Anytime
A combined implementation of LearningSpace Forum and LearningSpace Live is called LearningSpace Anytime. We'll be getting into the specifics of both sides of the LearningSpace products a little later. First, however, I'd like to recount my installation experience.

Installing LearningSpace
LearningSpace Forum is pure Domino. The Live installation uses a very unusual implementation of the Domino 4.6.2a server to serve up Live content. Lotus insists on a set of very, very specific instructions to follow during this installation as well as the ultimate implementation of the product. It's unlike any other Lotus Notes or Domino product I've installed in the past. Here's a short list of some of these rigid requirements:

• Forum must be installed on top of a 4.6.2a Domino server -- not 4.6.2a or greater -- only a 4.6.2a!!!

• Both Forum and Live must be installed on their own machines -- these two processes cannot even coexist on a partitioned server.

• Both servers must run on Microsoft NT with at least Service Pack 4.

• Both servers must be running on servers networked using TCP/IP.

• Both servers should contain host files that allow them to talk with one another.

• The Live server must contain NetMeeting 2.11.

• Live sessions must be accessed using either Internet Explorer version 4.01 with Service Pack 2 or Netscape Navigator 4.06. This is a very firm requirement -- the use of other browsers won't cut it (access to strictly Forum content is not that picky).

• All course content must be developed using a Lotus Notes client.

• The Lotus Notes client used to develop course content cannot be the server's client on either the Forum or Live box.

I carefully executed the recommended installation procedures, but failed to see the Java applet display in my Live session. I re-read the instructions, cleaned both servers from the first installation attempt and started over. No luck. I finally called Lotus technical support for help. They informed me that many people were having trouble with this product installation and offered an alternative set of installation instructions available from the Lotus Notes Knowledge Base (in case you're following along, the Knowledge Base document number is 172712). These instructions included additional caveats like the fact that the Lotus Notes client used to develop and maintain course content must be version 4.6.4a or better, but not version 5. When I was again unsuccessful after following these additional instructions, I extended my trouble ticket.

The fine folks with LearningSpace tech support were very willing to help resolve my problem. However, I soon realized that these guys hadn't received many calls of this nature -- they weren't battle-tested. The answers came slowly. I must have spent a good part of a week on the phone with these guys until we finally escalated to the developer group. This new support technician told me that I wouldn't be able to see the applet unless the supported browser I was using had both HTTP 1.1 and the Java Virtual Machine disabled. I did it, again with no luck. I was starting to get nervous at this point because if my company was going to pull off a LearningSpace course that included a Live session, these were problems the students would encounter as well.