Andy Yiu » Technology

Sametime 8.5.x and Virtualhosts

andyyiu — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 23:52:42 +0000

Sametime 8.5.x has really helped in consolidating management of Sametime and WebSphere configurations into a single location. However, it is with this configuration that some additional issues crop up. Several Sametime components utilize the a technology called RTC4Web. This is used extensively in the Sametime Proxy, Advanced and Meetings server components. When more than one of these components is installed in the same cell, messages may be misrouted to the incorrect location.

Virtualhosts can help to route traffic to a specific location. By default, everything is assigned to default_host. To segregate the traffic, you will need to create a new virtual host. The hostnames which you provide should always include the load balanced hostname for the service and the ports through which the service is accessed. Administrators may optionally add the backend servers and the respective ports to make it easier to troubleshoot the infrastructure in case problems arise.

Another trick with virtual hosts if that they can be used for security. If you for example, do not want users to access the Sametime proxy service directly on the backend server, administrators count theoretically restrict access to only the load balanced hostname. On the other hand, you may also remove port 80 from the virtual hosts configuration and in doing so force everyone to access the service through a secure connection on port 443.

For information on setting up the WebSphere virtual hosts, take a look at the following IBM Technote:

IBM WebSphere Proxy redirects to Sametime Proxy unexpectedly

Sametime 8.5.2 is now live!

andyyiu — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:16:21 +0000

If you have been patiently waiting for the release of Sametime 8.5.2, the wait is over. Sametime 8.5.2 is now available for download through the normal channels! One thing you will definitely want to note is the location change of the documentation. Instead of publishing the Sametime 8.5.2 in the traditional IBM information center, the documentation has been moved to the wiki.

Sametime 8.5.2 Product Documentation Wiki

Here is the announcement letter again outlining some of the improvements which have been made:

http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/ShowDoc.jsp?docURL=/common/ssi/rep_ca/5/897/ENUS211-165/index.html

And finally, here are the part numbers which you need to keep an eye out for.

CF2XZML	IBM Sametime Entry and Standard V8.5.2 Multiplatform Multilingual Quickstart Guide
CZYF7ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Connect Clients Standalone, Notes, Network Installer, Mobile Windows Mac Linux ML
CZYD7ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Community Server Windows Multilingual
CZYD8ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Community Server AIX Linux Solaris Multilingual
CZYD9ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Community Server IBM i Multilingual
CZYE0ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Meeting Server Windows Multilingual
CZYE2ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Meeting Server AIX Multilingual
CZYE4ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Meeting Server Linux on x86 Multilingual
CZYE5ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Meeting Server Solaris Multilingual
CZYE3ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Meeting Server IBM i Multilingual
CZYE6ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Proxy Server Windows Multilingual
CZYE7ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Proxy Server AIX Multilingual
CZYE8ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Proxy Server Linux on x86 Multilingual
CZYE9ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Proxy Server Solaris Multilingual
CZYE1ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Proxy Server IBM i Multilingual
CZYF0ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Media Manager Windows Multilingual
CZYF1ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 Media Manager Linux on x86 Multilingual
CZYF2ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 System Console Server Windows Multilingual
CZYF3ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 System Console Server AIX Multilingual
CZYF4ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 System Console Server Linux on x86 Multilingual
CZYF5ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 System Console Server Solaris Multilingual
CZYF6ML	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 System Console Server IBM i Multilingual
CZYF8EN	IBM Sametime Standard V8.5.2 SDK Windows AIX Linux Solaris IBM i Mac English
	WebSphere Applicaton Server Network Deployment for Sametime
CZYA0ML	WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V7.0.0.15 Customized Installation Package Windows for Sametime 8.5.2 Multilingual
CZYA1ML	WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V7.0.0.15 Customized Installation Package AIX Sametime for Sametime 8.5.2 Multilingual
CZYA4ML	WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V7.0.0.15 Customized Installation Package Solaris SPARC for Sametime 8.5.2 Multilingual
CZYA2ML	WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V7.0.0.15 Customized Installation Package Linux x86 for Sametime 8.5.2 Multilingual
CZYA3ML	WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V7.0.0.15 Customized Installation Package IBM i for Sametime 8.5.2 Multilingual
CZYH1ML	IBM WebSphere V7.0.0.15 iFixes for Sametime V8.5.2 Windows, AIX, Linux x86, zLinux, Solaris, IBM i Multilingual

Optional parts

	Languages: All Languages
CZIP9EN	IBM Domino 8.5.2 32 bit for Windows English
CZJ99EN	IBM Domino Server 8.5.2 for AIX 32 bit English
CZIQ2EN	IBM Domino 8.5.2 32 bit Linux for xSeries English
CZIQ4EN	IBM Domino 8.5.2 for Solaris 32 Bit English
CZIQ5EN	IBM Domino 8.5.2 for IBM i English
CZIF0EN	IBM Notes, Designer and Domino Admin 8.5.2 for Windows 32 bit English
CZIF7EN	IBM Notes 8.5.2 basic configuration Win English Win English
CZM9UFI	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Finnish
CZM9VDE	IBM Notes, Domino Designer and Admin 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista German
CZM9WKO	IBM Notes, Domino Designer and Admin 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Korean
CZM9XNO	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Norwegian
CZM9YSC	IIBM Notes, Domino Designer and Admin 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista SimplifiedChinese
CZM9ZES	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Spanish
CZMA0SV	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Swedish
CZMA1FR	IBM Notes, Domino Designer and Admin 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista French
CZMA2TC	IBM Notes, Domino Designer and Admin 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Traditional Chinese
CZMA4IT	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Italian
CZMA5DA	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Danish
CZMA7NL	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Dutch
CZQ1BCS	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Czech
CZQ1CHU	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Hungarian
CZQ1DRU	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Russian
CZQ1EEL	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Greek
CZQ1FTR	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Turkish
CZQ1GAR	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Arabic
CZQ1HPT	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Portuguese
CZQ1IPL	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Polish
CZQ1KSI	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Slovenian
CZQ1LSK	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Slovakian
CZMA3JA	IBM Notes, Domino Designer and Admin 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Japanese
CZMA6BP	IBM Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.2 for Windows XP and Vista Brazilian Portuguese
	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Packs
CZM56BP	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003, Windows 2008 and IBM Power Systems Brazilian Portuguese
CZM4TDE	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems German
CZM4XES	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Spanish
CZM4ZFR	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems French
CZM52IT	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Italian
CZM51JA	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Japanese
CZM4UKO	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Korean
CZM4WSC	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Simplified Chinese
CZM50TC	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Traditional Chinese
CZM54EN	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems English
CZM53DA	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Danish
CZM4SFI	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Finnish
CZM55NL	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Dutch
CZM4VNO	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Norwegian
CZM4YSV	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 and IBM Power Systems Swedish
CZM68BP	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Brazilian Portuguese
CZM5XDE	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries German
CZM61ES	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Spanish
CZM63FR	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries French
CZM66IT	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Italian
CZM65JA	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Japanese
CZM5YKO	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Korean
CZM60SC	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Simplified Chinese
CZM64TC	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Traditional Chinese
CZM6AEN	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries English
CZM67DA	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Danish
CZM5WFI	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Finnish
CZM69NL	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Dutch
CZM5ZNO	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Norwegian
CZM62SV	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Solaris, Linux on xSeries, Linux zSeries Swedish
CZQ3RTH	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX Thai
CZU5LCS	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Czech
CZQ39HU	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Hungarian
CZQ3CRU	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Russian
CZQ37EL	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Greek
CZQ3DTR	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Turkish
CZQ35AR	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Arabic
CZQ3APT	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Portuguese
CZQ38IW	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Hebrew
CZU5MPL	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Polish
CZQ3FSI	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Slovenian
CZQ3ESK	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Slovakian
CZQ3GTH	IBM Domino 8.5.2 Language Pack for Windows 2003/2008 Thai
CZU5NCS	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP Linux on xSeries Czech
CZQ3LHU	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Linux on xSeries Hungarian
CZQ3PRU	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP Linux on xSeries Russian
CZQ3JEL	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP Linux on xSeries Greek
CZQ3QTR	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP Linux on xSeries Turkish
CZQ3HAR	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP Linux on xSeries Arabic
CZQ3MPT	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP Linux on xSeries Portuguese
CZQ3KIW	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP Linux on xSeries Hebrew
CZU5PPL	IBM Domino 8.5.2 LP AIX, Linux on xSeries Polish
	IBM Edge Components
C1I4YML	IBM Edge Components V7.0 for Windows on x86-32 bit, Multilingual
C1I50ML	IBM Edge Components V7.0 for Windows on x86-64 bit, Multilingual
C1I52ML	IBM Edge Components V7.0 for AIX 32-bit, Multilingual
C1I7LML	IBM Edge Components V7.0 for Linux on Intel 32-bit, Multilingual
C1I58ML	IBM Edge Components V7.0 for Solaris SPARC 32-bit, Multilingual
	IPV6
C1I4ZML	IBM Edge Components for IPv6 V7.0 for Windows on Intel 32-bit, Multilingual
C1I51ML	IBM Edge Components for IPv6 V7.0 for Windows on x86 64-bit, Multilingual
C1G2DML	IBM Edge Components for IPv6 V7.0 for AIX 32-bit, Multilingual
C1I53ML	IBM Edge Components for IPv6 V7.0 for AIX 64-bit, Multilingual
C1I7MML	IBM Edge Components for IPv6 V7.0 for Linux on 32-bit, Multilingual
C1I7PML	IBM Edge Components for IPv6 V7.0 for Linux on x86 64-bit, Multilingual
C1I7IML	IBM Edge Components for IPv6 V7.0 for Solaris SPARC 32-bit, Multilingual
C1I7JML	IBM Edge Components for IPv6 V7.0 for Solaris SPARC 64-bit, Multilingual
	IBM DB2
CZ1HKML	IBM DB2 9.7 – Limited Use for Windows on 32-bit AMD and Intel systems (x86)
CZ1HLML	IBM DB2 9.7 – Limited Use for Windows on AMD64 and Intel EM64T systems (x64)
CZ1HMEN	IBM DB2 9.7 – Limited Use for 64-bit AIX
CZ1HPEN	IBM DB2 9.7 – Limited Use for Solaris on UltraSPARC systems
CZ1HREN	IBM DB2 9.7 – Limited Use for Linux on 32-bit AMD and Intel systems (x86)
CZ1HSEN	IBM DB2 9.7 – Limited Use for Linux® on AMD64 and Intel® EM64T systems (x64)
	Sametime Gateway
CRE9SML	IBM Sametime Gateway Server 8.5.2 Multiplatform Multilingual eAssy
CZYF9ML	IBM Sametime Gateway Server 8.5.2 Windows IBM i Multilingual
CZYG0ML	IBM Sametime Gateway Server 8.5.2 SOL SPARC Multilingual

IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Product Announcement

andyyiu — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:32:25 +0000

The next major release of Sametime is just around the corner. Yesterday, Sametime 8.5.2 was officially announced to the public. For those of you looking for the download in the Software Downloads site, it isn’t there yet. Sametime 8.5.2 will be available for download on June 10, 2011.

The main focus on this release has been around the Sametime media functionality. Some of the functionality which has been lacking such as NAT support and firewall traversal have finally been reintroduced. Also, browser based web meetings and the Sametime Web client will get audio and video support. These two changes are significant since it represents the reintroduction of features that I know customers have been asking for since the first version of Sametime 8.5 was released.

In the mobile space, a native client for Android devices will be available and a Sametime meeting client will be available for Blackberry devices. Those of you looking for an iOS client will have to still use the Sametime Proxy web client for a bit longer.

There have been some pretty significant changes in way the Sametime system console. For example, there is now closer integration with Sametime Advanced and the way that deployment plans are created. Gone are the issues with using the guided activity to create Domino LDAP profiles and there is better policy management control and more granular administrative rights. Platform-wise, Sametime 8.5.2 will use a newer release of WebSphere and DB2 along with support for Windows 2008 R2 and Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11.

Finally, the product name has been changed. Sametime is now officially referred to as IBM Sametime. Stay tuned on June 10th and get ready to start your download!

Official Sametime 8.5.2 Product Announcement letter

Do you really have Sametime 8.5.1 FP1 applied?

andyyiu — Mon, 09 May 2011 08:45:08 +0000

Update: Several changes were made to this post after the initial posting. I would like to clarify that the Sametime Cluster Guided Activity should be used whenever possible to update a product cluster.

Sametime 8.5.1 FP1, also known as 8.5.1.1 has many fixes which should be applied to an environment. However, in the initial release of the fixpack, a critical step was missing from the readme file. The IBM installation manager will install the files onto the server, however to commit the changes to a clustered environment, you will need to perform one additional step through the integrated solutions console. This is the process to upgrade the existing cluster. The steps for this can be found under, the section “Upgrading a cluster of Lotus Sametime 8.5 Proxy Servers on AIX, Linux, Solaris, or Windows” in the Sametime information center. Here is the abridged version of the guide:

Navigate to the Sametime System Console.
Navigate to Sametime System Console – guided activities – Cluster WebSphere Application Servers.
Click Next to begin the guided activity
Select the Product to cluster.
Select “Upgrade existing cluster”
Confirm that the application servers hosting the application are stopped.
Follow the prompts to confirm and start the upgrade.
Once the upgrade is complete navigate to System Administration – Nodes
Select all of the Node and click Full Resynchronize Wait 1-2 minutes for this to complete.
Navigate to Servers – WebSphere Application Servers.
Select the servers hosting the application you just upgraded and click Start.
Confirm that the application servers start successfully.
Repeat the procedure for each application cluster.

In case there are problems updating a component with the guided activity, the following procedure can be used to manually deploy the update to the cluster:

Navigate to the Sametime System Console.
Navigate to the Applications – Application Types – WebSphere enterprise applications
Select an Enterprise Application. (In this example, use ConferenceFocus). Click update.
Select the option “Replace the entire application”. Click on the “Remote file system” option.
Click on Browse.
Select the node containing the application files.
Navigate to D:IBMWebSpherePNSametimeOfferingSametimeServerSMServerinstallableApps. (Note these paths may vary per component)
Select the component name (Example: ConferenceFocus.ear).
Click OK.
Click Next.
Under “How do you want to install the application?”, select “Fast Path”. Leave the rest of the settings as default.
Click Next.
Under the “Select installation options” page, accept the defaults and click Next.
Under “Map modules to servers”, select all of the modules from the list by clicking the ( ) option.
Under clusters and servers, select the cluster and/or server which is hosting the enterprise application.
Click Apply. The server name should change to the list of servers selected under Clusters and Servers.
Click Next.
Review the summary page.
Click Finish.
Click Rollout update to synchronize and update the servers.

IBM DeveloperWorks Article: Enabling SSL in IBM Lotus Sametime 8.5.1: A complete guide

andyyiu — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:28:19 +0000

I would like to announce the publication of the IBM DeveloperWorks article “Enabling SSL in IBM Lotus Sametime 8.5.1: A complete guide”. This white paper outlines the steps required to enable Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for an IBM Lotus® Sametime® component based on IBM WebSphere® Application Server. It focuses on installing the trusted root and intermediate root certificates, and on generating and installing a SSL certificate signed by a Certificate Authority. In addition, we’ll cover the steps to enable the Sametime Community server to connect to LDAP over SSL (LDAPS).

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/documentation/sametimessl/

Note: While this article was written for Sametime 8.5.1, the procedures and concepts still apply for later releases.

IBM DeveloperWorks Article: Deploying a scalable IBM Lotus Sametime 8.5.1 environment for small-to-medium businesses

andyyiu — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:12:59 +0000

I am pleased to announce that one of the papers I have authored “Deploying a scalable IBM Lotus Sametime 8.5.1 environment for small-to-medium businesses” has finally been released to IBM developerWorks. Any organizationwhich is interested in hardware minimization or stacking certain components together should definitely read this paper. One of the main focal points is stacking multiple nodes on the same physical host. While the information is not covered in the Sametime Information Center, such a configuration does allow organizations to both scale the environment and add on redundancy as needed.

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/documentation/scalablesametime/

First Apple iPad shown at the Oscars

andyyiu — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:50:49 +0000

Apple’s first iPad advertisement just debuted at the Oscars. The official release date of April 3rd was announced several days ago for the Wi-fi version and the 3G version arriving shortly afterwards. If anyone is planning to pre-order, Apple is reportedly going to start accepting pre-orders on March 12th.

See the new Apple ad at: http://www.apple.com/ipad/gallery/#hardware06

Sametime 8.5 Planning and Deployment Open Mic

andyyiu — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:29:13 +0000

For anyone who did not see the Open Mic posting on the Sametime Support Blog, there is a recording of the open mic which IBM support and development held to address questions on how Sametime 8.5 should be implemented.

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=477&uid=swg21418099

It’s the end of the road for POTS/PSTN

andyyiu — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:08:13 +0000

It may not seem like news to anyone now as many of us have already moved from PSTN/POTS services to VOIP and cellular telecommunication providers, but AT&T has stated that it is now time to cut the cord and allow this technological relic to finally rest in piece. For many consumers, this will not affect anything. So who does this change affect? Most people most affected by this change will be those that live in rural areas where there are no broadband ISPs willing to provide service. People in these types of situations may have to rely in satellite service which is most of the time cost-prohibitive. Many security systems also rely on an active telephone service, however the good news is that there are a few companies out there that provide alarm services over a GSM connection and existing systems can be retrofitted at a cost.

Before AT&T can cut the cord on POTS, it is my opinion that cellular service still has to improve significantly to ensure there is sufficient network capacity and coverage to make sure that in case of an emergency, a person can definitely reach that 911 dispatcher. As the article states, there are some kinks to work out and hopefully a cost reduce for cell service will be in the plan as well.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/185649/atandt_tells_fcc_its_time_to_cut_the_cord.html

What you need to know about Sametime 8.5

andyyiu — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:10:42 +0000

Sametime 8.5 marks a major turning point in the product platform from IBM Lotus Domino to the IBM Websphere and DB2 infrastructure. As you plan out your environment, there are a couple key points to consider:

Sametime Classic – Most of the promotional materials and discussions which have occurred over the past two years have shown screenshots of the new Sametime 8.5 meetings experience built on IBM WebSphere technology. If you are not ready to make the jump, the older version of the Sametime Meeting server is still available. This version is now referred to as Sametime Classic and contains both the Sametime Community and Meeting server. The Sametime Classic Meeting server has not undergone any major enhancements, however does contain bug fixes. Companies running Sametime Classic on AIX, Linux and Solaris will see major improvements in the stability of the Meeting Room client when application sharing.
What type of directory should you use? – If you want to utilize many of the new features in Sametime 8.5, you will need to use an LDAP directory. If you’re still using a Domino Directory, you will need to enable LDAP on a server not used for Sametime and connect the Sametime 8.5 infrastructure to it. Sametime 8.5 is heavily based on WebSphere technology which connects to LDAP, but not native Domino. The Sametime 8.5 environment will support most LDAP v3 complaint servers, however if anyone out there is running Microsoft Active Directory 2008 Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) you’re out of luck with this release.
IBM Domino Server version - The Sametime 8.5 Classic and Community server can be installed on Domino 8.0.x and 8.5 only. There is no support for Domino 8.5.1 at this time but IBM is working on supporting this in the next releases
What type of Load Balancing device to use? – Historically, the Sametime Mux, IP Sprayer or a round-robin DNS could be use to distribute traffic to a Sametime server. These options are still available for a Sametime Classic or community only server, however not all of these solutions are valid for the newer components such as meetings, proxy and media manager. These other components need to use either a load balancer or a WebSphere proxy. A Sametime MUX can not be used with these new components. Sametime 8.5 does include the WebSphere Edge components as part of the eAssembly package which is a great easy to setup load balancer once you get the hang of it. It can be installed on a single machine and serve multiple host addresses. The WebSphere proxy is a component on the WebSphere Application Server. In testing the software, there were a few issues that cropped up around WebSphere proxy testing with the Sametime Proxy component so it can not be used in those scenarios yet. Overall, it is always better to install a dedicated load balancer that performs IP-spraying in lieu of a round-robin DNS or using the WebSphere proxy server.