4.2 Starting the Archive Agent

When you finish creating your Messenger system, the Installation program can start the Messenger agents for you. If you installed the Messenger agents on a Windows server, the Archive Agent console appears on the Windows server console.

Archive Agent console

If you installed the Messenger agents on a NetWare server, the Archive Agent console appears on the NetWare server console.

If you installed the Messenger agents on a Linux server, the Archive Agent, by default, runs as a daemon and has no comparable user interface. However, you can start it in a terminal window so that status messages are displayed, as described in Starting the Linux Archive Agent in a Terminal Window, and you can monitor the Archive Agent from your Web browser, as described in Using the Archive Agent Web Console and GroupWise Monitor.

The following sections help you start the Archive Agent manually, or automatically whenever the server restarts:

4.2.1 Starting the NetWare Archive Agent

The Messenger Installation program creates the nmstart.ncf file in the Messenger agent installation directory (sys:\novell\nm by default). This file contains lines similar to the following example:

load sys:\novell\nm\ma\nmma.nlm @sys:\novell\nm\ma\strtup.ma
load sys:\novell\nm\aa\nmaa.nlm @sys:\novell\nm\aa\strtup.aa

If you are running the Archive Agent on a different server from where the Messaging Agent is running, edit the nmstart.ncf file and comment out the first line so that the Messaging Agent does not start when the nmstart.ncf file is run.

To start the Archive Agent manually:

  1. Enter sys:\novell\nm\nmstart.ncf at the NetWare server console prompt.

    The Archive Agent console appears.

To start the Archive Agent automatically when the NetWare server restarts:

  1. Add the following line to the autoexec.ncf file in the sys:\system directory:

    sys:\novell\nm\nmstart.ncf

If you want to start the Archive Agent in protected mode, you must be using LDAP access to eDirectory. See Using LDAP Access for the Archive Agent. In addition, when you stop the Archive Agent agent in protected mode, you must manually unload the address space.

4.2.2 Starting the Linux Archive Agent

You have several alternatives for starting the Archive Agent on Linux:

Starting the Linux Archive Agent as a Daemon

To start the Archive Agent as a daemon, use the startup script provided in the /etc/init.d directory.

  1. At the Linux server, become root by entering su and the root password.

  2. Change to the /etc/init.d directory.

  3. To start the Archive Agent, enter the following command:

    ./novell-nmaa start

    You can also use the stop, restart, and status options for these agents from the same directory.

    Messenger agent log files are created in the /var/opt/novell/log/messenger directory. The Messenger agents can be monitored by using the agent Web consoles from your Web browser, as described in Section 2.5.2, Using the Messaging Agent Web Console.

Starting the Linux Archive Agent in a Terminal Window

To start the Archive Agent in a terminal window, run the Archive Agent executable.

  1. At the Linux server, become root by entering su and the root password.

  2. Change to the /opt/novell/messenger/bin directory.

  3. To start the Archive Agent, enter the following command:

    ./nmaa @/etc/opt/novell/messenger/strtup.aa

    Agent status information and messages are displayed in the terminal window.

To stop the Archive Agent when it is running in a terminal window, press Ctrl+C and the Archive Agent performs a normal shutdown.

Configuring the Linux Archive Agent to Start Automatically as a Startup Service

A startup service starts automatically each time the server reboots.

Configuring the Archive Agent as a Startup Service on SUSE Linux

  1. At the Linux server, become root by entering su and the root password.

  2. If eDirectory for Linux is installed, enter the following command:

    insserv novell-nmaa

    or

    If eDirectory for Linux is not installed, use the following command to override the dependency on the ndsd service:

    insserv -f novell-nmaa

If you later want to remove the Archive Agent as a startup service, enter the following command in a terminal window:

insserv -r novell-nmaa

Configuring the Archive Agent as a Startup Service on Red Hat Linux

  1. At the Linux server, become root by entering su and the root password.

  2. Enter the following command:

    chkconfig --add novell-nmaa

If you later want to remove the agents as startup services, enter the following command in a terminal window:

chkconfig --del novell-nmaa

4.2.3 Starting the Windows Archive Agent

Follow the instructions for the Windows installation option you chose:

Starting the Archive Agent as a Windows Application

To start the Archive Agent manually:

  1. Click Start > Programs > Novell Messenger Agents > Archive Agent.

    You might want to create a desktop shortcut for this action.

To start the Archive Agent automatically whenever the server restarts:

  1. Click Start > Settings > Taskbar & Start Menu > Advanced > Add.

  2. Browse to the directory where you installed the Archive Agent (\novell\nm\aa).

  3. Double-click nmaa.exe, then add the startup file (strtup.aa) to the command line.

    Example: nmaa.exe @strtup.aa

  4. Click Next.

  5. Select the Startup folder, provide a name for the shortcut, then click Finish.

Starting the Archive Agent as a Windows Service

To start the Archive Agent manually:

  1. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel.

  2. Double-click Administrative Tools > Services.

  3. Right-click the Novell Messenger Archive Agent service, then click Start.

To start the Archive Agent automatically whenever the server restarts:

  1. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel.

  2. Double-click Administrative Tools > Services.

  3. Right-click the Novell Messenger Archive Agent service, then click Properties.

  4. Set Startup Type to Automatic.

  5. Click OK to save the Windows service startup setting.

    If you do not want to run the Messaging Agent along with the Archive Agent, make sure that the Novell Messenger Messaging Agent service is disabled.

To start the Archive Agent without a user interface on the Windows server desktop:

  1. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel.

  2. Double-click Administrative Tools > Services.

  3. Right-click the Novell Messenger Archive Agent service, then click Properties.

  4. Click Log On, then deselect Allow Service to Interact with Desktop.

    If you suppress the Archive Agent console in this manner, the Archive Agent can still be monitored from the Archive Agent Web console, as described in Using the Archive Agent Web Console and GroupWise Monitor.

  5. Click OK to save the Windows service logon setting.

4.2.4 Changing the eDirectory Access Method for Starting the Archive Agent

The Archive Agent cannot start if it cannot read its configuration settings from the Archive Agent object in Novell eDirectory. During installation, an eDirectory access method was selected, as described in Installing a Novell Messenger System in the Novell Messenger 2.1 Installation Guide.

Figure 4-1 Directory Access Page in the Messenger Installation Program

The information for the eDirectory access method was stored in the Archive Agent startup file as settings for the following startup switches:

Table 4-1 Startup Switches Settings

Access Method

Startup Switch

Description

Use Direct Access

/dirreplicaipaddr

Specifies the IP address of the server where the eDirectory replica resides (for direct access on a Linux or Windows server; not applicable on a NetWare server).

Use LDAP to Access the Directory

/ldapipaddr

Specifies the IP address of the LDAP server.

 

/ldapport

Specifies the port number on which the LDAP server listens for service requests. Port 636 indicates an SSL connection; port 389 indicates a non-SSL connection.

 

/ldapssl

Indicates whether or not the LDAP server uses an SSL connection, depending on whether or not you filled in the Root Certificate field.

 

/ldapsslkey

Specifies the full path to the root certificate for the server if SSL is in use.

To change the eDirectory access method selected during installation, follow the appropriate set of instructions:

Using LDAP Access for the Archive Agent

  1. Edit the Archive Agent startup file (strtup.aa).

    On Linux, the startup file is located in /etc/opt/novell/messenger.

    On Windows, the startup file is located in the Messenger Agent installation directory. You can edit the startup file from the Messaging Agent console. See Controlling the Archive Agent from the Archive Agent Console.

  2. On Linux and Windows, comment out the /dirreplicaaddr switch.

    On a NetWare server, this switch does not apply, because the eDirectory replica resides on the NetWare server.

  3. Scroll down to the bottom of the startup file.

  4. Remove the comment character (;) from the /ldap* switches and provide the required LDAP information.

  5. Save the startup file.

  6. Stop and then start the Archive Agent so that it reads its updated startup file and uses LDAP access to eDirectory.

Using Direct Access for the Archive Agent

  1. Edit the Archive Agent startup file (strtup.aa).

    On Linux, the startup file is located in /etc/opt/novell/messenger.

    On Windows, the startup file is located in the Messenger Agent installation directory. You can edit the startup file from the Messaging Agent console. See Controlling the Archive Agent from the Archive Agent Console.

  2. On Linux and Windows, remove the comment character (;) from the /dirreplicaaddr switch and provide the IP address of the eDirectory replica that you want the Archive Agent to access.

    On a NetWare server, this switch does not apply, because the eDirectory replica resides on the NetWare server.

  3. Scroll down to the bottom of the startup file.

  4. Comment out the /ldap* switches.

    Removing the LDAP information causes the Archive Agent to access the eDirectory replica directly.

  5. Save the startup file.

  6. Stop and then start the Archive Agent so that it reads its updated startup file and uses direct access to eDirectory.