AOL PIC Users Fail / Presence Unknown

06 April 2009 Brian-Ricks

As all are aware Office Communication Server 2007 R2 was recently released and with it the ability to run the various code on Windows Server 2008 64bit. Everything appears to run/work correctly with the exception of AOL users via the PIC.

Symptoms:

  • AOL Users' Presence is Inaccurate; it may show on-line, unavailable, or presence unknown
  • A message invite may be received from an AOL user but no information is ever received
  • Attempting to respond to an AOL user or start a conversation with an AOL user will fail

The fix was discovered by Microsoft Senior Escalation Engineer Scott Oseychik among others and is documented at:

http://blogs.msdn.com/scottos/archive/2009/04/03/resolved-ocs-2007-r2-pic-fails-against-aol.aspx

The fix: in short you must modify the local security policy on the 2008 Edge server rearranging the TLS authentication methods. It is important to note that this fix and the issue do not apply if you have the OCS 2007 R2 bits installed on a Windows Server 2003 64-bit.

Office Communication Server 2007 R2 Announced

14 August 2008 Brian-Ricks

Office Communication Server (OCS) 2007 R2 has finally been announced. There are many great and new features that have been announced and the full link can be found here:

http://www.microsoft.com/communicationsserver/en/us/default.aspx

The big ticket items include:

  • 64-Bit Operating System Required (Windows 2003 sp2 or Windows 2008)
    • The migration process is just that - a migration - so you will have to install a 64-bit operating system, install OCS 2007 R2, and then import or migrate your users into the new OCS environment
  • Dial-in Audio Conferencing
    • Allows an external number to be called - a bridge number - so parties with only phone access can join a Live Meeting or a Conferencing Bridge
  • Group Chat
    • A persistent chat window, much like a newsgroup or forum, where individuals can ask questions, see past messaging, etc.
  • Secretary/Admin Console
    • Now one person can see and field calls using OC using the new Attendant Console. The admin will also be able to modify their delegate's status
  • Response Groups
    • Think of a call center or help desk - this feature will be a hunt group using variables defined by the admin per group
  • Single-number Reach
    • Allows a single number to automatically call on OC person based off of location and availability

As I see and hear more, you can find out about it here!