Switching locations in Lotus Notes

Switching locations in Lotus Notes

Document number: 12077

Switching between the Office (Network) and Island (disconnected) locations is fairly simple. If you are not connected to the network, however, only the Island (disconnected) location will work. If you try to switch to the Office (Network) location when not connected to the network, you will receive the error message "Unable to find path to server."

If you know that you will be working offline the next time you launch Lotus Notes, you should switch to the Island (disconnected) location prior to exiting Notes. The next time Lotus Notes is launched, no network connections will be attempted. Everything accessed will be local and on your hard drive so Notes will open quicker. When working in Island (disconnected) mode, you do not need to be connected to the network unless other network access is required.

To switch locations:

Select File from the menu bar.
Select Mobile from the drop down menu and select Choose Current Location... from the next drop down menu.
When the Choose Location window appears, single-click on Island (Disconnected).
Click OK.

The location will now switch to Island (disconnected). The local replica of your database will open. No network connections in Notes are now available.

Repeat the process outlined above to switch from the Island (Disconnected) location back to the Office (Network) location.

To verify which location you are working in, look in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. If Office is showing, you are connected to the network and the Notes servers are available to you. If Island is showing, you are not connected to the network and you only have access to local Notes databases.

Note: If you know that you will be working offline, be sure to create a local replica of your mail file prior to leaving the office. For information on how to create a local replica, see Eureka! document 10082 — How to replicate in Lotus Notes.