GroupWise Release Notes

1.0 What’s New

Reference the sections below for What’s New information specific to each version.

1.1 GroupWise 24.3 What’s New

This release includes enhancements, security fixes, and bug fixes for GroupWise and GroupWise Web. For security fixes and bug fixes, see the GroupWise 24.3 Bug Fix List.

IMPORTANT:Before upgrading to 24.3, make sure your GroupWise server certificates pass the Certificate Verification requirements in the GroupWise Administration Guide or you will have problems during/after the upgrade.

Enhancement details are provided below.

GroupWise 24.3 System Enhancements

This release includes the following system administration enhancements:

  • SMG settings for GroupWise Web: The configuration at System > GroupWise Web in the Administration Console now has a tab to configure administration settings for using Secure Messaging Gateway (SMG) in GroupWise Web. Once the Secure Messaging Gateway settings are configured and enabled, users’ attachments on outgoing Mail items in GroupWise Web will be scanned for security issues.

    For information, see Configuring Secure Messaging Gateway in the GroupWise Administration Guide.

  • Microsoft Teams integration: For organizations that use Microsoft Teams, GroupWise now has the capability to integrate Teams meetings with GroupWise, thus enabling Client users to schedule Teams meetings via GroupWise appointments with a simple check of a box.

    GroupWise system integration includes registering a new Microsoft Entra app for Teams and then configuring the new Teams integration tab in the GroupWise Administration Console. The latter can be done at the domain, post office, or user level from Client Options > Integrations > Teams.

    For information, see the following references:

GroupWise Web 24.3 Enhancements

When Secure Messaging Gateway is set up for GroupWise Web, as described above in GroupWise 24.3 System Enhancements, security scanning of attachments is automatic for GroupWise Web users when they add attachments to composed Mail items. If the scan does not detect any issues with the attachment, this process is seamless to the user. If the attachment fails the scan or the connection with Secure Messaging Gateway is interrupted, users are notified with information applicable to the event.

GroupWise Client 24.3 Enhancements

Once Teams integration is configured and enabled by the GroupWise Administrator, GroupWise Client users can schedule Teams meetings using GroupWise appointments and add participants to the meeting from GroupWise Contacts. Appointments created with this option include linked-text which can be clicked at any time to start the Teams meeting.

For Client information, see the following topics in the GroupWise Client User Guide:

1.2 GroupWise 24.2 What’s New

This release includes enhancements, security fixes, and bug fixes for GroupWise and GroupWise Web. For security fixes and bug fixes, see the GroupWise 24.2 Bug Fix List.

IMPORTANT:Before upgrading to 24.2, make sure your GroupWise server certificates pass the Certificate Verification requirements in the GroupWise Administration Guide or you will have problems during/after the upgrade.

Enhancement details are provided below.

GroupWise System Enhancements

This release includes the following changes to User properties in the GroupWise Administration console:

  • The Last Client Type property is simplified to only display the platform type without version information.

  • The following new properties are added which will display information from the Audit process:

    • Last Client Version

    • Last Client Build Number

    • Last Client Build Date

NOTE:The columns for these properties are not displayed in the Users list of the Administration console by default; they must be manually added. For more information, open the Help from the Users list in the Administration console.

GroupWise Web Enhancements

When Mailbox size limits are enforced by GroupWise Administration, sending new mail is prohibited without reducing the size of the Mailbox. To enable users to manage Mailbox size from GroupWise Web, the following enhancements were made:

  • Mailbox ‘Usage’ icon: A new Usage icon in the Web Client masthead displays the status of the user's mailbox size, both by color and fill percentage. Users can click the icon to check the mailbox size.

  • Settings option: A new option, Check Mailbox Size is in the Settings menu. This option opens the Mailbox Storage Size dialog box, which is also opened by the (Mailbox)-Usage icon when clicked. From this dialog box, users can find and delete obsolete message content to free-up mailbox space.

  • Mailbox size notifications: Users are notified when their mailbox is full, either with a prompt or with the Mailbox Storage Size dialog box, when sending email. This notification informs users to delete content to reduce the mailbox size.

For more details about these enhancements, see Managing Mailbox Storage in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

1.3 GroupWise 24.1 What’s New

This GroupWise release includes enhancements, security fixes, and bug fixes for GroupWise and GroupWise Web. Enhancement details are provided below.

For security fixes and bug fixes, see the GroupWise 24.1 Bug Fix List.

IMPORTANT:Before upgrading to 24.1, make sure your GroupWise server certificates pass the Certificate Verification requirements in the GroupWise Administration Guide or you will have problems during/after the upgrade.

GroupWise System Enhancements

This release includes a new system configuration tab in the Administration Console to customize the login page for GroupWise Web. By modifying these new GroupWise Web settings, you can customize the GroupWise Web login page for your organization. The customization includes the ability to change the product title, logo, and background image.

For more information, see Customizing the GroupWise Web Login Page in the GroupWise Administration Guide.

GroupWise Client Enhancements

This release continues upgrade enhancements for Filr Integration in the GroupWise Client by adding a new Filr Policy tab that enables users to set their own default settings for Filr Integration in accordance with policy options already enabled by GroupWise and Filr administrators.

For more information, see Filr Policy Settings in GroupWise in the GroupWise Client User Guide.

GroupWise Web Enhancements

This release includes the following GroupWise Web enhancements:

  • Changing item types: Changing items to a different type is now available in GroupWise Web. This includes changing a mail, appointment, note, task, or phone item to one of the other types as long as it does not reside in a shared folder. You can change a new item in the Compose window. You can change an item selected in a list from the toolbar in the Preview Pane, from the right-click menu, and from the item itself when it is opened.

    For information, see Changing Item Types in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

  • Downloading all attachments: When a Mailbox item has more than one attachment, a new option is now available to download all of the attachments in a single action. The files are zipped and downloaded as one file. The download location is determined by your browser settings, which may be a fixed location or may be set to prompt you to choose a location.

    For information, see Viewing or Downloading Attachments in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

  • Customizing the login page: This feature is administrator option rather than a user option. For information, see GroupWise System Enhancements.

1.4 GroupWise 23.4 What’s New

This GroupWise release includes enhancements, security fixes, and bug fixes for GroupWise and GroupWise Web. Enhancement details are provided below.

For security fixes and bug fixes, see the GroupWise 23.4 Bug Fix List.

IMPORTANT:Before upgrading to 23.4, make sure your GroupWise server certificates pass the Certificate Verification requirements in the GroupWise Administration Guide or you will have problems during/after the upgrade.

GroupWise System Enhancements

This release includes the following GroupWise system enhancements:

  • GroupWise Web Access Control: New Access Control settings for GroupWise Web enable you to allow or deny logins of GroupWise users to the GroupWise Web platform. Options include controlling access for individual users or resources, or in aggregate, using global, domain, post office, or group objects.

    For information, see Controlling Access to GroupWise Web in the GroupWise Administration Guide.

  • Resource Mailbox Management: If you have GroupWise Mailbox Management enabled with administrator rights, the Resource Mailbox feature enables you to manage mailbox settings and objects that belong to selected resources.

    For information, see Managing a Resource Mailbox in the GroupWise Administration Guide.

  • Client - Environment Options > Default Actions: The new Default Actions settings currently enable you to set the Default Attachment Source that the browse option opens to when Client users browse for files to attach. You can set it to Local computer or Filr.

    For information, see Environment Options: Default Actions in the GroupWise Administration Guide.

  • Filr Outlook Plugin Options: With applicable Filr licensing, the Filr administrator can configure Filr Outlook Plugin settings in the Filr account, which will then be used by GroupWise when sending Filr attachments. These settings control attachment downloads, authentication, file size, and expiration settings.

    For information, see Understanding Filr Integration in the GroupWise Client User Guide.

GroupWise Client Enhancements

This release includes the following GroupWise Client enhancements:

  • Mentions: When Mailbox or Calendar items are in a compose state, you can quickly insert linked contacts from the Address Book directly into the message body by typing @ followed by at least one letter of the contact’s name. Having mentions in your message text can help in be more efficient in a variety of ways.

    For information, see Using Mentions in Send Items in the GroupWise Client User Guide

  • Filr Enhancements: Filr improvements in the GroupWise Client include:

    • Search in, save to, and attach from the Filr - Net Folders directory.

    • Configure the default for adding attachments to be the Filr directories.

    • When the Default attachment setting indicated above is set to Filr, access Filr directories with a single-click to attach files, which includes from a compose window, when replying to emails, and replies to email threads when Conversation Threading is enabled.

    • With applicable Filr licensing, the Filr administrator can configure Filr Outlook Plugin settings, which will then be used by GroupWise when sending Filr attachments

    For information, see the following sections in the GroupWise Client User Guide:

GroupWise Web Enhancements

This release includes the following GroupWise Web enhancements:

  • Access to item properties: For all items that have Properties, you can now access those Properties from several new locations in GroupWise Web. These include the following actions:

    • Right-clicking an item in an item list or in the Calendar view

    • Opening the More menu on the main toolbar (when Preview Pane is off), on a Calendar item pop-up view, or on a mobile device

    For information, see Viewing Item Properties in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

  • Modifying appointment status: Modify the status of appointments choosing from Busy, Free, Tentative, or Out of Office. This is available via the Show As option in the context menu, in the Accept drop-down menu when accepting an item, or from the Status icon menu in an existing item.

    For information, see Editing Calendar Items in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

  • Setting or modifying email priority: Modify the priority of Compose items from High, Standard, or Low options. Sent email is also distinguished for High and Low priorities with icons and a banner in open items and in the Preview Pane.

    For information, see Creating and Sending Items in the GroupWise Web User Guide

  • Visual enhancements: Calendar items include the following enhancements:

    • Distinguish appointments that have Travel Time appended to them by the associated Travel Time icon.

    • Distinguish appointment status by the enhanced indicators on appointments in the Calendar view.

1.5 GroupWise 18.5 What’s New

The GroupWise 18.5 release includes enhancements, security fixes, and bug fixes for GroupWise and GroupWise Web. Enhancement details are provided below.

For security fixes and bug fixes, see the GroupWise 18.5 Bug Fix List.

IMPORTANT:Before upgrading to 18.5, make sure your GroupWise server certificates pass the Certificate Verification requirements in the GroupWise 18 Administration Guide or you will have problems during/after the upgrade.

GroupWise 18.5 Security and System Enhancements

The GroupWise 18.5 release includes the following GroupWise system and security enhancements:

  • Updated default cipher string: In keeping with maintaining the highest security standards, GroupWise 18.5 includes an updated default cipher string. If you need to modify the default string based on the current version that you have, you can override it using the cipher string switch sslCipherSuite in the agent startup files after upgrading to 18.5. For information, see applicable “startup switch” sections for the agents in the GroupWise Administration Guide.

  • Mailbox Management updates: Administrators can now do the following in GroupWise User Mailboxes via the GroupWise Admin Console:

    • Folders: Add and remove Folders for a user's mailbox

    • Proxies: Grant or remove Proxy access to a user's mailbox

    • Rules: Edit and remove Rules for a user's mailbox

GroupWise 18.5 Client Enhancements

The GroupWise 18.5 release includes the following GroupWise Client enhancements:

  • Zoom meetings integration: If you already have a Zoom account or create one, you can integrate and schedule Zoom meetings with appointments in your GroupWise calendar.

  • Resource pools: Create one or more resource pools in your Personal Contacts folder to simplify the process of scheduling resources. When you schedule a meeting using a resource pool, Busy Search will automatically select the highest priority resource that is available at the scheduled time.

  • Travel time appointments integration: This feature enables you to add personal travel time before and/or after an appointment that displays on either side of the appointment on your calendar. This additional time is used by Busy Search so that other users will see it when they are scheduling you for appointments.

  • Client emoji controls: Enable or disable auto emoji insertion when typing, as well as the displaying of emojis in grayscale in item lists.

For references to detailed content specific to the new features above, see the GroupWise 18.5 What’s New in the GroupWise 18 Client User Guide.

GroupWise Web Enhancements

This release includes the following GroupWise Web enhancements:

  • Security enhancements:

    • DVA certificate verification: GroupWise Web now checks to ensure you have valid certificates on your document viewer agents and this setting is enabled by default. For information, see Using DVA Certificate Verification in the GroupWise Installation Guide.

    • Security headers: Several additional security headers are now included in GroupWise Web messages. For information, see Securing Data in GroupWise Web with Security Headers in the GroupWise Administration Guide.

  • Individual item toolbar: Access the toolbar and properties for individual Mailbox and Calendar items directly from the open item. This is particularly useful when the Preview Pane is closed or if you have multiple items open.

  • Forward as an attachment: Forward Mailbox and Calendar items as an attachment. For information, see Forwarding Items as an Attachment in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

  • Name-completion improvements: When Contact Information includes titles and departments you can view that information in name-completion lists when entering contact names in the Compose window. In addition to recipient fields in the Compose window, this feature is included everywhere in GroupWise Web where name-completion is available, to include the following:

    • Add User field for Create Group, Proxy Login, and Manage Proxy Access actions.

    • Share With field when sharing a folder or a calendar.

    For information, see Understanding Name Completion in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

  • Calendar: Use the new Edit option to open and make modifications to existing calendar items (appointment, task, note), to include date and time, message body, recipients, and so forth. For information, see Editing Calendar Items in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

  • Address Book: Users now have the ability to create new address books by right-clicking on their Frequent Contacts address book. Once a new address book is created, they can add or remove contacts from the address book. They can also rename or delete personal address books at anytime via the right-click menu. For information, see Viewing and Managing Contacts in the GroupWise Web User Guide.

  • Duplicate items: Use the new Duplicate option to make a copy of Mail and Calendar items. Duplicated items are opened upon creation, so you can make any required changes to the new item to make it unique.

1.6 What’s New for Earlier GroupWise Versions

To see the “What’s New” content for GroupWise versions that pre-date GroupWise 18.5, reference the GroupWise 18 Release Notes.

2.0 GroupWise System Requirements

System requirements are listed in GroupWise System Requirements in the GroupWise Installation Guide.

NOTE:We no longer support installing the GroupWise agents on SLES 12 SP4. If you want to install agents on SLES 12, you must first update to SLES 12 SP5. This is due to a SLES 12 SP4 incompatibility with our ICU library.

IMPORTANT:Before upgrading to 24.2, make sure your GroupWise server certificates pass the Certificate Verification requirements in the GroupWise Administration Guide or you will have problems during/after the upgrade.

3.0 Installation

Installation instructions for GroupWise are found in the GroupWise Installation Guide.

4.0 Known Issues in GroupWise

The following known issues have been identified. Where applicable, versions they were found in and workarounds are also provided.

4.1 Warning message during installation of GroupWise server on SLES 15

During the installation of the GroupWise server on SLES 15 or OES 24.x, the warning message gwha unknown can appear on the terminal screen. It flashes by quickly in a different color than regular text and This message does not affect the installation or operation of the GroupWise server and can be safely ignored.

4.2 Client Search tool returning zero data after upgrade to 23.4 or later versions

After a new installation of, or upgrade to, the GroupWise 23.4 or later version client, searching the Mailbox in the GroupWise Client only works on the first search. Subsequent searches return zero data. This issue is caused when the Home folder is automatically deselected in the Find tool when the second search is initiated.

Workaround: When the Find tool opens upon initiating the second search, click the folder icon for Selected folders in the Look in field and select the Home folder check box. This will fix the issue for all future searches.

4.3 Potential issue with OpenSSL encryption keys after upgrading to GroupWise 18.5

GroupWise agents now use OpenSSL version 3.0.8, which is an upgrade from OpenSSL 1.1.1 that was used in 18.4.2 and earlier versions of GroupWise. This new version of OpenSSL does not support encrypted keys that used the DES-CBC algorithm (des); keys encrypted this way need to be re-encrypted using a later algorithm, such as DES-EDE3-CBC (des3).

Older keys encrypted in the PKCS#5 format will have the following at the top of the file:

-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
Proc-Type: 4,ENCRYPTED
DEK-Info: DES-CBC,6555BB78F9C56E96

Notice the old, unsupported algorithm DES-CBC in the DEK-Info line for PKCS#5. Unfortunately, keys encrypted in the PKCS#8 format will only show the following line, which does not show if the problem exists:

-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY-----

GroupWise 18.5 agents will not run and will give SSL misconfiguration errors if their keys were encrypted using the old algorithm. GroupWise Administration, WebAccessNG, and MARS are not affected by this issue.

Resolution: The following procedure can be used to convert a key encrypted with des to des3. This requires access to the openssl command-line utility. Before you begin, you need to identify if you have a problem and which key(s) needs to be re-encrypted by using the information provided above. The paths to the certificate folders where the key files are maintained on the GroupWise Server for Linux and Windows are shown below:

  • Linux: /opt/novell/groupwise/certificates

  • Windows: \ProgramData\Novell\GroupWise\gwadmin\certificates

File name substitutions for command strings:

  • withpassword.key - Substitute key file name that needs to be re-encrypted.

  • nopassword.key - Substitute key file name that represents the temporary file.

  • withdes3pw.key - Substitute key file name that represents the correctly encrypted key file.

Procedure:

  1. Run this command to convert the password-encrypted key file to a key file without a password:

    openssl rsa -in withpassword.key -out nopassword.key

    NOTE:If the original key file was created without a password and that is available, you can skip this step and start with Step 2.

  2. With the no password key, run this command to add a password using des3:

    openssl rsa -in nopassword.key -des3 -out withdes3pw.key

  3. Backup the original key file and then replace it with the newly generated key file, using the same name as the original.

  4. Relaunch the agents.

4.4 Post Office audit report produces an error (18.5)

When running an audit report for a post office from the Administration Console, a 0xDF28 error is produced.

Workaround: Run the report from the GWCheck standalone utility instead of the Administration Console.

4.5 Potential issues with GroupWise LDAP server if SSL uses a certificate chain (18.5)

When configuring SSL for the GroupWise LDAP server, if the SSL Certificate contains a certificate chain, the certificate should be named with a "PEM" extension. Also, a valid Key File password should always be specified.

5.0 Known Issues From Earlier GroupWise Versions

To see the “Known Issues” for GroupWise versions that pre-date GroupWise 18.5, reference the GroupWise 18 Release Notes.

6.0 Documentation

The following sources provide information about GroupWise 24: