. Convert the design of Notes applications to Outlook. Use Application Conversion Assistant, discussed later, to provide the basic design conversion to Outlook.

4. Migrate Notes data to Exchange. Use Microsoft Exchange Application Connector for Lotus Notes, discussed later, to migrate data from Notes to Exchange.

Identifying and Collecting Information on Notes Applications

The first step in any migration effort is to analyze and understand the application you are migrating. You can use the information gathered to evaluate the technical complexity and business role of the application.

The Data Collector utility included with Microsoft Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes gathers raw data about the application’s structure and complexity. You should also consider input from application developers, system administrators, and end users. Following is a partial list of the data that you can collect:

• The size of the application data, and the size of the database.

• The forms used by the application, and the number of forms to convert.

• The views used by the application, and their complexity.

• The number of reports the application generates.



• The scope of the application. Determine whether the application is used only in the local site or throughout the organization. (You should consider the scope of the application when deciding whether to use migration or coexistence.)

• The Notes replication settings for the application. How often the application is replicated is a good indication of how time-sensitive the data is. The replication frequency is controlled by the replication priority set for the database and the replication schedule configured on the server.

• The users of the application and their permission levels.

• The security level the application requires.

• The protocols for archiving data. Determine when data is obsolete, and whether to archive or destroy it.

Analyzing the Collected Data and Planning the Migration Process

After applying Microsoft Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes to your Notes applications, you need to analyze the data and plan your migration process. Microsoft Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes can give you a good idea of which applications are used the most and which applications are the easiest to migrate. With the data you have collected, you can decide whether to use the conversion tools to migrate forms and views, use the connectivity tools to migrate and coexist the data, or use development tools to re-create the applications.

Converting the Design of Notes Applications to Outlook

Before migrating data from Notes databases to Exchange folders, you need to convert the design of the application. An application’s design consists of three components:

• Forms

• Views

• Application scripts

Converting Forms

Notes application forms are the graphical representation of records. Notes forms are relatively easy to convert because of the rendering facilities provided with Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes, which allow developers to convert the design of a Notes application, and allow system administrators to maintain data replication or synchronization between Notes and Exchange. You need a thorough understanding of Outlook application deployment to migrate a complex form successfully.

Converting Views

Notes developers can create views to display the items in a database much like Outlook provides a series of views to display folder data. You can easily migrate Notes database views to Exchange using Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes.

Converting Application Scripts

Notes employs functions and a proprietary programming language, LotusScript, to complete the migration of an application, and includes a toolset that works with Notes databases. The Outlook programming interface, however, is geared toward message handling, and messaging and collaborative applications. To facilitate conversion, Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes provides a series of Microsoft ActiveX® controls that you can use to mimic Notes controls.


Migrating Notes Data to Exchange

After you have converted your forms and views, you need to migrate the data from your Notes databases to Exchange folders. To help you with this process, Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes includes a data replication service that you can use to replicate data between the two systems. With the data replication service, any data changed on either system prompts the data synchronization. If you decide that migrating your data is a better option for your organization than bidirectional replication, you can use Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes to migrate the data one-way from Notes to Exchange.

Migration Toolset To make it easier to identify your Lotus Notes applications, and to help you migrate your Notes applications to Microsoft® Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook®, Microsoft provides Microsoft Application Services for Lotus Notes, a migration toolset consisting of two applications.

The first application, Microsoft Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes, helps you identify your current Notes applications, and quantify the effort required to migrate the applications to Exchange. This tool is available only through Microsoft Consulting Services or trained Microsoft Solution Providers, which provide trained professionals to use the tool in your environment.

The second application, Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes, provides two types of migration capabilities for your Notes applications. First, the tool provides either bidirectional or one-way data replication between Notes and Exchange. Using this replication tool, you can import data from Notes to Exchange. Second, the tool provides a form and view converter. The converter migrates your Notes forms and views to Outlook, an important step in converting your Notes application to Exchange.

Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes

Microsoft Exchange Application Analyzer for Lotus Notes is an application analysis tool that helps you plan and execute a migration of Notes applications to Exchange. Application Analyzer uses two utilities to create reports: the Data Collector and the Data Processor. After the data is collected, it is used to generate Microsoft Application Analyzer reports, which offer the following information:

• Details on current Notes applications

• Descriptions of the work involved in migrating each application

• Recommendations on how to most efficiently migrate applications to Exchange

Application Analyzer provides the following eight reports, which cover all of an organization’s Notes applications, and include a top-level migration recommendation for each application:

• Summary

• Assessment

• Recommendation


• Application Descendant

• Application Consolidation

• Scale and Complexity

• Functional Differences

• Replicas

Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes

Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes integrates Microsoft Exchange Application Conversion Assistant for Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange Application Connector for Lotus Notes into one tool. This tool allows developers to convert the design of a Notes application, and allows system administrators to maintain data replication or synchronization between Notes and Exchange.

Methodology

Converting applications from Notes to Exchange is a combined effort between an organization’s Outlook application developer and Exchange system administrator. The Outlook application developer is responsible for migrating and testing the application design, and is also likely to be responsible for determining how data replication is handled (one-time migration, one-way replication, or two-way synchronization), setting up tests, and testing data replication. The system administrator’s primary focus is managing new and existing data replication connections.

Application Converter provides a two-step process for application conversion. The first step is the application design conversion. The second step is migrating the data and maintaining the data flow between Notes and Exchange. Application developers create and test the application design; system administrators apply the design to the Exchange folder and establish the data bridge between the Notes server and the Exchange environment. Application Converter consists of three modules:

• Data Replication module — builds the data bridge between Notes and Exchange applications

• Administrator module — provides tools for system administrators to create and maintain data replication and synchronization

• Developer module — provides tools for developers to convert application design and views

Data Replication Module

The Data Replication module is the bridge between a Notes database and an Exchange folder. It provides synchronization or replication of data between Notes and Exchange. Synchronization involves a bidirectional data flow and is used when Notes and Exchange coexist. Replication is a one-way push process that synchronizes data between Notes and Exchange, and is typically used in a migration scenario.

The Data Replication module is not autonomous; it is used in conjunction with either the Administrator module or the Developer module. You can run the Data Replication module either from Windows 9x, using Ca_nx.exe, or you can run it as a service of Microsoft Windows NT®, using Ca_nx.ini.

The Data Replication module performs the following tasks:

1. Connects to the Notes database.

2. Gets the modified or new documents.

3. Translates and maps the document data according to the mapping template for the application.

4. Sends the translated data to the target Exchange folder.

Connection Tasks

A connection is a Notes database paired with an Exchange folder. When used in conjunction with the Developer module or the Administrator module, the Data Replication module allows client access to both Notes and Exchange. Access to Notes is provided by the Lotus Notes Client API and is available when you install a Notes 32-bit client (Notes 3.x or later) on the server. Access to Exchange is provided by a MAPI profile created in Outlook.

When you use the Data Replication module with the Developer module, the data can be replicated to private folders (mailbox folders or personal folders). When you use the Data Replication module with the Administrator module, the connection is replicated only to Exchange public folders.

Because the Data Replication module is a client of Notes or Exchange, a user account with adequate permissions is required. As with basic e-mail system administration, you need to make sure that information is secure and available when preparing Notes and Exchange data for synchronization. To successfully synchronize Exchange and Notes databases, you need to do the following:

• Create user accounts for the Data Replication module in Notes and Exchange.

• Ensure that the Data Replication module account has the permissions to access the designated Notes database and the Exchange folder to which you are synchronizing or converting data.

In Notes, the Access Control List (ACL) associated with the Notes database determines who can access it. The ACL lists users, servers, and groups that have specific access levels assigned to them.

For bidirectional replication using the Data Replication module, the account used to connect to Notes must have Editor permission for each Notes database. For Notes to Exchange migration, only Reader permission is required.

When using Exchange, an Exchange ACL specifies who can edit, delete, create, and read messages and folders. The ACL also identifies which users have folder privileges. Users with folder privileges can change replication settings, folder settings, and other user access rights.

The Data Replication module account must have Read Items, Create Items, Edit All, and Delete All permissions for every Exchange folder connected to a Notes database.



The Data Replication module is executed according to the connection information stored in an initialization file. The initialization file contains all of the information necessary to establish the connection between Notes and Exchange, and to transfer and translate the appropriate data. When triggered by the Developer module, replication occurs according to configuration parameters stored in Mxdev.ini. When triggered by the Administrator module or when used as a Windows NT service, replication occurs according to configuration parameters stored in Ca_nx.ini.

The Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes section of the initialization file sets the background options for the connection (name of MAPI profile, logging level, log size, and so forth), as shown in the following illustration.

[Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes] ExchangeProfile=MS Exchange Settings LogPath=D:\ccsing MaxLogSize=0 LogDetail=1

The Folders section of the initialization file stores information related to the Exchange folders used by each connection.

[Folders] ExchFolder1=LMS_EID; Spice_inter; 000000004299DDF64147D311ADC800A024AE97FDA2830000; 0000000038A1BB1005E5101AA1BB08002B2A56C200006D737073742E646C6C00000000004E495441F9BFB80100AA0037D96E000000443A5C74656D705C72686F746F6E2E70737400; ExchFolder2=LMS_EID; Spice_Dev; 000000004299DDF64147D311ADC800A024AE97FD82830000; 0000000038A1BB1005E5101AA1BB08002B2A56C200006D737073742E646C6C00000000004E495441F9BFB80100AA0037D96E000000443A5C74656D705C72686F746F6E2E70737400; ExchFolder3=LMS_EID; Notes App; 000000001A447390AA6611CD9BC800AA002FC45A0300B43ED29C8549D311ADCB00A024AE97FD000000001F490000; 0000000038A1BB1005E5101AA1BB08002B2A56C20000454D534D44422E444C4C00000000000000001C830210AA6611CD9BC800AA002FC45A0600000041524D41444100; ExchFolder4=LMS_EID; Notes App; 000000001A447390AA6611CD9BC800AA002FC45A0300B43ED29C8549D311ADCB00A024AE97FD000000001F490000; 0000000038A1BB1005E5101AA1BB08002B2A56C20000454D534D44422E444C4C00000000000000001C830210AA6611CD9BC800AA002FC45A0600000041524D41444100; Public Folders

The Connections section of the initialization file stores all of the parameters necessary for the data replication and translation.

[Connections] Count=8 Database2=N; CN=pasla/O=Dublin/C=IE; Spices.nsf; ; ExchFolder1; ; D:\megainstall\Spices.pft; Y; 0; NTOE; M; ; 9C9379B96D4FD311ADCE00A024AE97FD; Spices Database3=N; CN=pasla/O=Dublin/C=IE; Spices.nsf; ; ExchFolder2; ; D:\megainstall\Spices.pft; Y; 0; NTOE; M; ; E45BB698704FD311ADCE00A024AE97FD; Spices Database5=Y; ; Test.nsf; 8210389:2284152780; ExchFolder3; 37b49ceb.SST; D:\megainstall\Test.pft; Y; 10; ; H; 37b49ceb.IDM Database6=Y; ; Test.nsf; 8210382:2284152780; ExchFolder4; 37b7353b.SST; D:\megainstall\Test.pft; Y; 0; ; L; 37b7353b.IDM Database7=Y; ; Test.nsf; ; ExchFolder5; ; d:\megainstall\Test.pft; Y; 0; NTOE; M; ; 482DE5985A53D311ADD100A024AE97FD; Test

Database8=Y; CN=pasla/O=Dublin/C=IE; Spices.nsf; ; ExchFolder6; ; D:\megainstall\Spices.pft; Y; 0; Both; M; ; 58877273FE54D311ADD300A024AE97FD; Spices

Connection Scheduling

Using the Data Replication module as a Windows NT service gives you the option of scheduling replication times. The service acts as a simple scheduler, invoking the Data Replication module to perform replication on a predefined schedule.

When specifying the replication settings for a connection, three priority levels are available — high, medium, and low — and are set in the Connection Manager Properties dialog box, shown in the following illustration.

The replication schedule is defined by specifying a time interval for each priority level; for example, the priority intervals can be set as follows:

Priority Frequency

High 1 hour

Medium 2 hours

Low 3 hours

At the designated hour, the data replication program begins. Each connection is replicated according to its priority.

In the following example, after one hour the high priority connections are replicated; after two hours, high and medium priority replications occur; and after three hours, high and low replications occur, and so on.

Time Priority

Hour 1 High

Hour 2 High, medium

Hour 3 High, low

Hour 4 High, medium

Hour 5 High

Hour 6 High, medium, low

Note You can schedule replication at time intervals only, not at specific times (for example, 12:00).



Running the Data Replication Module

To run the Data Replication module as a Windows NT service, perform the following steps:

1. To go to the command line, on the Start menu, click Run, and then type cmd.

2. To switch to the Application Converter directory, type appconnservice –I.

3. On the Start menu, point to Settings, point to Control Panel, and then click Services.

4. In the Service list, click Microsoft Exchange Application Connector.

5. Under Log On As, specify the account the service will use, and then click OK.

Mapping Tasks

In a database, data is stored in tables and each table is composed of fields. A field contains the name and type associated with data. You can think of a field as packaging or wrapping of the data. When converting the Notes application design to Outlook, field names are changed. To remain usable and consistent, data must be mapped from Notes to its equivalent in Exchange or Outlook. Because of the fundamental differences between Notes databases and Exchange folders, data types and formats must also be translated. This is called data mapping.

The Data Replication module is responsible for data mapping. The module uses a property/field template (.pft) or property map template file, which contains entries that describe the mapping between Notes database fields and Exchange folder properties. The file contains entries for forms and fields that are contained in the Notes database, and creates default mapping entries for the forms and fields in the Exchange folder component. Outlook developers typically create .pft files during the design conversion phase.

A .pft file is organized into four sections:

• The Form Map section of the .pft file associates specific forms with appropriate property maps. The name of this section is the same for all .pft files.

• The Common Property Map section contains PropN and PropXN entries, using the same syntax as entries found in a regular property map. The mappings are applied to every message that is processed, regardless of the type of form, unless the property mapping for a form specifies that the common property map should be ignored.

• The PropMap-FormName section contains lists of properties to be translated for specific kinds of databases. There are no constraints on names of PropMap-FormName sections, but they are linked to form entries by their names.

• The ValMap-ValueMapName section contains lists of actual values to use in specific property translations for databases of a specific type. These should be used in cases in which values can be encoded as container-specific. The name is a unique value that binds it to the data stored in a PropN entry.


Document Tracking Tasks

To provide incremental replication, the Data Replication module tracks high-level watermarks for Notes and Exchange.

Watermarks enable databases to communicate the state of their data. A computed reference is associated with each record, providing a time stamp for the record and indicating when it was created or modified. The reference is then compared to the current version of the database. When a replication query is initiated, the database returns its current watermark. The database initiating the query compares the returned reference with its own watermark for the queried database, and requests all records that have been modified since the last replication. Each record with a watermark that is different from the one stored by the query initiator is replicated. The database then stores the new watermarks for the replicated tables.

The Data Replication module stores the high-level watermark for the Notes database in the Ca_nx.ini file, using the internal Notes replication watermark as a reference. The reference is a string value generated by Notes, highlighted in the following illustration.

Database6=Y; ; Test.nsf; 8210382:2284152780; ExchFolder4; 37b7353b.SST

Tip If the data for the application is corrupted or inconsistent in Exchange, you can replicate the entire database by resetting the Notes high-level watermark to zero, or blank, in the Ca_nx.ini file.

The high-level watermark used by Exchange is more complex to store, in part because data for all applications are stored in a single database: the public information store. The watermark applies to more than just the records that are involved in the connection. A table containing additional references must be used. This table is created by the Data Replication module and resides in the \Appconndir\Config directory. A separate table is created for each connection and stored in an .sst file. You should not delete this file; if you do, the entire folder will be replicated to Notes. The name of the .sst file used by a connection is also stored in the Ca_nx.ini file.

A connection is maintained between two items to enable replication of a change in an existing message to its counterpart on the other system. Each Notes document is mapped to an Exchange message. The connection record is stored in an .idm file, and a reference to the .idm file used in a connection is stored in the Ca_nx.ini file.

Message Collisions

Message collisions occur when two users on separate systems change the same message between replication cycles.

The Data Replication module makes this event a seamless process to both the end user and the system administrator, and automatically handles message collisions by incorporating the edits of the newest message that it receives and marking the other message as a conflict message.


Notes and Exchange display conflict messages differently. In Notes, the message is posted as a response to the predominant message. In Exchange, an alternative conflict message appears in the folder, and the user determines its resolution after opening it.

Administrator Module

The Administrator module provides an interface for the Ca_nx.ini file that drives the Data Replication module, and is the platform from which system administrators manage all connections for an instance of the Data Replication module.

Using the Administrator module, a system administrator can implement the work done by the developer for migration of the Notes application. Using this module, a system administrator can also create new connections between Notes and Exchange, depending on the requirements of the application.

The Administrator module imports the Outlook forms, views, and connection settings that the developer creates.

Creating a New Connection

To create a new connection between Notes and Exchange, complete the following steps:

1. To start the Microsoft Exchange New Connection Wizard for Lotus Notes, on the Action menu, point to New, and then click Connection.

2. Under Notes Server and Database, select the appropriate Notes server and database (an .nsf file).

3. Under Public Folder or Local Information Store, select the public folder to which the date will be replicated.

4. Under Property Map Template, select the Use a property map template check box, and then select the property map template file for the connection to use.

5. Under Replication Settings, select the Replicate messages with attachments check box, and select the Both directions check box.

6. To exit the wizard, click Finish.

Importing a Connection

Importing a connection allows the system administrator to establish a connection according to the specifications established by the developer. The connection imports the forms and views adapted during the design conversion phase.

To import a connection, complete the following steps:

1. To open the Import Connection Wizard, on the Console menu, select All Tasks, and then select Import Connection.

2. Under Location, select the .ace file from which to import the connection information.


3. Under Notes Database and Public Folder or Local Information Store, select the appropriate Domino Server, the Notes database, and the public folder the connection requires.

4. Under Import Forms, select the forms to import.

5. Under Import Views, select the views to import.

6. To exit the wizard, click Finish.

Select MAPI Profile and Notes Auto Logon

To operate as a service, the MAPI profile used to access the Exchange server must be configured in the Connections Properties dialog box of the connection wizard.

To connect to the Notes server, the Notes client uses a predefined Notes user account. User accounts are stored in an identification (.id) file containing the private encryption key. This file is often protected by a password. To allow unattended operation during replication, the Administrator module supplies the identification file password to the Notes client. The password is set in the Connections Properties dialog box of the connection wizard.

Developer Module

The Developer module allows Outlook developers to establish a test connection between a Notes database and an Exchange folder in a private store (personal folders or mailbox). It also allows the Notes application design to be converted to Exchange.

After the application is converted and the connection settings are optimized, the Outlook application is exported to an OLE storage file, which is an application converter export (.ace) file. The Administrator module later imports the .ace file to apply the converted application in the Exchange environment.

Converting the Application Design

Application Converter performs the preliminary conversion of the form’s design and views. After the design is converted, the developer adjusts the design and converts the application scripts, formulas, and agents.

To convert the application design, complete the following steps:

1. In Microsoft Exchange Application Converter for Lotus Notes, under Form Conversion, select the forms to convert.

2. Under View Conversion, select the views to convert.

3. Under Font and Color, if you want to retain the font, style, and color formatting of the original Notes forms, select the Retain Notes formatting check box.

4. To exit, click Finish.

Exporting the Application Conversion

After the design and function of the application have been correctly adapted to Outlook and Exchange, the developer exports the forms, views, and the connection information to an .ace file. The system administrator uses this file to apply the new application in the Exchange environment.

To export an application conversion, complete the following steps:


1. In the Export Connection Wizard, under Export Forms, select the forms to export.

2. Under Export Views, select the views to export.

3. Under Location, specify the name and location of the .ace file for the system administrator to access.

For more information: http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/

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