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Deploying the IBM® Lotus® Domino® server:

A cookbook

Ed Nordmeyer
Software Engineer
Technical Support Professional: Client Technical Resolution Specialty
IBM Software Group, Lotus
Charlotte, NC

December 2008

© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2008. All rights reserved

Abstract: This white paper addresses the issues most frequently reported by customers
to IBM Technical Support regarding IBM® Lotus® Domino® server deployment. The
goal of this document is to enable Domino Administrators who are relatively new to the
Domino products to help themselves with specific Lotus Domino installation and
upgrade questions. In short, this is a "how to" guide (cookbook) for Lotus Domino install,
setup, and upgrade tasks.

Table of Contents
1 Introduction......................................................................................................... 2
2 Basics of setting up a standalone Domino server.............................................. 2
2.1 Minimum requirements for Lotus Domino................................................... 2
2.2 Detailed installation steps........................................................................... 3
2.3 Detailed setup steps.................................................................................... 7
2.4 Troubleshooting the Domino server install or setup.................................. 17
3 Installing and setting up an additional Domino server in an existing domain... 18
3.1 Troubleshooting the secondary Domino server install or setup................ 23
4 Upgrading a Domino server.............................................................................. 24
4.1 Incremental upgrades............................................................................... 24
4.2 Installing a fix pack.................................................................................... 26
4.3 Installing a hot fix...................................................................................... 29
5 Conclusion........................................................................................................ 32
6 Resources........................................................................................................ 32
7 About the author............................................................................................... 33
1 Introduction
This paper focuses specifically on installing IBM Lotus Domino on the Microsoft®
Windows® server OS; it does not go into depth on subjects such as the differences
between 32-bit and 64-bit OS Domino installs. In such cases, you'll be referred to the
pertinent IBM Support Technotes in the knowledge base.

Also, as this is a guide for deploying the Domino server, it does not cover how to install
and set up programs such as the Notes client, Domino Designer client, or Domino
Administrator client, or how to connect to the server through a Web browser. That
information is covered elsewhere in training materials and other technical content (see
the Resources section of this paper).

To help you quickly find the task you need to perform, the paper is divided into sections
as follows: First server install, Adding Domino servers to an existing domain, and
Incremental upgrades, fix packs, and hot fixes.

2 Basics of setting up a standalone Domino server


Let's start with a discussion of the prerequisites involved.

2.1 Minimum requirements for Lotus Domino


In order for an operating system to meet the minimum standard supported configuration,
it means IBM has rigorously tested the Domino server version in question with that
specific OS and can confirm that it works robustly. Even though a Domino server can be
installed and started on an untested version of a software OS, such as Windows XP, it
places your software in an unsupported configuration and will limit its supportability by
IBM.

The currently supported versions of the Domino server at the time of this writing are
Domino 6.5.X, Domino 7.0.X, and Domino 8.0.X.

Microsoft Windows 2000 is a supported OS for Domino 6.5.X and Domino 7.0.X, and
Windows 2003 SP2 is a supported OS for Domino 6.5.X, Domino 7.0.X, and Domino
8.0.X.

The current versions of Domino server software requirements can be found in the IBM
Support Techdocs titled, “Detailed system requirements - Lotus Domino 7.0.3” and
“Domino 8.0.2 Detailed System Requirements”.

Once you confirm the required hardware minimums are met and that you're installing
Domino on a supported OS, you now must decide what the purpose of your Domino
server install is. It can be licensed as a utility server, messaging server, or an enterprise
server, the definitions of which are in the Administrator Help file:

“When you install each server, you must select one of the following installation options:

• Domino Utility Server -- Installs a Domino server that provides application services only, with
support for Domino clusters. Note that it does NOT include support for messaging services.

• Domino Messaging Server -- Installs a Domino server that provides messaging services. Note
that it does NOT include support for application services or Domino clusters.

• Domino Enterprise Server -- Installs a Domino server that provides both messaging and
application services, with support for Domino clusters. Only the Domino Enterprise Server
supports a service provider (xSP) environment.”

Table 1 is a partial list of part numbers for the Domino Server products. All the items are
downloadable from the Passport Advantage Web site.

Table 1. Domino part numbers


Name: OS Language Part # Size
IBM Lotus Domino Utility Server 6.5.6 Windows 2000 and 2003 English C99HWEN 435mb
IBM Lotus Domino Utility Server 7.0.2 Windows 2000 and 2003 English C94QBEN 520mb
IBM Lotus Domino Utility Server 7.0.3 Windows 2000 and 2003 English C17YMEN 501mb
IBM Lotus Domino Utility Server 8.0 Windows 2003 English C13NGEN 500mb
IBM Lotus Domino Utility Server 8.0.1 Windows 2003 English C18XPEN 466mb

IBM Lotus Domino Messaging Server 7.0.2 Windows 2000 and 2003 English C94QBEN 520mb
IBM Lotus Domino Messaging Server 8.0 Windows 2003 English C13NGEN 500mb

IBM Lotus Domino Enterprise Server 7.0.2 Windows 2000 and 2003 English C94QBEN 520mb
IBM Lotus Domino Enterprise Server 8.0 Windows 2003 English C13NGEN 500mb

IBM Lotus Domino 8.0.2 32 bit Windows 2003 English C1K38EN 472mb
IBM Lotus Domino 8.0.2 64 bit Windows 2003 English C1K39EN 502mb

In our first detailed walk through of the program install below, the screenshots are taken
from an Enterprise Domino 8.0.1 server installed on a Windows 2003 SP2 OS.

The formal detailed instructions for the Domino server installation and setup process
without the screenshots can be found in the Lotus Domino Administrator 7 Help.

2.2 Detailed installation steps


Figures 1 and 2 show the first two screens that appear after you double-click the
Domino server executable, giving you the URL for our product and requiring you to
confirm that you've read the Domino server software license agreement, respectively.
Figure 1. InstallShield Wizard Welcome page with URL

Figure 2. License Agreement

Next, determine where the Domino program files (see figure 3) and data files (see figure
4) will be installed. The program files and data can be placed in different directories and
even on different drive letters, but the default is to place the data directory within the
Domino folder.
Figure 3. Choose the install directory

Figure 4. Choose the data file location

Now, you must determine which version of the Domino server you will install. In our
example, we're installing the Domino Enterprise server setup type (see figure 5).
Figure 5. Choose the setup type

Click Next; you see the Installing Lotus Domino progress screen (see figure 6).

Figure 6. Install progress

When the install completes, you'll see the final wizard screen (see figure 7)with the
message “The InstallShield Wizard has successfully installed Lotus Domino....”
Figure 7. Success screen

2.3 Detailed setup steps


Now that the Domino server install is complete, you should see a Domino server icon on
the Windows server desktop. Double-click this icon to start the Domino server setup
wizard; the Setup Welcome screen displays (see figure 8).

Figure 8. Setup Welcome screen


The Domino server that we're setting up is called “FirstServer”; the name of our
company in this case is “LotusIBM”; and because this is a lab environment, the name of
the Domino domain will be “Test”. The Windows OS Name is “Windows2003.”

As this is a demonstration of the first server install, select the “Set up the first server or
stand-alone server” radio button before clicking next (see figure 9).

Figure 9. Choose first or additional server

Now, you are asked to choose the name of your server (see figure 10). Simply put, the
Domino server name does not need to match the OS server name, but the name should
help you remember what the server is and what it does.

Note the comment here warning that, once the Domino server name has been chosen, it
is difficult to change at a later date.
Figure 10. Choose your server name

The IBM Support Technote #1086045 titled “Recommended naming conventions for
server names or domain names” has some additional guidance on naming Domino
servers and Domino domain names and includes additional details about what would be
required to change the Domino name itself after the server setup is complete.

The Organization name is commonly your company name and is included in the full
hierarchical name of users and servers registered later (see figure 11).
Figure 11. Choose your Organization name

At this point, after picking the Organization name and a sufficiently complex password
for the cert.id, you can click the Customize button to see some additional choices. The
Advanced Organizational Settings screen displays (see figure 12).

Figure 12. Optionally specify an OU

For instance, if your company name is Acme, but there's a branch of Acme on the East
Coast and one on the West Coast, you can chose to create additional Organizational
Units (OU) that help further define the users, servers, and groups. OU's do not need to
be specified at this time, however, and are usually registered after the first Domino
server install is complete. In our example, we click Cancel to proceed to the next screen.
Finally, the Domino domain name is defined by the people, servers, and groups that are
all in the same directory or address book. Type in the Domino domain name and click
Next (see figure 13). (Once the Domino server is set up and running, the Domino
Directory is also sometimes called by its file name, Names.nsf.)

Figure 13. Choose domain name

Now, let's create our first Person document for the Domino directory. Since this is the
only person that is in our newly created Names.nsf file, by default it will also be the
Administrative Account for the Domino server. We name our account ADMIN SYSTEM
(see figure 14).
Figure 14. Specifying Admin ID

When the ADMIN SYSTEM account is registered, the ID is saved as an attachment in


the Names.nsf in the Person document. In this case, let's also enable the check box
“Also save a local copy of the ID file” to specify a different location on the network and
make a backup copy of the ID.

Now you must decide what Internet services your server will provide: Web browser,
Internet Mail Clients, or Directory services (see figure 15). Because the first server in the
Domain is also the administrative server, it's a good idea to limit it to that purpose, and
to install additional SMTP and mail servers later for Web clients.

Figure 15. Select the Internet services the server will provide
If, however, this will be the only Domino server in your domain and, as such, must be a
Web server, SMTP server, and administration server, then enable all three options. In
our case, only the default “Directory services (LDAP services)” check box is left
enabled.

If you click the Customize button, the Advanced Domino Services screen displays, in
which you can add or remove additional services to your Domino server (see figure 16).
Clicking each one of these entries provides a more detailed description of what they do.

Figure 16. Add/remove additional services

From here, click Cancel to return to the previous screen (recall figure 15 above).

In our server environment and in most customer environments, NetBIOS is not used on
the OS, so you can disable the NetBIOS over TCP/IP option in the “Enabled port
drivers” field (see figure 17) by clicking the Customize button.
Figure 17. Network settings

Now you see the Advanced Network Settings screen (see figure 18); deselect the check
box for the NetBIOS over TCP/IP option.

Figure 18. Deselect NetBIOS

Note that the “Enabled port drivers” field now lists only TCP/IP (see figure 19).
Figure 19. TCP/IP the only enabled port driver

Click Next; the Secure Domino Server screen displays (see figure 20), in which you can
specify Access Control List settings to limit access for databases created on this server,
as well as create the “LocalDomainAdmins” group as a manager to all databases.
Leave both these options enabled (the default).

Figure 20. Securing the Domino server

The summary screen displays (see figure 21), listing the setting choices we've made so
far (Server name, Server type, etc). Confirm the settings and click the Setup button.
Figure 21. Confirm your setup options

The program finishes creating and registering files, and completes (see figure 22).

Figure 22. Setup complete

Click the Finish button; you should see an icon on your desktop for the newly installed
Domino server. Double-click it to launch Lotus Domino for the first time.
If you receive a dialog box asking whether you want to run the program as a service or
an application, you can pick either; however, in our demonstration, Lotus Domino 8.0.1
picks the service as a default.

Click Next; you should see a Domino console screen similar to that shown in figure 23,
if the Domino server starts successfully.

Figure 23. Successful Start console screen

2.4 Troubleshooting the Domino server install or setup


If, for whatever reason, the Domino server installation or setup fails and you get an error
message, make sure to record it. You can search the Lotus Domino Support Web site,
using key words from the error, to find a document that provides direction on how to
recover from the error.

If your search is not fruitful, one of the best initial troubleshooting steps is to remove any
variables that you can from the environment in which Domino is being installed:

• Are you local or remote? If attempting to install the software remotely, try going to
the server itself, or use a different remote program to access the server in question. If
you're logged on to the OS directly, check the permissions of the account with which
you logged on to the OS, to ensure the account has enough required permission to
install software on the OS.

• Temporarily stop or remove all third-party products and services that may interface
with the Domino server, such as anti-virus products, backup software, and spam
filters, and try to re-run the program.

3 Installing and setting up an additional Domino server


in an existing domain
In this example, we add an additional Domino server to a separate Windows OS that's
connected across the network to the existing Domino server. Installing an additional
server in an existing Domino domain is the same as installing a new server on the OS;
however, there are differences in the server setup.

The first step in this process is to launch the Administration client and register a new
server ID. When registering the new server, be sure the new server.id has a different
name from the old server.id if saving to the network location, to make sure the first
server ID isn't over written.

Because the installation process for a single Domino server install and an additional
Domino server install is the same, we'll skip right to the Domino server setup. The
images here are for a server setup that's run from an Enterprise Domino 8.0.1 server
and installed on a Windows 2003 SP2 OS.

First, double-click the new Domino icon from the desktop to see the Welcome to
Domino Server Setup screen (recall figure 8); click Next.

At this screen (see figure 24), make sure to select the “Set up an additional server” radio
button; click Next.

Figure 24. Select to set up additional server

Select the option for “The server ID file is stored on a floppy disk, CD or network drive”
to point to where the server ID is located on the network (see figure 25). (If the second
Domino server ID is stored in the Server document in the Names.nsf file, feel free to
choose the option “The server ID file is stored in the Domino Directory” instead.)
Click Next.
Figure 25. Specify where server ID is located

Assuming we chose a valid server ID, the name of the second server will appear greyed
out in the Server name field of the “Provide the registered name of this additional
Domino server” screen (see figure 26).
Figure 26. Registered name

On the next screen, keep only the default “Directory services (LDAP services)” option
checked, unless you specifically want to enable Web access or SMTP services (see
figure 27). Click Next.

Figure 27. Enable only “Directory services (LDAP services)”


Then click the Customize button on the Domino network settings screen to enable only
the TCP/IP port on this server (see figure 28).

Figure 28. Keep only the TCP/IP port enabled

Since we're setting up a new server in an existing domain, this server setup needs the
primary Domino server information, that is, Other Domino server name and Optional
network address (see figure 29). Note that, even though the network IP address is listed
as optional, it's usually a good idea to provide it, if possible.

Figure 29. System databases for this Domino server


The most common point of failure during a secondary Domino server install is when the
new server attempts to connect to the primary server. If your server cannot connect
even when the primary server IP address is provided, then put the Names.nsf on the
hard drive of the local server, enable the option “Get system databases from CD or
other media,” and then browse to where the new server setup can find the Names.nsf
locally.

In the next screen you must specify the type of Domino Directory for your server (see
figure 30). If you keep the default “Set up as a primary Domino Directory” option, the
server will make a complete Names.nsf local to this server. Unless there's a good
reason to change this, keep the default. Click Next.

Figure 30. Specify the type of Domino Directory

The next four screens that display are the same as those for first server setup. Similarly,
if you're prompted the first time you click the Domino server icon from the OS desktop,
decide whether to run it as a service or application.

Domino 8.0.1 picks the service as a default, and you should see the same type of server
console screen when the Domino server starts as you saw for the first server.

3.1 Troubleshooting the secondary Domino server install or


setup
The troubleshooting steps for a secondary server in the Domino Domain are quite
similar to those for the first server, so you can use the same resources cited in Section
2.4 above.
Again, when troubleshooting the problem, remove as many variables as you can, and try
to stop all services that may impair the Domino server from installing cleanly. Additional
things to check are:

● As this server also must be able to reach the primary server across the network,
make sure that TCP/IP is running from the OS, and that you can connect to the other
server on an OS-to-OS level, such as by using the “ping” command.

● Confirm that any firewalls or network routing devices between these servers allow
traffic across port 1352, which is the default port Domino and Notes use.

4 Upgrading a Domino server


So far, we've demonstrated only how to run a full install of the Domino product on an OS
that doesn't have Domino previously installed on it. Upgrading a major release of Lotus
Domino, such as from 6.5.x to 7.0.x, or from Domino 7.0.x to 8.0.x, requires overwriting
Domino server program directories and upgrading the files.

The steps to perform an upgrade to a new major release of Domino are addressed in a
number of IBM Redpaper and Redbooks publications, the most recent of which are
titled, “Lotus Notes and Domino 7 Enterprise Upgrade Best Practices” and “IBM Lotus
Notes and Domino 8 Deployment Guide.”

4.1 Incremental upgrades


An incremental upgrade, on the other hand, is minor version update such as upgrading
from Domino 6.5.3 to Domino 6.5.4. Historically, incremental upgrades have mainly
been combinations of bug fixes; however, starting with Domino 7.0.3, new features and
functionality are also included in incremental releases, as in major releases.

Here's a partial list of existing incremental upgrades:


Name OS Language Part # Size
IBM Lotus Domino Server Incremental Install 7.0.0 to 7.0.1 Fix Pack 1 Windows 2000 and 2003 English C90CSNA 21 MB
IBM Lotus Domino Server Incremental Install 7.0.2 to 7.0.3 Windows 2000 and 2003 English C185LEN 368 MB
IBM Lotus Domino Server Incremental Install 8.0 to 8.0.1 Windows 2003 English C1A62EN 355 MB

To install an incremental upgrade to a Domino server, first shut down the existing
Domino server, and then double-click the executable to launch the installation program.

In the License Agreement screen, select “I accept” after reading the fine print; click Next
(see figure 31).
Figure 31. Accept license agreement

Select where the data files are found from the pull-down menu on the Welcome screen
(see figure 32); click Next.

Figure 32. Select data file location

The installer proceeds with the upgrade, indicating its progress, and finishing with a
success screen.
The most common reason for an incremental upgrade to fail is due to attempting to
install it on to a Domino server on which a fix pack is installed. If you get a failure screen
stating “checksum failure” or “incorrect version,” confirm there are no hot fixes installed
on the Domino server, and then retry the incremental install.

Another possible means to upgrade a Domino server, if the incremental install fails or if
you want to upgrade a number of incremental versions at once (such as to go from 6.5.3
to 6.5.6), is to download the full version install of the Domino program for the upgrade.

This process follows the same steps that are in the Redpaper and Redbooks
publications cited at the beginning of Section 4.

To uninstall an incremental upgrade, double-click the same incremental upgrade


executable you used to install it and follow the prompts.

4.2 Installing a fix pack


Here's a partial list of existing fix packs:
Name OS Language Part # Size
IBM Lotus Domino Server 6.5.5 Fix Pack 2 Windows NT, 2000, 2003 English C97E6EN 27 MB
IBM Lotus Domino Server 6.5.5 Fix Pack 3 Windows NT, 2000, 2003 English C10LSEN 28 MB
BM Lotus Domino Server 6.5.6 Fix Pack 1 Windows 2000, 2003 English C118QEN 2 MB
IBM Lotus Domino Server 6.5.6 Fix Pack 3 Windows 2000, 2003 English C1D60EN 12 MB
IBM Lotus Domino Server 7.0.2 Fix Pack 1 Windows 2000, 2003 English C97GDEN 18 MB
BM Lotus Domino Server 7.0.2 Fix Pack 2 Windows 2000, 2003 English C11AQEN 20 MB
IBM Lotus Domino Server 7.0.2 Fix Pack 3 Windows 2000, 2003 English C185RZZ 22 MB

Fix pack upgrades, such as from Domino 6.5.3 to 6.5.3 FP1, also require the Domino
server to be shut down before you double-click the fix pack executable.

A Domino Fix Pack install uses executable screens similar to those for the Incremental
Upgrade process. The first screen you encounter asks you to accept the terms and
conditions and click Next; the second screen asks you to confirm where the Domino files
are found and whether you want to install the fix pack there; the third screen tells you
which DLL's are being replaced and gives you a progress bar for the installation; and the
final screen let you know when the install completes successfully.

Uninstalling a fix pack is just as easy; just double-click the executable and, when
prompted, select the previous version of Lotus Domino to roll back the version of the
software (see figure 33).
Figure 33. Selecting release version to revert to

4.3 Installing a hot fix


Hot fixes are software patches released by IBM to resolve a specific bug. Hot fixes are
built for--and can only be installed on--a specific version of Domino and are written for a
specific OS as well. Because of the nature of hot fixes, they are unavailable from the
Passport Advantage Web site; you can only obtain them by contacting Domino
Technical Support directly.

If at all possible, it is significantly better to upgrade Domino using a fix pack instead of a
hot fix because most of the identified bugs are addressed in fix packs and resolve a
number of issues at the same time.

The installer program for a hot fix is similar to the process for installing a fix pack; that
is, stop the Domino server, double-click the executable, and then click Next as needed.
This demonstration uses a fix pack that was specifically written for Domino 6.5.3 FP1 on
a Windows OS.

The executable screens for installing a Domino hot fix are almost identical to the
screens from the Incremental Upgrade process and the Fix Pack installation process:

The first screen that displays asks you to accept the terms and conditions and click
Next; the second screen asks you to confirm where the Domino files are found and
whether you want to install the fix pack there; the third screen shows you a progress bar
for the installation; and the final screen lets you know when the install completes
successfully.
NOTE: Once you've installed a hot fix, Lotus Domino is unable to upgrade to the next fix
pack until the hot fix is uninstalled. The uninstall process is the same as the install
process: Double-click the hot fix executable, select the previous version of Domino, and
click Next.

5 Conclusion
If you are a relatively new Lotus Domino Administrator, hopefully this white paper has
enabled you to help yourself with specific Domino installation and upgrade questions.
It's not meant to be a comprehensive guide, however, so be sure to consult the
additional resources linked in the section below for more detailed solutions.

6 Resources
Lotus Domino Support:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/support/domino/support.html

Passport Advantage Web site support:


http://www.lotus.com/passport

Passport Advantage secure sign-in page:


https://www.ibm.com/software/howtobuy/passportadvantage/paocustomer

Lotus Support Upgrade Central Web site:


http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/support/upgradecentral/

“Upgrade Central: Planning your upgrade to Lotus Notes / Domino 7.0.3 (including fix
packs for Domino 7.0.3)”:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=899&uid=swg21283077

“Upgrade Central: Planning your upgrade to Lotus Notes / Domino 8.0.1”:


http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=899&uid=swg21294941

Main page to search for Redpapers and Redbooks publications:


http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/

“IBM Lotus Notes and Domino 8 Deployment Guide”:


http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg247506.html?Open

”Lotus Notes and Domino7 Enterprise Upgrade Best Practices”:


http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/redp4120.html?Open

Lotus Notes and Domino Wiki:


http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/dominowiki.nsf

developerWorks Lotus Domino documentation page:


http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/documentation/domino/

developerWorks Forums and community:


http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/community/
Lotus Training and Certification site:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/training/

7 About the author


Ed Nordmeyer found his way into the computer science field in the 1980's, when he was
an English Major and was “fired” by the Dean of the English Department for wanting to
take Calculus and Computer classes. Ed later received his Bachelor's degree in
Network Systems Management, and he is currently a member of the Enterprise Server
Core team for IBM's Lotus Software brand. You can reach Ed at
ednordme@us.ibm.com.

Trademarks
• Domino, IBM, Lotus, and Notes are trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM Corporation
in the United States, other countries, or both.
• Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United
States, other countries, or both.
• Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

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