Collaboration Party of One

© 2013 RunningNotes

COLLABORATION PARTY OF ONE:WHEN YOU'RE BOTH THE ADMIN AND THE DEV

Kathy Brown, PSC GroupJess Stratton, Solace Learning


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Agenda■ Introduction■ Avoiding Pitfalls of Going It Alone■ Reaping Rewards of Being On Your Own


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Who Are We?■ Your Collaboration Hosts

─ Jess Stratton‒ IBM Lotus Domino Consultant (both a developer and admin)‒ Trainer (anything anyone will let me teach)‒ Tweeter (@NerdGirlJess)‒ Blogger (momelettes.com, anywhere else anyone will let me write)‒ Autocrosser (MINI Cooper S, anything else anyone will let me drive)

─ Kathy Brown‒ Application Developer (and admin dabbler)‒ Author (Lotus User Group Dev Tips Newsletter)‒ Tweeter (@RunningKathy)‒ Blogger (runningnotes.net)‒ Runner (daily, since June 1 2009)


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Why Are We Here?■ If you're here, you are probably the developer AND administrator at your

organization.─ Congratulations! You're probably one of the most popular people at your office!

■ You probably have ALSO learned the danger of dabbling at one point or another.─ Your ID file? The one you log in with? It's probably the single most powerful ID file in

your office.─ You can quite easily cause a time-paradox, the results of which could cause a chain

reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe!

‒ (Not really. But you can write some pretty destructive agents!)─ We'll help you minimize these dangers.

■ However, you've probably also discovered that being both the administrator and developer is Pretty Darn Awesome.─ If you haven't, we'll tell you why it's awesome!


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Sound familiar?■ When you hear people talking about their teams of IT people, dev

teams, and admin teams, you probably feel like their offices look like this:


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And then there's you...■ You're alone.

■ The admin and dev all rolled into one, and so you feel a bit like this:


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The Good News■ When things break, you don’t have to wait for anyone else to fix

them!

■ You can write code to do your own monotonous, repetitious admin tasks for you!

■ You are a well-rounded individual who can probably tackle anything anyone can throw at you!

■ At parties, once people find out you know anything about computers, you will become the most popular person there!


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The Bad News■ When things break, it’s probably you that broke it in the first place.

─ The silver lining: You won’t waste time blaming other people or arguing.

■ It’s easy to forget your “higher powers” and you can do some real damage carelessly!─ And surprisingly fast...

■ You can’t even make it to the office bathroom without your entire organization stopping you for questions on the way.

■ You should never, EVER, under any circumstances, tell anyone at a party that you know anything about computers.


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Pitfall 1: Your ID file can and will be used against you!■ Imagine this scenario:■ You are currently playing the Developer role, making a change to a

database.─ Maybe you are getting ready to upload it to the server. It really doesn't matter.

■ When, suddenly, the phone rings!─ “Can you reset my password?”─ “Can you get rid of these replication conflicts?”

■ Your brain wasn't made to switch multitasking roles this quickly.─ OOPS! You ran the wrong agent.─ You may have also been in the wrong database when you made that change.

■ Bottom line: It's too easy to do damage when you are being pulled in fifty different directions!


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The Solution for Pitfall 1■ You need TWO ID files.

─ One is used for mail, other daily use and Admin tasks.‒ It has your super-bionic ultra-powerful administration rights.

─ The second ID file is for development.‒ It is to be used on your Sandbox server.

• We will talk about THAT later!

■ Even though you are one and the same person, assume the Business Process is still that of a Dev-Admin hand off!─ Use your developer ID to make changes on the sandbox server.─ Use your admin ID to sign or bring those changes over to the production server.

■ This system of checks and balances will help avoid missteps.─ And will help your multi-tasking mind correctly break out of each task.


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Solution Bonus!■ Users can use your Developer ID's Inbox as a request for support/

features.─ This will keep them completely separate from your daily Inbox!


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Pitfall 2: Not switching IDs because it's too inconvenient!■ When things are too inconvenient, we don't do them.

─ This is true for ANY process, home, work or otherwise!

■ It's HARD to remember to do a File-->Security-->Switch ID!─ And, it's kind of a pain. We understand.


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The Solution for Pitfall 2■ Create a separate Location document that ONLY works for that ID

file.─ And, that automatically switches to the ID file when you switch to it!

■ Create the Location document:─ File → Locations → Manage Locations─ Select New...

■ BONUS: Working sets!


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Solution (cont.) - Creating Location docs

■ Give your new Location an easily identifiable name:─ Developer─ Sandbox─ Playground─ App Dev

■ Fill out all other fields as normal:─ Servers – This should be your playground server!─ Mail File – Your dev mailbox for feature requests/bug fixes─ etc.


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Solution (cont.)■ Go to the Advanced → Basics tab

─ Edit the “User ID to switch to” field.‒ Click the flashlight icon, and browse to your developer ID.


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Solution (cont.)■ Now, when you are ready to do development work, all you have to do

is switch Locations !─ Your Notes client will take care of the rest!

‒ It will put you on the right server.‒ It directly connects you to your dev mail file.‒ It will switch your ID file.

─ It's an easy switch, do it right from the bottom right of the Notes client.


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Pitfall 3: Locking Domino

■ You can lock yourself out quite easily.

■ The Security tab in the Server doc─ Who can run agents, etc.─ Who has Full access Admin?


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Pitfall 4: Not Creating Design Failsafes!

■ Readers fields without using ACL roles can ruin your entire day.─ Readers fields Best Practice: create Roles in the ACL.

‒ “[Reader Admins]”:”[HR]”

■ Don't forget to put the Servers, and the Admin in there!─ That's your OTHER ID file, remember?─ Preferably, you use Groups:

‒ LocalDomainServers‒ LocalDomainAdmins

■ If you do lock yourself out, make sure you have access to an ID File that has Full Access Admin rights!─ (See Pitfall 2)


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Pitfall 4 – Design Failsafes (cont.)■ Poorly designed elements can really slow a database down.

─ These are issues that will affect server performance – also your job, remember?─ They can also come back to haunt you when it's time for a server upgrade or hardware

change.‒ Hardcoded values!

■ Design elements you need to avoid:─ Too many sorted columns.

‒ Too many secondary sorts!─ @Today in views.─ Hardcoded server names and user names.

‒ Instead, pull the current server name programmatically from the DB file info.─ Field values that pull their information from other field values that pull their value from

a value on another document that pulls that value from a Group that pulls their values from other nested Groups.

‒ Remember: It will be YOU that has to do all that tracing when a department head leaves.


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Pitfall 5: Not Creating a Sandbox Server

■ One that mirrors your environment─ It's easy to create a sandbox server.

‒ If you haven't, it's the first thing you should do when you get home─ It's less easy, but very important to make your sandbox mirror your production

environment!‒ User Groups/Roles/Access‒ Replication‒ User data‒ Nightly agents running‒ Everything!


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Pitfall 6: Being Disorganized■ It is easy to think you don't have to organize/communicate/

document because you are the only person doing the work─ But you are the only person doing the work so you probably have a lot of work to

do!─ Your admin tasks and duties are piling up and vary greatly from the dev requests

and bug fixes that are also piling up.─ It's very easy to lose track of what needs to be done and with no one else to

remind you, it's even MORE important to organize and document


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Solution to Pitfall 6■ Have a method for tracking administrative requests like adding new

users■ Have a separate method for tracking development requests and bug

fixes■ Good news! Notes applications exist for both of these purposes!


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Pitfall 7: Not Building a Network.■ No, not a Domino network!

─ You've already built that.

■ A network of PEOPLE.─ Other admins, developers, admins AND developers, members of the Lotus

community.

■ You need sanity checks, and people to bounce ideas off of.

■ Where would you find those people?─ PlanetLotus.org─ Twitter─ Lotusphere─ Other LUGs─ THIS ROOM!


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Be Social!


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Reward 1: Make Your Own Administration Process!■ What is the Administrative Process again?

─ It's Domino-created batch files.─ The admin selects what users or databases need the tasks run against.

‒ AdminP runs the tasks on them.

■ Sound familiar?─ It should. After all, it's just variables, right?─ And/or agents that run on selected documents?

■ Have you ever created a piece of code and thought, “This could be quite useful if I ever needed to do it again?”─ Why not genericize it and create your own AdminP database?


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Reward 1 (cont.)■ Gather together your most often used admin routines.

─ Reporting─ Updating values in documents

■ Turn them into generic routines.─ Create a form to add your variables so that you can use it on any server, on any

database.─ Add fields for things like:

‒ Server name‒ Database name‒ User name‒ Field name‒ Field type


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Reward 1 (cont.)■ PS – when it's finished, think about putting it on OpenNTF.org!

■ Time for a demo!─ The Automated Admin─ Admin Power Tools


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Reward 2: You Can Run Agents on the Domino Directory!■ Updating phone numbers in Person docs■ Stripping leftover ID files out of Person docs■ Updating Internet addresses (if your Internet domain changes)

■ How to make changes to Domino Directory via code:─ First, do it in your Sandbox, of course!─ However, when it's time to implement it for real:

‒ Make sure your backups are current!‒ Create manual local replica on your workstation.‒ Temporarily disable replication in Replication Settings for that replica.‒ Run your agent.‒ Check for desired results.‒ Re-enable replication and replicate it back up.


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Reward 3: You Can Code Your Own Toolbar Buttons!■ These are especially useful for revealing hidden design elements!■ You can display things like:

─ All agent names in a database.─ All form names in a database.─ All field names on a form.

■ What's the value in displaying all field names on a form?─ Once you know the field names, you can change the values!

■ Create a set of toolbar buttons that will help you out, and always keep them visible.─ Here's one I use daily:─ @Command([ToolsRefreshSelectedDocs]);@True


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Reward 4: You Know What Your Servers Can and Can't Do!■ An admin may insist on shorter agent run times but you know you

need that 5 extra minutes and that it won’t kill the server■ You don't have to have admin lockdown■ You can create the necessary compromises between security and

performance


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Reward 5: You Can Optimize Code For Your Architecture■ Your servers can be a finely-tuned machine that runs like the Paris Opera Ballet!

■ Schedule nightly agent runs around your server tasks.─ Updall runs at 2AM by default─ When do your backups run?

■ When does your server run program documents like Compact?─ Schedule your nightly agents around these!

‒ 11PM‒ 5AM

■ You know all the servers that belong to a cluster.─ Make sure you specify the “Server to run on” for your scheduled agents!

‒ Otherwise, you could find lots of mystery replication conflicts.

■ You know if/when/how often users replicate


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Reward 6: You Can Upgrade On Your Schedule!

■ If you need the latest features, upgrade!■ If you need to wait for a fixpack, wait!■ No need to convince anyone why you want to upgrade or wait■ Word of Caution!

─ It's great to be up-to-date on the latest features, but beware of jumping in as any mistakes you make will hit you twice as hard as both the admin and the dev


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Reward 7: You Can Make Yourself Happy!

■ Use tools that satisfy both the admin and the developer in you:─ Like the Agent Profiler to identify bottlenecks in your code!─ And Application Monitoring in DDM!


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Reward 7: Make Yourself Happy (cont)

■ Use Application Probes in DDM to find your problem Agents and help make your apps more efficient.

■ You can set up the following probes:─ Agents and Web services ranked by CPU usage─ Agents and Web services ranked by memory usage─ Agents and Web services that run longer than expected─ Agents whose start times have fallen behind schedule (applicable to Agent

Manager only)


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■ To set up Application Probes:─ Open Monitoring Configuration─ Change to the view “DDM Probes”─ Select “New DDM Probe” or find the canned existing probe and enable it

‒ Probe Area: Application Probe‒ Probe Type: Agents Ranked by CPU Usage

─ You can even choose web agents (run by HTTP) or Agent Manager agents!─ Rank four levels of warnings based on how long the agent takes to run.

‒ ie. 600 CPU seconds = Fatal

■ These warning levels will then be spit out into DDM.─ Along with the agent owner.

‒ Which, frankly, would be more helpful if you didn't already know it was you.


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■ Let DDM tell you which databases need Full-Text Indexes!

■ Remember this from your Notes logs?─ 01/18/2012 07:23:34 PM Agent Manager: Full text operations on database 'C:

\Lotus\Domino\data\apps\customersrv.nsf' which is not full text indexed. This is extremely inefficient.

■ DDM will tell you which databases get the most queries─ Seeing the total number of FT queries on a database can quickly pinpoint which

databases should have an FT Index.─ It's the same error, except once it appears in Domino Domain Monitoring, it

actually contains a COUNT of the amount of times the error occurred.‒ A great way to tell you which databases will benefit from having an FT Index.,


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Reward 8: You Can Restore When Needed!■ You'll know what version is safe to roll back to, both server and

application─ Working in a team environment a lot of communication is required to roll back

when necessary‒ What version? What features/fixes will be lost? When did it work last?

─ As admin and dev, you'll know what is broken and why, and how far to go back to fix it


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Reward 9: You Can Prioritize!■ You can decide what's most important

─ A dev on a team can get frustrated when they think their admin is focusing on “unimportant” tasks instead of upgrading that server

─ An admin on a team can get frustrated when their dev is writing some “unimportant” application instead of that agent for server maintenance

■ You know which task takes precedence and no one will argue with you!


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You Don't Have to Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here■ Fill Out Your Evals!

■ Contact us:─ @NerdGirlJess─ @RunningKathy

■ Get Social! Have Fun!

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Collaboration Party of One