This instructions are to synchronize a Blackberry Device with Lotus Notes 8.x using a USB cable.
The idea is to replicate contacts, ToDo List, Calendar and the Personal Journal.
This is not an online replication or push, it is a synchronization between the PC with Lotus Notes with Windows XP and the Blackberry device attached with an USB Cable. The Blackberry do not require a Data Transfer Service Plan to make this synchronization.
Requirements
- Windows XP or Windows 7 (32bits or 64bits)
- Lotus Notes 8.5 or 8.5.1 for Windows
- Blackberry Desktop Software 4.7, 5.0 or 5.0.1 for Windows
- A Blackberry Phone (In this case I used a 8320)
- USB Cable
We start with a configured and working Lotus Notes desktop installed on a Windows PC. Them we proceed to install the Blackberry Desktop application.
Installation of Blackberry Desktop Software
- Start Blackberry Desktop setup program, select the language you want to see the installer and agree to the Terms and Conditions.
- Select the Installation Directory and you can choose "Typical" installation
- The "Integration Options" question will show up. Select "Integrate with a work email account"
- Select "for IBM Lotus Domino (typically used with IBM Lotus Notes)
- Them select "Next" and keep going with the installation.
If you already have the Blackberry Desktop Software installed and you didn't select "Integrate with a work email account" you can make a "Repair" of the installation on Windows Control Panel, "Add and Remove Software".
Replication Options
Once you have the Blackberry Desktop Software installed open the "Blackberry Desktop" by clicking it's icon.
- You will see a "Lotus Notes Login" windows. Add your password and check for the information to be correct.
- If you don't have a Blackberry Server, just click "No" on the "Error finding server" box.
- On the Blackberry Desktop main menu go to "Synchronize"
- On the "Synchronize" page click the "Synchronize" button to start the process.
- The sync process will start, it will synchronize the Address Book, Calendar, ToDo list and it will ask you where is your personal journal database (point it to the .nsf file you use as personal journal)
If you make an update to any record on the device or Lotus notes. On the next synchronization it will ask you which record should survive on both devices. You can also configure some advanced options to always have a default device (the phone or Lotus Notes) to solve this sync conflicts/updates.
This picture shows that I had made a change on a record. I had change its category on Lotus Notes and on the device it is not updated. Just select the record that you want to survive on both devices and click continue.
At the end it will ask you to confirm the changed on the address book.
Advanced Options
Inside the Blackberry Desktop Software you can also configure advanced replication options between Lotus Notes and the Blackberry Device.
- On the main menu selected "Synchronize"
- Them Configure->Synchronization.
- Click the "Synchronization" button.
It will load the Intellisync Menu. From this menu you can select advanced replication for the Calendar, Address Book, Tasks and Personal Journal.
For example if we choose "Address Book" and click "Setup" we will open the wizard that will help us configure the Address Book.
In the first window we have several options, we select Lotus Notes of course.
Trouble Shooting
1.- Blackberry Desktop Software Crash when synchronizing Lotus Notes Calendar.
ok, Blackberry Desktop Software isn't perfect. It has some flaws that had to be fixed by the RIM people.
If Blackberry Desktop Software crash when it try to sync the Lotus Notes Calendar, try disabling the Attendees sync:
- On the main menu selected "Synchronize" Them Configure->Synchronization.
- Click the "Synchronization" button.
- Selected calendar from Intellisync Menu and clicked "Advanced" them "Map Fields".
- Disabled the arrow between "Attendees <-> Meeting Attendees". Press "OK".
2.- Blackberry Desktop Software say that Notes.INI is Invalid.
There used to be some problems that Blackberry Desktop could not find NOTES.INI file, even that it was selected the right directory. This problem was solved in newer (4.7 and 5.0) versions of Blackberry Desktop (
according to this RIM site).
If you get a similar problem:
1. Read the info on this site:http://www.blackberry.com...
2. I found that Blackberry Desktop told me that the Notes.ini file was invalid, because I had an error on the Notes configuration Ports. There was no ports (TCPIP or NETBEUI) selected on my Notes configuration.
So I went to "File->Preferences->Notes Ports" and added the TCPIP port. Them I want to my location Profile and checked that the port were included.
I had tried it now and sync works fine. Even that I have Lotus Notes in Spanish and I had moved the Notes Data inside "My Documents".
3.- Blackberry Desktop Software says "Database specified does not exist or cannot be accessed"
I found this error when I moved the Lotus Notes Data folder to other location and updated notes.ini to show this change. Lotus notes works fine with the new data folder location, but Blackberry desktop did not automatically detect this change from the notes.ini file. Even if you go inside blackberry desktop -> "Synchronize" - and open Intellisync and change the path for the mail file and names.nsf, the error keep showing. So this is bad.
I found a good solution for this on a forum.
1.- Open Lotus Notes
2.- Got to "File->Preferences->Locations".
3.- Select the Location you use and click "Edit"
4.- Go to the "Mail" tab.
5.- On the "Mail File" field put the complete path of your mail file. In my case it is "D:\Users\User\Profiles\Notes\Data\mail\miturbid.nsf"
6.- Click "OK" to close the profile windows, click "OK" again to close the preference windows.
Now, like magic, blackberry desktop will again sync with Lotus Notes.
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