How To Accessorize Wanda For Work
Category IBM/Lotus
Between the podcasting of Bruce Elgort and Julian Robichaux, and the nudges of several blogmeisters (esp., Chris Whisonant's), I've installed a Notes client onto a USB flash drive. For those that haven't been reading about the latest and greatest in the Notes 7.0.2 release, it is now possible to install Notes onto a USB memory stick and carry around your Notes client in a pocket. Before it was released, the USB Notes client had the code name of "Wanda." It's quite impressive to see the USB icon appear on the Windows desktop when the USB flashdrive is slid into place.
The guidelines of the many blogsites should give you enough guidance to complete the install, but I still recommend that you read the full release notes of 7.0.2.
Now, just so you understand what this means to run Notes from a USB drive, let me take a minute to list some of the highlights of using Notes in this manner:
Now, we come to a pragmatic concern about the storage limitation of a USB drive. Just how much space is required, and what can you do with a Notes client that can't store many NSFs? The full Note client takes about 450 M (it needs extra files to be able to run independently), leaving a smidgen over 500 M of free space if you have a 1 GB flashdrive. You have two options to increase your storage access.
You could buy a 4 G flashdrive, or even use an external USB harddrive. I think for some people this is a fine solution. For my part, though, I'm cheap and I don't want to carry around something as big as my Blackberry.
The second option is to use the USB drive to hold the Notes executable, and a few databases, but use the host computer for all the larger Notes databases that you need to access. Administrators have a trick that lets the Domino server map to other drives or locations as if the connection is a local directory. It's called "directory mapping" and it works just as well for the client. You can see the picture of my own database dialog, using the USB Notes client to reach my primary Notes data directory of my laptop. I've titled the directory link, "LAPTOP" and it redirects the client to the host directory.
Normally, directory links are created through the interface of the administration client, but it's a simple trick to make your own. It is, after all, only a text file that ends in ".dir" as its suffix. I made a "LAPTOP.dir" text file in the USB data directory, and it contains one line: "c:\notes\data." Now, when I use the USB client on my laptop, I can use all the NSFs on the c:\ drive.
I think the Wanda Notes client is another example of how IBM/Lotus continue to push the limits of collaboration. I don't think I'll get a pay-grade adjustment from using it, but it's very handy and continues to extend the reach of Notes.
Between the podcasting of Bruce Elgort and Julian Robichaux, and the nudges of several blogmeisters (esp., Chris Whisonant's), I've installed a Notes client onto a USB flash drive. For those that haven't been reading about the latest and greatest in the Notes 7.0.2 release, it is now possible to install Notes onto a USB memory stick and carry around your Notes client in a pocket. Before it was released, the USB Notes client had the code name of "Wanda." It's quite impressive to see the USB icon appear on the Windows desktop when the USB flashdrive is slid into place.
The guidelines of the many blogsites should give you enough guidance to complete the install, but I still recommend that you read the full release notes of 7.0.2.
Now, just so you understand what this means to run Notes from a USB drive, let me take a minute to list some of the highlights of using Notes in this manner:
- If you are still on release ND6.x, then the USB install allows you to see the full ND7 client, test out your current applications, all without having to upgrade your current ND6.x client (of course, don't run both clients at the same time). Many work sites have stringent requirements about "supported" releases, which makes the USB drive a sort of loophole. Technically, it's not really installed on the work computer and after it's removed there is no record of it.
- Naturally, it's pretty nice to pop the flash drive in your pocket, go home and slide it into your own computer to continue work. Laptops will never be this small or light.
- You can run the administrator and designer client on the flashdrive, which means it's possible for senior helpdesk personnel to recert someone's ID at the worker's desk.
- It works fine on Windows 2000 Pro and Windows XP (haven't tested it on Vista beta)
- JConsole runs fine off of the USB drive.
cca50.ntf certreq.ntf clusta4.ntf csrv50.ntf dba4.ntf decomsrv.ntf domadmin.ntf dommon.ntf dsgnsyn.ntf events4.ntf icl.ntf loga4.ntf ntsync45.ntf polcysyn.ntf statrep5.ntf userreg.ntf
Now, we come to a pragmatic concern about the storage limitation of a USB drive. Just how much space is required, and what can you do with a Notes client that can't store many NSFs? The full Note client takes about 450 M (it needs extra files to be able to run independently), leaving a smidgen over 500 M of free space if you have a 1 GB flashdrive. You have two options to increase your storage access.
You could buy a 4 G flashdrive, or even use an external USB harddrive. I think for some people this is a fine solution. For my part, though, I'm cheap and I don't want to carry around something as big as my Blackberry.
The second option is to use the USB drive to hold the Notes executable, and a few databases, but use the host computer for all the larger Notes databases that you need to access. Administrators have a trick that lets the Domino server map to other drives or locations as if the connection is a local directory. It's called "directory mapping" and it works just as well for the client. You can see the picture of my own database dialog, using the USB Notes client to reach my primary Notes data directory of my laptop. I've titled the directory link, "LAPTOP" and it redirects the client to the host directory.
Normally, directory links are created through the interface of the administration client, but it's a simple trick to make your own. It is, after all, only a text file that ends in ".dir" as its suffix. I made a "LAPTOP.dir" text file in the USB data directory, and it contains one line: "c:\notes\data." Now, when I use the USB client on my laptop, I can use all the NSFs on the c:\ drive.
I think the Wanda Notes client is another example of how IBM/Lotus continue to push the limits of collaboration. I don't think I'll get a pay-grade adjustment from using it, but it's very handy and continues to extend the reach of Notes.
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Comments
I'm glad you were brave enough to step outside the instructions and do a full client install. You get the designer/admin help files, then, as well.
Next time I do it, I'll try it with the full install. Now, about which iPod should I ask my wife for permission to buy?
Posted by Jack Dausman At 09:43:09 PM On 10/11/2006 | - Website - |
I installed mine on my iPod... http://www.jaffacake.net/dx/inomad?opendocument&comments
Posted by Ben Rose At 09:10:40 PM On 10/11/2006 | - Website - |
I like it too - it performs well on my drive. I don't have to use it much, but it's really handy. And portable firefox is great - especially with the Google Browser Sync extension. Have you seen that? It keeps your bookmarks, history, etc... synchronized. The extension works great on portable FF, so I not only have my Notes but also my Browser synchronized on the stick!
http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/browsersync/
Posted by Chris Whisonant At 11:38:10 PM On 10/09/2006 | - Website - |
I've noticed that sometimes when I'm the first to write on a subject it might be picked up or it might not. I don't worry too much about it, as I think it all evens out in the end.
I am enjoying the Wanda/Nomad/Notes USB device, though.
Posted by Jack Dausman At 10:01:21 PM On 10/09/2006 | - Website - |
I suppose that the list of templates you would want on the USB stick would correspond with what you would like to accomplish from Nomad. I may not want to decommission a server, but would probably need to register a user! I'll have to add them because everything you listed except for domadmin and events4 only add up to 7.8 MB and I'll have it if I need it.
"which means it's possible for senior helpdesk personnel to recert someone's ID at the worker's desk."
So, did you see my comment at Chris Miller's site?
http://www.idonotes.com/IdoNotes/IdoNotes.nsf/dx/10032006030837PMCMIRHQ.htm?opendocument&comments#anc1
Posted by Chris Whisonant At 09:28:18 PM On 10/09/2006 | - Website - |