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LINUX
Installing Linux and Domino
Linux provides a cost-effective solution for running a Lotus Domino server.
Linux is an increasingly popular, free, stable operating system. Running a Lotus Domino server on Linux is a great fit for small businesses on a tight budget, because you can install a Domino application server for under US$500 when you purchase the IBM Small Business Suite for Linux. This article focuses on how to install a Domino server on a Linux machine.
Before you begin
Before installing Linux and Lotus Domino, you must obtain a suitable computer to run Linux and Domino. I recommend using a 400MHz Pentium II class machine or faster with at least 256MB of RAM and 20GB or greater hard drive. The Linux Domino machine must have a network card and a direct connection to the Internet if you plan to use SMTP mail and Domino as a Web server. You also need a client machine with the Domino Administrator to be able to administer the Linux Domino server, because at the time of writing this article, none of the Notes clients run natively on Linux. Your client machine running the Domino Administrator must be able to connect to the Linux Domino server through the TCP/IP protocol so you can administer the server.
Lotus Domino runs on these distributions of Linux: Red Hat 6.0 (http://www.redhat.com) or higher, Suse 6.2 (http://www.suse.com) or higher, Caldera OpenLinux 2.2 (http://www.calderasystems.com) or higher, and Turbolinux 3.6 (http://www.turbolinux.com) or higher. A Linux distribution is a commercially available set of installation files you can download or install from CDs. I chose Red Hat 7.1 because it is the most popular distribution of Linux and generally has the easiest installation routine.
I recommend using the latest version of your Linux distribution because it should contain the most up-to-date kernel. The kernel is the core of the Linux operating system that controls how the computer manages resources, such as memory, storage, and processing time. As of this writing, the 2.4 kernel is the latest kernel which lets Linux be more scalable. For Domino administrators, the 2.4 kernel supports more concurrent users than the previous kernel and files larger than 2GB. For example, the maximum numbers of concurrent Notes and Web users the previous kernel (2.2) supports are 250 (Notes) and 450 (Web). The 2.4 kernel can support up to triple the number of concurrent users than the 2.2 kernel.
Configuring Linux for Domino
Installing Linux is a straightforward process when you follow the installation instructions that come with your Linux distribution. When installing Linux, follow these tips:
- Set your computer to boot from a CD drive.
- Choose the "server" or "custom" option when installing Linux.
- Make sure to set up network connectivity for the machine.
- Configure X windows so you can have a graphical user interface to control Linux.
After installing Linux, you must configure Linux to work with Domino. The first step to is to log on as root, which is the equivalent of logging on as the Windows 2000/NT Administrator. The next step is to open a terminal session (console window) and add a user and group for Domino. I added a user and group by typing the following commands:
# adduser notes
# passwd notes
The "#" is the equivalent to "C:\>" within a Windows console application. The command "adduser notes" adds notes as a user belonging to the notes group. The "passwd notes" command prompts the administrator to set a password for the notes user.
The next step in configuring to Linux for Domino is to disable the sendmail and httpd system services from automatically starting when Linux starts. If you don't disable the sendmail system service, the Domino server won't be able to run the SMTP task, which lets the server send and receive Internet e-mail. If you don't disable the httpd system service, the HTTP task on the Domino server won't be able to run, which prevents you from setting up the Domino server on Linux. To disable the sendmail and httpd system services, run the "setup" command from a terminal window (figure 1).
Figure 1: Setup terminal session application -- The System Services screen lets you set which system services will start when Linux boots.
Installing Domino for Linux
If you're running the 7.1 version of Red Hat Linux you must replace the current Java Runtime Environment (JRE) that ships with Domino (1.1.8-2) with a later version from IBM (1.1.8-6). You can obtain the later JRE and instructions on how to install it by accessing this URL:
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/jdk/118/linux/installation.html
Executing the Domino installer
You can install Domino for Linux from two different types of media: a .TAR file downloaded from http://www.lotus.com or from a CD. A .TAR file or "tarball" is analogous to a .ZIP file in the Windows world. To install Domino from a CD:
- Open a terminal session.
- Type "whoami" to verify you're logged on as root.
- Type "mount /dev/cdrom" to mount the Lotus Domino installation CD.
- Type the command "/mnt/cdrom/linux/install" to execute the Domino installer.
To install Domino from a .TAR file:
- Open a terminal session.
- Type "whoami" to verify you're logged on as root.
- Copy or move the Domino .TAR file to a temporary directory. The /tmp or the home directory of the Notes user are good choices.
- From the temporary directory, expand the tarball by typing: "tar xvf <filename>" where <filename> is the name of .TAR file.
- Type "cd linux" to switch to the newly created Linux directory.
- Type "./install" to execute the Domino installer.
After running the Domino installer, you go through a series of screens in which you're prompted for information (figure 2). You're prompted to read and accept a license agreement before proceeding with the installation. After accepting the license agreement you're asked to choose a type of installation to install: Domino Mail Server, Domino Application Server, or Domino Enterprise. I chose Domino Application Server because this option lets Domino act as a mail server and application server. This option is most appropriate for companies that want to leverage all of Domino's capabilities.
Figure 2: Domino server installation -- This screen is the first one you see after executing the Domino installation program.
The next screen prompts you for a location to install the Domino application files. To keep things simple, I recommend keeping the default choice: /opt/lotus. The following two screens ask if you're installing more than one instance of the Domino server for Linux. For better performance, install only one instance of Domino. The next screen prompts you to choose where to install the Domino data files. Keep the default choice (/local/notesdata) and continue the installation. The next two screens ask for the name of the Linux user and group that will own the Domino data files. In this case, I chose notes, which is the Linux user and group I added earlier in this installation process. The following two screens let you verify the configuration information you entered when running the installation program is correct. If so, you're asked to perform the installation.
If you're running Red Hat 7.1, you have to replace the standard Domino JRE with the new IBM JRE you installed prior running the Domino installation program. You must open a terminal session and be logged on as root. The next step is to switch to the local Notes data directory and execute the following command:
"/opt/lotus/bin/notesjre -n /opt/lotus/notes/latest/linux -j /opt/jre118"
This command assumes all files are installed in default directories on your system.
After executing the command to update the JRE for Domino, add the environment variable LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.2.5 to the .bash_profile file for the Linux user set to run the Domino server. The hidden .bash_profile file is located in the user's home directory. The file is hidden, but you can list all hidden files using the command "ls -a".
Edit the .bash_profile text file by adding LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.2.5 on a new line after the line containing BASH_ENV=$HOME/.bashrc. Append LD_ASSUME_KERNEL to the line containing export BASH_ENV PATH. You can edit this file with vi or some other text editing tools that comes with your Linux distribution.
Starting the Domino server for the first time
Before starting the Domino server, make sure you're logged in as the user set to run Domino. You can switch to the notes user from within a terminal session with the "su - notes" command. From within a terminal session, switch to the notesdata directory by typing: cd /local/notesdata. Start the HTTP task by typing: /opt/lotus/bin/http httpsetup (figure 3).
Figure 3: Domino server setup -- This is what you see when you start the Domino server for the first time on Linux.
After starting the Domino HTTP task, open a Web browser and enter this URL: http://hostname:8081/. Hostname is the DNS host name or IP address of the Linux server. Accessing the Domino server on TCP/IP port 8081 opens a Web-based Domino setup application that prompts the administrator to enter the information necessary to create the first or an additional Domino application in your organization. This setup application should be familiar to anyone who has installed a Lotus Domino R5 server before (figure 4).
Figure 4: Domino server setup screen -- Access this screen by entering the URL http://hostname:8081/ in your browser after you run the "http httpsetup" command from a Linux terminal session.
After setting up the Domino server for Linux, start the Domino server by following these commands:
- Log in as the Linux user assigned to run Domino.
- Open a terminal session and switch to the "/local/notesdata" directory.
- Execute the following command: "/opt/lotus/bin/server".
To administer the Domino server running on Linux, you must obtain the administrator's Notes ID. If this Linux server isn't the first server in your organization, just use your current Notes ID and the Domino Administrator. Otherwise, obtaining the user ID of the Notes administrator involves opening the Domino Directory by entering "http://hostname/names.nsf" in your browser. Hostname is the DNS host name or IP address of the Linux server. You are prompted to enter the administrator's name and password. After opening the names.nsf database, click on the People Link, open the administrator's person document, and download the Notes ID file to your lotus\notes\data directory on your client machine.
Cost-effective solution
Linux provides a cost-effective solution for running a Lotus Domino server. If you follow the directions in this article, you can easily a install Lotus Domino server on your Linux machine.
Keyword Tags: Application Design, Application Server, Business Software, Business Solution, Business Technology, Caldera, Caldera OpenLinux, Deployment, IBM, IBM Lotus, IBM Lotus Domino, IBM Lotus Notes, IBM Small Business Suite for Linux, Infrastructure, Installation, Integration, IT Strategy, Linux, Novell, Novell Suse Linux, Platforms, Red Hat, Red Hat Linux, Tech Admin, Turbolinux
ADVISORAMA The person who knows it all has a lot to learn.
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ARTICLE INFO
Print Edition: October/November 2001, Page 14
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