(For more resources on Microsoft see here.)
Using Sametime in iNotes
Let’s talk a little bit about iNotes. iNotes is the Lotus Notes web client. It works with browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari. To get started using iNotes, you will need to login using a user ID and password that your e-mail administrator has given you. Your company or organization may have a central website for you to use to login, like webmail.companyname.com, so that the login URL is easy to remember. Some possible uses for iNotes and Sametime include:
- Beza uses a netbook and doesn’t want to install either the Notes client or Sametime Connect client. Sametime in iNotes allows him to contact his friends and colleagues.
- Maja primarily works from a kiosk. She can use iNotes and Sametime to access her e-mail and her company’s directory.
- Tatiana is traveling without her laptop. She’d like to connect with her team members. She’s stopped at an internet café where she’s able to login to iNotes and Sametime.
When you first login to iNotes you might see your inbox displayed. iNotes has several modes: Full Mode, Lite Mode, and Ultralite Mode. Each of these modes has specific features. We’re going to focus on Full Mode as that is the version that allows you to login to Sametime.
If you’re used to using Notes as your e-mail client, you’ll notice a very strong similarity to the Notes 8.x mail client, so you should already be pretty comfortable with the display on the screen.
Enable instant messaging
Because you are using Sametime in a web browser, there are far fewer preferences that are available to you. This is because in a web browser, you don’t have the ability to control a rich Sametime client as you do when you’re running within the Sametime Connect client. The web browser version of Sametime is meant to deliver a basic set of functionality that works regardless of what type of computer you’re using.
The first thing you need to make sure of is that Sametime is enabled to run within iNotes. You do this by launching the iNotes preferences in the upper-right corner of your browser window:
When you click on the Preferences option, you’ll see a list of iNotes preferences, one of which allows you to enable Instant Messaging.
After you select the Enable Instant messaging option, click on Save and Close. This saves the preference in your iNotes profile. At this point your screen will refresh and you’ll notice a new twisty icon just below the toolbar above your name in the Inbox.
In order to get Sametime started, click on the twisty icon and highlight the option to Log On To Instant Messaging. Once you’re logged in you’ll notice your awareness changes to Available.
If you have never launched Sametime in iNotes before, the browser has to load a Java application called STLinksApp to allow Sametime to work properly. You’ll see the following warning box, and you click on Run to let the browser load the application and launch Sametime.
Be sure to select Always trust content from this publisher and Run. The wording for these options may vary slightly with the browser you are using. It is very important that you select this application to run. Some of the functionality we describe later may not work if it has not been installed. Check with your systems staff regarding your default browser settings and whether or not you have the system authority to run these types of Java applets.
