LDD Today

Viewing the Lotus Developer Domain in its native Notes format

by Barbara Burch and Craig Lordan
(with Barb Mathers
and Murray Hurvitz)
Level: Beginner
Works with: Notes 6
Updated: 17-May-2002

Because the Lotus Developer Domain is created with 100% pure Notes and Domino, you can use either a Web browser or a Notes 6 client to access the site. And when you use Notes to view the Lotus Developer Domain, you get to see the site in a whole new light. The feature-rich Notes environment allows you to:
This article walks you through the steps involved for viewing the Lotus Developer Domain site in its native Notes format. You'll first learn how to connect to the Lotus Developer Domain using your Notes client, including some troubleshooting tips for making the connection. Then, you'll find out how to register to participate in the forums with your Notes client, and how to replicate the databases so you can view them offline.

System requirements
We recommend using a Notes 6 client to view our databases. A Notes R5 client will probably function, however, we are now using Domino Designer 6 to create and maintain all our applications.

Connecting to our public Domino servers
To connect to our Domino servers using your Notes client:
  1. Verify your connection to the Internet.
    Before you begin to set up your connection to our servers through your Notes client, you need to determine what kind of Internet connection you have: direct or indirect (through a firewall and/or proxy). To see if you have a direct connection to the Internet, telnet to the host name notes1.notes.net and port 1352, using the following command:

    telnet notes1.notes.net 1352

    If you successfully telnet the server, move to step 2.     If you can't successfully telnet to our server, you may be behind a firewall and/or proxy server. For information on how to connect through a firewall and/or proxy, see the sidebar "Connecting through a proxy."
  2. Create a Location document in your Personal Address Book.
    Create a Location document so that when you change to that Location, the TCP/IP port will be enabled, and any necessary proxy settings will be specified. Open your Personal Address Book, go to the Location view, and click Add Location. Select "Local Area Network" as the Location type, and select TCP/IP as the port to use. (If there is no TCP/IP port option, choose File - Tools - User Preferences, click Ports, and double-click the TCP/IP port to enable it.) If you need to specify settings for a proxy server, see the sidebar "Connecting through a proxy" for the appropriate steps. Click "Save and Close."

    Location document
    Location document
  3. Create Connection documents in your Personal Address Book.
    You need to create connections to our two Domino servers, Notes1/NotesWeb and Notes2/NotesWeb.

    Open your Personal Address Book, go to the Connections view, and click Add Connection. On the Basics tab, select "Local Area Network" as your Connection Type, type Notes1/NotesWeb as the destination server name, and select TCP/IP as the LAN port to use. On the Advanced tab, in the "Only from Location(s)" field, select the Location you just created. Type notes1.notes.net as the destination server address. (Note: We recommend that you use the host name, because the IP address may change in the future.) Click "Save and Close."

    Repeat this step, this time using Notes2/NotesWeb as the destination server and notes2.notes.net as the destination server address.

    Server Connection Basics tab
    Server Connection Basics tab

    Server Connection Advanced tab
    Server Connection Advanced tab
  4. Establish the connection to the Internet outside of Notes.
    Before you can open databases on a server over the Internet, you need to establish your Internet connection. If you are using a dial-up connection, dial the number of your ISP using your favorite connection software. (The type of connection software you use varies according to the operating system you are using. Contact your ISP if you need connection software.) If you have a direct connection (as most companies do), your Internet connection should already be established.
  5. Connect to Notes1/NotesWeb and open the Notes Access Welcome database.
    Change to the Location you just created (where your Connection document is valid and the TCP/IP port is enabled). Choose File - Database - Open. Enter Notes1/NotesWeb as the server and open the "Notes Access Welcome" database (home.nsf).
  6. Use the Notes Access Welcome database to navigate through the databases, and to re-connect in the future.
    As mentioned earlier in this article, the Welcome database (home.nsf) is a native Notes "home page" that you can use to easily navigate through all our site databases. (Of course, you can also open the databases one-by-one, as well, from the File - Database - Open dialog.)

Registering your safe ID
Please note that you must use our Notes Access Registration (regnotes.nsf) database to register your safe ID to participate (that is, add new topics or responses) in any of the active discussion forums.

To register your safe ID:
  1. From the Notes1/NotesWeb server, open the "Notes Access Registration" database (regnotes.nsf). Complete the required name and address fields, verify your hierarchical name, and attach a copy of your safe ID. Then, click the Submit Registration button.
  2. After a few hours, try one of the activities (listed above) that require a safe ID. If you get an error that you're not authorized for the operation, we recommend waiting one hour longer and trying again. If you still experience problems, send your feedback to the Lotus Developer Domain team.

Replicating the Lotus Developer Domain databases
To view the our databases offline, you can replicate them to your local machine. Please note that we only allow client replication. We don't allow for server-to-server replication, because of security and administrative reasons.

To replicate:
Troubleshooting tips
If you experience problems connecting to our Domino servers via Notes, check the following areas: