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iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0 Installation Guide



Chapter 1   Installation Overview


This chapter provides important information you need to be familiar with before you begin the installation. It includes the following sections:



System Requirements

This section outlines the minimum hardware and software requirements and installation privileges needed to install iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0. You should make certain that these requirements are met before performing the installation.


Hardware Requirements

The minimum hardware requirements for iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0 are:

  • Approximately 500MB of disk space for a standard installation. For production systems, you should plan at least 1GB to support the product binaries.

  • 64MB of RAM. For production systems, you should have a minimum of 256MB of RAM; be sure to allocate this accordingly depending on the size of your site, number of users, etc.

  • Adequate space for your user mailboxes (message store), database, log files, and message queue directory. These can grow in size dramatically depending on the size of your site, so be sure to allocate space accordingly.

  • RAID storage for fast access (optional).
    Note If you are operating an existing Certificate Management System in "single-copy" mode, you may need temporary disk space equal to at least double the size of the message store. If installation fails and the log reports a lack of space problem, add additional temporary disk space.



Software Requirements

iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0 is supported on the following platforms:

  • Solaris 2.6 for Sparc with patch 105591-09 (Shared library patch for C++) and other recommended patches.

  • Solaris 8 for Sparc with recommended patches.

A list of recommended patches for Solaris 2.6 and Solaris 8 can be found at the following URL:

http://access1.sun.com/patch.public/.

For Messenger Express access, Messaging Server requires a JavaScript-enabled browser. For optimal performance, iPlanet recommends using the following browsers:

  • Netscape Navigator 4.7 or later

  • Internet Explorer 5.0 or later


Installation Guidelines

This section contains information you need and suggested guidelines you should follow as you prepare for your Messaging Server installation.


Installation Privileges

You must install iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0 logged in as root.


Host and Domain Names

The iPlanet installation utilities assume that your host and domain names are defined correctly in your UNIX system files. Make sure that both the hostname and domainname commands return the correct information before installing iPlanet servers. If your system does not support the domainname command, check the domain name in the /etc/resolv.conf file.


Directories

The Messaging Server, Directory Server, and Administration Servers are installed into directories referred to as server-roots. These directories provide a known file location structure (file directory path) that enables the servers to identify one another.



The Messaging Server Suite


The iPlanet Messaging Server installation contains everything you need to run iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0. The suite of products included in the installation is described throughout the remainder of this section.


Netscape Server Core

During the installation, you will have the option of installing the Netscape Server Core, which contains the products/components described in the following subsections.


Netscape Server Product Core Components (Netscape Console 4.2)

Netscape Console provides the common user interface for all Netscape and iPlanet server products. From it you can perform common server administration functions, such as stopping and starting non-SMTP servers, installing new server instances, and managing user and group information. Netscape Console can be installed stand-alone on any machine on your network and used to manage remote servers.


Netscape Core Java Classes

The Java classes needed to run and support the Netscape and iPlanet server product core components.


Java Runtime Environment (JRE)

The compilers, tools, and binaries needed to run and support the Netscape and iPlanet server product core components.


Netscape Directory Suite

The products in the Netscape Directory Suite are described in the following subsections.


Netscape Directory Server

The Directory Server is iPlanet's LDAP-compliant server that manages directory database services and responds to requests from LDAP clients such as iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0. It runs as the ns-slapd process on your machine.

Note It is recommended that the Directory Server be installed on a different machine from the Messaging Server.



Netscape Directory Server Console

This is the portion of the Netscape Console designed specifically for use with the Directory Server. The Directory Server Console enables you to perform most Directory Server administrative tasks, such as starting and stopping the server, managing access control, viewing and configuring server logs, backing up and restoring directory databases, etc.


Administration Services

The products in the Administration Services installation component are described in the following subsections.


Netscape Administration Server.

The Administration Server receives communications from the Netscape Console and passes those communications to the appropriate iPlanet server. Your site will have at least one Administration Server for each server-root in which you have installed an iPlanet server.


Administration Server Console

This is the portion of the Netscape Console designed specifically for use with the Administration Server. You can perform most Administration Server tasks through the Administration Server Console (for example, starting and stopping servers).


iPlanet Messaging Applications

The products/components in the Messaging Applications installation component are described in the following subsections.


iPlanet Message Store and Message Access

Email messages are delivered by the MTA to the Message Store. Access to the Message Store is provided by Message Access; a server within the Messaging Server. Message Access allows access to the Message Store via HTTP, POP, or IMAP.

Messaging Server provides the foundation for unified messaging services through the storage of email, voice mail, and faxes in one universal Message Store. Access to the message store is available through multiple devices (telephones, PDAs, etc.) and protocols (HTTP, POP, IMAP). The Message Access component is responsible for handling the retrieval of messages from the Message Store.


iPlanet Message Transport Agent (MTA)

The MTA handles tasks such as routing and delivering user mail, SMTP authentication, DNS address resolution, etc. The MTA provides support for features such as hosted domains, domain aliases, server-side filters, etc.


iPlanet Messaging Multiplexor (MMP)

The MMP is a proxy server that acts as a single point of connection to multiple instances of iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0. With the MMP, large-scale mail-service providers can distribute POP and IMAP user mailboxes across many machines to increase messaging capacity. All users connect to the single Multiplexor server, which redirects each connection to the appropriate mail server.

Note The MMP is not installed by default; be sure to select it from the menu if you want it installed. You may use either the Typical or Custom installation to install the MMP.



High Availability for iPlanet Messaging Server

High Availability enables server management functions such as expansion of message store capacity and backup and recovery of user folders. iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0 is designed to integrate with the Veritas Cluster Server 1.1 or later and SunCluster 2.2 high availability clustering software.

For information about the various high availability models, configuration information, and installation instructions, see Appendix A "High Availability

Note High availability for the Messaging Server is not installed by default; be sure to select it from the menu if you want it installed. You must use the Custom installation to install high availability.



iPlanet Delegated Administrator for Messaging CLI

These command line utilities (CLIs) provide the capability to perform provisioning on domains, users, and groups. They also grant privileges to the Service Administrator and Domain Administrators.

Note The iPlanet Delegated Administrator CLIs require iPlanet Delegated Administrator for Messaging 4.5. See Software Requirements for details.



A Graphical Overview of the Messaging Suite

Figure 1-1 illustrates the relationships between the various products and components within the Messaging Suite.



Figure 1-1    Messaging Suite Products and Components



Product Hierarchy and Interaction


Messaging Server 5.0 requires the following:

  • Netscape Enterprise Server 4.1 Service Pack 2

  • Netscape Administration Server 4.2

  • Netscape Directory Server 4.11 or 4.12

  • iPlanet Delegated Administrator for Messaging

These products are all included on the Messaging Server CD and in the archive file. Enterprise Server is required for iPlanet Delegated Administrator.


Port Numbers

Both Enterprise Server and Messenger Express use port 80 as the default port; be sure to specify different port numbers for one or both of these servers to avoid any conflicts. Additionally, both sendmail and SMTP use port 25 by default; you must stop sendmail before installing the Messaging Server.

Tip It is recommended that you record all of the port numbers you specify during the installation, along with the specific component using that port number.



When and Where to Install each Product

Although the Directory Server is included, you may chose to use an existing Directory Server and not install the one that is included with the Messaging Server. If you do so, you must run ims_dssetup against that existing Directory Server prior to installing the Messaging Server. See Configuring an Existing Directory Server for more information.

The Enterprise Server must be installed on the same machine as the Delegated Administrator, but the Messaging Server can be installed on a separate machine. Since the existence of the Enterprise Server is required for the Delegated Administrator, you must install the Enterprise Server before you install the Delegated Administrator.

The Delegated Administrator should be installed immediately after the Messaging Server; if you start to provision the Messaging Server before installing the Delegated Administrator, you may encounter some complications in the Delegated Administrator installation.

Tip It is recommended that you install the Messaging Server first, then the Enterprise Server, then the Delegated Administrator.



Required Information for the iPlanet Delegated Administrator for Messaging Installation

The Delegated Administrator requires the following information from the Messaging Server installation; make sure you record this information accurately before or during the Messaging Server installation:



Installation Process Overview

The basic steps that should be followed for installing the iPlanet Messaging Server and its suite of products are listed below:

  1. Review the system requirements and verify that they have been met.

  2. Select an installation type.

  3. Gather the information you'll need to complete the installation based on the type of installation you want to perform (for example, IDs, passwords, etc.).

  4. Determine whether you want to use an existing Directory Server or install the Directory Server that is included with the Messaging Server.

    1. If you chose to use an existing Directory Server, you must run the ims_dssetup script on this existing Directory Server before you install Messaging Server. For more information, see "Configuring an Existing Directory Server".

    2. If you do not have an existing Directory Server or you chose not to use an existing Directory Server, you must install the Directory Server provided with the Messaging Server installation. The Messaging Server installation creates only one instance of the Directory Server.
      Note If you install the Directory Server that comes with the Messaging Server, you do not need to run the ims_dssetup program; this is only used for a pre-existing Directory Server to prepare it for the Messaging Server installation.


  5. Make sure that the install files are available, either from the product CD or downloaded from the World Wide Web.

  6. Run the following command to stop sendmail:

    /etc/init.d/sendmail stop

  7. Run the setup program to perform the installation.

  8. Verify that the installation was successful.



Configuring an Existing Directory Server

This section provides information for configuring an existing Directory Server in preparation for a Messaging Server installation. If you do not have an existing Directory Server, or you want to install and configure the Directory Server that comes with the Messaging Server, you do not need to read this section.
Note iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0 is compatible with Netscape Directory Server version 4.11 or 4.12. To configure an existing Directory Server, run the ims_dssetup utility. (See Running the ims_dssetup Utility.)



Choosing a Configuration Directory Server

All iPlanet servers use an instance of the Directory Server to store configuration information. This information is stored in the o=NetscapeRoot directory tree. Your configuration directory is the Directory Server that contains the o=NetscapeRoot tree used by your servers. For more information, refer to your Directory Server documentation.

When setting up your Directory Servers, you will want to centralize the administrative configuration settings on a single LDAP server and use it to host the configurations of any number of iPlanet Servers. In this way, when you open Netscape Console for any server, you will see all the other servers that are using the same LDAP server as the Configuration Server directory.


Administration Domains

On any Configuration Directory Server, you can group your servers under different administration domains for increased manageability. When you first install a Directory Server and choose it to be your Configuration Directory Server, you can specify an Administration Domain.

You can have as many administration domains as you wish. Each administration domain can have its own set of global preferences, such as resource editor extensions. Additionally, each administration domain can define its own default Users and Groups directory URL.


Choosing a Users/Groups Directory Server

For increased manageability, when setting up iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0, it is recommended that you specify one Directory Server as the Configuration Directory Server and another Directory Server for Users and Groups.

When you install the Messaging Server, there are two ways to specify your Users/Groups Directory Server:

  • Install Netscape Console, Directory Server, and Messaging Sever.

    When you install a Directory server, you can specify it to be your Users/Groups server. If you want to specify another Directory Server for Users and Groups, you can specify that information during the installation process when the Directory Server gathers installation information.

  • Install Netscape Console and Messaging Server.

    In this case, you need to know which Configuration Directory Server and administration domain you will be using. The installation program automatically detects the Users and Groups LDAP information from the Configuration Directory Server on that administration domain.

If you want to specify a server other than the what the installation program suggests, you can run ims_dssetup on the Configuration Directory Server and specify another Users/Groups Server. You must then also run ims_dssetup on the directory you specified as your Users/Groups Server.
Note After completing the installation, you can use Netscape Console to change the Users and Groups Directory that your iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0 uses, regardless of what was specified during the installation.



Running the ims_dssetup Utility

The ims_dssetup utility is found in the msg subdirectory of the directory where you downloaded the install files. The ims_dssetup utility will ask you for the following:

  • Directory Server Root

    This is the full path of the directory where your Directory Server is installed.

  • Select a Directory Server instance from a list of Directory Server instances.

  • The base suffix for the DC tree (default is o=internet).

  • The base suffix under which the users/groups data will be entered.

  • Do you want to update the schema files?

  • Do you want to configure new indexes?

  • Enter the schema directory (default is config subdirectory of the directory where the ims_dssetup utility is located).

At this point, you are provided with a summary of the options you have selected and asked if you want to continue. Answer yes to continue or no to exit and start over.
Note The ims_dssetup utility is actually a Perl script called ims_dssetup.pl. You must have perl5 available on your system to run it. For more information, see Running the ims_dssetup Utility.




Installation Types


The iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0 installation program provides four types of installation:

  • Express Installation

  • Typical Installation

  • Custom Installation

  • Silent Installation

Each type of installation is described in the following subsections.


Express Installation

This type of installation performs a "quick" installation. Because most options at this level are automatically configured with default values, it is recommended for novice users. Use Express Installation if you just want to evaluate iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0.

Note Because Express Installation does not offer you the choice of selecting your server port number or your directory suffix, you should not use it for actual production installations.



Typical Installation

This type of installation is more complex than the Express level. Some options are automatically configured with default values, but some require that you choose or enter the values. Typical Installation is recommended for intermediate users or for any installation that does not require custom configuration. Use this type of installation if you are performing a standard installation of iPlanet Messaging Server 5.0.


Custom Installation

This is the most complex type of installation. You must choose and enter all configuration options. Custom Installation is recommended for expert users only. Use this type of installation if you want to perform advance activities during installation such as specifying non-default network interface bindings or a non-default message store location.


Silent Installation

When you install Messaging Server with the setup -k command, a cache file called install.inf is automatically created in the server-root/setup directory. This file contains all the responses to the installation prompts.

By running a silent installation, you instruct the setup program to read the install.inf file. The setup program uses the responses in this file rather than ask you the same questions again. All the responses in the install.inf file are automatically applied as the new installation parameters.

Use this type of installation if you want to automate your installation process when installing more than one instance of the Messaging Server. This feature is especially useful for installing several servers in your enterprise.

Since the setup program reads the install.inf cache file for the installation parameters, you should be sure to edit this file as necessary for your next installation. For example, the host name for your next installation might be different than the one recorded in the cache file.

Instructions for running the setup program for a Silent installation are provided in Chapter 3, "Installation Instructions."


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Last Updated October 05, 2000