                     Remote Document Server
                              (RDS)

_________________________________________________________________

      Copyright (C) 1995 Novell, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
_________________________________________________________________

____________

INTRODUCTION
____________

Remote Document Server (RDS) makes SoftSolutions documents
available to users not connected to the LAN.  RDS does this with
E-mail using remote capabilities as its transport mechanism. 
Users send search requests and other commands to SoftSolutions
through E-mail.  These messages are received and processed by
RDS, which is running on a Windows workstation connected to the
LAN.  RDS responds by returning messages with the requested
documents or search results.

RDS allows remote users to perform full-text or Profile searches,
retrieve documents (most recent version only), check out
documents for editing, check in documents, add new documents, and
forward documents to other users.

Forwarding documents is a powerful concept.  Remote users,
without logging into SoftSolutions or the network, can forward
any documents managed by SoftSolutions to any user to whom the
E-mail system can send messages.  If your E-mail includes a fax
gateway (e.g., Novell's GroupWise Fax Gateway), remote faxing is
also possible.  A New York user without fax hardware or software
can fax a document located in Phoenix to a customer in Japan.


Two Modes of Operation___________________________________________

RDS can run in two modes, secure and guest.

     SECURE MODE

     When RDS is running in secure mode it only gives access to
     users who are members of a SoftSolutions dataset.  Users
     then only have access to documents they would normally see
     if they were connected locally.

     GUEST MODE

     In guest mode, RDS allows users unknown to SoftSolutions to
     have access to documents that are marked PUBLIC or SEMIPRIV. 
     This capability allows SoftSolutions to act as an
     "electronic document catalogue" remote users can query via
     the Internet or any other E-mail gateway.  SoftSolutions can
     also store files that are not documents and act as a BBS
     that is accessed through E-mail instead of a communications
     program.


Versatility______________________________________________________

Besides allowing remote users access to documents managed by
SoftSolutions, RDS can be used in a variety of other ways:

  *  RDS does not need to be limited to users who are remote. 
     Local users who use SoftSolutions occasionally may prefer to
     access SoftSolutions datasets through RDS instead of
     installing the full SoftSolutions client (see the Novell
     software licensing agreement).

  *  SoftSolutions users can use RDS for forwarding documents to
     others via E-mail.

  *  RDS can be used to fax documents, without having any faxing
     software or hardware on the workstation (although a fax
     gateway must be on the network).

  *  RDS can be used as a public document and file catalog (using
     the guest mode).

  *  Before RDS, only DOS and Windows users have had access to
     SoftSolutions 4.x datasets.  Now, RDS can also be used from
     a variety of platforms.  For example, Macintosh and Unix
     users (local and remote) can use RDS for access to
     SoftSolutions-managed documents (see the Novell software
     licensing agreement).


Database Searching with RDS______________________________________

The idea of database searching through an E-mail system is not
unique.  Never before, however, has an information repository as
dynamic and important as SoftSolutions been available via E-mail. 
SoftSolutions gathers every document that is written within an
organization as soon as the document is created, and without much
effort on the part of the user.  Having access to all of this
information anywhere, at any time, is a great advantage to
organizations with employees who work from remote locations or
who are traveling.

_________________________________________

USING RDS with the NOVELL GROUPWISE MACRO
_________________________________________

RDS, as it is shipped with SoftSolutions, includes a macro front
end for GroupWise, which can be used to compose document requests
without knowing the syntax that RDS expects.  The macro presents
simple dialogues that ask users to specify which document or
search they need.  The macro takes the information and uses it to
compose an E-mail request in the proper syntax.  Using the macro
front end greatly simplifies the use of RDS and minimizes user
mistakes.

The RDS macro for GroupWise comes with a Windows help file that
can be accessed via the HELP button.  See this help file for
information on using the macro.

____________________________________

USING RDS without an INTERFACE MACRO
____________________________________

For E-mails other than GroupWise, or when a macro front end is
unavailable, the following describes how to use RDS in an E-mail. 
E-mails other than GroupWise may have macro capability.  Ask your
system administrator if a front end macro has been written for
your E-mail.


RDS Basics_______________________________________________________

     SENDING REQUESTS to RDS

     Always address your requests to the E-mail ID that has been
     assigned to RDS.  This ID is set by the system
     administrator.

     The SUBJECT field is not used by the utility, but the
     response will come back with the same subject plus
     " - Reply" tacked on the end.  Specifying a subject is
     recommended because it helps identify the return message.

     The body of the message is where the request is recorded. 
     Only one request may be specified in a single E-mail
     message.

     The first line of the message body must specify a command
     followed, in most cases, by a document specification list. 
     The document specification list indicates which documents
     should be acted upon by the command.

     Valid commands (not case-sensitive):

          CHECK-IN
          CHECK-OUT
          FORWARD
          GET
          HELP
          IMPORT
          SEARCH

     DOCUMENT SPECIFICATION LISTS

     A document specification list identifies a group of
     documents that should be acted upon by a command.  The list
     can take any one of the following forms:

       *  a document number
       *  a range of document numbers (e.g., 10-100)
       *  a series of document numbers separated by spaces (e.g.,
          24 345 231)
       *  the letters "wl" (e.g., specifies the user's
          worklist---use without the quote marks)
       *  a search criteria in parentheses (e.g., (2=test) )

     Document specification list examples:

          CHECK-OUT 12        Checks out document number 12.

          CHECK-OUT 100-110   Checks out documents 100 through
                              110 (inclusive).

          GET WL              Returns the 10 latest documents on
                              the user's worklist.

          SEARCH (TEST)       Returns a report on all documents
                              with the word "test" in the text or
                              Profile record.

          SEARCH (2=test)     Returns a report on all documents
                              with the word "test" in the Name
                              field of the Profile record.

     MODIFIERS

     The remaining lines of the message may contain various
     modifiers that elaborate on the basic request.  The most
     important of these modifiers is "SCOPE."  The SCOPE keyword
     is followed by a list of SoftSolutions dataset IDs,
     separated by spaces.  It specifies which datasets should be
     searched, or which datasets contain the documents that
     should be acted upon by the command.  The CHECK-IN, HELP,
     and IMPORT commands do not use the SCOPE modifier.  All
     other commands do.

     If a SCOPE modifier is not given in a request, the default
     dataset is the assumed scope for the request.  The default
     dataset is the dataset specified by the system administrator
     when RDS is configured.

     Other modifiers exist for some commands, such as FORWARD and
     IMPORT.

     The modifiers are discussed in the following along with
     their respective commands.

     HELP for RDS

     If a user needs help, a message can be sent to RDS with the
     word "HELP" in the message body.  RDS responds with a return
     message that can have up to five (5) attached files.  By
     default, it returns a copy of the help file "HELP.TXT" that
     is shipped with the product.  The GroupWise version also
     sends a copy of the files needed for the front end macro,
     which simplifies the process of composing queries.

     If desired, the system administrator can edit the strings
     file for RDS and configure up to five (5) files that should
     be returned when a HELP request is received.  These files
     can be anything the administrator wishes.  Then, if a user
     sends a request to RDS using invalid syntax, RDS responds
     with the help message and its attached files.

The RDS commands are described under the following subheadings,
which are listed alphabetically:

  *  Checking In SoftSolutions Documents
  *  Checking Out SoftSolutions Documents
  *  Copying SoftSolutions Documents
  *  Faxing SoftSolutions Documents
  *  Forwarding SoftSolutions Documents
  *  Importing Documents into SoftSolutions
  *  Searching for SoftSolutions Documents


Checking in SoftSolutions Documents______________________________

A user who has checked documents out of a SoftSolutions dataset
can check them back in via RDS.  ONLY ONE DOCUMENT MAY BE CHECKED
IN PER REQUEST.

To check a document in, the user should compose a message and
attach the file that is to be checked in.  The message should
only have one line.  That line should include the keyword
"CHECK-IN," followed by the dataset ID and the document number to
which it should be checked in as.

The following example would check in the attached file as
document number 34 in the LA dataset:

     CHECK-IN LA 34

The dataset ID is optional.  If it is not given, RDS checks the
document into the default dataset.  RDS will not check in a
document if it is not marked as "Checked Out" in SoftSolutions,
or if it was checked out by a different user than the one who is
attempting to check it back in.

   NOTE:  When a file is checked into SoftSolutions, it
          overwrites the latest version of the file in the
          dataset.  RDS correctly checks in documents according
          to the Dataset ID and Document Number of the file, but
          has no control over incorrect associations made by
          users.  Therefore, when checking documents into
          SoftSolutions users should be aware that if they
          incorrectly associate a document with another
          document's Dataset ID or Document Number, data can be
          lost when a file being checked in overwrites a
          different file in the dataset.

If a CHECK-IN request is sent without an attached file, RDS
resets the In Use flag of the document in SoftSolutions so that
it is no longer locked.  The latest version of the document in
SoftSolutions will remain the same as it was before it was
checked out.

RDS responds to CHECK-IN requests with a message stating that the
document has been checked in.  If no file was sent, RDS indicates
that no file was uploaded (attached for checking in).


Checking out SoftSolutions Documents_____________________________

Remote users can check documents out of SoftSolutions.  This
causes the document to be locked until it is checked back in. 
Nobody, local or remote, can modify the document in the meantime. 
The requesting user will receive the documents as attachments to
the return message.  The files can then be saved to disk,
modified as needed, and sent back to SoftSolutions with a
CHECK-IN request.

A CHECK-OUT request has the keyword "CHECK-OUT," followed by a
document specification list.  A SCOPE modifier can be given on
the second line, indicating which dataset contains the documents
that are to be checked out.

The following example would check out document 25 from the LA
dataset:

     CHECK-OUT 25
     SCOPE LA

The following example would check out the 10 most
recently-created documents with "FRED" as the author (from the
default dataset):

     CHECK-OUT (3=fred)

   NOTE:  If a user intends to modify documents sent by RDS,
          those documents must be saved to disk first.  If a user
          opens a document directly from the E-mail system, the
          user will usually not be able to modify the file, or at
          least the changes that are made will not be saved. 
          This may not be true for all E-mail systems, but it is
          for most.


Copying SoftSolutions Documents__________________________________

Users can retrieve copies of any document stored in
SoftSolutions.  Doing so does not mark the document as "In Use"
in SoftSolutions.  Copies retrieved in this way can be modified
and sent back as new documents, but they cannot be checked in as
the document that was originally requested unless that document
is first officially checked out (see "Checking Out SoftSolutions
Documents" above).

To obtain documents, users must send a request with the keyword
"GET" in the first line, followed by a document specification
list identifying the documents to be retrieved.  Any kind of
specification, including a search criteria, can be used.  RDS
returns the first 10 documents in the list.  NO MORE THAN 10
DOCUMENTS CAN BE RETRIEVED WITH ANY ONE REQUEST.  This
software-imposed limit prevents time lost from accidents, such as
a user requesting all documents that match an extremely broad
search criteria.

The following example would retrieve a copy of document 10 from
the LA dataset:

     GET 10
     SCOPE LA

This example would retrieve documents 10 through 12 from both the
LA and NY datasets:

     GET 10-12
     SCOPE LA NY

This example would retrieve the 10 most recently-created
documents, which include the words "sales" and "budget," from the
LA dataset:

     GET (sales budget)
     SCOPE LA

As usual, if the SCOPE modifier is not given, RDS searches only
the default dataset.


Faxing SoftSolutions Documents___________________________________

E-mail systems may have the capability to provide fax gateways
that can be used with RDS to fax documents.  A GroupWise Fax
Gateway is available from Novell, Inc.

The GroupWise Fax Gateway is an add-on product for GroupWise that
allows users to send E-mail messages to any name and fax number. 
Not only can the gateway fax the message, but it will also
attempt to fax any documents that were attached to the message. 
RDS and the Fax Gateway can work together to allow users to
forward documents stored in SoftSolutions to any name and fax
number.  Any document that can be opened or converted by
WordPerfect 6.0b for DOS can be faxed through RDS and the
GroupWise Fax Gateway.  To do this, simply send a FORWARD
request, like those shown below (see "Forwarding SoftSolutions
Documents").  The recipient in the "TO" clause should follow this
syntax:

     [Fax Gateway Name]:[Recipient's Name]@[Fax Number]

The recipient's name may include spaces, but the fax number may
not.  The fax number should have nothing in it but digits.  The
Fax Gateway name is usually something generic, like "FAX."  (This
name is set by the system administrator for GroupWise.)

For example, to fax document 2065 in the default dataset to Mark
Phelps at the fax number (801) 224-0920, the following message
would be sent to RDS:

     FORWARD 2065
     TO FAX:Mark Phelps@1-801-224-0920

The sender of the request will receive a return message
confirming that SoftSolutions has forwarded the document to the
Fax Gateway.  The recipient will receive the text of the document
via fax with a preliminary message indicating what the document
is and who forwarded it.  The subject line of the original
message sent to RDS is passed on as the subject line in the fax
header.  Instructions to the recipient can be passed on, as
discussed below with the FORWARD command.


Forwarding SoftSolutions Documents_______________________________

Users can send copies of documents to other users via E-mail. 
The documents are not checked out in SoftSolutions.  RDS simply
forwards a copy.

Up to 10 documents can be forwarded at a time.

The most basic FORWARD request consists of two lines.  The first
line has the keyword "FORWARD," followed by a document
specification list indicating the documents to be forwarded.  The
second line has the keyword "TO," followed by the E-mail ID or
group name of the recipients.

For example, the following message would forward document 10 to
Joe Edwards:

     FORWARD 10
     TO Joe Edwards

The value following the TO keyword can be any name, group name,
or address that the E-mail system can resolve.  It might be the
Internet address of a user in a different company if the E-mail
system has access to the Internet.

A FORWARD request can also include a SCOPE modifier on the second
or third line, if needed.

The following message would forward document 11 from the LA
dataset to "John Brown":

     FORWARD 11
     SCOPE LA
     TO John Brown

The next message would forward documents 10 through 12 from both
the LA and NY datasets to "Mark Phelps."

     FORWARD 10-12
     SCOPE LA, NY
     TO Mark Phelps

The next message would forward the next ten documents, from all
datasets, whose Custom 2 field contained the value "IBM," to the
"Legal" E-mail group.  Note that the Field ID for the Custom 2
field is "6."

     FORWARD (6=IBM)
     SCOPE ALL
     TO Legal

The order of lines is not important.  The command (e.g., FORWARD)
is usually first, but the SCOPE and TO modifiers can be in any
order.

A FORWARD request can also include instructions in a block of
text that should be passed to the recipient.  This block of text
should be placed at the end of the request, beginning on a new
line, following the keyword "INSTRUCTIONS:."

For example, the following FORWARD request includes instructions:

     FORWARD 12
     TO Mark Phelps
     INSTRUCTIONS:
     Mark,
     Please look these documents over and send your comments back
     to me via E-mail.  I need a reply by Wednesday.

RDS can forward only up to 3,000 characters worth of
instructions.

RDS sends two messages in response to a FORWARD request.  The
first message goes back to the sender, informing that the request
was successful.  The second message goes to the recipient and
includes the documents and instructions that were forwarded.


Importing Documents into SoftSolutions___________________________

A remote user can send new documents to RDS to be imported into
the SoftSolutions dataset.  An IMPORT request begins with a line
containing only the keyword "IMPORT."  The remaining lines of the
message contain field names, followed by the equal sign (=), and
the value that should be assigned to that field when a Profile is
added for the new document.  The document to be imported should
also be attached to the IMPORT request message.

The following field IDs are optional.  If they are not given, RDS
assigns default values to these fields:

     APP = [8-character code for the document's application]

     AUTHOR = [8-character ID of the document's author]

     CUSTOM1...CUSTOM16 = [10-character code for that custom
     field; date and numeric custom fields are not supported by
     the IMPORT feature]

          (The actual name of the custom field as configured in
          SoftSolutions should be used as the keyword, rather
          than the "CUSTOM..." literal shown above.)

     COMMENT:
          The COMMENT: keyword is followed by a hard return and a
          text block (up to 3,000 characters) that will be stored
          in the Comment field of the Profile record.  The
          comment block, if used, must always be at the very end
          of the IMPORT request.

     DATASET = [8-character ID of the dataset where the document
     should be stored]

     NAME = [70-character description of the document]

     SECURITY = [65-character list of all user and group IDs
     which should have access to the document after it is
     imported]

     TYPE = [8-character Document Type code]

The following example would import the attached WordPerfect 6.1
file into the LA dataset with the various Profile fields set as
shown.  The LA dataset has the Custom 1 field configured to be
"PROJECT."

     IMPORT
     DATASET = LA
     APP = WPWIN61
     TYPE = PROP
     PROJECT = SALES
     NAME = Sales budget for the East region in 1995
     COMMENT:
     This is the new budget for the East sales region in 1995. 
     We had to drop the proposal for new laptops to fit within
     the amounts specified by headquarters.  Please contact
     Lawrence Bingham if you see anything that needs to be
     changed before the committee meeting on Thursday.

The following list shows how RDS assigns values to optional
Profile fields that are not specified by the user in an IMPORT
request.

     Field          Method
     _____________  _____________________________________________

     Application    RDS selects an application in the following
                    order:  1st) as specified by the user;
                    2nd) the application specified in the Screen
                    Definition record for the user; or 3rd) the
                    value given for the /DEFAPP= switch.

     Author         RDS selects an author in the following order: 
                    1st) as specified by the user; 2nd) the
                    author specified in the Screen Definition
                    record for the user; or 3rd) the requesting
                    user's SoftSolutions User ID.  If RDS is
                    running in Guest mode, and the importing user
                    is not a SoftSolutions user, the author will
                    be "GUEST."

     Comment        The comment field will be left blank.

     Creator        In secure mode, this field is set to the
                    requesting user's SoftSolutions User ID.  In
                    guest mode, "GUEST" is used as the ID.

     Custom Fields  Custom fields are not set.

     Dataset        The document will be stored in the default
                    dataset as specified by the administrator
                    responsible for RDS.  This is the dataset
                    given in the /DATA= switch when RDS is
                    started.

     Date Created   The Date Created field is always set to the
                    current date at the time the document is
                    imported.  This field cannot be set by the
                    user.

     Name           The Profile's Name field will read,
                    ""[Filename]" was imported by remote user
                    [User Name] using RDS."

     Security       The Document Security field will be set to
                    "PUBLIC."

     Type           RDS selects a type in the following order: 
                    1st) as specified by the user; 2nd) the type
                    specified in the Screen Definition record for
                    the user; or 3rd) the value given for the
                    /DEFTYPE= switch.

After an IMPORT request is processed, RDS responds with a return
message verifying that the document has been added.  The return
message specifies the document number the basic other Profile
fields set for that document.

If RDS fails to import the document, a return message is sent
specifying why the IMPORT request failed.  The document is
returned as an attachment.


Searching for SoftSolutions Documents____________________________

Remote users can ask RDS to return search reports describing all
documents that match a given criteria.  Search reports are text
files that are attached to the return message.  The report is
given in a text file, rather than the message body, since it can
be quite large, depending on the criteria given.

   NOTE:  A vague search criteria could return over 10,000 hits. 
          Such a report would not fit in the message buffer of
          most E-mail systems.

A search request never consists of more than two lines.  The
first line has the keyword "SEARCH," followed by a document
specification list, which is usually a search criteria surrounded
by parentheses.  The second line is an optional SCOPE modifier
indicating the datasets (or document libraries) that should be
searched.

For example, the following request would return a report on all
documents in the LA and NY datasets that contain the word "sales"
anywhere in their text, or in their Profile record:

     SEARCH (sales)
     SCOPE LA NY

If the SCOPE line is omitted, RDS searches the default dataset
only.

Any valid SoftSolutions search criteria can be placed between the
parentheses.  For example, the following request would locate all
documents containing the word "sales" in the Name field of the
Profile record, and which also list "MARKP" as their author:

     SEARCH (2=sales AND 3=markp)

The numbers 2 and 3 in this example are SoftSolutions Field ID
numbers for the Profile record.  Valid Field IDs are listed
below:

     Field Name          Field Number
     _______________     ____________

     Application         11
     Author              3
     Comment             29
     Creator             8
     Custom 1            5
     Custom 2            6
     Custom 3            15
     Custom 4            16
     Custom 5            17
     Custom 6            18
     Custom 7            19
     Custom 8            20
     Custom 9            21
     Custom 10           22
     Custom 11           23
     Custom 12           24
     Custom 13           25
     Custom 14           26
     Custom 15           27
     Custom 16           28
     Date Created        7
     Date Revised        9
     Home Dataset        81
     Name                2
     Revisor             10
     Security            12
     Status (in use)     80
     Text                1
     Type                4

(See the SoftSolutions User's Guide to learn more about valid
search criteria.)

Users can also pass document specification lists that are not
search criteria.  Doing so returns a report listing the basic
attributes of all documents in the list.  For example, the
following request would return a report listing all of the
documents on the user's worklist in the default dataset (e.g.,
the last 20 documents opened by that user in that dataset):

     SEARCH wl
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