What is it?
IBM's Domino server and Notes client are frequently treated as
direct competitors to
Microsoft's Exchange Server and Outlook. But while Exchange
began as a messaging server, Notes and Domino originated as
collaboration and application development platforms. They support
calendaring and other groupware functions, but can also be used to
develop client/server and web applications, particularly workflow
and document-based. This may explain why analysts' figures for
IBM's and Microsoft's shares of the messaging market differ so
markedly, from giving the two suppliers near-parity, to awarding
Microsoft a three-to-one advantage.
In August 2007, IBM announced Notes and Domino Release 8, with a
move to the Eclipse development platform. Most Lotus announcements
in the last year have concerned "Web 2.0" capabilities - RSS and
Atom, representational state transfer (REST) application
programming interfaces, mash-ups, social networking. A lot of
businesses have been expressing enthusiasm about the potential for
Web 2.0 technologies to cut IT costs and improve the quality of
collaboration and feedback. Oddly, research by Forrester shows they
are less convinced of the benefits of unified messaging, one of the
main selling points of
Exchange 2007 SP1.
Where did it originate?
Notes began in 1989 as a document-oriented database and workflow
application development platform, with replication capabilities
which supported collaboration between teams in remote locations and
different time zones. IBM took over Lotus in 1995, acquiring Notes
at release 4. Domino appeared with Notes 4.5 in 1996
What's it for?
As well as native development tools such as LotusScript and
Domino Designer, Notes and Domino support development with Java and
Javascript, Domino XML (DXML) and the .net framework, and there are
toolkits for C and C++. As an alternative to the document-based NSF
(Notes Storage Facility), DB2 can be used as the back-end database.
Notes and Domino can be used to develop and run Web services. Other
members of the Lotus family, such as Sametime integrated presence,
IM, e-mail, telephony and web conferencing, and Quickr web-based
team collaboration, can be plugged in.
Recent developments include Domino partitioning (running more
than one instance on the same server), and Domino clustering for
failover and load balancing.
What makes it special?
Replication enables Notes users to work offline using the most
recent version of the Notes database, which is synchronised next
time they go online to the server.
How difficult is it to master?
To become a Certified Associate Notes and Domino System
Administrator involves a one-day training course and one exam, plus
demonstrating hands-on competence. But there are different training
"paths" for administering, deploying and managing Domino, and you
must follow all three to become a Certified Advanced Domino Systems
Administrator. Developers, on the other hand, can achieve
certification on the basis of pre-existing JavaScript and web
services skills, as an alternative to LotusScript.
Where is it used?
Domino and Notes users include industries that need document
databases - such as pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals there is
also a thriving sector of software houses developing Notes
applications. Recent customers include Colgate Palmolive, the US
FAA and IRS, and Verizon.
What systems does it run on?
Windows, AIX, i5//OS, z/OS, Linux.
What's coming up?
Lotus Notes Traveler provides mobile access for Windows mobile
devices.
Rates of Pay
From £28,000 to £36,000 for Notes developers £32,000 to £38,000
for Domino administrators
Training
See
Ibm's
website for training and certification. There are
free
resources available.