Chapter 1. Collaborate in Real Time: Introducing Sametime 8.5.2
"Collaborate in real time." What does this phrase mean? We generally think of it as meaning when we communicate and work with others in a seamless and instantaneous fashion. But how do we go about doing that? Today, we have many choices for collaboration, from traditional e-mail or discussion forums to chat communities and near-instantaneous tools such as Twitter. With the ability to connect to the Internet, we can reach anyone with the right tools for our particular situation. For many large enterprises and small companies, the right tool might be instant messaging or online meeting software.
Our focus, here, is on IBM Sametime 8.5.2 software. Sametime is a suite of products that include clients for secure instant messaging, integration with e-mail and calendaring platforms, and connectivity through mobile devices such as Research in Motion Blackberries, Android devices, Apple iPhones, and iPads. Sametime software also includes secure online meeting rooms, persistent chat rooms, and unified telephony connectivity.
Why would a company or organization choose to use Sametime? They might choose Sametime because it closely integrates with their existing collaboration environment—IBM Lotus Notes and Domino, Lotus Quickr, or IBM Connections. They may also choose a real-time collaboration system such as Sametime to save money. Online meetings and instant messaging helps save money by eliminating the need for travel costs and long distance phone expenditures, especially if a company integrates Sametime with their existing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system.
Companies of all sizes often find that Sametime has a significant cost advantage over other solutions. It can be deployed on a variety of platforms and hardware with a per-user license cost included in existing Lotus Notes licensing. If a smaller company doesn't have the need to deploy a full web conferencing solution, they can use the online per-user Sametime Unyte product which is tightly integrated with Sametime itself.
A large enterprise might use Sametime because it integrates well with their existing collaboration tools from Lotus to IBM, but it also integrates with tools from other providers such as Microsoft, Avaya, and Tandberg. Sametime's web conferencing solution, including full multi-way audio and video, is extensible with distributed and clustering functionality to support the size and scope of an enterprise-wide infrastructure.
As an administrator of IBM Sametime or Lotus Notes and Domino, you may find yourself in a situation similar to one of the following scenarios. Our goal is to provide you with the resources you require to implement a successful Sametime environment.
Tim works for a company that currently uses Sametime. The company has recently acquired some new businesses and will be including those subsidiaries in their Lotus Notes and Sametime domain. As they are interested in using some of the new features of Sametime 8.5.2, Tim will be upgrading the company's existing Sametime environment.
In contrast, Susan works for a company that has only used the e-mail and calendaring features of Lotus Notes. The chief information officer now wants to look at instant messaging and online meeting software. She wants Susan to configure a new Sametime environment to fit their needs.
David works for a company that has a requirement for secure instant messaging. The company's CEO would like marketing and sales staff to use instant messaging to communicate with customers and coworkers. They would also like to have web conferences among themselves and with customers. However, they have yet to decide whether to manage such a system on their own intranet or to use an online service.
In this chapter, you will learn the following topics:
What's new in Sametime 8.5.2
What has changed with regards to Sametime server architecture
The different types of Sametime clients available in Sametime 8.5.2
The operating system and hardware requirements for Sametime 8.5.2 servers
The operating system and hardware requirements for Sametime 8.5.2 clients
Understanding the different Sametime licenses and what you might need for your environment
Why you should install Sametime 8.5.2 or upgrade from prior versions
What's new in Sametime 8.5.2
IBM Sametime 8.5 and 8.5.2 introduces many new capabilities to the Sametime product suite. In addition to the numerous features already included with the Sametime 8.x family of clients, Sametime 8.5.2 has extended client usability and collaboration. Let us take a look at a few of those enhancements:
Sametime Connect Client software is now supported on Microsoft Windows 7.0, Apple Macintosh 10.6, and Linux desktop operating systems including Red Hat Enterprise Desktop (RHED), Ubuntu, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED)
A lightweight browser-based client that requires no additional downloads is available for instant messaging for Apple iPhone and iPad users
A browser-based client is available for Sametime meetings
Sametime Mobile Client support has been added for Android devices (OS 2.0 and higher), Blackberry 5.0 and 6.0 devices, and Microsoft Mobile 6.5 devices
Rich text messaging is now available for chats with users connected through the Sametime Gateway
If you deployed Sametime Standard in a previous release or are interested in the online meeting conferencing features of Sametime 8.5.2, then you and your users will be happy to know that meeting attendees now can attend online meetings "instantly" without having to load any additional software in their browser. Meetings start quickly and are retained for future use.
Probably the most significant change for you as a Sametime administrator is the introduction of IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) as an application hosting platform for Sametime. In previous versions of Sametime, with the exception of the Sametime Advanced and Sametime Gateway features, the Sametime server was deployed on Lotus Domino servers. If you know how to install and manage a Lotus Domino server, then you will most likely be the same individual who will manage a Sametime server as the skill sets are similar.
But with the addition of WAS comes flexibility in server architecture. As an administrator, you have the ability to choose features and configure servers based on your organization's unique needs. The linkage between Domino and Sametime still exists through the Sametime Community Server. So not only can Sametime be sized appropriately for the needs of your organization, it can also run on multiple operating systems and servers as per your requirements.
Some highlights include:
With the release of Sametime 8.5.2, Lotus Domino 8.5.2 is now supported.
A Sametime Proxy Server has been introduced as a component of the Sametime server architecture. The Sametime Proxy Server hosts the lightweight browser-based Sametime client. It runs on WAS and is different than the WAS Proxy Server.
Media Manager Server is another new Sametime server component. This server manages conferences using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to support point-to-point and multi-point calls and integrates into the Sametime environment through your Community Server. Sametime 8.5.2 introduces support for standard audio and video codec for improved integration in the Sametime client and the Sametime Meeting Center. This allows for interoperability with third-party conferencing systems.
Transversal Using Relay NAT (TURN) server is a Java program that runs in conjunction with the Media Manager Server and behaves as a reflector, routing audio and video traffic between clients on different networks. The technology used by this Network Address Translation (NAT) Traversal server (ICE) uses both TURN and Session Transversal Utilities for NAT (STUN) protocols and behaves similarly to the Sametime reflector service that was part of earlier versions of Sametime.
Improved network performance and support for IPv6 networking.
A new central administration console called the Sametime System Console (SSC) for managing Sametime server and configuration resources from a consolidated web interface.
Sametime Bandwidth Manager is a new optional WAS-based Sametime server component that allows you to create rules and policies that determine the use of audio and video within Sametime. The Bandwidth Manager monitors Sametime traffic and uses your rules to dynamically select codec and quality of video streams as calls are initiated by users.
No matter if you are new to Sametime or a long-time Sametime administrator, our aim is to guide you through the planning, installation, management, and troubleshooting steps so that you can successfully implement and support Sametime 8.5.2 in your environment.
