Since the release of LCS 2003, Microsoft has included the concept of a user having presence. Of course, in MOC 2007 Microsoft has found ways to both improve and integrate new features. The idea of knowing that the person is actually there and able to communicate is not in itself a new technology, and let’s face it, in all the major IM and communications software, the user’s presence is determined by the user. With either a setting or a click of the mouse, we can easily become unavailable or busy. However, for the most part, presence awareness does work. When a user is signed in, he is there and available. When we talk about presence in messaging software we talk about user “states.” This refers to the availability of the user you are trying to reach. We just need to believe that when a user’s profile shows “busy” it means busy with work, not busy with World of Warcraft.

MOC 2007 offers users more granular control of their presence state. MOC 2007 uses a technology called access levels to determine who can view your presence state as well as how much of your personal information will be available to users. Access levels also grant users the ability to continue to send alerts to a user who is in a busy or away state. For instance, users assigned to a person’s Team access level would be able to interrupt the user and communicate with him even when a “do not disturb” state is displayed on his contact. Figure 4.1 shows a full list of access levels and the information available to users assigned to particular levels.

Figure 4.1. MOC 2007Access Levels

The newest area of presence in MOC 2007 is the new presence indicators. MOC users can manually change their presence state, choose from three preset locations or create custom locations, and even add a note that contacts can view. Figure 4.2 shows an example of user Ron’s state set to “Be right back”, with a note that he is out to lunch and will return at 1:00 P.M. In the right-hand corner, you can see that the Administrator’s current location is “Clients Office” (this is a customized location set by the user).

Figure 4.2. Presence Indicators for MOC 2007 Showing the User’s State and Location, and a Note

Along with states and access levels, you also have the ability to set your location. Several preset choices are available (as there were in MOC 2005), but MOC 2007 now offers the ability create custom locations. This is a tremendous advantage to those who are part of the mobile workforce and travel from office to office or from client to client.

New features for contact management include the ability to add Active Directory distribution lists to your contact list. You can then select a group for conversation, rather than just an individual. To further enhance contact management, you can now select multiple contacts and then choose to IM or conference them. Adding contacts is simpler than in past versions; just search for the user you want to add and drag and drop the user from the Search dialog into your contact list. This method works for users that are within your organization, federated users, and even users that are associated with public IM services. To further simplify you can now drag and drop contacts into the MOC 2007 contact list from the Outlook 2007 To: and CC: fields of an e-mail message. But perhaps the best drag-and-drop feature is the ability to add a contact into an active conversation window—in effect, dropping the contact into the conversation or conference instantly. In the reverse, you also have the option of taking a user from an active conversation and adding him to your contact list in MOC 2007 by simply dragging and dropping the user into your list of contacts. This level of simplicity makes it easier for users to find, add, and organize contacts in MOC 2007.

IM has always been an important feature to Microsoft. In fact, with the release of Microsoft Exchange 2000, Microsoft released Exchange Instant Messenger Service. Microsoft removed this from Exchange 2003 and replaced it with LCS 2003. From the inception of LCS 2003, IM has been a core feature. Until the release of OCS 2007, Microsoft Messenger 5.1 was supported as an end-user client for LCS versions 2003 and 2005. So, it would make sense that we would continue to see new innovations in this aspect of the MOC client. In this newest client, users now have the ability to search for a contact by name and begin a conversation by simply choosing Enter after finding the person. Because MOC is enabled for rich text, you can now format IMs as well as copy and paste Word and Excel files into an IM.

With all these conversations going back and forth, it may become necessary to review past conversations, especially in this era of Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA. Integrating MOC with Outlook 2007, you now have the ability to right-click a contact(s) and check previous voice, conference, or IM conversations with the chosen contact(s). These are all logged in the Outlook Conversation History folder. Enabling the Conversation History folder is optional, and you set it in the MOC 2007 Options under the Personal tab. In the Personal Information Manager section, choose Microsoft Outlook from the drop-down menu and then check the following checkboxes:

The Conversation History folder keeps a history of all incoming and outgoing calls, as well as missed conversations. Links are used with the conversation history to rejoin conversations, embed notes taken with One Note, and view contextual information such as the e-mail or the calendar item that was used to start the conversation. Finally these items are archived by participants’ names and methods of conversation.

MOC 2007 comes with three types of alerts: actionable alerts, indicator alerts, and mini alerts. You use actionable alerts to reply to conversation alerts you’ve received. This allows you to respond to invitations via voice or IM, forward calls to another number, decline to join a conversation, or set a “do not disturb” for a set time. Indicator alerts display invitations to various types of conversations via visuals, to indicate the mode of communication and whether a user-to-user or conference invitation is being sent. You use mini alerts, which are expandable, to notify you of incoming calls or IMs.

MOC 2007 also includes some cool voice features. For instance, now you can choose how to handle incoming calls. MOC also offers several call forwarding features. You can forward a call to another phone, such as your home or mobile phone, forward a call to a user in your contact list, or have the phone call simultaneously ring your primary phone and a secondary phone. Of course, you need to configure the phone numbers in MOC (a process that we will review later in the chapter). Figure 4.3 shows the voice features in MOC 2007.

Figure 4.3. MOC 2007’s Voice Features

MOC has several other great features, including the ability to create rich text IMs. This means you can now treat an IM the same way you would a document you are writing. This is a great addition, because as humans we do not tend to communicate in a flat, monotone way. The ability to use features such as italics and bold text, as well as change the color of the text, better reflects the way we communicate with each other, and if we are going to collaborate with others in an IM environment, we should be able to express our thoughts and inflections completely. So, although it may seem to somewhat trivial, rich text IMs really do have a big impact on how we work.

Another new feature is the ability to escalate a conference into a Live Meeting. With the Live Meeting client installed on all participants’ machines, a user can simply right-click and choose Share Information using Live Meeting or click on the Live Meeting icon.

This concludes our overview of what’s new within MOC to improve the overall user experience. Next we’ll take a look at what has been added to enhance the use of Enterprise Voice.

These features are available for Enterprise Voice users as well as users who have Remote Call Control (RCC is the ability to manipulate conversations and session-oriented dialogs, using the Session Initiation Protocol [SIP]). This means you can use RCC to integrate voice, video, and text sessions (IM), and integrate legacy phone systems such as PBX/PSTN. With either option enabled, these features will work across both telephony topologies. Users also can select Active Directory distribution groups and add them to their contact list in MOC 2007, and then choose this distribution list to start a multiparty call. Users can create their own groups from within the list of contacts and choose that group to start a conference call, or they can simply choose multiple contacts from within the disparate groups and lists of users and start a multiparty conference call.

Calls to other users have been simplified, allowing you to place VoIP calls to other PCs running MOC. Conversation windows now appear when a call is placed, and they automatically close when either party ends the call. Calls can be transferred to another number, device, or contact, and with improvements in call transfers you can now check with your co-worker before transferring a call and then transfer the call right from within the IM conversation window. Other features include the ability to place a call by entering the telephone number into the search box in MOC, as well as better readability for phone numbers formatted within the United States.

We touched on conferencing when we discussed new calling features. To review, you can create conference calls in several ways. But you can also now move from a person-to-person conversation to a multiparty conference, and collaborate further thanks to such improvements as Web, videoconferencing, and audio conferencing server roles. You can securely initiate a Web conference to other MOC users or escalate a conference to a Live Meeting conference. With improvements to the escalation feature, you can escalate an IM, phone, or audio conference into a Live Meeting session. You can also share files or start a Live Meeting session. With an Outlook add-in you can schedule Live Meeting conferences to your calendar (we will cover this in greater depth in Chapter 8). Another improvement is the ability to “dial out” to a contact. With this feature, you can dial out to a PSTN/PBX or to a mobile phone. This ability to conference a traditional phone user into a VoIP-based communications system truly enables a new level of collaboration and is continuing to foster “anytime, anywhere” productivity.

In MOC 2007, users can now switch seamlessly from person-to-person conversations to multiparty conversations (the key word is seamless, as this is where the improvement lies). Likewise, an IM session can become an IM conference, phone calls can become phone conferences, and if you need to share applications during a conference you can move easily into a Live Meeting session. Another enhancement concerns conference calls. In the past, users have been unable to add and remove conference call participants dynamically. With MOC 2007, you can add members to a conference call and call out to a participant, effectively switching communication methods.

Setting up audio and video devices is even easier now with automatic setup. With MOC 2007, you can disconnect, change, and reconnect an audio or video device without the need for any manual setup. MOC supports automatic setup for headsets, microphones, Web cameras, and USB handsets. Optionally, you can choose to have a headset or USB handset use the computer’s speakers instead of the built-in earpieces for incoming audio.

MOC now supports USB headsets and handsets, as well as audio devices with telephony-grade options such as caller information, call timers, and call subjects. For example, imagine a typical collaboration scenario in which two co-workers are preparing a presentation and contract for a potential client. Alicia needs to call Rosa to discuss a contract negotiation, but she knows Rosa has been working on her presentation, so her MOC client is set to “do not disturb”. Being part of Rosa’s team and using the Subject and Importance features, Alicia can flag the call so that as MOC 2007 rings in Rosa’s office, Rosa can see by the Subject line that the call has to do with her presentation and she can see that the issue is urgent.

Rosa answers the call from Alicia, and as they discuss the contract issue, they realize that the legal department needs to be involved. They invite Jenny from legal into a conference. As they begin to talk, they realize they need to start a Live Meeting so that they can collaborate on rewording the contract. Alicia escalates the conference into a Live Meeting session. When they come across the page in question, they realize it was edited by Emma, one of the department managers. So, they try to reach Emma via MOC. Emma is not at her desk; she is headed to a client’s office. But she has turned on the “Simultaneously ring additional number” feature, so her mobile phone rings. Emma explains that the change was made per the prospective client’s requirements. Jenny from legal reviews company policy and legal procedure, and finds that the change doesn’t expose the company to any risk. So, with the problem corrected and the issue resolved, Rosa can make the necessary changes to her presentation so that the meeting will run smoothly.

This concludes our look at what is new in MOC 2007. Next, we will discuss how to install the client and ways to configure a single client and multiple clients, as well as how to use client templates for MOC 2007.

In this section, we will discuss how to enable and configure single users and multiple users for MOC access; we’ll begin with setting up a single user object in Active Directory Users and Computers. You can access this on a machine where the Active Directory Administration tools are installed. By default, these tools are installed on all domain controllers. However, you can use a Windows XP or Vista workstation with the Windows Administrative tools installed. So, browse to your Administrative tools, or launch it from Start | Run or the command line by typing dsa.msc:

After you complete step 6, an operation status screen will appear, telling you whether the operation succeeded or failed.

Now that you have enabled the user for MOC let’s look at the configuration. Again, from the user object within Active Directory Users and Computers, right-click and choose Configure Communications Server Users. Now you will see the Configure User Wizard; click Next, and then you will see a display of the user settings you can configure from this wizard. Table 4.1 shows which settings are available and what Global or Voice Properties are required to allow individual user configuration.

Using the Properties page in the Communications Server Administration Console, or the Communications tab in Active Directory Users and Computers, you can configure more user settings. So now, let’s look at the User Options page.

In the User Options page, you can change individual user properties. Many of these are options we considered before for forest, domain, and group-level configuration. The options we can set here are the username, the domain, which MOC server or pool to set for meetings (this is an option only when global settings allow for configuration), and additional options. Figure 4.8 shows the additional options.

Figure 4.8. The User Options Page Found under Additional Options

One of the most compelling reasons for multiuser configuration is the control of feature sets within MOC. Due to the costs associated with Live Meeting and public IM connectivity licensing, users within certain departments may not be configured for public IM connectivity or Live Meeting usage. Or perhaps corporate policy or standards such as HIPAA or Sarbanes-Oxley dictate that federation should not be allowed and that archiving is a must. So, let’s look at where we can configure user settings and what properties are affected. We will begin by discussing the forest-wide settings, which affect all users in the SIP domain.

Both Global Properties and Voice Properties are available in multiuser configurations. To configure the Global and Voice Properties for your forest, open the Office Communicator Administration Console. Choose your forest, right-click, go to Properties, and choose Global Properties or Voice Properties, as seen in Figure 4.9.

Figure 4.9. Navigating to the Global and Voice Properties Pages in the MOC Console

The Global Properties page includes eight tabs, listed here and shown in Figure 4.10:

Figure 4.10. Global Properties Page in the MOC Admin Module

The Voice Properties page includes four tabs, listed here and shown in Figure 4.11:

Figure 4.11. Voice Properties Page in the MOC Admin Module

Now that we’ve discussed the global settings, let’s discuss how to configure multiple users in a domain. To do so we will go back to Active Directory Users and Computers.

You can enable and configure multiple user settings in three ways: enable a group, enable an OU, or choose random users within Active Directory Users and Computers. Just as with individual users, to enable multiple users you right-click and choose Enable users for Communications Server. Then follow these steps:

After you complete step 6, you will receive an operation status screen telling you whether the operation succeeded or failed, and letting you know which users have been enabled and which haven’t. Figure 4.12 shows both successful and failed operations.

Figure 4.12. The Success and Failure Operations in the Enable Office Communications Server Users Wizard

Now let’s discuss how to configure multiple users. Open Active Directory Users and Computers, right-click, and choose Configure Communications Server Users. This launches the Configure User Wizard; click Next. As discussed earlier, here we can set up federation, public IM connectivity, enhanced presence, and archiving (both internal and federated messages); set meeting options (including policy settings); and set Enterprise Voice options.

From the Personal tab, you can configure the following:

When choosing Outlook you have the option to check or uncheck the Display my Outlook out of office information to contacts in my Personal, Team, and Company access levels option. When Out of office is enabled, your status is updated and a note shows up in MOC displaying your out of office message. Figure 4.13 shows an example.

Figure 4.13. A Contact’s Out of Office Message Displayed in MOC

Additional options include the following:

From the Phones tab, you can configure the following:

From the Alerts tab, you can configure the following:

From the Options tab, you can configure the following:

MOC also allows more complex customization options for end-users. Here is a short list of some of the more common capabilities you have available:

With these options, you can really adjust MOC for your organization’s needs. However, many of the additional options available depend on a combination of XML files and Registry edits, and they are out of scope for our discussion. For more information, refer to Appendix B at the end of this book. There you will find examples of the XML files and Registry edits used to customize MOC 2007.