MAPI and MYOB
Hi Guys,
I have a problem with a client who recently upgraded to GW 7.01 (from 6.0). All seemed well for a few days (2) and then their ability to send mail from their accounting program was compromised. The Accounting program is MYOB, which used MAPI for email. This is the problem;
Open an MYOB doc to send via email, and it connects to the GW Server ok. Type in the email address user@domain, and press send.
The mail window opens fine, and the doc is attached, but the address has changed to SMTP:user@domain. Apparantly this was not the case for the first 2 days. No changes have been made to the system (either GW or MYOB) during those two days. It is the same for all workstations on the system. All other appliations seem OK - "send to" email works form office, and a hyperlink to mail from a word doc works OK as well. So far only MYOB shows the problem.
The workstations are XP pro SP2 patched to latest versions. Server is NetWare 6.5 sp5 .
This seems like a MAPI type problem to me. Anyone got any ideas?
Thanks
Matt
I have a problem with a client who recently upgraded to GW 7.01 (from 6.0). All seemed well for a few days (2) and then their ability to send mail from their accounting program was compromised. The Accounting program is MYOB, which used MAPI for email. This is the problem;
Open an MYOB doc to send via email, and it connects to the GW Server ok. Type in the email address user@domain, and press send.
The mail window opens fine, and the doc is attached, but the address has changed to SMTP:user@domain. Apparantly this was not the case for the first 2 days. No changes have been made to the system (either GW or MYOB) during those two days. It is the same for all workstations on the system. All other appliations seem OK - "send to" email works form office, and a hyperlink to mail from a word doc works OK as well. So far only MYOB shows the problem.
The workstations are XP pro SP2 patched to latest versions. Server is NetWare 6.5 sp5 .
This seems like a MAPI type problem to me. Anyone got any ideas?
Thanks
Matt
Have you entered the IP of the MYOB server as an allowed SMTP relay?
If it has been working and nothing changed, this should not be a factor.
Note we are at GroupWise 6.5 so my comments are not specific to GW 7
If it has been working and nothing changed, this should not be a factor.
Note we are at GroupWise 6.5 so my comments are not specific to GW 7
Rebooting the server may be the 70% solution in the M$ environment, but won't do a single thing here. I can't imagine why anyone would recommend it. And there's no such thing as a "Novell server" anyway. "Novell" is a company, it makes a number of products, including "GroupWise", "SUSE Linux Enterprise Server" and "NetWare".
MAPI functions entirely at the local workstation level.
OK, they upgraded GroupWise from v6.0.x to v7.0.1. Did they deploy an updated GroupWise client to the workstations at the same time?
MAPI functions entirely at the local workstation level.
OK, they upgraded GroupWise from v6.0.x to v7.0.1. Did they deploy an updated GroupWise client to the workstations at the same time?
ASKER
Hi Guys,
Yes, the GW 7 client was deployed at the same time. The client tells me the MAPI email connection worked for the first two days (but I did not see it going). The only thing I could think of was a Windows update suddenly changing something....
Matt
Yes, the GW 7 client was deployed at the same time. The client tells me the MAPI email connection worked for the first two days (but I did not see it going). The only thing I could think of was a Windows update suddenly changing something....
Matt
this isn't quite the same , but check this out and do what it says anyway:
http://www.novell.com/support/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=10098901&sliceId=&dialogID=16134981&stateId=0%200%2016138181
it helped me out with some strange issues when going to 7.0
have a look at the Internet Addressing Rules. even if SMTP: is being added to the addresses, you should be able to cater for that and make it work. take a nosey at the rules anyway see if theres anything out of place
http://www.novell.com/support/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=10098901&sliceId=&dialogID=16134981&stateId=0%200%2016138181
it helped me out with some strange issues when going to 7.0
have a look at the Internet Addressing Rules. even if SMTP: is being added to the addresses, you should be able to cater for that and make it work. take a nosey at the rules anyway see if theres anything out of place
psicop, I was in no way suggesting that he should restart the Netware server, only asking if they had.
I understand, steveoskh, but I didn't want the Asker thinking that they *should* reboot it. This issue is 100% at the local client level. I think floyd99 is on the right track.
For the most part I use a 3rd party for major upgrades on our Netware Servers. I don't know how many times we have had a system that worked properly only to find that when we finally rebooted it (sometimes over a year or more later) something does not come up right. It is usually a setting that was not updated in the load files. Now, I don't consider a job completed until I restart the server and everything still works correctly.
I agree that it sounds like an addressing rules thing.
Is it possible that the client updates were scheduled, but the users experiencing this effect had the GW6.5 client running at the time the client update was prepped, and didn't actually *get* the updated client until a couple of days later, when they restarted their PC's? Note that, IIRC, the GW client is considered "open" even if you close the client GUI, as long as you still have Notify loaded.
Not to say that fixes anything, but it may explain the "lag" between the upgrade and the issue manifesting itself.
Is it possible that the client updates were scheduled, but the users experiencing this effect had the GW6.5 client running at the time the client update was prepped, and didn't actually *get* the updated client until a couple of days later, when they restarted their PC's? Note that, IIRC, the GW client is considered "open" even if you close the client GUI, as long as you still have Notify loaded.
Not to say that fixes anything, but it may explain the "lag" between the upgrade and the issue manifesting itself.
ASKER
OK, I've now got some more info, and an operating workaround. Firstly I'd like to say thanks to everyone who tried to help. As usual the client probably not provide exactly accurate info for this problem - I'm now 99.9 % sure that this NEVER worked after the GW7 upgrade. Anyway, here is a working workaround;
Make sure the workstation default mail profile is set to Novell Groupwise (not the older Novell default settings). Start outlook - it connects to the GW 7 PO fine. Close Outlook. Start IExplorer, and change the default mail client (under the programs section) to Outlook. Close IE and test the MAPI connection from MYOB. Works fine on all the worksations!!
So, I don't wuite follow this, but it appears the the selection of the default mail client to Outlook, alters the MAPI connection in some way??? Anyone have a deeper understanding of whats actually happening here?
Cheers
Matt
Make sure the workstation default mail profile is set to Novell Groupwise (not the older Novell default settings). Start outlook - it connects to the GW 7 PO fine. Close Outlook. Start IExplorer, and change the default mail client (under the programs section) to Outlook. Close IE and test the MAPI connection from MYOB. Works fine on all the worksations!!
So, I don't wuite follow this, but it appears the the selection of the default mail client to Outlook, alters the MAPI connection in some way??? Anyone have a deeper understanding of whats actually happening here?
Cheers
Matt
My guess is that MYOB uses the IE default mail client, which was probably set to use the old MAPI default profile.
I wonder if, after setting the default mail profile to Novell GroupWise, simply setting IE's default mail client to GroupWise may have had the same effect as the interim steps with Outlook did.
Do they use Outlook as their GroupWise mail client for some odd reason, or was this just a workaround you stumbled upon because you figured you'd try connecting with Outlook as a test, somewhere along the line?
I wonder if, after setting the default mail profile to Novell GroupWise, simply setting IE's default mail client to GroupWise may have had the same effect as the interim steps with Outlook did.
Do they use Outlook as their GroupWise mail client for some odd reason, or was this just a workaround you stumbled upon because you figured you'd try connecting with Outlook as a test, somewhere along the line?
ASKER
Yep, I agree - MYOB uses the default IE mail client. We got to this stage as I removed GW completely, and installed outlook - with a POP & SMTP connection to the GW server. That worked. I then reinstalled GW7 client - still worked! Changed the default profile to the Novell groupwise one, still worked. On another machine, I discovered that if outlook would not go (wrong profile selected - the old Novell default settings one) neither did the MAPI connection from MYOB.
Also, following a reboot, if the default IE mail client is not Outlook, the MYOB MAPI connection does not work. If you change the IE default mail cleint to GW, it works only until you reboot.....
So, provided that the Novell GroupWise profile is selected, AND the default mail client in IE is set to Outlook, it works OK.
The client uses the GW client on a day to day basis - they have been a GW customer for years...
Cheers
Matt
Also, following a reboot, if the default IE mail client is not Outlook, the MYOB MAPI connection does not work. If you change the IE default mail cleint to GW, it works only until you reboot.....
So, provided that the Novell GroupWise profile is selected, AND the default mail client in IE is set to Outlook, it works OK.
The client uses the GW client on a day to day basis - they have been a GW customer for years...
Cheers
Matt
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ASKER
OK... I'm getting to the stage where I have spent enough tim on this! BUT, if outlook did install it's own MAPI, wouldn't that mean two profiles?? Currently working fine with just one, PROVIDED the IE mail client is set to Outlook...
I appreciate yr time on this - I'll allocate some points shortly...
Cheers
Matt
I appreciate yr time on this - I'll allocate some points shortly...
Cheers
Matt
No, it wouldn't be two profiles. It would be two MAPIs, each with one profile. The "standard" MAPI that GroupWise installs, and the special, "Outlook-only" MAPI that Outlook installs.
I haven't had the need to explore how they work together, if they do, but I have found that if there is no MAPI installed when Outlook is installed, it puts its MAPI in the same place the "standard" MAPI would go, (I think the system32 directory) which prevents a subsequent GroupWise install from installing the standard MAPI there, causing issues where the GroupWise client can't connect to the server and stuff like that, and the interface only lets you choose Outlook- and/or Exchange-specific settings. However, it's documented by Microsoft somewhere that if the "standard" MAPI is already installed, Outlook will install its MAPI in program files instead of system32, and not disturb the "standard" MAPI or its registry entries.
How that affects IE, I don't know.
Where you take it, I guess, depends on how much your client wants to see the GroupWise client new mail dialog when they click a mail link in IE rather than the Outlook new mail dialog. It shouldn't affect their normal use of the GroupWise client, I'd guess.
I haven't had the need to explore how they work together, if they do, but I have found that if there is no MAPI installed when Outlook is installed, it puts its MAPI in the same place the "standard" MAPI would go, (I think the system32 directory) which prevents a subsequent GroupWise install from installing the standard MAPI there, causing issues where the GroupWise client can't connect to the server and stuff like that, and the interface only lets you choose Outlook- and/or Exchange-specific settings. However, it's documented by Microsoft somewhere that if the "standard" MAPI is already installed, Outlook will install its MAPI in program files instead of system32, and not disturb the "standard" MAPI or its registry entries.
How that affects IE, I don't know.
Where you take it, I guess, depends on how much your client wants to see the GroupWise client new mail dialog when they click a mail link in IE rather than the Outlook new mail dialog. It shouldn't affect their normal use of the GroupWise client, I'd guess.
ASKER
Yep, understood. "It would be two MAPIs, each with one profile" = still 2 profiles, right?
At the moment I'll leave it - its working, and, although the links do bring up the outlook mail, it still works!
MS SHOULD use standards - thats why trhey are called STANDARDS. $%^&*!
Cheers
Matt
At the moment I'll leave it - its working, and, although the links do bring up the outlook mail, it still works!
MS SHOULD use standards - thats why trhey are called STANDARDS. $%^&*!
Cheers
Matt
Prefixing SMTP to the front of the email was from way back in the early days of the internet (GroupWise 4?) when you needed to specify the gateway.
I beleive the configuration files on boot over ride the configurations setup through Console 1.
Or is could be that some old reference to the SMTP gateway was removed.