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Administering Connections 7.0
Welcome to the HCL Connections documentation site. HCL Connections is social networking software designed for the workplace. Its features help you to establish dynamic networks that connect you to the people and information you need to achieve your business goals.
What's new in HCL Connections
Find out about features that are new or updated in this release of HCL Connections.
Product overview
Learn how to deploy, customize, and administer the HCL Connections social networking product.
Planning
Before installing HCL Connections™, study the system requirements, deployment options, and documentation conventions.
Installing Connections
To install HCL Connections™, you need to follow a detailed series of procedures.
Installing or upgrading Component Pack for Connections
HCL Connections 7.0 now supports the latest Component Pack based in Harbor, an open-source container and Helm registry hosted by HCL for the Component Pack build. Deployments that are new or carrying Component Pack 7 will use this approach for a simplified installation/upgrade process, while releases prior to 7.0 will first need to upgrade to Component Pack 7 using a zip file and a local Docker registry.
Post-installation tasks
After installation, you need to perform further tasks to ensure an efficient deployment.
Optional: Installing and configuring Tiny Editors for HCL Connections
The Tiny editors are alternative rich-text editors which can be installed for HCL Connections™. They provide additional features and extensive customization options not available with the default editor.
Optional post-installation tasks
Complete the post-installation tasks that are relevant to your deployment.
Uninstalling
Uninstall HCL Connections.
Upgrading and updating
Upgrade HCL Connections and its supporting software to the latest release and then update the installation with the latest interim fixes or cumulative fixes. Refer to the What's New in HCL Connections to review the features in the latest release and gather download links or links to the latest fix list and update strategy information.
Administering
Run administration and maintenance tasks to keep your environment up-to-date. For example, learn how to customize your deployment or how to use the wsadmin utility to edit configuration files. You can also schedule tasks, maintain application databases, moderate content, or manage users and their roles.
Customizing
Customize HCL Connections™ to fit your environment.
Security
HCL Connections™ provides a flexible security infrastructure that supports an open, easily shareable data model.
Mobile
See the HCL Connections™ Mobile documentation for Connections Cloud and Connections on-premises.
Developing
Get information about how to use the APIs provided with HCL Connections™ and how to use Connections Customizer to modify the Connections pages that are returned to users.
Troubleshooting and support
To isolate and resolve problems with your HCL products, you can use the troubleshooting and support information. This information contains instructions for using the problem-determination resources that are provided with your HCL products, including HCL Connections™.
Using Connections 7.0
Welcome to the HCL Connections™ documentation site, where you can find information about Connections. Connections is social networking software designed for the workplace. Its features help you to establish dynamic networks that connect you to the people and information you need to achieve your business goals.
Accessibility features for Connections
Accessibility features assist users who have a disability, such as restricted mobility or limited vision, to use information technology content successfully.
What's new in Connections?
HCL Connections 7.0 gives collaboration a boost with these new features and enhancements.
Overview
HCL Connections™ is a collaborative tool that makes it easy to connect with others and exchange ideas. Start sharing important information, building a network of useful contacts, and following people that interest you.
Home page
Use the home page as a command center to scan and manage items that need your attention. You can view your most recent project updates, check in on the people you follow, and review your action items all from one place.
Profiles
Use profiles to connect with others, showcase your skills, and find the people you need.
Activities
Use activities to keep a team informed, collect and share project resources, or to assign and track tasks.
Files
Using the Files app, you can upload, organize, share and collaborate on files easily. Files can be shared, tagged, organized in folders, and accessed from other applications, such as Activities and Communities.
Communities
Get together with people who share your interests.
Blogs
Use blogs to share your announcements, updates, and opinions with others.
Forums
Share information, brainstorm ideas, ask and answer questions, and discuss topics of mutual interest in a forum.
Wikis
Tap the wisdom of the crowd by building a body of knowledge in a wiki. Everyone on your team can make a contribution.
Bookmarks
Use Bookmarks to collect and organize shortcuts to websites.
Integrating with other products
You can integrate HCL Connections applications with other products and features.
Connections Engagement Center
Connections Engagement Center provides the corporate office, management, and workforce with a single user experience for all communications, as well as a state of the art enterprise social collaboration features and the possibility of adding custom applications. All this runs at the office and on all mobile devices, so the entire workforce – from CEO to intern – can access this most valuable tool regardless of where they are, what their role is, or what devices they prefer.
Installing integration plug-ins for HCL Connections
Access and update your Connections content from other applications.
Using the HCL Connections desktop plug-ins for Microsoft™ Windows™
Use this plug-in to upload and work with files in HCL Connections from Microsoft™ Windows™ Explorer and Microsoft Office.
Using file sync for HCL Connections for Mac
Use HCL Connections for Mac to keep local files in sync with copies of those files on the server.
Using the Connections plug-in for Microsoft Office
Use the plug-ins to share files and information between Microsoft™ Windows™ applications and HCL Connections or HCL Connections Cloud.
Using Connections with Microsoft Teams
Enabling support for Microsoft Teams integration with Connections is an optional task. Enable this support only if your organization is using Microsoft Teams.
Using the HCL Connections Add-in for Microsoft™ Outlook
The power of Connections from your Outlook inbox. Use the Connections Add-in for Microsoft™ Outlook to work with Connections content from within your Outlook inbox.
Using the HCL Connections community app for Microsoft Sharepoint
As a Microsoft SharePoint administrator you can register the Sharepoint app with Microsoft Azure and edit its configuration file in HCL Connections to make it available for your organization.
Using plug-ins from HCL Connections with other products
Get help using the plug-ins that integrate the capabilities of HCL Connections with other products.
Glossary