Synchronise your Pocket PC with Novell GroupWise
Ric Liang, TechRepublic.com
Published: 08 May 2003 15:58 BST
As surprising as it may seem, it is entirely possible to synchronise your Pocket PC with Novell's GroupWise messaging system. Those using Microsoft Exchange probably haven't experienced the issues we GroupWise users contend with when it comes to syncing our Pocket PCs.
Let's face it, Pocket PC is entirely a Microsoft solution platform, and integrating non-Microsoft components poses a unique, but not insurmountable, set of challenges. Let's take a look at the two major challenges GroupWise users face when syncing a Pocket PC device, and the resolutions I found to address each of them.
Challenge 1: Local syncing
Docking your Pocket PC into its cradle and syncing to Outlook is a relatively straightforward exercise. But GroupWise is not Outlook. There are portions of Outlook that don't even exist in GroupWise, such as the Notes and Contacts folders. Conversely, there are folders in GroupWise that don't exist in Outlook, such as the Work In Progress folder or the GroupWise Address Book. To make matters worse, ActiveSync is completely GroupWise unaware. This means that when you configure ActiveSync, there isn't even an option for connecting to GroupWise.
To synchronise the full functionality of GroupWise with your Pocket PC, you'll need the assistance of some third-party software.
While it's true that there are several third-party utilities on the market for synchronising a PDA with GroupWise, virtually all of them focus exclusively on Palm devices with respect to syncing. Little or no attention is given to Pocket PC devices.
One product that does, however, sync GroupWise to Pocket PCs is the venerable Intellisync from Pumatech. Intellisync has been syncing PDAs for a long time, and the latest release, version 5.1.1, supports all versions of GroupWise through 6.x, with the following minor caveats:
- GroupWise 6.x e-mail cabinet folder mapping is not supported.
- E-mail attachment support is not available for GroupWise.
- GroupWise 5.5.4 and 5.5.4.1 require an additional update that you can download from Novell's product updates Web page.
- GroupWise 5.5.4 requires gw55puma.exe, and version 5.5.4.1 requires gweppuma.exe.
I recommend selecting Intellisync's custom installation option and stripping off all but the GroupWise component.
Once Intellisync is installed, it's easy to configure. Simply launch the Intellisync For Windows CE Configurator and click the Configure icon on the console. In the corresponding screen (shown in Figure A), select any of the Pocket PC applications: Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, or Task. Then, click the Choose button.
Figure A
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