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April 2007 GroupWise Upgrade

Novell has recently released a Support Pack upgrade to GroupWise 7. GroupWise 7 Support Pack 2 contains various performance and stability enhancements and all users are encouraged to update their GroupWise clients to this latest release. Since this is only a Support Pack update and not a new version of GroupWise, there are no changes in functionality or appearance from the GroupWise client you are currently using.

Computing and Network Services will also be updating the back end server-side components of GroupWise to the Support Pack 2 release. Because of the design of our GroupWise system, the amount of downtime users will experience for these server upgrades is negligible and is detailed in the schedule listed below.

How do I update my GroupWise Client to the latest version?

You do not need to wait until CNS has updated the GroupWise server components before you update the GroupWise client on your computer. Update your GroupWise client at your convenience. Because this release contains performance and stability improvements, all users are encouraged to upgrade.

On-Campus users may update using the Application Explorer:

  • Locate the Application Explorer icon on your desktop, and browse to DREW > Install Software > GroupWise > Novell GroupWise 7 SP2. Click Yes when prompted to install the update.

Off-Campus users (or users with non-standard PCs without the Application Explorer) may download the new release of GroupWise from the CNS web site:

  • Consult this web page for download and installation instructions.

What about my GroupWise Messenger Client?

GroupWise instant messaging (GroupWise Messenger) is updated separately from GroupWise email. CNS will also be installing and an updated version of the Messenger server software, detailed in the schedule listed below.

After the Messenger server has been updated, GroupWise Messenger users will automatically be prompted to update their client the next time they start Messenger. Simply click Yes to download and install the new release of Messenger.

What is the schedule for updating the GroupWise backend (server side) components? How much downtime will there be?

Due to the design of our GroupWise system, the amount of downtime experienced by individual GroupWise users will be negligible (on the order of a few minutes). All maintenance is scheduled to be performed after hours. In the table below, we have listed all of the GroupWise server components, the time when they will be updated, and the impact to users.

Please note: You do not have to wait for CNS to update the GroupWise server components before you can update your GroupWise client. Please feel free to update your GroupWise client at any time. We encourage all users to upgrade.

Component Time Scheduled Impact to Users
First WebAccess Server Tuesday, April 17 (late afternoon) Negligible. Because Drew has two redundant WebAccess servers, most users will not observe any service disruption. WebAccess sessions will be handled by the other server while the upgrade is in progress. Active sessions on this WebAccess Server will be "drained" for several hours prior to the upgrade. Only users who leave a browser session open to WebAccess for several hours might observe a brief interruption in their session when this WebAccess service is restarted to load the new code.
University Technology Post Office Wednesday, April 18 (shortly after midnight) Less than five minutes - for University Technology employees only. University Technology employees will observe a disruption of less than five minutes in GroupWise service when their post office is restarted to load the new code.
Second WebAccess Server Wednesday, April 18 (late afternoon) Negligible. Because Drew has two redundant WebAccess servers, most users will not observe any service disruption. WebAccess sessions will be handled by the other server while the upgrade is in progress. Active sessions on this WebAccess Server will be "drained" for several hours prior to the upgrade. Only users who leave a browser session open to WebAccess for several hours might observe a brief interruption in their session when this WebAccess service is restarted to load the new code.
GroupWise IMAP Server Thursday, April 19 (shortly after midnight) Less than five minutes - for users of non-supported IMAP email clients only. The IMAP server will be restarted to load the new code. GroupWise users who use either a standard GroupWise client or WebAccess will not observe any service disruption.
GroupWise Messenger Friday, April 20 (shortly after midnight) Less than five minutes. Users of GroupWise Messenger (instant messaging) will observe less than five minutes of downtime when the Messenger service is restarted to load the new code. Afterwards, Messenger users will be prompted to update their Messenger clients to the updated release.
All other Post Offices Tuesday, April 24 (shortly after midnight) Less than five minutes for each Post Office. Users will experience less than five minutes of downtime while their Post Office is restarted to load the updated code.

We thank you for your patience and cooperation during these upgrades. As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at cns@drew.edu.

 
 
17 Apr 2007
 
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Page last updated: 18 April 2007