Overview

Live Communications Server allows users in your domain to collaborate using Instant Messenger. It also provides user presence information and instant event notifications. However, installing Live Communications Server requires careful planning and multiple steps, even in a small to moderately-sized enterprise.

Software and Hardware Requirements

Live Communications Server requires Windows Server 2003 as the operating system. This includes the Datacenter, Enterprise, and Standard Editions. It must be installed on a stand-alone server that is a member of a Windows 2003 or Windows 2000 domain. If your domain consists of less than 1000 users, a single stand-alone server with a single 550 MHz PIII processor, 512MB or RAM, and 20GB of disk space is sufficient. To scale up to 10,000 users, a dual-processor 1.4GHz P4 with 2GB of RAM and 2x36.4 Ultra SCSI RAID disk is required. Larger deployments require a multiple Live Communications Server configuration. If a multi-server configuration is desired, or if encrypted client-to-server communications is desired, then PKI Certificates are required to encrypt Instant Messaging communications.

Live Communications Server Roles

In a multi-server Live Communications Server configuration, each Live Communications Server can be configured as either a Home Server or a Front-End Server. In a single server configuration, the Live Communications Server is configured as a Home Server. As its name indicates, a Home Server serves as the home to any number of users who wish to use Live Communications Server and Instant Messaging. Administrators configure a particular user to use a particular Live Communications Home Server, just as they configure a user to have an Exchange mailbox be hosted on a specific Exchange server.

A multi-server environment would consist of multiple Home Servers and a single Front-End Server. The Front-End Server acts as a proxy to multiple Home Servers. Instant Message requests are first forwarded to the Front-End Server. The Front-End Server then forwards the message to the appropriate Home Server based on the message’s destination.

Active Directory Preparation

Before installing Live Communications Server on a stand-alone Windows Server 2003 machine in your domain, it in necessary to prepare the Active Directory forest and domain schema. This is because Live Communications Server extends the Active Directory user schema by adding custom attributes to the user object. This is a three-step process that must be executed on the Domain Controller in your domain that has the Schema Master role. Domain Admin and Schema Admin rights are required to execute the following steps:

1. Extend the schema

Execute the “rtcsrv.msi prep=schema” command. This adds new classes and user attributes to the Active Directory schema. To validate, use the Active Directory Schema MMC to view attributes of the form “msRTCSIP*”.

2. Create the global settings container

Execute the “rtcsrv.msi prep=enterprise” command. This container stores global settings for all servers in the forest. To validate, use the Active Directory Users and Computers MMC to find the \System\Microsoft\RTC Services container in the advanced view.

3. Create domain accounts and set ACEs

Execute “rtcsrv.msi prep=domain serviceacctpassword=” command. This must be executed in each domain where Live Communications Server is to be installed, and creates a user account under which Live Communications Server executes, as well as three domain groups used for management. You can find these by using the Active Directory Users and Computers MMC. If you have a multi-domain environment, you must also execute the “rtcsrv.msi prep=domainadd domainname=” command to allow users in other domains to access the Live Communications Server.

Server Installation and Configuration

Once your Active Directory has been prepared, you may now install Live Communications Server on a stand-alone server. You must be logged on to the server with an account having Domain Admin and RTCDomainServerAdmin rights. The Live Communications Server installation program automatically installs a local copy of the MSDE database server; it is preferable to configure the database and log files on separate drives. You also should configure the SIP domain to match your SMTP domain for ease of administration.