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Goodbye Sametime

"Goodbye Sametime,
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to sound good
While those around you crawled..."

I'm tossing Sametime, not because it's bad software. I'm sure it's great but because I've spent a little while trying to load the limited edition server for Domino 7.0.2 and my efforts have ended in failure.

If I can't demonstrate the software to my boss and his team, then there's very little hope of us adopting it's big brother (The full client).

Years ago, when we had a spare server sitting around doing nothing, I loaded the Sametime Limited Use server onto it. The whole thing took minutes. We ran a six month pilot but nobody used it - mostly because no training was provided and because we were all cooped up together in the same office.

Nowadays, it's more common for one or more of our people to be working offsite, or from home. This means that Sametime could have some advantages.

Today I was ready to set up the software permanently. I knew all about not installing Sametime on your main production (email+web+apps) server, so I decided to install it on a smaller server. The blackberry server.

It didn't work.

I ran through a document containing about ten reasons for it not working and tried all of the associated workarounds. Then I started searching the internet to see if there are any known incompatibilities with sametime and the Blackberry.

There are.

In addition, RIM have just downgraded Blackberry Enterprise Server for small businesses to no longer have any sametime functionality so I'm not sure if there's any benefit to be had.

So, since I won't install Sametime on our main server and I can't install it on the Blackberry Professional Server - and of course, I can't put it on our test server either. I'm stuck.

The bundled software isn't very "free" if I have to buy yet another notes licence to deploy it. So that means that my people won't be seeing SameTime anytime soon - and if they don't see any benefits, they're not going to be asking for upgrades to the full product.

It's a pity really. that Sametime and Blackberry just can't be friends.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
This is interesting. I've had the same problem installing Quickr, or rather setting up appropriate security with Quickr only to find that it uses Domino 5 web configuration only. IBM/Lotus really need to spend time polishing the install procedures and documentation to make these tools easier to work with.
10:10 pm
Carl Tyler said…
Probably too late for you...

http://lotustech.blogspot.com/2008/07/lotus-notes-traveler-and-bes-416.html

Will tell you the resolution to getting the BES and Sametime server coexisting.
12:03 am
Anonymous said…
I think a Domino license is not required to install a Sametime server; not much help though if you are limited with hardware.



Another option would be to use Greenhouse accounts to show your folks to capabilities.
12:39 am
Anonymous said…
You should always install Sametime on a stand-alone server. You do NOT purchase a separate Domino Server license for this Sametime server.
The server license is included, with the understanding that you only put Sametime on this Domino server, no other apps or mailboxes.
5:48 am
Keith Brooks said…
Cheer up Mate! All is not lost, oh no....All is not lost.
Go here, download the BES for 60 day usage.
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/server/offers.jsp

Then make sure you read my blog post from july 29th, here if you will run sametime on the same server so you can alleviate your frustration ahead of time, todays post but it links to the original with the ini change:
http://lotustech.blogspot.com/2008/08/bes-416-further-update-on-domino.html

There are always possibilities, just ask... Maybe you can show it live from one of my servers, as a POC.
6:45 am
Ed Brill said…
or show it from Lotus Greenhouse
greenhouse.lotus.com
12:51 am
Anonymous said…
Hi Gavin,

I am the Offering Manager for Sametime. Please contact me and we'll see about getting you squared away. No one should have to abandon Sametime.

John Del Pizzo
johndel@us.ibm.com
1:50 am
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