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Notes slow? Use a local replica

Darren Duke  April 6 2010 06:17:41 AM
I never ceases to amaze me how Domino administrators are so loathe to move users to a local replica model. If you are not on a LAN with the server, switching to local replicas can really improve the user experience.

If your Lotus Notes is slow, and you admins allow it switch to a local replica and enjoy Notes performance the way it should be. I'm going to assume you already have a local replica of your mail file on the computer.

1) Open the advanced view in the local address book (now called contacts):
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica

2) On the left navigator select "Locations". Copy and paste the "Online" location document (you can right click and select copy, then right click again and select paste), if you have been upgraded from R6 or R7, it could be called "Office (Network)":
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica


3) Edit the either copy of "Online"

4) Under the Basics tab, make the location name meaningful:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica

5) Under Mail tab, change the mail file location and enter (if different) the local mail file replica path:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica

6) Under Replication tab, setup as follows:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica
The above will replicate every 15 minutes for all databases, and 5 minutes for "high priority"

7) Save and close the newly created "Use Local Replica" location. Exit the contacts database.

8) Close all mail and calendar tabs, and select the new location:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica

9) Your Notes screen should now look like this:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica


10) Open the replication settings page and ensure your mail file is selected for high priority (every 5 minutes) replicatio:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica

11) Ensure scheduled replication is enabled so new mail will be automatically pulled down to your local mail replica. If scheduled replication is disabled you will see this:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica

To enabled it, click on the Schedule button, and select "Enable":
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica

12) Finally, to ensure mail you send is replicated to the server immediately, open File/Preferences and select Locations. Highlight your new location and hit Edit:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica

Change the Mail tab as shown below:
Image:Notes slow? Use a local replica
Hit OK and OK again to save these changes.

Voila, you are now using a local replica and should enjoy much improved speed of Lotus Notes if you work outside the office.

Every time you are out of the office, simply switch to you new location. When you are back in the office, switch back to "online".
Comments

Gravatar Image  1Mirel Popa  4/6/2010 4:51:44 PM  Notes slow? Use a local replica

I work as mail admin and there are a few reasons why I won't use this:

1. Unless you hit Send/Receive button, incoming mail will only download every 5 minutes.

2. Users come back to the office from remote locations and have to remember to switch locations ... do they remember in practice?

3. Even if they remember to switch to "Online", sometimes it will still open the local replica if the network cable is not connected or the server is slow ...

4. How do you setup and maintain this configuration for 1000 users?

Gravatar Image  2Lisa Duke  4/6/2010 5:05:58 PM  We’d be glad to help!

Mirel, if you'd like help in getting past these issues, just let us know. We are available for engagements to help you!

Gravatar Image  3Rupert Clayton  4/6/2010 6:22:15 PM  All those issues can be easily fixed

@1 Mirel, all your points can be easily addressed.

#1: Set the Mail Addressing field to "Local then Server" at step 5/11. Add POLL_REMOTE_MAILFILE=1 to Notes.ini on the client. Then your client will keep an idle connection to its home server. The home server checks every minute (by default) for new mail for all connected users. When new mail shows up, the server tags the client, which initiates replication.

Now that mail is appearing every minute if needed, you can reduce the scheduled replication frequency if you like.

#2: With this setup, there's really no need for you to switch to a server location when you get back to the office. Carry on working with the local replica at all times.

#3: There was a bug that produced this behaviour in early releases of Notes 8. In currently shipping versions it works as advertised.

#4: Desktop and mail policies let you set up and maintain this config for 10 users or 10,000 (including the settings in point #1 above).

As Lisa says, a competent business partner can help you implement this kind of config for all your users.

Gravatar Image  4Darren Duke  4/7/2010 10:15:43 AM  Notes slow? Use a local replica

Some of these issues should be getting addressed in 8.5.2. Just saying.....

Gravatar Image  5Francois  4/15/2010 4:17:40 AM  100 users replicate at the same time

Let say that the settings are set to replicate every 10 minutes.

what about if 100 users perform a replication at the exact same time ? can we expect a peak at the server side or the period is calculated from the time when lotus notes is launched ?

thank you

Gravatar Image  6  6/22/2010 12:36:48 PM  Thanks Much

really appreciate this document. I am on lotus notes 8 and tried using.

{ http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/local-mail-replicas/ }

which turned out to be a big headache because:

1- The author makes big assumptions about how to find/invoke dialogs and preference pages.

2- The document (though it shows a current date, is actually from 2006) and is really out of date for lotus 8.

Anyway...using your doc I was able to get this setup in about 10 minutes. so T.Y.

Gravatar Image  7Rob Weaver  5/31/2011 1:55:47 PM  Thanks - this was perfect !

I just started a contract where they use Notes, and they had indexing turned off and set up my mail files on a network drive so Notes wouldn't index them anyway. Using this technique I was able to index the local copies, prefect !

Gravatar Image  8Mike  6/22/2011 12:59:47 PM  still acting like its going through server

Thanks so much for this guide. Seriously :) I've googled and binged and this is the most clearly written guide I've found and thats REFRESHING.

one thing I'm running into I've followed the guide, restarted machine and I've noticed notes is still lagging, like its talking to server everytime I do anything (including just clicking on a mail to preview its contents.

Digging around in my location which I call "Use Local Replica" I noticed on the mail tab that the field

"Mail Addressing" is set to "Local Then Server" and in your walk through you have it set to just "local"

is this the problem? If so may want to update your screen shot above and red high light this important field as well :)

I'm using Lotus Notes 8.5 if that helps any.

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