IBM® Sametime® consists of a variety of servers and clients, and can be deployed to suit many different environments. The deployment instructions are organized by feature set, beginning with the minimum components that are necessary to support instant messaging, and then expanding the deployment to include features such as audio and video support, and conferencing.
The IBM® Sametime® Connect client or Sametime Embedded Client has to be installed on users' computers to use instant messaging and meetings. This section explains how to install these clients.
The IBM® Sametime® Connect and Sametime Embedded clients install directly on the user's computer. You can configure preferences for installed clients before distributing them to users, and then push updates to them automatically.
This section describes how to configure IBM® Sametime® clients.
The installation worksheets are organized according to feature area, such as instant messaging, audio video, and common components. Use the installation worksheets to record DNS-registered host names, database names, IP addresses, ports to open, credentials, and other information. The checklist contains sample tables already filled out, and blank tables for you to fill out.
Install an IBM® Sametime® fix by downloading packages and installing with the Update option.
Many IBM® Sametime® servers use common components to support either an individual server or a server cluster. Installation Manager and WebSphere® Network Deployment are required prerequisites for most Sametime servers. DB2® and Sametime System Console must be installed once for the deployment. IBM Load Balancer is used in a clustered environment. Follow the instructions for each type of deployment to determine which common components you need to install.
Instant messaging features are provided primarily by the IBM® Sametime® Community Server, which supports presence, text chats, and two-way phone calls.
Deploy the First Party Call Control (FPCC) feature by configuring settings in the IBM® Sametime® Connect and Sametime Embedded client installation packages and then distributing the updated packages to users.
Clients in a local IBM® Sametime® community can communicate with users in other communities through the Sametime Gateway.
IBM® Sametime® instant messaging is available from web browsers, and offers a more limited set of features.
The Sametime® Connect Client uses Server Communities preferences to connect to the Sametime Community Server for presence and chat features.
Understand the role of client configuration files that manage communities of users connected to the HCL® Sametime® Community Server.
The following topics describe the different methods for setting preferences for the Sametime® Connect Client and the Sametime Embedded Client for Notes®.
You can distribute updates to IBM® Sametime® client communities automatically using a managed-community-configs.xml file. The managed-community-configs.xml file is policy-based, so you can control communities for different user groups.
Customize installation packages before deploying clients if you want default installations to include extra features or preferences. Examples of extra features are those included with IBM® Sametime®, such as Microsoft™ Office Integration and custom features developed with the Sametime Software Development Kit.
Choose a type of Sametime® client and the operating system where you want to install it.
Configure an update site to distribute optional features and updates to clients.
The Apple iOS client is distributed through the Apple App Store. The Android client is no longer available for download from the IBM® Sametime® Proxy Server. Customers with users who are unable to access the Google Play Store should contact IBM Support to request that a build be provided to them directly.
You can provide failover and load balancing in your deployment by creating a cluster of multiple IBM® Sametime® servers of the same type. All Sametime servers can be clustered except for the Sametime System Console, and the Video MCU and TURN Server components of the Sametime Media Manager.
Ensure the security of your IBM® Sametime® deployment by deploying servers in the extranet. Deploying Sametime servers in the extranet allows external clients to access Sametime features without directly connecting to servers deployed in your intranet.
Expand the range of features in your IBM® Sametime® deployment by integrating with other products.