Sun Java Communications Suite Resources for System Administrators

Karen Perkins, 2009-11-06

What's New in This Release?

Here's a quick look at what's new in Sun Java Communications Suite 7:

• Calendar Server 7, which fully supports the latest CalDAV standard, enabling interoperability with other calendaring clients such as Mac iCal and Mozilla Lightning, and offers native calendar synchronization with mobile devices that support CalDAV, including the Apple iPhone
• Indexing and Search Service 1, which provides real-time indexing and search of messaging content, including attachments in a wide variety of data types such as PDF, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org, and popular image formats
• Messaging Server 7 Update 3, which delivers a highly scalable, secure and high-performance messaging platform that supports leading operating environments and now supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
• Instant Messaging 8 Update 2, which offers a scalable, standards-compliant instant messaging and presence platform that supports IM in mobile devices and interoperability with other IM networks, namely AOL, MSN and Yahoo
• Sun Convergence 1 Update 3, which features a rich Web client for Java Communications Suite email, calendaring, contacts, IM, and other Web services; enables fast searches of email attachments using the new Indexing and Search Service; provides access to external POP email; supports all leading browsers; and supports Internet Explorer 8

For more details, see What's New in This Release of Communications Suite 7 on the Communications Suite Information Wiki.

Note: The wiki provides links to Getting Started info, documentation for all the components of Sun Java Communications Suite 7, technical tips by experts, FAQs, how-to info, and more. All new product documentation for Communications Suite is now provided on the wiki (and no longer on docs.sun.com).

Also see the Sun Java Communications Suite 7 web site, which provides a Features List (pdf) that describes all features and groups them according to function, for example, all features related to composing email, all related to receiving and viewing email, all related to message search, and so on. The web site also provides links to other resources, such as white papers, videos, and support info for the suite and the individual suite components.

Need more help finding what you're looking for? Check out the tips provided on the wiki.

What Software Do I Need To Get Started?

Sun Java Communications Suite requires certain components, such as Sun Java System Directory Server and Sun Java System Application Server.

For information about the required components, important notes and caveats, and links for downloading, see Get the Software on the Sun Java Communications Suite Wiki.

Also see the Get Communications Suite page, which provides links to the Release Notes and a single-host deployment example.

The recommended platforms for Communications Suite 7 are the Solaris 10 OS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

For the Solaris 10 OS:

• CPU = SPARC or x64
• Recommended version = Solaris 10 5/08 OS or later

For Red Hat Enterprise Linux:

• CPU = x64
• Recommended version = Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 3 and higher

See Operating System Requirements for more information about all the supported platforms for each component of Communications Suite 7.

How Do I Plan a Deployment and Prepare for Installation?

The Sun Java Communications Suite Deployment Planning Guide has a wealth of information for planning your deployment, including a deployment planning overview and deployment info for each component of the suite.

To understand the Communications Suite product requirements, see Requirements for Communications Suite 7 in the Release Notes, which provides version compatibility info, memory and disk space requirements, a summary of operating system and platform support, and more.

Also, be sure to check out these resources:

• Communications Suite 7: Installation Tips blog
• Calendar Server 7 Installation Experience blog, which points to this COMMS7 Installation Experience blog
• Communications Suite 7 Installation Flowchart, which provides a decision tree for deploying Communications Suite products (and the Sun Java System products that support Communications Suite) and directs you to specific installation instructions based on your decisions

When you are ready to install, see the Communications Suite 7 Installation Guide.

What About Upgrading From an Earlier Release?

If you want to upgrade to Communications Suite 7 from an earlier release, see the Communications Suite 7 Upgrade Guide, which provides info about the upgrade process, info about how to determine the appropriate sequence of product upgrades, and upgrade instructions.

Also see Upgrading and Migrating Your Communications Suite Deployment.

Additional Resources

See the How-to section of the wiki for links to information on how to do other tasks, such as customize, manage, and troubleshoot Communications Suite.

For links to more Communications Suite resources, such as white papers, blogs, forums, and more, see More Resources on this site.