Stubbing allows an email to appear in a user's inbox while the actual email content is stored on another database outside their email server. Meanwhile, a large portion of data is moved to a third-party archiving solution, such as Retain from GWAVA. Stubbing can also help reduce the size of the GroupWise Post Office, making backups easier as well as improving overall performance.

 

Novell plans to offer a stubbing API and support third-party solutions as part of the next version of GroupWise (8.0), being released in mid-November.

 

Though stubbing is not a new technology and has been used with other messaging products on the market, GWAVA is still recommending its customers utilize its real-world stubbing offering before making a decision on implementing it full time.

 

"Stubbing is kind of like a new drug being introduced onto the market, where clinical trials don't always identify long-term side effects," said Charles Taite, Chief Technology Officer at GWAVA. "As stubbing is increasingly being used, there also appears to be long-term side effects, most notably general performance issues as well as issues when it comes to the finding and searching of messages once they are archived. We feel that the best way to rapidly benefit from real-world testing of stubbing is to give away not a tool, but a fully functional stubbing solution for the GroupWise community."

 

Other issues about stubbing have already started to appear, making the GWAVA solution even more important. For instance, as stubbing technology relocates messages from the GroupWise message store and places them into an archive database outside of GroupWise, they become impossible for users to access without the GroupWise Client for Windows. Other methods of accessing GroupWise, such as the GroupWise WebAccess Client, Mac/Linux Client and all mobility devices (BlackBerries, iPhones, and other smart phones) are not stub-aware.

"This is an irreversible decision for GroupWise administrators. They can't put those messages back into GroupWise if they decide stubbing isn't what they need. Stubbing is not for everyone. That is one reason of many why administrators should take advantage of our free stubbing solution," said Taite.

 

GWAVA will be releasing a free, stubbing-only version of its Retain enterprise archiving solution before the end of 2008 to coincide with the release of GroupWise 8.

 

About GWAVA

GWAVA is the worldwide leader of software solutions for Novell GroupWise and Novell Teaming. GWAVA continues to lead the GroupWise partner community with email retention, anti-spam, anti-virus, and content control and email management on Linux, NetWare and Windows. GWAVA has a global presence with a worldwide network of resellers, and has forged an array of technology partnerships with companies including Novell, Inc. http://www.gwava.com