Synchronise your Pocket PC with Novell GroupWise
Ric Liang, TechRepublic.com
Published: 08 May 2003 15:58 BST
Next, select GroupWise as the translator. The Apply To All Applications option is automatically selected. This will configure GroupWise for three of the four applications. You must select the Inbox separately.
Select Synchronise from the console screen and you're done. Whenever your Pocket PC device is in the cradle, sync away to your heart's content.
Challenge 2: Remote synchronisation
How do you remotely synchronise your Pocket PC device to GroupWise? Syncing remotely requires a bit of flexibility, ingenuity, and turning a slight blind eye to security. So the solution presented here is not for every user or every organisation.
While there are a few products on the market for remotely synchronising Pocket PCs to Exchange, from the research I've done, there is presently only one solution available on the market. SyncWiseEnterprise from Toffa International is based on the new SyncML standard protocol (designed to allow networked information to be synchronised with any mobile device), and will synchronise your Pocket PC with GroupWise 5 and 6.
However, this product is rather expensive because you must purchase a minimum of 10 licenses at a cost of £600.
SyncWiseEnterprise aside, I developed a free and effective, yet rather complicated, method of remotely syncing GroupWise and Pocket PC. If your organisation has a rigid set of desktop and network security policies, I recommend using SyncWiseEnterprise or configuring your Pocket PCs for only local synchronisation. If your organisation has some flexibility, the solution presented below can save you some money.
There are several crucial elements that must be in place for this solution to work -- remote access to a PC running ActiveSync with Outlook installed and set to Autologin.
Since there is no server-based application to process the sync requests, you must rely on the client PC to do the work. For this process to work, there are some requirements: a computer with Outlook and GroupWise installed, which will remain powered on at all times and which is logged in to the corporate network.
Install Outlook
While this may seem like heresy to die-hard GroupWise fans, Outlook (not Outlook Express) is required to act as a conduit between GroupWise and ActiveSync.
With Outlook and GroupWise installed on the same PC, you can configure the Outlook profile to access the Novell GroupWise Transport Provider. To configure Outlook XP for GroupWise access, go to Tools | E-mail Accounts | View Or Change Existing Email Accounts. Click the Add button and select Additional Server Types.
With the GroupWise client installed, Novell GroupWise Transport Provider will automatically appear for selection. Once configured, Outlook can function as the client for the GroupWise server, but, be forewarned: It has numerous quirky limitations and is not as reliable as a day-to-day email client. After all, Outlook is designed to work well with an Exchange server, not with a GroupWise server.
Remote PC access
To access your PC remotely, there is only one requirement: that it is turned on. This is a problem for individuals whose primary PCs are also the laptops they take on the road. In such cases, the individual should configure a desktop PC with ActiveSync and Outlook and label it "Do not turn off".
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