One of the cornerstone features to GroupWise in the upcoming release of Windermere is a completely new Administration Console. I thought I would share a few details and screen shots of how this experience is going to change.

First of all, there are a few components that help explain the architecture of the new Administration service. There is the GroupWise Admin Service which is installed when you install the GroupWise Server components. These components now include the Admin Service, the MTA, and the POA. After the installation is complete, usually on the same machine where the Primary Domain resides, the Admin service automatically starts. On Windows, the Admin Service is installed in C:\Program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server. With the Admin Service running, you can now launch the Admin Console. This is where you configure your new or existing GroupWise system. You will navigate your browser to the correct URL and accept the self-signed certificate that is automatically provided and the GroupWise Configuration wizard will start: See screen shot….

Configuraton Wizard

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After you have created your new system, added a new domain or post office, you can then launch the GroupWise Administration Console to configure a new or existing GroupWise system. Here is what it might look like:

Administration Console

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You can see from this view , launch points for all of the general tasks that an Administrator needs to complete. This blog will discuss a few of these, but will spend more time highlighting some of the advantages and new capabilities with the new Administration Console.

Recent/Favorites/Search

You will notice a few of menus/buttons/controls near the top of the console that allows you to customize and simplify your administration tasks. Easily trace your movements around the console using the ‘Recent’ menu. Effortlessly bookmark and return to common areas or settings or possibly deeply embedded functionality through the ‘Favorites’ menu. This mechanism allows you to easily surface and personalize locations for each administrator. Then there is ‘Search’. The ability to easily find/filter lists of domains, post offices, users, resources, etc. Personally, those features alone make the Administration experience so much better!

New User

Creating new users, domains, post offices or other entities is fairly simple and somewhat routine. You will notice many familiar tasks and screens. This familiarity seamlessly integrated with a new look and feel, easier navigation, and more intuitive interactions makes the transition from ConsoleOne to the GroupWise Administration Console natural and expected.

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I hope you enjoyed this brief view of the Administration Console. Let me know if you have questions or want to know how a particular scenario will work with the Windermere software.

Dean