OCS and Windows 7: Problems to Watch Out For
Filed under: OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Reference, Unified Communications
It's bound to happen. New systems, hundreds of possible configurations…bugs will pop up. Today I've collected four bugs found when you put OCS 2007 R2 and the Windows 7 OS together. We've run across a couple of them ourselves. I'm including source links for all of them, since we definitely weren't the only ones!
Office Communicator Client Won't Open on Windows 7
On some Windows 7 PCs, the Office Communicator client application won#039;t open. This is due to a registry bug. To fix it, open RegEdit and navigate to this entry:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftCommunicator]
Change the PreventRun key value to 0 instead of 1. Apparently it works like a charm.
OCS Doesn't Inventory All Applications on a Windows 7 PC
This is something that didn't show up during Windows 7 Beta testing. It came about as a weird fluke after RTM. OCS 2007, while inventorying local software on a Windows 7 machine, will miss certain applications. These applications work just fine; OCS can”t see them.
The bug originates in the storage methods used by the Windows 7 registry governing 32-bit and 64-bit applications. In other words, a 64-bit Windows 7 PC's registry stumbles on reporting some applications to OCS.
As of yet there is no fix. However, since this bug doesn't interfere with running any applications, it's not a big reason to worry.
(Source: http://forums.ocsinventory-ng.org/viewtopic.php?id=5198 )
OCS Stops Working on a Windows 7 Beta PC
A funny thing can happen if you run OCS 2007 on a Windows 7 Beta PC - the Office Communicator client may stop working. Poof. Just like that. The event log will show a faulting module in KERNELBASE.dll.
An inventive solution comes from the LCSKid MSDN Blog: He recommends installing a patch that's actually intended for interfacing between Office Communicator and older versions of Windows (Vista, XP, 2000). Inventive! Points to “The LCS Kid” for sniffing this out.
Download the patch from Microsoft.com.
(By the way, this Windows 7/OCS 2007 only works for testing. Use Windows Server 2008 for running OCS in your office.)
(Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/jasonward/archive/2009/03/16/windows-7-and-office-communicator-2007.aspx )
Address Book Sync Error on Windows 7 PCs
Is your Office Communicator client showing a red exclamation point on its icon? When you click it, do you see this error message?
“Cannot synchronize with the corporate address book. This might be because the proxy server setting in your web browser does not allow access to the address book.”
The problem isn't with a proxy server though. It's with, of all things, Internet Explorer 8. Try unchecking the “Check for server certificate revocation” box in IE's options to fix this.
Never let it be said we aren't open about bumps in the OCS road. Thanks to everyone who documented their own encounters with these bugs.
Have you encountered a Windows 7/OCS 2007 bug (or just a weird problem that had a simple fix)? What was it? How”d you arrive at a solution?
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Got Enough Bandwidth for OCS R2?
Filed under: Conferencing, OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, OCS 2010, Reference, Unified Communications, Voice over IP
One quick point for today. When implementing an OCS 2007 R2 setup, make sure there's plenty of bandwidth available. Standard or Enterprise edition. With or without VoIP built-in.
One of our clients (a nationwide energy firm) uses OCS to communicate between branches. Initially this was facilitated by T1 lines. However a few weeks ago, we upgraded them to a DS3 line.
They'd had some issues beforehand - garbled calls, lost IM transmissions, general stability. Most of it came from problems the Unified Messaging server had.
That all vanished when the DS3 line was put in. Poof. More bandwidth = no more connection troubles. Just like that.
Not sure how much bandwidth you have available? Use Speakeasy's Bandwidth Speed Test. Compare the results to the Three UC Amigos' OCS 2007 Bandwidth Requirements . (Alternate reference: Mark Garcia's OCS Web Conferencing Bandwidth Charts.)
6 Things to Check Before an OCS Conference
Filed under: Conferencing, OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Unified Communications, Voice over IP
You”re about to have your first full-on Live Meeting conference with a client! OCS is all set up; you”ve got the cameras ready in case they want to jump to video. VoIP is set up, Mediation server is a go, Edge server in place. Let’’s call them up, right?
Not so fast. Check a few things first. You wouldn”t want your first OCS conference to crash would you? Might cause problems with the client, if they think your conferencing setup isn”t up to snuff.
These are 6 things to check in your OCS setup before any conference is held. I”m assuming basic OCS functionality is already taken care of; these are things you might not think to check right away. But they can "tangle the lines" if they”re not addressed.
1. Test the VoIP connection by calling someone outside your internal network.
If they can”t hear you/you can”t hear them, there’’s a problem on the Mediation server or VoIP gateway. (Run video on this test too, if you plan to use video in the conference.)
2. Check the Edge server for invalid certificates.
A run-through of the Edge server’’s event log will tell you if there’’s any certificate issues creeping around. If so, these should be resolved. They could potentially mess up your client’’s external connection to your OCS setup if not.
3. Double-check your SIP domains.
If you used sip.domain.com (as most Edge servers do), make sure it’’s an FQDN (fully-qualified domain name) and it’’s not blocked by any firewall rules. This can scuttle any external connections if not checked.
4. Is public IM federation turned on & running?
Just in case you want to send over a link during the conference. If your SIP domains are okay, this shouldn”t have any configuration problems.
5. Run the OCS Remote Connectivity Analyzer.
This Analyzer is a Microsoft tool (beta) that tests remote connectivity to an OCS server. It will even auto-discover the needed port and Access Edge.
Ask your client to run the Analyzer on their end before the conference. It’’s free and web-based, so it should be quick & easy: https://www.testocsconnectivity.com/
(The Communications Server Team blog has a write-up on it here: Office Communications Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer - Communications Server Team Blog)
6. And as a last check, make sure that your Internet connection is solid.
If that goes down, well…there’’s not much else you can do, is there?
If everything checks out here - you”re ready to have your chat.
P.S. - Jeff Schertz of PointBridge Blogs has a detailed review of connectivity needs too. With a few handy diagrams.
Did I miss anything? Is there something you like to check in OCS before any big conference session? Let us know in the Comments. Be as detailed as you like; it helps everybody!
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Three Articles on Unified Communications Tech
Filed under: Instant Messaging (IM), OCS 2007, OCS 2007 R2, Unified Communications, Voice over IP
SIP Primer from SearchUnifiedCommunications
Back in November I posted a few resources for SIP trunking. Here’’s one more: a more in-depth SIP primer at Unified Communications News.
Author Elaine Hom talks about the many points in SIP where cost and time savings come about. It’’s a good introduction, and even addresses some basic concerns & caveats. Worth the read if you”re using SIP in any way.
The IP PBX: Who Needs It?
Written by Shamus McGillicuddy for his Unified Communications Nation blog, this post is a comment on the necessity of PBXs in general (IP PBXs in specific). I think the direction he’’s pointing is the right one. We”re in the middle of a big shift in communications technology.
Before, you pretty much only had the PBX option. Now, not only do you have other options for phones (VoIP, cellphones), you have options for different types of communication too (IM, video).
Zeacom Unveils a New Gateway for OCS
Two weeks ago I talked about VoIP gateway manufacturers. Here’’s a new one. Zeacom is a communications solutions company out of New Zealand (with a US office in Irvine, CA). They announced a new gateway for Microsoft OCS 2007 on February 1st.
There isn”t a lot of info on their site about it, but there’’s plenty on overall UC solutions. I”ll keep an eye out for reviews of their new gateway–might be one we can add to the Recommended list.
Any more links related to these you”d like to share? Put them up in the Comments.
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VoIP Gateway
