How to ThinApp Lotus Notes 8.5.2 FPx, version 2 Authors: Tobias Frei (Senior Specialist Systems Engineer, Germany) Peter Björk (EMEA ThinApp Specialist Systems Engineer) Josh Thow (VMware PSO Australia) Packaging environment used: Windows XP SP2, English Locally Installed software on capturing machine: Windows Installer 3.1 VMware Tools (capture machine is running within Fusion) The following items and knowledge are required for use of this procedure: • Familiarization with instructions on how to virtualize a software product via ThinApp (see, http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2010/12/thinapp-‐
poc-‐in-‐a-‐blog.html). 1. Run Setup Capture and create a pre installation snapshot 2. Run the Lotus Notes 8.5.2 installer Choose your installation options. Currently ThinApp do not support the Lotus Notes Client Single Logon Feature running virtualized. In bullet 11 are we offering a workaround found by our Professional Services Organization (PSO) working on a customer case. If not using the SSO please make sure to disable it here. If you want to use the workaround make sure to read bullet 11 below. 3. Go through the rest of the Lotus Notes Setup Wizard. I used all default values. 4. When the initial Lotus Notes Setup is finished run any FP installers you’ll which to implement. This guide has been verified using Lotus Notes 8.5.2 FP1 and FP2. I expect future FPs to be supported as well. 5. When all additional Setups has finished open the Services Control panel and stop all Services named Lotus Notes in the beginning.. Leave their Startup Type untouched. 6. Still in the Services Control Panel stop the Service named Multi-‐user Cleanup Service (ntmulti.exe) and make sure to change the Startup Type to Disabled. 7. Please note that I have not started the Notes Client. Notes Client wants to configure itself on initial startup and therefore I chose not to start it during my capture 8. Go back to ThinApp Setup Capture and create the Post Installation Snapshot.. 9. All the reminding steps in the Setup Capture Wizard is of no real importance and you should choose what suits you. I chose Lotus Notes 8.5 as my only Entry Point. 10. Since you all configure Lotus Notes your own way further customization of the package must be made to suit your environment. Some of you are coping the notes.id from a network share on startup and a very simple vb-‐
script doing just this can look like this: Function OnFirstSandboxOwner SourceFile = "H:\notes\user.id" DestFile = ExpandPath("%ProgramFilesDir%\IBM\Lotus\Notes\Data\user.id") ' Use the FileSystemObject to check to make sure the Source file exist Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") If objFSO.FileExists(SourceFile) Then ' If the source file exists, copy it into the virtual filesystem ' we are assuming the virtual directory %ProgramFilesDir%\MyApplication already exists in the package objFSO.CopyFile SourceFile, DestFile, TRUE End if End Function Please visit our online resources for further information on how-‐to implement a vb-‐script into a ThinApp package: http://pubs.vmware.com/thinapp4/help/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/w
whelp.htm?href=scripts.html#995325 http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/scripts/ 11. ThinApp workaround for virtual Lotus Notes client with physical Single Logon (NSL) SSO services (VMware/IBM UNSUPPORTED) Platform & Software: • The workaround has been tested on Win7 64bit SP1, Notes 8.5.2 FP2 & F3, ThinApp 4.6.1. • A similar workaround also functioned on WinXP 32bit, Notes 7.0.2, ThinApp 4.5, with a full native install of Notes in the OS. • Fix was applied to both Multiuser and Single User installs • Fix tested with both a Local machine user for a local Notes database, and a Domain user for a Domino Notes account. Background: The Lotus Notes client NSL service provides single-‐sign-‐on capability for the Notes client, it is an optional install component for both single and multi-‐user installs. The NSL service is a system level auto-‐start service that stores an authentication token during user login or password change, the Notes client calls the NSL service on launch to retreive a Notes token for authentication. When attempting to run a Notes ThinApp that includes the NSL component in the virtual bubble, the user is prompted for credentials when launching Notes as the SSO features do not work when virtualised. Workaround fix: A workaround was found by capturing virtual Notes without SSO, and to then inject the NSL service into the native OS via manual program file copies and registry additions. Capture Notes without NSL 1. Capture Lotus Notes 8.5.2 on Win7 (64bit SP1), run a custom install of Notes MSI and deselect the NSL SSO component. Install should be Runas Administrator. 2. Apply customisations as required, eg, Notes\Data folder customisation 3. Apply fix packs (FP1, FP2, FP3), Install should be Runas Administrator. 4. Finish the capture and build Collect the delta of the NSL component addition via the MSI installer 1. Continuing on the capture machine, run a ThinApp prescan 2. Run the notes installer again and select the NSL component 3. Run the post-‐scan to capture a project with the NSL delta additions Inject the NSL delta into the native OS on the test machine 1. Copy the contents from the project folder or the capture machine C:\Progra~1\IBM\Notes onto the test machine 2. Save the Registry hives from the capture machine, as listed in the project HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.txt 3. Add the captured registry hives onto the test machine, the event log hives did not appear to be needed. The required keys appear to be: -‐Network Provider, Add npnotes manually as Network provider entries varies across VM's/Physicals, Lotus requires npnotes to be immediately after webclient as per technote 1304525. -‐Service NPNotes -‐Service NSL Testing: 1. Verify the NSL service is running on the test machine after a reboot 2. Run the Notes ThinApp (Users Notes\Data folder may need configuration) 3. Login should proceed without prompting for credentials -‐This workaround is currently unsupported by VMware/IBM, these findings are for information only. -‐NSL SSO support for Win7 64bit requires FP2 or above to operate. -‐Installers must be ran as administrator -‐It may be possible to reduce the number of files in the Progra~1\Notes folder, initial testing of this caused issues. The Notes folder is 600MB+ in size