Using Different GroupWise Modes (Online, Caching, and Remote)

GroupWise provides four different ways to run the GroupWise client: Online mode, Caching mode, Remote mode, and Remote (Offline) mode (v6.5 for NNLS 1.0).

You might be able to run GroupWise in any of the four modes, or your system administrator might require that you use only a certain mode.

Most GroupWise features are available in all four GroupWise modes, with some exceptions. Subscribing to other users' notifications is not available in Caching mode. Subscribing to other users' notifications and Proxy are not available in Remote mode. Any feature that requires a connection, for example to the GroupWise system or to an IMAP4 account, is not available in Remote (Offline) mode.

If you are running GroupWise against a NetMail back end, only Remote mode and Remote (Offline) modes are available. See Using the Novell GroupWise 6.5 Collaboration Client for Novell Nterprise Linux Services 1.0 (v6.5 for NNLS 1.0) for more information.


Online Mode

When you use Online mode, you are connected to your post office on the network. Your mailbox displays the messages and information stored in your network mailbox (also called your Online Mailbox). Online mode is connected to your network mailbox continuously. In Online mode, if your Post Office Agent shuts down or you lose your network connection, you will temporarily lose your connection to your mailbox.

You should use this mode if you do not have a lot of network traffic, or if you use several different workstations and do not want to download a local mailbox to each one.


Caching Mode

Caching mode stores a copy of your network mailbox, including your messages and other information, on your local drive. This allows you to use GroupWise whether or not your network or Post Office Agent is available. Because you are not connected to the network all the time, this mode cuts down on network traffic and has the best performance. A connection is made automatically to retrieve and send new messages. All updates are performed in the background so your work is not interrupted.

To use Caching mode, the client installation must be a standard installation, not a workstation installation.

You should use this mode if you have enough disk space on your local drive to store your mailbox.

Several users can set up their Caching Mailboxes on a single shared computer.

If you run Caching Mode and Remote Mode on the same computer, the same local mailbox (also called the Caching Mailbox or Remote Mailbox) can be used to minimize disk space usage.

If disk space is limited, you can restrict the items that are downloaded to your local mailbox. You can specify to get the subject line only or specify a size limit.

For more information about setting up Caching Mode, see Using Caching Mode.


Remote Mode

Remote mode is familiar to GroupWise users on the road. Similar to Caching mode, a copy of your network mailbox, or the portion of the mailbox you specify, is stored on your local drive. You can retrieve and send messages on a periodic basis with the type of connection you specify (modem, network, or TCP/IP). If you do not want a complete copy of your network mailbox, you can restrict what is retrieved, such as only new messages or only message subject lines.

To use Remote mode, the client installation must be a standard installation, not a workstation installation.

For more information about setting up Remote Mode, see Using Remote Mode.


Remote (Offline) Mode (v6.5 for NNLS 1.0)

Remote (Offline) mode is the same as Remote mode except that connections are not made automatically. Working offline is beneficial when you are working on a disconnected laptop and do not need to connect, and also when you want to reduce charges for online time. If you want to connect to your accounts, click Accounts, click Send/Retrieve, then click the account. A message displays asking if you want to stop working offline. After you click Yes, your mode is changed to Remote mode and a connection is made. After the connection has completed, you can return to Remote (Offline) mode by clicking File, then clicking Work Offline.