Installing the IBM Connections Plug-ins for IBM Notes

Install the IBM® Connections Plug-ins for IBM Notes to access Files, Activities, Status Updates and business card integration from your IBM Notes client.

There are two ways to install the IBM Connections Plug-ins for IBM Notes. A user can install plug-ins for a Notes® client using the InstallShield wizard, or an administrator can perform a silent installation for all plug-in users.

Installing the Plug-ins on a Windows client

Install the plug-ins so that the IBM Connections features are integrated with the IBM Notes client.

Procedure

  1. Download the IBM Connections Plug-ins for IBM Notes from the IBM Connections catalog at the following web site:
    https://greenhouse.lotus.com/catalog
  2. Extract ConnectionsAddonInstaller.zip and click Setup.exe.
  3. Make sure your IBM Notes client is closed before beginning the installation.
  4. Accept installation prompts for installing the plug-ins.
  5. Click Finish to complete the installation.

Silently installing the IBM Connections Plug-ins (Windows)

About this task

Administrators can silently install the Connections plug-ins from the command prompt. A silent installation uses the same installation program that the graphical user interface (GUI) version users. However, instead of displaying a wizard interface, the silent installation reads all your responses from parameters that you pass to the command line. In order for the installation to work successfully, you must run the silent installation from the directory where you extracted the plug-ins files.

Procedure

  1. Make sure your IBM Notes client is closed before beginning the installation.
  2. Open a command window.
    For example, choose Run from the Microsoft™ Windows™ Start menu and type cmd, then click OK.
  3. Specify the path for the downloaded and unzipped installation file for the plug-in.
    For example, c:\<download_folder>.
  4. Enter setup.exe /s /v" /qn" to begin the installation.

Installing the Plug-ins on a Mac client

Install the Mac version of the IBM Connections Plug-ins for IBM Notes so that it is integrated with the IBM Notes client.

Before you begin

Consider the following before you install:

  • If you run the unsigned installer on Mac 10.7.5 or newer, turn off the GateKeeper first before running the installer. To turn off the GateKeeper, got to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and Click Anywhere as the value for Allow applications downloaded from.
  • If you are installing a subset of the plug-ins with the signed installer on Mac 10.7.5 or later, turn off GateKeeper, then delete the _CodeSignature from xpd.addon-mac.pkg/Contents/_CodeSignature.

Procedure

  1. Download the IBM Connections Plug-ins for IBM Notes from the IBM Connections catalog at the following web site:
    https://greenhouse.lotus.com/catalog
  2. Extract ConnectionsAddonInstaller_Mac.zip.
  3. Make sure your IBM Notes client is closed before beginning the installation.
  4. Double-click xpd.mac-addon.pkg to launch the installation program.
  5. Accept installation prompts for installing the plug-ins.
  6. Click Finish to complete the installation.

Silently installing the IBM Connections Plug-ins (Mac)

About this task

Administrators can silently install the Connections Files plug-in from the command prompt. A silent installation uses the same installation program that the graphical user interface (GUI) version users. However, instead of displaying a wizard interface, the silent installation reads all your responses from parameters that you pass to the command line. In order for the installation to work successfully, you must run the silent installation from the directory where you unzipped the plug-in files.

Procedure

  1. Make sure your IBM Notes client is closed before beginning the installation.
  2. Open a terminal window.
  3. Specify the path for the downloaded and unzipped installation file for the plug-ins.
    For example, /ConnectionsAddonInstaller_Mac.
  4. Enter sudo Installer -pkg package name -target destination volume to begin the installation.
    Where:
    • package name is xpd.addon-mac.pkg, the name of the installer.
    • destination volume is the disk where IBM Notes was installed.

    For example: sudo Installer -pkg xpd.addon-mac.pkg -target Macintosh_HD

  5. Enter your password at the prompt to begin the installation.
    When the installation completes, a terminal message displays The installation was successful.

Viewing the log files

Use the log files to help you resolve problems with the installation.

About this task

If you encounter any errors during the installation or configuration process, review the log files for troubleshooting information.

On Windows, the logs for the plug-in are stored in the default temp directory for users. For example, on Windows XP, the directory is: C:\documents and settings\<username>\Local Settings\temp\rcp_addon_install.txt\.

To view the logs on a Mac, follow these steps.

Procedure

  1. Change to the directory where Notes is installed.
  2. Navigate to /Contents/MacOS/rcp/deploy/instalHistory.
  3. Find the zip file. It's name will be similar to this: Notes_8.5.3FP4_ADDON_INSTALL_1311563867253.zip or Notes_8.5.3FP4_ADDON_UNINSTALL_1311572948964.zip.
  4. Extract the file and navigate to /colutil/tmp to access the log.

What to do next

There is a configuration which can prevent users from uploading, downloading, or sharing files. Users will be able to view files, but, when trying to upload, download, or share a file will see this error message: "A problem with the server was encountered". This is most likely because an encrypted connection (SSL) setting called "Forced confidential" is enabled in the LotusConnections-config.xml file on the IBM Connections server and it creates a conflict on the Notes client. To correct this problem, set the following Files configuration setting in the plugin_customization.ini file. This setting applies to all versions of Notes.
  1. Open the plugin_customization.ini file for the Notes client in a text editor. The file is stored in the following directory: <Notes Install>/framework/rcp/plugin_customization.ini
    Note: On Mac, your path might be different depending on where you installed Notes. For example, your path might be:
    /Applications/Notes.app(or or Lotus Notes.app or IBM Notes.app)/Contents/MacOS/rcp/eclipse/features/plugin_customization.ini
  2. Add this line:
     com.ibm.documents.connector.service/ENABLE_SSL=true
For detailed information on managing security settings, see this article on Creating a Connections server document in the IBM Notes/Domino wiki.