Polycom Announces New Strategic Relationship with Microsoft for End-to-End Unified Communications.

See the Polycom Press Release http://www.polycom.com/company/news_room/press_releases/2010/20100809.html

And this video this video

Product Development

The roadmap entails Polycom developing a broad base of solutions for Microsoft Communications Server “14” and beyond, including:

· New and next-generation Polycom CX series endpoints optimized for Microsoft UC, featuring Polycom’s market-leading HD video and voice technologies

· New, innovative room-based video systems designed specifically for enabling direct integration with Microsoft Communications Server “14”

· Additional interoperable solutions between Polycom’s existing and future video conferencing solutions

OCS R2: CU6 update

Welcome back from vacation, you can now start patching

Product	Update	KB	Download Link
Office Communications Server 2007 R2	OCS_2007R2_CU6	968802	MS download
OCS2009-dbupgrade		968802	MS download
Office Communicator 2007 R2	OC_2007R2_CU6	2028888	MS download
Office Communicator Phone Edition 2007 R2	OCPE_2007R2_CU6	2267962	MS download
Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Group Chat Server	GCS_2007R2_CU6	2032881	MS download
Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Group Chat Client	GCC_2007R2_CU6	2032922	MS download
Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Group Chat Admin Tool	GCA_2007R2_CU6	2032949	MS download
Live Meeting Conferencing Add-in for Outlook	LMAC_2007_CU12	2029027	MS download
Live Meeting 2007 Console	LMAC_2007_CU12	2029026	MS download

Protecting the Edge Server Against DoS and Password Brute Force Attacks in Office Communications Server

Some of my good OCS friends (Kjeld and Kenneth) pointed me to this great article from RUI Maximo on protecting your Edge/OCS from DoS.

In some company’s users will actually be looked out after 3-5 bad  login attempts, and stay looked out until they are unlocked, in most company's they will reopen automatically after 5-15 min and then they will have 3-5 login attempts again.

But no matter if it’s 5 min or 30 min that users are looked out, it’s could give load on the helpdesk, and loss of productivity .

DoS attacks can be done from self made applications/scripts . I have not heard of customers that have had attack yet, but if you have customers that have concerns on this topic, please read Rui Maximo great article and maybe use the filter on your Edge server.

Link : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ff706687.aspx

Important update: Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile 2007 R2

This is actully not just a fix/patch, it’s an update, I have missed the “call via work” from the normal dialpad for a long time, now this works on Windows 6.5, sorry dont know for all other mobiles.

Download here and description here: and remember that you always can download directly from the phone here http://getcomo.com

New version is:6906.29

Issues that this hotfix package fixes

• Provides home screen support for new home screens in Windows Mobile 6.5+ phones.
• Provides integration within the phone dialer for Windows Mobile 6.5+ phones.
• Enables Communicator Mobile 2007 R2 to recognize when the phone is roaming and by default prevents Communicator Mobile 2007 R2 from signing in to roaming networks.
• Provides additional support for joining conference calls from a Windows Mobile appointment. To do this, press Menu, and then press Join Conference.
• Lets users log on by using a user name in the user@example.com format, in addition to the domain\user format.
• Enables the functionality by which callbacks are now automatically accepted when the user uses the Call via Work option.
• Resolves the problem in which the Microsoft Installer (.msi) installation fails on a Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)-based computer. In this situation, users should install Communicator Mobile 2007 R2 by using a (.cab) installation.
• Fixes the problem in which AT&T FUZE devices that are set for a High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) connection cannot handle voice and data at the same time. In this situation, calls that use the Call via Work option fail unless the device is reverted to 3rd Generation (3G) by disabling HSDPA.

CS 14 Public Instant Messaging Connectivity (Voice and Video)

In CS 14 and the new not yet released Live Messenger IM between O”CS” and MSN / Live is like today, but Audio and Video will be supported as well between Live messenger and OCS.

Then the user experience will be like a full Unified solution, this will be a great add on to Microsoft Unified Communication because there is x million MSN/Live users out there all ready, and a lot of minor company’s is using Live messenger as there Presence and IM tool.

I am on the CS 14 and the new Live messenger “dog food” internally in Microsoft, it’s very nice and it’s working the live messenger will come with a lot of new stuff!

Get more information here

Webcast from Teched

I can recommend the below list of Webcast on CS 14 from Teched, very good content and presenter and will bring you up to date on CS14

UNC320	CS “14”: What's New in Communicator “14” Experience & Backend
UNC311	CS “14”: Architecture
UNC313	CS “14”: Voice Architecture and Planning for High Availability
UNC312	CS “14”: Network Considerations
UNC314	CS “14”: Voice Deployment
UNC318	CS “14”: What's New in Conferencing Experience & Backend
UNC317	CS “14”: Management Experience
UNC321	CS “14”: Interoperability: Voice, Video, Conferencing, IM, & Presence
UNC316	CS “14”: Monitoring and Reporting
UNC315	CS “14”: Setup and Deployment
UNC208	CS “14”: What's New in Devices

New Communications Server14 site

Here

CS 14 UI-to-PowerShell Mapping

On this page you can see the mapping between the CS 14 UI mapping to the PowerShell , that’s perfect!

example:

The User Search Dialog

To access the User Search dialog in the Communications Server Control Panel, click the Users tab.

The Results pane of the User Search dialog corresponds to the properties and parameters of the following cmdlet:

· Get-CsAdUser, which is used to retrieve information about all your Active Directory user accounts:
Get-CsAdUser

· Get-CsUser, which is used to retrieve information about only those Active Directory user accounts that have been enabled for Microsoft Communications Server “14”:
Get-CsUser

The User Search dialog (and the Results pane) is shown below, along with the corresponding parameter names found in Get-CsAdUser and Get-CsUser

CS 14 is PowerShell

If you need to manage a Microsoft Communications Server “14” deployment, at some point you’re likely to find yourself in need of the Communications Server implementation of PowerShell. Whether you’re new to Windows PowerShell, Communications Server, or simply Communication Server’s version of PowerShell, this is the place to get started.

more information here

RCC in CS 14

RCC (Remote call control) will be supported in CS 14, for old and new customers.

So if you believe that RCC is what you need when deploying CS 14 this is supported.

No it’s not the best users experience, because users can’t fully control the Voice part/media stream and when you are in different mode of communications, it’s could be a clumsy user experience, but if you just need click to call it’s working.

This blog from Jamie:  http://www.simonleyland.com/news/?p=1800  State it clearly that RCC is and will be supported.

**************************

Customers who simply want to give some users the ability to control their existing PBX or IP PBX phones from Office Communicator may do so through our Click-to-Call feature (based on traditional CTI using what we’ve typically called Remote Call Control or RCC). Both new and upgrading customers will be supported for click-to-call with Communications Server “14” (CS “14”). The functionality remains the same as with previous releases, so it’s important to remember that Click-to-call users lose other Communicator capabilities including mobile voice. Finally, the integrations to the popular third party gateways like Corebridge, Estos and Genesys are still available, allowing companies to deploy Click-to-call solutions without needing to spend potentially significant amounts of money upgrading their IP-PBX.

**************************

I would go for that, if I for some reason that I can’t think of , and not would go for OCS enterprise Voice,

From my point of view, this is way better than CUCIMOC (softphone on softphone), and when I look at the new CS 14 client, and if there will be a CUCIMOC for that, it could be a very clumsy user experience!

Good link to BJ Haberkorn blog on CUCIMOC

Office Communications Online Standard Service Description

Overview

Microsoft® Office Communications Online is a hosted, enterprise-class communications solution based on Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2. Office Communications Online provides your organization with real-time communications capabilities including secure instant messaging and delivery of "presence" information. Presence enables users to see at a glance if someone is available online to receive an instant message. Your organization can purchase Office Communications Online as a standalone service from Microsoft Online Services or as part of the Business Productivity Online Suite—which includes Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint® Online, and the Microsoft Office Live Meeting service. This service description is intended to help IT professionals and describes the features that are included with the Standard offering of Office Communications Online.

Get it here

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Group Chat Database Disaster Recovery

This document provides step-by-step instructions to restore your Office Communications Server 2007 R2 group chat database in cases where database corruption or database disk failures occur. If the group chat database becomes corrupted or is simply not available, you will need to restore the old database. In these scenarios, the database is restored on a separate Microsoft SQL Server instance. Compliance database restoration is not covered in this document.

get it here

Hit me (Stats)

The number of hits I get on this blog.

This is a follow up on VoIPNorm Stats and yes I think I see the same kind of number of hits on a daily basis .

3225 is from 20 April to 20 may !

 

 

5 x OCS Updates.

Unified Communications Managed API 2.0 Runtime

Brief Description

Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API 2.0 Runtime is the deployment pre-requisite of applications built on Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API 2.0 Core.

 

Quick Details

File Name:
UcmaRuntimeWebDownloadX64.msi

Version:
6907.202

Date Published:
5/20/2010

Language:
English

Download Size:
14.5 MB

 

get it here

 

Unified Communications Managed API 2.0 Redist (64 Bit) Hotfix KB 982614

 

Brief Description

This download includes all available updates for Unified Communications Managed API 2.0 Redist (64 Bit).

Quick Details

File Name:
UcmaRedist.msp

Version:
6907.202

Knowledge Base (KB) Articles:
KB982614

Date Published:
5/19/2010

Language:
English

Download Size:
4.0 MB

Get it here

 

Communicator 2007 R2 Help Documentation

Brief Description

Download help documentation for Office Communicator 2007 R2.

Quick Details

File Name:
lcc_help.chm

Version:
1.0

Date Published:
5/19/2010

Language:
English

Download Size:
308 KB

Get it here

 

Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Help Documentation

Brief Description

Download help documentation for Office Communicator 2007.

Quick Details

File Name:
lcc_help.chm

Version:
1.0

Date Published:
5/19/2010

Language:
English

Download Size:
319 KB

get it here

 

Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Web Scheduler Hotfix KB 980374

Brief Description

This download includes all available updates for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Web Scheduler.

Quick Details

File Name:
WebScheduler.msp

Version:
6907.196

Knowledge Base (KB) Articles:
KB980374

Date Published:
5/19/2010

Language:
English

Download Size:
1.1 MB

get it here

Google buys VOIP engine behind Yahoo, AOL, WebEx, Lotus conferencing

One interesting thing to note about GIPS is its customer list. On its site, GIPS touts Yahoo, IBM Lotus, AOL, WebEx and Baidu as customers. All of those companies compete with Google products. For instance, Yahoo uses GIPS VideoEngine PC product to deliver real-time voice over Yahoo Messenger. Is that really going to last when Google owns GIPS? It’s the same story for AOL Instant Messenger. Simply put, Google will own the technology powering video and voice on the biggest IM clients. On the Google Apps front, WebEx uses GIPS VoiceEngine and so does Lotus Sametime. On the China front, Baidu also uses GIPS technology.

 

If I was Cisco, IBM, Yahoo, AOL, maybe this is the time to find or maybe develop a new codec! ;)  

GIPS CEO Emerick Woods said:

Google has been a valued customer of GIPS for many years and has greatly contributed to the development and innovation of our products to date. We have always respected their position in the industry and share the common vision of accelerating next generation innovation in the web-based solutions for real time communications.

You may have many questions regarding this announcement but for now, until the successful completion of the offer, it will be business as usual for us here at GIPS. You will continue to interact with the same team members and can expect the same level of support and commitment that you have received in the past. Google has informed us that nothing will change for current and prospective customers of GIPS. Following the completion of the Offer, Google intends to continue servicing GIPS’s customers in accordance with existing contracts while offering them the opportunity to transition to new offerings developed by Google. Although we will not have more significant details until the process is complete and full integration efforts are underway, we will keep you informed throughout as events arise.

In other words, Google will continue servicing GIPS existing contracts, but after that rivals may be on their own.

source for this information: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/google-buys-voip-engine-behind-yahoo-aol-webex-lotus-conferencing/34590?tag=nl.e539

Description of the Office Communicator 2007 update package:May 2010

Get it here

Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Hotfix KB 974599 (R1)

get it here

Description of the cumulative update for Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Mediation Server: April 2010

Issues that this update package fixes

This cumulative update fixes the following issues:

• 981218 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981218/ ) A call is dropped when a media time-out occurs on the gateway side of the Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Mediation Server

• 981250 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981250/ ) The Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Mediation Server does not send a response to the PSTN gateway when the Mediation Server cannot contact the front-end server

This cumulative update also includes the following previously released updates:

• 972772 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972772/ ) Video is not displayed after you enable Quality of Service (QoS) at the pool level in Communications Server 2007 R2 and you enable QoS on a client computer

• 972770 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972770/ ) An update package enables Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Mediation Server to include a diversion header in the re-invite after the server processes a 302 redirection

• 968954 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968954/ ) Communications Server 2007 R2 front-end server does not recognize a 504 error message that is sent by Communications Server 2007 R2 Mediation Server after you install update 956829

Get it here

Description of the cumulative update for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Attendant: April 2010

Issue that this update package fixes

This cumulative update fixes the following issue:

• 981416 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981416/ ) Office Communicator 2007 R2 audio becomes choppy during attendant console calls or Public Switched Telephone Network calls

This cumulative update also includes the following previously released update:

• 972402 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972402/ ) Office Communicator 2007 R2 runs concurrently with Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Attendant

get it here

Hardware Load Balancing with Office Communications Server 2007 R2

Hardware load balancer in OCS can be complex, there is a new guide/document on this.

 

Get it here

Source for this information LCSKid

UC and Volcano ash Cloud

Now is the time that some regret not having OCS installed and using it, instead of flying out to all meetings :)

I work in Denmark covering, Norway and Iceland, = no fight in or out!

But who cares, I have my Communicator and Live-meeting I can get trough this, due to this UC solution.

 

Today and on a normal day

Link http://www.flightradar24.com/?lat=51d84935276370605&lng=20d9619140625&zoom=4

I this “BS” or am I right ? (I know some meetings it’s nice be onsite, but it’s not always the fact) and in a emergency like this, there is a reason for not being onsite, so now is the time for UC to show it’s value!

   

Lets have a guess on how many business travelers that actually could say; this meeting I could have done from OCS Live-meeting, instead of being in this airport for X number of days.
Some of them doesn’t have OCS but some might have.

But my guess is more than >50% if they had the possibility!

On the other hand, I know of two guys from Inceptio in Ireland, finish doing a 4 days OCS Voice Ignite training, they couldn't do this in a Live meeting, and who wouldn't like to have a few stress less days to relax, finding the local PUB or go for a tour in what ever country you are cord in :)

But all the guys that are paying for a TAXI spending many hours to drive across Europe, they are regretting not using OCS :)

OCS R2 April updates

Product	Update	KB Link
Office Communications Server 2007 R2	OCS_2007R2_CU5	968802
Office Communication Server 2007 R2 Database Upgrade	OCSDU_2007R2_CU5	979857
Attendant Console 2007 R2	AC_2007R2_CU5	980936
Office Communicator 2007 R2	OC_2007R2_CU5	978564
Office Communicator Phone Edition 2007 R2	OCPE_2007R2_CU5	981526

Polycom Handset for OCS 14

Polycom will build OCS 14  devices

Lobby phone Cx500 and lowcost CX600 full OCS14 device , CX3000 full ocs 14 Conference device,

 

Surce for this information http://stevenjenkinson.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/new-polycom-ocs-handsets/

AND http://www.tincupsandstring.com/2010/04/03/phones-for-ocs-wave-14-from-aastra-and-polycom/

Astra Announces IP Phones for Microsoft Communications Server “14”

6725ip

The 6725ip is a true IP phone that can operate as a standalone Microsoft Communications Server “14” endpoint. When connected to a Microsoft Communicator “14” equipped desktop, it provides a tight integration with the desktop client.

• Embedded Microsoft Communicator Phone Edition Software
• Color screen
• Dual gigabit Ethernet ports
• Direct desktop integration
• Personal presence indicator
• USB interfaces 
• Speakerphone
• Standalone operation

get more info here

Update: Astra’s own information here

SIP Phone Support for Microsoft Unified Communications

AudioCodes SIP Phone Support (SPS) is a value-added application for AudioCodes Mediant Media Gateways, which enables smooth connectivity of 300HD Series IP Phones, affordable, high quality IP Phones from AudioCodes, as well as third-party IP Phones, into the Microsoft Office Communications Server environment.

SPS can also be used to enable connectivity and provisioning of AudioCodes certified third-party SIP IP Phones from leading vendors, such as Cisco and Avaya, providing IT managers with full investment protection for their IP Phones.

http://www.audiocodes.com/product/sps

Tieto

Communications network integration for telecommunications service providers through an alliance with Microsoft

http://www.tieto.com/pressbriefing/

Telenor and Astra MX one ready for OCS R2

Good news for the Nordic :)

Telenor as SIP Trunking Services Qualified for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2

Astra MX one as Direct SIP: Gateways and IP-PBXs Qualified for Office Communications Server

see it here

Microsoft Exchange Server Profile Analyzer

Overview

Use the Microsoft Exchange Server Profile Analyzer tool to collect estimated statistical information from a single mailbox store or across an Exchange Server organization. The collected data can be used for such tasks as analyzing the performance and health of a server that has mailboxes, improving capacity planning models, and improving testing methodologies and tools.
Prior to upgrading to this version, users should backup the default Profile Analyzer configuration XML file if any customizations have been made.
Important Notice: The Microsoft Exchange Profile Analyzer tool collects information related to user activity on production mailbox systems and can be used to generate aggregate user profile statistics for sets of Exchange users. Before using the tool in a production environment, you may wish to ensure that your collection and use of this information is consistent with the privacy and other laws of your country.

32 bit get it here

64 bit get it here

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Design Guide

Overview

This guidance provides the recommendations for the implementation of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 {R26} as a unified communications platform. The guidance covers instant messaging, conferencing and enterprise voice.

get it here

Presence Integration Between IM Applications and 2007 Microsoft Office System

Overview

This document describes how an instant messaging (IM) application is integrated with Microsoft Office 2007 to provide Presence, IM, as well as call and conferencing features. There are two main categories of functionality for Office 2007 integration:

• Basic IM and Presence Integration
• Advanced Presence, IM, Call and Conferencing Integration

get it here

Exchange Pre-Deployment Analyzer

Brief Description

The Exchange Pre-Deployment Analyzer performs an overall topology readiness scan of your environment and provides you with a list of decisions that need to be made before you deploy Exchange Server 2010.

Overview

You can use the Exchange Pre-Deployment Analyzer to perform an overall topology readiness scan of your environment. When you run the Exchange Pre-Deployment Analyzer, it provides a detailed report that will alert you if there are any issues within your organization, which could prevent you from deploying Exchange 2010. For example, the Exchange Pre-Deployment Analyzer will notify you if you haven't deployed the minimum required Exchange service pack on all your existing Exchange servers.
The checks performed by ExPDA are similar to the pre-requisite checks implemented (via Exchange Best Practices Analyzer) in the Exchange 2010 Setup program; in fact ExPDA is based off the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA) engine. However, unlike Exchange 2010 setup, this tool focuses only on overall topology readiness and not the ability to run Exchange 2010 on the local computer. The scan also performs a deep analysis of each existing Exchange 2003/2007 server to verify that it has the necessary updates and configuration in-place to support Exchange 2010. The end report is structured as follows:

• Critical - A configuration problem that will prevent Exchange 2010 from being deployed in the organization. For example, the Active Directory Forest is not operating in Windows Server 2003 Forest Functional Mode or higher.
• Warning - A configuration item that may prevent customers having the best possible experience with Exchange 2010. A warning may also reflect some functionality that is not available in Exchange 2010.

ExPDA is another component in our vision to provide a seamless upgrade experience that reduces the complexities in deploying Exchange 2010. To start planning your upgrade, please utilize the Exchange Deployment Assistant. The Deployment Assistant allows a customer to create Exchange 2010 on-premises deployment instructions that are customized to their environment. The Assistant asks a small set of questions, and based on the answers, it provides a finite set of instructions that are designed to get a customer up and running on Exchange 2010. Running the Exchange Server Pre-Deployment Analyzer is now a recommended step within the pre-requisites section of the Deployment Assistant.

get it here

Description of the Office Communicator 2007 R2, Phone Edition update: January 2010

get it here

Windows Phone 7 series and iPadGolf

This look like a nice phone can’t wait :)

http://www.windowsphone7series.com/

 

And I found something I could use the iPad for (sorry I could keep this for myself) :)

Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 Group Policy Field Guide

The Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 Group Policy Field Guide is an essential guide for administrators who are responsible for setting Group Policy or configuring registry settings for Communicator users. It uses clear explanations and practical examples to illustrate how and why you would use a policy in your organization.

get it here

Polycom Delivers Breakthrough Video Integration for Microsoft Unified Communications Environments

Polycom offers the most comprehensive voice and video collaboration solutions for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, including a highly scalable infrastructure platform for enabling reliable, broad-scale video deployments across organizations; industry-leading telepresence, HD video conferencing and desktop video collaboration systems that enable people to work more effectively across distances; integrated recoding and streaming for capturing and sharing conferences and video content, allowing teams to use real-time communication to create video assets; and a complete line of VoIP phones designed specifically to leverage the presence-based contact capabilities of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 to simplify everyday communications

GET MORE INFORMATION HERE

Network Equipment Technologies Acquires "SmartSIP" Product Line From Evangelyze Communications

get the press info here

Source for this information

Avaya 4.0 is now Certified for SIP direct.

Avaya 4.0 is now Certified for SIP direct.

You could use direct SIP connection for a POC and then rip and replace :)

Get more information here

IP-PBX Vendor
Tested Product
Supported Configuration
Software Versions Tested
2007 R2
2007

Avaya
Communications Manager SIP Enablement Services
Direct SIP
4.0

Known Limitations:

• Configuration requires setting "Alternate Route Timer(sec)" value from default of 10 sec to 30 sec. The configuration should show "Alternate Route Timer(sec): 30" in the corresponding SIP signaling group.
• When an call is ringing to the Office Communicator user, the caller (either on an Avaya station or a PSTN line routed through the PBX) will not get ring back tone. This issue has been resolved by Avaya with the 5.x software releases.
• Quality of Experience reports will not contain information regarding jitter and packet loss.
• Comfort noise generation is not supported. As a result, comfort noise is not played on Office Communicator.
• ISDN Failover is not supported from an OCS perspective. If the Avaya PBX is being used for PSTN connectivity and multiple T1's are being utilized, an OC client will not retry a call based on a T1 being unavailable. It may be possible to configure the Avaya to not assign outbound calls from OCS to an unavailable T1, but this configuration was not tested.

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 XMPP Gateway Hotfix KB 979311

Get it here

Issues that this update fixes

• You may have problems when you establish a connection with a stream that is initiated by ejabberd. This issue occurs because "<?xml version=1.0”>" appears before the actual stream.
• XMPP federation to gmail.com works. However, XMPP federation to googlemail.com does not work.

AudioCodes livemeeting on roadmap for OCS W14

I was attending a Livemeeting today with Audiocodes.

On the agenda was Audiocodes roadmap for OCS W14.

There is some great and interesting news, and if you like to know what Audiocodes will do in OCS w14 timeframe go to this like for the recordings.

And also look at Msgoodies blog on this subject!

Description of Update Rollup 2 for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2

get it here

Issues that the update rollup fixes
Update Rollup 2 for Exchange Server 2007 SP2 fixes the issues that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

961525 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/961525/ ) Exchange Server 2003 may generate duplicate journal reports in a mixed Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2007 environment

969230 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969230/ ) The "age limits" function of a public folder do not work as expected in an Exchange Server 2007 environment

969948 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969948/ ) A Computer that is running Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that has the Client Access Server (CAS) role installed becomes slow when a user tries to open a folder that contains many items

970817 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970817/ ) An appointment is displayed incorrectly as an all-day event if you use a mobile device to synchronize the calendar in Exchange Server 2007

971177 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971177/ ) The Auto Attendant 'Business Hours' schedule is not updated in Exchange Server 2007 when the DST setting is changed

971349 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971349/ ) Exchange Server 2007 users intermittently cannot access an Exchange Server 2003 user's Free/Busy information in Office Outlook 2007

971889 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971889/ ) When Unified Messaging-enabled users call Outlook Voice Access on Exchange Server 2007 to play voice mails messages, there is a delay before the voice mail message is played

972705 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972705/ ) The Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 log or database experiences abnormal growth

972744 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972744/ ) When a user sends e-mail messages to a remote domain, some e-mail messages are queued on an Exchange Server 2007 Hub Transport server or Edge server

973165 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973165/ ) A return address is split into two separate and incomplete addresses when a recipient replies to a specific message in Exchange 2007

973486 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973486/ ) Some message parts are not readable when Exchange Server 2007 must convert the message part encoding from binary or from 8 bit to 7 bit

973969 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973969/ ) Incorrect exceptions are generated for a recurring iCalendar message when an Exchange Server 2007 server processes an SMTP message that contains the iCalendar message part

974155 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974155/ ) OWA does not highlight misspelled words in an Exchange Server 2007 CAS proxy environment

974161 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974161/ ) Some attendees cannot receive a meeting cancellation notification when the appointment recurrence pattern is changed by using EWS in Exchange Server 2007

974312 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974312/ ) Unread messages are marked as "read" when Exchange Server 2007 processes the EXAMINE command

974344 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974344/ ) You still receive an error message when you run the Test-OwaConnectivity command after you apply hotfix KB957485 in Exchange Server 2007

974401 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974401/ ) Store sessions are not released when you run the Add-PublicFolderClientPermission cmdlet or the Remove-PublicFolderClientPermission cmdlet in public folders on a computer that is running Exchange Server 2007

974450 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974450/ ) A new accepted domain that is added does not work in an Exchange Server 2007 organization

974679 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974679/ ) Returned folder names include a question mark when you check the folder names of an Exchange Server 2007 mailbox

974775 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974775/ ) The EdgeTransport.exe process crashes intermittently on an Exchange Server 2007 server

974843 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974843/ ) Exchange Server 2007 performance counter "Messages queued for submission" shows incorrect value

974897 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974897/ ) You receive an NDR you try to send messages through your Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 account

974946 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974946/ ) Exchange Server 2007 OWA users receive an error message when the users change the display line for the search results on the address books

974999 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974999/ ) The "Task Owner" field is not set when you create a task in Outlook Web Access

975050 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975050/ ) A call transfer fails by using key mapping in a mixed Exchange Server 2007 UM server and OCS 2007 environment

975165 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975165/ ) EWS proxying requests fail after you run Availability Service requests in a CAS to CAS proxying scenario in Exchange Server 2007

975213 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975213/ ) You cannot log on to your mailbox and you receive an error in an Exchange server 2003 and Exchange Server 2007 coexist environment

975255 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975255/ ) Event 2104 and event 2147 are continuously logged in an Exchange Server 2007 Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR) environment

975404 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975404/ ) An attachment of a meeting request cannot be opened when you use a CDO application to accept a meeting request in Exchange Server 2007

975844 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975844/ ) The misspelled word of a message loses its custom format when an Exchange Server 2007 user writes the message in OWA

975903 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975903/ ) The RemoveDelegate operation of EWS fails, and then a "500 internal server" error response and event ID 4999 are logged in an Exchange Server 2007 server

975916 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975916/ ) The custom form of a meeting request is removed in the recipients' calendar in an Exchange Server 2007 environment

975918 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975918/ ) When an IMAP4 client sends a FETCH (bodystructure) request to a server that is running the Exchange Server 2007 IMAP4 service, a corrupted response is sent as a reply

975946 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975946/ ) An S/MIME message is not verified and is rejected when BizTalk Server 2006 uses the Exchange Server 2007 version of ExSMime.dll to parse MIME messages

975990 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975990/ ) Messages that have duplicate message IDs are deleted when they are archived to an Exchange 2007 mailbox

976025 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976025/ ) The free/busy information of an Exchange Server 2007 user is not displayed

976106 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976106/ ) Microsoft Exchange Transport services crashes with StackOverflowException when Message Journaling is enabled on Exchange Server 2007

976107 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976107/ ) You receive the warning "Failed to update recipient" when you run the Update-addresslist cmdlet in Exchange Management Shell on Exchange Server 2007

976137 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976137/ ) Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging incorrectly plays a nonbusiness hours greeting when someone call during holiday

976195 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976195/ ) You cannot edit a transport rule if one or more of the recipient addresses are disabled or removed in an Exchange Server 2007 server

976653 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976653/ ) The Cluster Administrator shows that the mount operation fails and error 1003 is logged even though the database is mounted in an Exchange Server 2007 CCR or in a SCC environment

976787 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976787/ ) The Calendar Month View displays a numeric date and not an abbreviated month name when you set the Regional Settings to Japanese or to Korean in Outlook Web Access for Exchange Server 2007

976794 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976794/ ) When you edit an e-mail message in OWA, the font changes to the default Internet Explorer font

976946 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976946/ ) The message delivery time is incorrect when you send e-mail messages by using an IMAP4 client together with the APPEND command in Exchange Server 2007

977085 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977085/ ) An incorrect value for DumpsterMessagesDeleted is reported in an Exchange Server 2007 environment

977091 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977091/ ) The time for an updated meeting request is incorrectly shown in an exception instance of a recurring meeting request on an Exchange Server 2007 environment

977181 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977181/ ) The EXOLEDB component is not initialized successfully when you start Exchange Information Store Service on an Exchange Server 2007 server

977223 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977223/ ) A move operation on a folder fails when the "ptagProvisionedFid" attribute is invalid in an Exchange Server 2007 environment

977261 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977261/ ) One or more errors occur when you set the Message Access logging level to Expert in an Exchange Server 2007 SP2 server

977355 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977355/ ) Non-ASCII characters in a display name of a forwarded message are shown with "?" when the display name of a contact is in East Asia characters in an Exchange Server 2007 environment

977412 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977412/ ) Error message when you use the WebDAV protocol to connect to an Exchange Server 2007 server: "Error 1000"

977425 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977425/ ) The "Proxy server name" field is incorrectly shown in OWA in an Exchange Server 2007 CAS-to-CAS proxy environment

978593 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978593/ ) Windows Server 2008 VSS backup plug-in fails to backup Exchange 2007 Service Pack 2 databases that reside on a volume mount point

Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Workload Architecture Poster

I often get the question: how does the Communication flow in OCS, because i have firewall between my internal networks. My answer is normally: it depends on what you are doing.

But now there is a drawing to show together with the list of ports, nice J

This poster of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 describes the traffic flow of protocols and ports used in each workload. Communications Server 2007 R2 supports the following workloads: IM and Presence, Conferencing, Application Sharing, and Enterprise Voice. These filtered views can assist you in architecting your deployment of Communications Server 2007 R2. The different server roles are described along with server certificate requirements. Firewall and DNS configuration requirements are also described.

 

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Additional Windows Live Messenger PIC/Federation IP Address

Notification

In an effort to provide enhanced capacity and service reliance, Windows Live Messenger will soon be adding an additional IP address used for PIC/Federation traffic.  Some organizations have chosen to restrict this type of traffic to specific IP addresses, as referenced in Microsoft KB 897567 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/897567).  With this in mind we want to give you advanced notice of our intended change if you have configured your enterprise network in this manner.

Please ensure your enterprise firewall configuration is updated with the full list of Windows Live Messenger addresses below on or before Friday, February 2, 2010.  Windows Live Messenger will NOT enable the additional IP addresses until on or after February 2, 2010 (Pacific Time) to ensure your services will not be disrupted by this change.

IP address for Windows Live Messenger PIC/Federation:

64.4.9.181
64.4.9.245
64.4.50.110 (Additional new IP address)
65.54.52.53
65.54.52.245
65.54.227.249

For more information please reference Microsoft KB 897567, or for further assistance, please engage Microsoft Customer Support Services via http://support.microsoft.com.

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Client Group Policy Documentation

Overview

When deploying Office Communications Server 2007 R2 clients, one way system administrators can provide the appropriate registry settings for each user is by defining Group Policies using an administrative template (.adm) file. Administrative template files contain specific information about which Group Policies the application implements, where policies are stored, and how to configure policies.
This download package contains the Communicator.adm file and a spreadsheet that documents the Group Policy settings for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 clients, including Office Communicator 2007, Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Attendant, and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Group Chat.

 

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Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 Hotfix KB 976135

get it here

Quick Details

File Name:
communicator.msp

Version:
6907.83

Knowledge Base (KB) Articles:
KB976135

Date Published:
1/7/2010

Language:
English

Download Size:
9.9 MB

 

Issues that this hotfix package fixes

• 978161 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978161/ ) Office Communicator 2007 R2 crashes when you receive an incoming instant message notification

• 978162 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978162/ ) A hyperlink is converted to plain text format when you input the hyperlink into an Office Communicator 2007 R2 conversation window

• 978163 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978163/ ) You cannot call a user by using the Actions button in Office Outlook 2007, but you can call the user through Office Communicator 2007 R2

This cumulative update, together with update 969696 and update 969821, fixes the following issue:

• 971628 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971628/ ) When a delegate tries to use the Conferencing Add-in for Outlook to schedule a live meeting or to schedule a conference on behalf of a manager, the delegate's information instead of the manager's information displays in the conferencing request

  Note This problem was originally fixed by the following updates:

  • 969695 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969695/ ) Description of the update for Communicator 2007 R2: July 2009

  • 969696 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969696/ ) Description of the update for Live Meeting Conferencing Add-in for Outlook: July 2009

  • 969821 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969821/ ) Description of the update package for Office Communications Server 2007 R2: July, 2009

This cumulative update also includes the following previously released updates:

• 976045 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976045/ ) Error message when you try to add a contact to Outlook in Communicator 2007 R2: "Cannot connect to Microsoft Office Outlook to add a contact because Outlook is not responding"

• 976046 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976046/ ) Hyperlinks are converted to lowercase if you send them in an instant message as text in Communicator 2007 R2

• 976048 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976048/ ) Error message when you log off, restart, or shut down a computer that is running Communicator 2007 R2: "End Program - Communicator"

• 976050 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976050/ ) When you answer an incoming call on a device that uses a simultaneous ring number, Office Communicator 2007 R2 generates a missed call notification

• 976051 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976051/ ) The Communicator 2007 R2 screen freezes intermittently for several seconds when you are in an audio or a video conferencing session

• 976052 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976052/ ) The display name of a contact is unresolved when you send a meeting request in Communicator 2007 R2

• 976054 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976054/ ) Audio skips in Communicator 2007 R2 during Communicator calls or during Public Switched Telephone Network calls on a computer that is running Windows Vista

• 971843 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971843/ ) Enterprise administrators cannot both set and enforce the Personal Information Manager settings for Outlook Integration to be able to turn off Outlook Integration for Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2

• 972085 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972085/ ) Error message when you start Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2: "Either there is no default mail client or the current mail client cannot fulfill the message request. Please run Microsoft Office Outlook and set it as the default mail client."

• 972087 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972087/ ) In Communicator 2007 R2 when you use Tanjay to call a user, you hear both the ringing and the audio from the user side

• 972090 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972090/ ) Your voice is discontinuous when you use Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 to make a call on a Windows 7 or a Windows Server 2008 R2-based remote computer

• 972091 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972091/ ) Error message in Communicator 2007 R2 when you try to join a conference call from Outlook: "Can't open the program because Office Communicator or Office Communications Server Attendant is already running on your windows user account"

• 971845 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971845/ ) You cannot use a set of features in Office Communicator 2007 R2 that integrate secure delegation for the local Outlook 2007 calendar

• 971846 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971846/ ) Video frames are not displayed in Office Communicator 2007 R2 on a Windows XP-based computer

• 972093 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972093/ ) Error message when you try to adjust the volume during a call in a Communicator 2007 R2 conversation window on a computer that is running Windows XP: "Cannot adjust the speaker volume"

• 972097 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972097/ ) Error message when distribution group expansion fails in Office Communicator 2007 R2: "Cannot save a local copy of your distribution groups."

• 972099 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972099/ ) A "Meet Now – Invite by Email" HTML e-mail message that is generated by Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 has unreadable text in the message body

• 972403 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972403/ ) Network performance issues that are caused by Global address list (GAL) file downloads or by GAL delta file downloads in Office Communicator 2007 R2

• 971844 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971844/ ) No calling party name appears in Communicator 2007 R2 when a Private Branch Exchange telephone user calls a Communications Server 2007 R2 user

• 971078 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971078/ ) An Automatic Update download is not initiated on a computer that is running Office Communicator 2007 R2 build 3.5.6907.9

• 968504 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968504/ ) Description of the Communicator 2007 R2 update for Microsoft Online Services

• 968623 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968623/ ) You experience one-way audio when LG-Nortel IP8540 or Polycom CX700 phones are used in an Audio Video call on Windows XP

• 968624 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968624/ ) Error events occur when you disconnect a computer that is running Communicator 2007 R2 from the network: "Event ID: 3" or "Event ID: 7"

• 968625 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968625/ ) Description of a hotfix that applies the initial changes for the integration of Office Communicator 2007 R2 and the next version of Office after the Office 2007 release

• 968628 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968628/ ) Communicator 2007 R2 stores the Actual Remote Number (The number that is dialed) for outgoing calls to a remote party

• 968631 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968631/ ) The font in the Conversation window is very small when you run Office Communicator 2007 R2 on a Windows Vista-based computer that has high DPI (120 DPI) with Internet Explorer 8 installed

• 968632 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968632/ ) You cannot click the password field and enter a password when you sign in to Office Communicator 2007 R2

• 968634 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968634/ ) Description of Office Communicator 2007 R2 update to support Polycom roundtable devices

• 968690 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968690/ ) In Office Communicator 2007 R2, User A gets a failure-to-deliver message after sending an IM to User B even though User B receives the message

Unified Communications Enhanced Presence Schemas for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2

Overview

The Unified Communications Enhanced Presence Schemas are intended for application developers who are interested in publishing or subscribing to enhanced presence within the Microsoft unified communications application framework while maintaining interoperability with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2. The accompanying XML Schema Definition (XSD) files are provided as an application development tool.
The enhanced presence model provides finer control over published presence information. Unified communications clients, other than Communicator, need to understand these presence data types if they are to interoperate with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2.

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No excuse for not buying Certified devices

Okay with some of the last releases from certified device vendors there is no excuse for not buying certified devices.

And one of the reasons for not going on OCS with Voice (price on new device) is significant lower now than it was , and I think it might be even lower in 2010.    

Find all certified devices here

Example on price:

Plantronics .Audio 615M  http://www.voipsupply.com/plantronics-audio-615m-headset $37.70

 

Jabra Biz 620 Mono ttp://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A3013871&cs=04&c=us&l=en&dgc=SS&cid=39888&lid=1022050  $44.99

 

And remember you can still give the “I need my old phone user” this “IPT look a like” usb phone and still get all the OCS features: http://www.polycom.com/products/voice/desktop_solutions/microsoft_optimized_devices/communicator_cx300.html

And while we wait for OCS wave 14 (the real replacement of the PBX/IPT)  have a look at Voipnorm opinion on UC devices here