We have been a non-profit using GroupWise and Netware for more than a
decade. The two Netware servers have been playing nice to the four
Windows servers, but now we must decide if we keep GroupWise and move
into SLES or we move to Exchange. My IT dept of two wants to keep
GroupWise and dive into SLES while our consultants keep saying drop it
and move to Exchange because GroupWise is on death row and SLES is
wonderful until it breaks and then is hard to get help. If you have been
in the same cross road and kept GroupWise, how difficult is the
administration of SLES and does it play nice with Windows servers?
We have been a non-profit using GroupWise and Netware for more than a
decade. The two Netware servers have been playing nice to the four
Windows servers, but now we must decide if we keep GroupWise and move
into SLES or we move to Exchange. My IT dept of two wants to keep
GroupWise and dive into SLES while our consultants keep saying drop it
and move to Exchange because GroupWise is on death row and SLES is
wonderful until it breaks and then is hard to get help. If you have
been in the same cross road and kept GroupWise, how difficult is the
administration of SLES and does it play nice with Windows servers?[/color]
GroupWise is hardly on death rowâthat is pure FUD. Thereâs a great
interactive roadmap located at www.novell.com/gwroadmap. Thereâs also
been some great comments from independent analysts such as Gartner.
Not to mention moving GroupWise from NW to Linux is a much simpler
process than migrating to Exchange, saving both time and money. You
can find more info comparing GroupWise 2012 to Exchange 2010 here.
Also keep in mind that with our next release of GroupWise (code-named
âWindmereâ) weâre targeting a new admin model which will do things such
as remove the requirement for eDirectory, introduce web administration,
etc.
lanaleon sounds like they âsaidâ:
[color=blue]
Your expertise will be greatly appreciated![/color]
So my response to lanaleonâs comment isâŚ
I would say stick w/ Groupwise on SLES, runs great. Consultants want
exchange, etc as it means more money for them in consulting fees.
We went from Netware to SLES/OES, went pretty smooth for the most part.
Consultants wonât tell you about the additional CALs youâll need for MS
servers anyway. Weâve been told that any user that connects in any
way to an MS server requires a CAL for that server as well as for AD,
so youâre looking @ AD licenses, exchange licenses, plus CALs for users
on servers.
The windows servers we have are: backup server using BackupExec (backups
Novell without a problem and I know there are other options like SEP), a
property management server with a SQL db, a WTS server to share the SQL
db and other in-house databases and a Blackberry server. We want to make
sure the new platform continues to work with Active Directory.
[/color][/color][/color]
[color=blue]
The windows servers we have are: backup server using BackupExec (backups
Novell without a problem and I know there are other options like SEP), a
property management server with a SQL db, a WTS server to share the SQL
db and other inâÂÂhouse databases and a Blackberry server. We want to[/color]
make[color=blue]
sure the new platform continues to work with Active Directory.[/color]
While with GroupWise 2012 (and SP! releasing in the next month or so)It
still does require eDirectory. So you can Add either SLES boxes with
eDirectory or add Windows Server, with eDirectory only(do not put AD on it)
Also if you chose to go to SLES, remember you also get Data Synchronizer -
Mobility Pack which will allow you to sync e-mail, appointments , contacts
with users who are not using Blackberries, such as iPhones, iPads, Android
tablets and Blackberry PlayBooks, without using Blackberry Bridge
The next major release of GroupWise code named Windemere will remove the
dependency on eDirectory, so either eDirectory or Active Directory can be
the User Source for the GroupWise accounts.
By keeping GroupWise you will be able to leverage your current knowledge,
reduce the need for End-user training and stay with a secure mail system. It
will also have no issues existing with your Existing BES environment.
I know this is Novell hosted an all, but lets keep the FUD to a minimum.
Education purposes only folks.
MS licenses the core product and then USER or DEVICE cals. Server,
Exchange and SQL work the same way.
For example you have a windows server for file/print, an Exchange server
and 10 workstations. (not that you would do this, just an example)
the license count would be:
2x Server OS
1x Exchange Server
5x Windows Server device or User CALs
5x Exchange Device or User CALs
If an Org has 25 users and only 10 shared workstations, device licenses
are acceptable. If an organization has users with a workstation, laptop
and cell phone, then user licensing makes sense.
There are no âADâ licenses.
On 8/20/2012 1:22 PM, Stevo wrote:[color=blue]
Consultants wonât tell you about the additional CALs youâll need for MS
servers anyway. Weâve been told that any user that connects in any
way to an MS server requires a CAL for that server as well as for AD,
so youâre looking @ AD licenses, exchange licenses, plus CALs for users
on servers.
[/color]
One manâs FUD is another manâs reality. One of the things most have
learned in here is that MS licensing reality varies from company to
company, and the answers you get for your questions vary from moment to
moment from MS staff, including those specifically in licensing.
There are people in here whose companies have been hit with bills for
far, far more in licensing than they were led to believe they would
have to pay, but that bill only came AFTER everything was installed and
MS audited their licensing. : )
unsigned sounds like they âsaidâ:
[color=blue]
I know this is Novell hosted an all, but lets keep the FUD to a
minimum. Education purposes only folks.[/color]
So my response to unsignedâs comment isâŚ
Was not meaning to be bashing or anything like that. We have an app
(timecard app) that users access via a web interface. We were told
that we need CALs for this server for users to access the web
interface. To me that doesnât make any sense, when we already paid a
pile of money for the software, which included licensing.
FUD and perceived reality isnât a replacement for education.
I too have experienced my fare share of MS licensing quandaries, but do
know the basics are the basics. This wasnât in reference to server
virtualization, VDI, DR, product clusters or such where things can get
hairy. No matter our core OSâs, as IT Proâs its likely that we will
touch MS products and have to account for licensing in some capacity.
I will also say that MS isnât unique in having inconsistent licensing
application, yet they are far from antagonistic. I process our Novell
yearly MLA renewals and the methods and responses have varied widely
each year. It has been in the neighborhood of 10 years and I canât think
of one where I wasnât surprised by something. Granted, Novell takes good
care of us customers and if there is a question and documentation of a
prior answer (right/wrong/changed), the issue is taken care of. I
wouldnât hold my breath that MS would take the same position.
On 8/20/2012 4:15 PM, Susan wrote:[color=blue]
One manâs FUD is another manâs reality. One of the things most have
learned in here is that MS licensing reality varies from company to
company, and the answers you get for your questions vary from moment to
moment from MS staff, including those specifically in licensing.
There are people in here whose companies have been hit with bills for
far, far more in licensing than they were led to believe they would
have to pay, but that bill only came AFTER everything was installed and
MS audited their licensing. : )
[/color]
I didnât think there was bashing, sorry! I was just trying to put some
solid info out there.
Its not legal advice, but its my understanding that it depends on the
version of windows and whether or not the user uses AD as a login
processor for the web site.
The licensing requirement is pretty well publicized for web servers as
MS has been, since the 2008 release anyway, attempting to erode the OSS
hold. (right or wrong, IMHO, I prefer apache for web servers). This is
one of the reasons MS released the Web edition of server.
On 8/20/2012 4:47 PM, Stevo wrote:[color=blue]
unsigned sounds like they âsaidâ:
[color=green]
I know this is Novell hosted an all, but lets keep the FUD to a
minimum. Education purposes only folks.[/color]
So my response to unsignedâs comment isâŚ
Was not meaning to be bashing or anything like that. We have an app
(timecard app) that users access via a web interface. We were told
that we need CALs for this server for users to access the web
interface. To me that doesnât make any sense, when we already paid a
pile of money for the software, which included licensing.
[/color]
the consultants either know SFA about groupwise and want to put you on
something they know about (as well as the fees to migrate from groupwise
to exchange, software and so on)
if groupwise works for the company then keep groupwise and move it to
SLES, donât take the consultants word as gospel as half the time they
canât care less about the needs of the company
honestly iâd stick with what works well which soudns like groupwise for
you guys
We have been a non-profit using GroupWise and Netware for more than a
decade. The two Netware servers have been playing nice to the four
Windows servers, but now we must decide if we keep GroupWise and move
into SLES or we move to Exchange. My IT dept of two wants to keep
GroupWise and dive into SLES while our consultants keep saying drop it
and move to Exchange because GroupWise is on death row and SLES is
wonderful until it breaks and then is hard to get help. If you have been
in the same cross road and kept GroupWise, how difficult is the
administration of SLES and does it play nice with Windows servers?[/color]
GW on windows isnât quite as nice as on sles or netware, but works
fine. if you want to avoid linux (and many do, that donât already have
skills there but are a mixed netware/windows shop) then its worth
considering.
property management server with a SQL db, a WTS server to share the SQL
db and other in-house databases and a Blackberry server. We want to make
sure the new platform continues to work with Active Directory.[/color]
OK. FWIW, you might not even need AD as MS SQL can authenticate against
Domain Services on Novell.
â
Anders Gustafsson (NKP)
The Aaland Islands (N60 E20)
On 8/20/2012 11:36 AM, lanaleon wrote:[color=blue]
We have been a non-profit using GroupWise and Netware for more than a
decade. The two Netware servers have been playing nice to the four
Windows servers, but now we must decide if we keep GroupWise and move
into SLES or we move to Exchange. My IT dept of two wants to keep
GroupWise and dive into SLES while our consultants keep saying drop it
and move to Exchange because GroupWise is on death row and SLES is
wonderful until it breaks and then is hard to get help. If you have been
in the same cross road and kept GroupWise, how difficult is the
administration of SLES and does it play nice with Windows servers?
Your expertise will be greatly appreciated!
[/color]
we are kind of in the same boat, but we did decide to stick with
GroupWise and OES/SLES for now. We are a small shop and needed a
consultant for help on OES issues and found none in our area. Every
consultant we talked to couldnât help us. (Actually my GWAVA rep told me
we are the last GW shop in this area.)
The quotes we got for migrating to Windows servers, Exchange, etc was
way beyond what we could afford. So, we are moving forward with the
GW/OES migrations, which is scary with no help around.
wants to keep
wants to keep