FIGURE C


Mac OS X makes everything pretty. Even networking. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The ping, port scan, and info tab along with the Telnet command from the terminal, can all be used to help get to the root cause of a connectivity issue.

Crashes happen
Knowing how to troubleshoot crashes will save time and energy when they do occur. First thing to do is to determine if this was a one-time issue or if it can be consistently reproduced.

If the crash can be reproduced, then document the steps that cause the crash. Determine if the crash can be reproduced from another workstation hitting the same mail file. If it does crash from another workstation, then this could be a client code issue or a mail file issue. If this is a mail file issue run maintenance and test again.

If the problem can be reproduced on several workstations with the same steps, this may be a bug and will need to be reported to Lotus support.

If you're only crashing on one workstation, then the issue is isolated to the workstation and will require further troubleshooting. Try to back up personal data and reinstall the client to the default path. If that does not resolve it, then try to reinstall to a different directory.

When that does not resolve the issue, try to boot into safe mode and test. It is possible that another application is causing a conflict. You can boot into safe mode by holding the shift key after the boot tone. This will allow you to test Notes without any other non-essential items loaded in the system.

The NSD files
The NSD files (still in IBM tech support folder) do not show all the crash threads. However, if it's the Standard client, there should be an eclipse.crash file in:

This file may be requested by Lotus support, if opening a PMR. For more information on Lotus Notes on the Mac as well as known issues and technical documents, search the Lotus Notes knowledge base at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/support/

Going Mac
Lotus Notes 8.5 on the Macintosh is an exciting collaboration and messaging tool. Mac users in the business space no longer have to be jealous of the their Windows colleagues' Eclipse based clients.

Lotus Notes is, once again, a truly a multi-platform solution.

In this series, we covered the history of the platform and the client software as well as a high-level look at the new features in 8.5. iNotes and iNotes Ultralite bring browser-based access from the Mac, as well as from your iPhone.

Finally with the troubleshooting tips, I hope that I have provided some tools and suggestions that will make supporting Notes 8.5 on the Mac a little easier.

David Gewirtz is the author of How To Save Jobs and Where Have All The Emails Gone? For more than 20 years, he has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com and you can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/DavidGewirtz.