Connecting to "work" Notes 4.5.x from Home PC Notes R5 1

[dwbrant]

I am trying to configure a R5 Notes client to access my work Notes account, at work we run r4.5.

I have duplicated the location and server entries to the best of my ability; I have a copy of my ID file which R5 seems to be able to understand. I have a working RAS connection to work; when I use my work (laptop) PC from home, I can access Lotus Notes via my r4.5 client, but when I dial up the RAS from the home PC, I cannot get R5 to find a path to server.

I am obviously inexperienced with Notes setup/configuration; I'm having trouble finding help with this, and the folks who could help at work will not, as the company policy is to not allow us to use a home PC to do this. The RAS connection does work; I am able to access my mainframe accounts via Extra, which uses a TCPIP connection.

Thanks in advance for any help. Do I need to copy additional files? Are there compatibility issues?

 

[RachelD]

So basically you're asking a bunch of IT people to help you subvert company policy when your company has provided you with a method to access your company email from outside the office?

Please don't misunderstand - this isn't a personal attack on you - but as a network administrator who provides secured access to company resources from company-owned and maintained laptops to users who request it, and has a policy against access to these same resources from personal computers, I find your request a little disturbing.

Why does your company have this policy? Probably because the end-user has often been described as the single greatest threat to security. You might not be irresponsible; you might not be putting your company at risk, but your company obviously feels that there is a risk. Maybe it's from the user who unknowingly spreads viruses. Maybe it's from the user who works from a cable modem, on a fixed IP, has a fully shared non-passworded hard drive that isn't sitting behind any type of personal firewall.

Sorry for the rant, but that's my reaction. Maybe it should be a new post in the Ethics & IT forum - does one help a user get around a company policy that doesn't seem so unfair?

 

[dwbrant]

Thanks for the help.

Oh, I forgot to say that (a) the PC I would be using is a SEPARATE PC ... (b) I ride a bicycle to work ... (c) it is SO much fun to carry my laptop while riding the bike (d) ... did I say that the PC is separate from this one? ... oh and other than Notes R5, is a duplicate of my laptop?

I fully understand security issues. If you can tell me honestly that this PC would be a security issue when my laptop would be none, keeping in mind that it uses the same software etc... I'd be surprised.

Whether or not you believe it wasn't a 'personal attack', you sound like many of my co-workers who always talk about the 'stupid' user. You know, how he doesn't know his head from a hole in the ground.

Anyway, thanks. Guess I don't need to check this forum for any help with this issue, thanks for pointing that out.

 

[RachelD]

I notice dwbrant has decided not be notified of activity on this thread any longer, but I will respond to him or her anyway.

Like I said, it wasn't personal. And I didn't say users were stupid. My meaning was simply that typically companies don't make policies for no good reason - and that includes IT departments. I like my users and I respect them - not only do they have to do their jobs, but they have to learn new programs all the time and keep up with ever-changing technology.

I bet your company has other policies that you feel don't apply to you that don't provoke the "it's not fair" response. For whatever reason (and maybe because too many people in technology do describe users as stupid) IT is a frequent target for these responses.

Maybe a better approach would be to explain your situation to your IT department - bring the other separate laptop in, let them take a look at it, promise to keep it secure, passworded, up-to-date in terms of virus protection, etc. and see if they will agree to help you out.

Or see if they are planning to offer secure access to webmail in the future - or maybe, if you have some kind of PDA, there's some way to receive mail on that.