Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003

Back in the early days of Microsoft Exchange Server. There was an optional instant messaging service that was installed alongside exchange. This provided SIP, presence, and basic VOIP services for Windows Messenger (the more professional corporate version of MSN messenger). In 2003. Microsoft divided that this should be a separate product. Microsoft launched “Office Live Communications Server”. The first release of the new standalone product alongside the new Exchange 2003 and Office 2003 products.

LCS (as it was more commonly known) was mainly sold as part of the Microsoft TechNet subscription but it did have a retail copy too. Corporations installed LCS mainly on the same server as their exchange server, much like the previous exchange feature that the product has its routes to.

The product its self came in a Standard and Enterprise package. The main difference between the two is that the standard package is more aimed to be installed on one server and work on its own. Whereas the enterprise version is more designed for large businesses with branch offices.

The product its self is a fairly easy product to install and manage. The installation involves a pre-preparing active directory, much like an exchange server install. But strangely enough, you have to use the same MSI file to prep the ad before installing it. Examples of this are shown below.

D:\Setup\I386\Setup\rtcsrv.msi PREP=ENTERPRISE
D:\Setup\I386\Setup\rtcsrv.msi PREP=DOMAIN

Once the preparation has been done, you can then install the “Home Server”. This is the role that you use to deploy an IM server. The idea behind this is every user has a home server that they live on. All their IM, presents, and SIP services are handled by this server and only this server. When chatting with another user that is not on the same home server. Your IM is sent to your home server, your home server then forwards this to the recipient’s home server, and then the recipient’s home server then forwards the IM to the end-user.

The installation of the home server is very simple. It is pretty much a next, next install. Providing you don’t want to use an archiving server. To be honest I have never put the effort into getting this to work.

The archiving server, is an SQL based role that can be on the same server as the home server. But being that it is SQL in the background, it might not be a good idea. Due to memory usage.

Once the Installation is complete. You then can connect your clients using ether SIP or DNS. If your using SIP then you have to configure the SRV records in your domain name to enable the Windows Messenger clients to connect. If your using DNS then you just need to point the Server internally.

I have to say, there is very little documentation on LCS, I found that the only real resource I had when I first started playing with this. Was the deployment text document on the CD.

I currently do not have a video tutorial on this, but I do plan to make one soon.

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