Today I passed my MCTS exam 70-638:
TS: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Configuring
Joehoe! So i'm official:
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Office Communications Server 2007, Configuration
Today I passed my MCTS exam 70-638:
TS: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Configuring
Joehoe! So i'm official:
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Office Communications Server 2007, Configuration
"Thank you! Your registration for the Microsoft Unified Communications Voice Ignite is now complete. Below are your confirmation details"
Yeah I will go to the Voice IgNite Tour in Paris. If you have some questions please let me know and maybe I will give you some feedback when I'm back. When joining this session in Paris I will update my weblog frequently so check!
LOCATION
Le Meridien Etoile
81 Boulevard Gouvion Saint-Cyr
75848 Cedex 17 Paris
75017 France
Saudi Arabia’s Largest ISP Rolls Out Mitel
RIYADH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - January 30, 2008 – Mitel®, the trusted provider of IP communications solutions, today announced that Nesma, Saudi Arabia’s largest private Internet Service Provider and a recognized leader in providing IT solutions and system integration services in the region, is to become a reseller of Mitel’s rich portfolio of IP communications solutions. More...
Mitel Graduates with Kuwait’s Ministry of Higher Education
Ministry will deploy sophisticated IP communications to all staff!
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait - January 23, 2008 – Mitel®, the trusted provider of IP Communications solutions, today announced that Kuwait’s Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) is to deploy Mitel’s 3300 IP Communications Platform (ICP) and Web-based IP phones to over 500 staff at the ministry’s headquarters. More...
Interesting to see that Mitel is doing it very well. Especially the 3300 IP Communication Platform. We are very happy with our own 3300 system.
A Microsoft partner has become the first to offer Microsoft's new unified communications software as a hosted service.
Intermedia on Tuesday will begin offering Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) as a hosted service on a subscription basis for US$7.95 per user, per month, said Rurik Bradbury, vice president of strategy for Intermedia. The service initially will be available to users of Intermedia's hosted Exchange service, which costs $12 per user, per month. Eventually, the OCS service will be available independently of that service, he said. More info here
Source: networkworld
Jens (Jens Trier Rasmussen) post an excellent item on how to implement Enterprise Voice in a non-DID (Direct Inward Dialing (DID)) scenario. Basically our own OCS Mediation re-route traffic from/to interoute.
On the other hand we have a IP-PBX Mitel 3300 and Live Business Gateway to enable RCC functionality.
So bottomline we use best of both worlds. The only reason for doing so is to give customers the best advice. Within a short time period I also post how to setup Mitel by using MES (Mobile Extensions Server) for Dual Forking functionality.
So our voice solution is build on:
e-office demo environment:
Feel free to subscribe for a live demo or send a e-mail message to Joachim Farla or IM sip:joachim.farla@e-office.com
Mitel infrastructure e-office:
How to setup UM dailplans, gateway see this example:
More information on how to configure the Mitel LBG see my post on here
More information on how to configure OCS Mediation Server and Interoute One see: here (general) more technical information see: here (technical)
The OCS2007 Resource Kit is available in the Netherlands. It took a while when they make this book available in Europe. We ordered right away on here. Be aware it maybe takes 1 to 3 weeks to deliver.
They only deliver in the Netherlands.
First PBX vendor with Dual Forking with RCC functionality.
Nortel
CS 1000
Dual Forking with RCC
Call Server X2105.00W
Signaling Server 5.00.31
Multimedia Communications Manager 3.0.1.77
CS 1000 Series
Communication Server 1000 is a server-based, full-featured IP PBX, providing the benefits of a converged network plus advanced applications and over 750 world-class telephony features. Fully distributed over IP LAN & WAN infrastructure with built-in reliability and survivability, Communication Server 1000 supports business-critical applications, including unified messaging, customer contact center, IVR, wireless VoIP and IP phones.
Dear Microsoft Partner,
We are very pleased to announce Microsoft’s Unified Communications (UC) Voice Ignite worldwide training tour! UC Voice Ignite is a 5-day invitation only advanced technical workshop for Microsoft field and partners who are proactively mobilizing their IT, Networking, and Telecommunication professionals to deliver Voice over IP solutions to customers.
As a valued member of the Microsoft UC Partner Community, we would like to extend to you an official invitation to the UC Voice Ignite event in Paris, France, on February 25 - 29, 2008!
Thank you for registering for the Microsoft® Unified Communications Voice Ignite
in Paris, February 25 - 29, 2008.
Yeah we are absolutely over there! Microsoft thank you very much for this nomination. We are very pleased with it.
Office Communications Server 2007 – Security Whitepaper released. Specials thanks to Dennis.
Download it here: Security Whitepaper
Evaluate Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 today
The public beta for Office Communications Server 2007 has ended. Welcome to the trial evaluation!
Office Communications Server 2007, the next evolution of Live Communications Server, delivers streamlined communications for your users so they can find and communicate with the right person, right now, from the applications they use most—like Microsoft Outlook. And when you download the 180-day trial software, you’re automatically registered to receive valuable resources delivered at strategic intervals throughout the software evaluation period.
Try it here
Please review Office Communications Server 2007 system requirements before you proceed. Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration.
Give me your feedback if you having some questions. Implement OCS and make sure it works for you. How do I get my latest presence information?
PHOENIX, Arizona, – January 24, 2008 – Having smoothly completed its $729 million merger with Inter-Tel, Mitel® has launched an expanded Exclusive BusinessPartner (EBP) program that gives resellers strategic advantages in selling and servicing its comprehensive portfolio of unified communications solutions. Introduced three months ago following a 26-city road show in October to meet with the channel of both companies, Mitel has signed up more than 100 members to the EBP program. More: here
PHOENIX, Arizona – January 22, 2008 – The unified Mitel® and Inter-Tel U.S. channel partners will join together for the first time later this week in Orlando, Florida, just five months after the completion of Mitel’s $729 million merger with Inter-Tel. Under the theme of “Freedom to Communicate”, the new force in communications will welcome some 750 attendees from its unified partner channel partner, user group and consultant community to celebrate the previous sales year and look forward to new products and channel programs for the coming year. More see: here
e-office is again Microsoft Gold Partner 2008 and expires on 1/31/2009. Specials thanks to Jan van der Heide. Yeah!
The Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Best Practice Analyzer is updated (updated configuration file).
Open the BPA tool and check for updates online.
Make also sure you run Windows Update after your OCS deployment:
Each year, the IBM PartnerWorld Beacon Awards acknowledge the best solutions from IBM Business Partners in every part of the business.
e-office is awarded for the Best Lotus Notes 8 Composite Application Award this year!
Congrats to the guys who worked on this! Special thanks to Ronald, Michel, Edgar, Frank & Frank!
More information about Lotus Awards see: here
More information about the awarded application (Dutch): here
Application we developed (our IBM development team)
For organizations that want to consolidate multiple SQL instances on the same physical server, this configuration is now supported for Live Communications Server 2005 SP1 and Office Communications Server 2007. More information see: here
This section describes how to apply new settings to a Microsoft RoundTable device.
Before starting, make sure that you have a supported version of Office InfoPath installed—Office InfoPath 2003 or Office InfoPath 2007.
To apply new settings to a Microsoft RoundTable device
1. In the %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft RoundTable\DeviceManagement\ directory, double-click DeviceConfig.xsn to launch the InfoPath form. The figure below shows a portion of this form.
2. After you change the settings to suit your particular installation, save the configuration (as RTConfig.xml, for example) to the same directory as Rtmanage.exe. The section following this procedure provides details of the InfoPath configuration form.
3. Open a command prompt, change the directory to the %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft RoundTable\DeviceManagement\ directory, and type the following command line.
Rtmanage.exe -m:img -i:config -f:RTConfig.xml
4. Check for any XML parsing errors by running this command.
Rtmanage.exe -m:cfg -q:cfgparseresult
5. If there are no errors, proceed to the next step. Otherwise fix the errors and repeat from step 3.
6. Reboot the device by running this command line.
Rtmanage.exe -m:cfg -r
We had to switch off the Roundtable fully to continue the upgrade process. When starting up you see that the rountable is upgraded with the latest firmware.
Today, I get tipped by Microsoft that there is new firmware available for the Microsoft Office Roundtable.
Microsoft® RoundTable™ Firmware
Microsoft® RoundTable™ Firmware
Released at: 1/3/2008
File Name:
RoundTable_Firmware.msi
Version:
1.0.4006.0
Knowledge Base (KB) Articles:
KB942334 KB945549
Date Published:
1/3/2008
Language:
English
Download Size:
18.2 MB
Tips for updating your Roundtable device:
The fastest way to update the Microsoft RoundTable device is by means of an automatic image update using the image update server. However, if you must update the device in the absence of the update server, you can use the USB image update functionality.
1. Obtain the latest firmware image files from the Microsoft download center.
· Boot loader package—CPUEBOOT.cat and CPUEBOOT.bin
· Operating system package—nk.cat and nk.bin
2. To update the boot loader, run the following command at a command prompt.
Rtmanage.exe -m:img -i:EBOOT -f:<file path to CPUEBOOT.bin> -s:<file path to CPUEBOOT.cat>
3. To update nk.bin, run the following command at a command prompt.
Rtmanage.exe -m:img -i:nk -f:<file path to nk.bin> -s:<file path to nk.cat>
IMPORTANT: the passcode to access the Microsoft Office Roundtable
Sets the password for the device. The factory default password is 78491.
done ;-)
For people who did not see the Microsoft Office Roundtable before Johann Kruse in Australia is presenting the device in a short video on SoapBox.
What is he presenting:
More info see the MSN SoapBox: Johann Kruse, more information on the MSFT UC page (here)
Mitel's embedded SIP integration eliminates the need for a separate SIP gateway as a go-be tween from a 3300 ICP SIP connection to an Exchange Server 2007 resulting in support for multiple forms of Unified Communications including voice, email and fax. Mitel can deliver this capability to existing 3300 ICP customers through a software upgrade that simply delivers the SIP server's (gateway) functionality resulting in reduced complexity, time and cost for our customers. Native support of SIP on the 3300 ICP enables customers to take full advantage of the deployment of open standards and maximize their investment either in a Mitel or a multi-vendor environment that supports an open standards approach.
Are you an avid developer? Do you want to learn how to expand the power of the Unified Communications with the wide array of API’s and SDK’s that are available? If so, please take the time to register and attend ODC 2008.
More info see our friends at MSFT UC blog: Communicator blog
Main page: ODC2008
Blog: here
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Resource Kit Sample Chapters
download it now: here
Version:
1.0
Date Published:
8/14/2007
Language:
English
Download Size:
466 KB - 7.4 MB*
The book covers most all aspects of the extended product with over 700 pages of content and visual examples. The book is very technical in general (written by Jeremy Buch - development lead for the protocol stack team for 7 years, Rui Maximo - program manager and technical author in the team for over 4 years now and Jochen Kunert - program manager working with VoIP/telephony).
Book available:
More information (including sample chapters) are available from Microsoft.
The book is also available for sale now for $35.99 at Amazon.
Today we had a wonderful day. We connected our Mitel MX 3300 to Office Communications Server 2007 and enabled Remote Call Control (RCC). A very talented partner of us NEXCT (www.nexct.nl) helped us when implementing.
Special thanks to John de Breij (MITEL) and Hans de Jong (NEXCT). Project leader (NEXCT) Jos Tollenaar.
What do you need to have to setup a Mitel infrastructure:
Short questions you may have:
What is LBG?
Live Business Gateway provides standards-based (SIP /CSTA) connectivity to Office Communications Server 2007 via a single platform design. It complements Office
Communications Server 2007 with business-rich
telephony and presence, directly from the Microsoft®Office Communicator 2007 desktop client or Microsoft®Office program. more info: here
What does Mitel 3300 IP support?:
The Mitel® 3300 IP Communications Platform (ICP) provides enterprises with a highly scalable, feature-rich communications system designed to support businesses from 10-65,000 users.
Well the main question is how to setup this environment:
Step 1. Make sure the 5340 Ip phones are setup up. Make sure the phones are configured retrieve an IP address by DHCP or static IP address. We choose to assign static IP addresses. The IP phones are also in our production VLAN. Another option is to create a special VLAN for your telecom IP traffic.
Step 2. Make sure the PoE Switch (in our case HP) is connected and uplinked to your production switches. In our case we use non-PoE switches from Cisco and PoE switches to power up our IP 5340 phones.
Step 3. Install Windows Server 2003 SP2 (R2) on a spare server (3.00 Ghz / 1RAM is enough), add more hardware to make your LBG more redundant (recommended is RAID1, secondary power supply)
Step 4. Configure LBG
Step 4.1 (default port 5060, internal IP address LBG server)
Step 4.2 configure your RCC SIP URI (default sip:):
Step 4.3/4.4 Configure your licensing and Active Direcoty connection for reading ADS objects from your Active Directory (for security we did not add these printscreens.
Step 5. Configure your Mitel 3300 ICP on /esm_loginMain.htm">http://<IP>/esm_loginMain.htm (SSL secured) More information on how to configure Mitel please contact me by e-mail or IM and I will put you through to the right person for doing this. As you probably know I'm not an "telecommunication guy". Just OCS/MOSS ;-)
Step 6. Configure the static route in OCS. Open your standard edition server or enterprise pool. Adjust for MCC view (restart after modification):
Step 6.1 (organize servers as list)
Step 6.2 configure pool settings
Step 7. Make one or more users OCS enabled (make the user from the OCS MMC)
**Do this for each user you will have. Make sure the corresponding numbers are even setup in Mitel 3300 (configure it by hitting the HTML configuration page)
Step 8. Import/configure the Office Communicator 2007 administrative template into your ADS (select the corresponding OU where the users resides)
Configure it under User Settings
scroll down to the following administrative template setting:
Configure like screendump below (not all telephony modes in OCS are functional - microsoft is working on that > information from MCS consultant in the Netherlands ;-) setting: 2e RCC Enabled
Step 9. Return to your hopefully (Vista) workstation where Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 and Live Meeting 2007 is installed. Close MOC2007 from your taskbar en clear it in memory. Go to START>CMD>gpupdate /force > ENTER-command. The GPO is forced to update. Restart your MOC2007 client.
Step 10. Configure your MOC2007 client by enable phone integration mode and set it to automatic.
Step 11: RCC is enabled! Test your communication by dailing a number and see if your presence is switched to "In Call".
Are the webservers hosting www.microsoft.com Windows 2003 Servers or what..no, Windows Server 2008!! 49 days we have to wait after that "rock that body"!
This download was originally released on October 15, 2007. For a complete list of fixes and changes in this latest version, please see KB article 946149.
Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Phone Edition enables you to make outbound audio calls and answer inbound phone calls from callers (PBX, PSTN, VoIP or soft-phone callers) and provides this functionality from inside or outside the company firewall. In short, you can do everything you can do today with your regular phone - and more.
With Office Communicator 2007 Phone Edition, you have new voice communication capabilities not available with your traditional desktop phone. For example you can:
Download: here
File Name:
UCUpdates.exe
Version:
1.0.522.34
Knowledge Base (KB) Articles:
KB946149
Date Published:
1/7/2008
Language:
English
Download Size:
10.8 MB
Reminder: Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 are released within a 2008 Global Launch Wave
Source: Link
If you have a working Microsoft OCS 2007 Speech Server application, you can try it with the iPing Hosting Service now by signing up at http://www.iping.com/speech and deploying your application via iPing’s Deploy Wizard.
The wizard gets added to Visual Studio and all you have to do is right click on your project and choose Deploy Project Wizard and enter your account information. It's really that simple and you can deploy both inbound and outbound applications. The wizard will deploy any files or resources you can put into your project.
Interesting post on how OCS uses WMI to get information from for example ADS, SQL or WMI.
more information see: here
Phones and other devices that conform to the Unified Communications Device Qualification will display the Optimized for Microsoft Office Communicator wordmark. These devices meet the following criteria:
The phones and devices listed below have received the Optimized for Microsoft Office Communicator qualification.
For a complete list of available of devices: here
Yeah Joe Calev's is back in business! See his weblog and of course his weblog of photography!
TIP: Rob Pittfield (Microsoft) Support Escalation Engineer. (Thanks for the tip) For anyone who creates normalization rules.
The first thing I do when I’m talking to customers is tell them about the Helper button on the Normalization rule creation screen as shown below...
More see: Here
The Resource Center for Office Communications Server 2007 Clients, including Microsoft Office Communicator 2007, Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007, Office Communicator Mobile (2007 Release) and Office Communicator Web Access (2007 Release ), is now available online at: Resource Center
For everybody especially end users they can choose between different categories:
Evaluation
Overview and Features
Getting Started - Day One Resources
Training and How-to's
Administrator Resources
Community and Related Resources
More about LiveMeeting 2007 see: LM2007
More about Communicator mobile: MOCM2007
More about Communicator Web Access: CWA2007
New year! 2008
Do you have all your fingers and legs? hehe. This year will be a very special year for me. In the beginning of august 2008 I will become a dad.
Yeah!!!