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Vincenzo Caruso Software Developer IBM Software Group Dublin Software Lab Mulhuddart, Ireland
Kathleen Murray Software Engineer IBM Software Group Dublin Software Lab Mulhuddart, Ireland
May 2010 Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2010. All rights reserved. Summary: This white paper provides detailed information about the installation, configuration, and usage of the IBM Lotus Sametime Unyte and IBM LotusLiveTM Meetings plug-ins available to use with your IBM Lotus Notes and Lotus Sametime clients.
Contents
1 Introduction and overview............................................................................................................3 2 Deploying the Meetings plug-in...................................................................................................3 2.1 Customizing the base installer...............................................................................................4 2.2 Enterprise push-based installation.........................................................................................5 2.2.1 Expeditor Server management for Lotus Sametime.......................................................5 2.2.2 Using other distributed-deployment infrastructures.......................................................6 2.3 User-initiated manual installation..........................................................................................6 2.3.1 Add-on installer..............................................................................................................6 2.3.2 Drag to install.................................................................................................................7 2.3.3 Eclipse plug-in installation.............................................................................................7 2.3.4 Manual uninstall...........................................................................................................11 2.3.5 Upgrading an existing installation................................................................................13 ...............................................................................................................................................14 2.3.6 Refresh branding information without having to reinstall............................................14 3 Plug-in branding.........................................................................................................................14 3.1 Meeting plug-in types..........................................................................................................15 3.2 URL template mechanism...................................................................................................16 3.3 GUI customization...............................................................................................................17 4 Configuration settings.................................................................................................................19 5 Using the plug-in........................................................................................................................20 5.1 Host......................................................................................................................................20 5.1.1 Hosting using the Sametime Unyte plug-in..................................................................20 5.1.2 Hosting using the LotusLive plug-in............................................................................22 5.2 Invite....................................................................................................................................23 5.2.1 Automatically open meeting room option....................................................................25 5.3 Join.......................................................................................................................................25 6 Troubleshooting and FAQ's........................................................................................................26 7 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................29 8 Resources....................................................................................................................................29 About the authors...........................................................................................................................30
Based on these criteria, we outline three categories of deployment: 1. Inclusion of the plug-in in the base installer 2. Centralized push-based enterprise deployment 3. User-initiated manual installation The choice of installation approach must be made according to the environment in which the plug-in is to be deployed. The variables that determine the installation environment are the number of deployment targets and the availability of an enterprise distributed-deployment infrastructure, depicted in the flow chart in figure 1.
Figure 1. Flow chart for installation choice
In the following sub-sections, we discuss each category of deployment in more detail and include pointers
to the relevant documentation for the deployment process.
The following documentation addresses the customization of the Expeditor installation kit:
For additional information, refer to the Lotus Expeditor information center topic, Configuring deployment settings.
Client enrolment registration of the client into the central database Client configuration setting client parameters Software distribution distributing, installing, and uninstalling software or data files to the client Client inventory collection of software information about the client
Run a command on the client and retrieve the output Control when a user is prompted to restart the client Upload files from the client Invoke IBM Support Assistant on the client to gather serviceability data
The Expeditor server is also able to classify the target of the installation, using the client information (client version, operating system, system architecture, etc.). The main drawback of the Expeditor server is there is no integration with Lotus Domino, so it is not able to deploy add-ons to the Notes clients. For more information on client management using the Expeditor Server, refer to the following documentation:
IBM Lotus Expeditor 6.2 information center: See Assembling and Deploying Lotus Expeditor Applications > Managing the client runtime > Managing using a Client Management server Lotus Expeditor wiki
Replace the <PROVIDER> and <BRAND> parameters with the appropriate values for your account. If you need to build a more customized add-on installer, refer to the information center topic, Creating and using a third-party installer.
If you want to base your custom installer on an already available InstallShield template for the Expeditor platform, refer to the Domino 8.5 information center topic, Creating a customised add-on installer.
Then, once the drag-to-install feature is enabled, you just need to drag the widget download icon from the Web page you are accessing into your Lotus Notes widget sidebar. To download the widget icon, refer to LotusLive Engage wiki article, The LotusLive Meeting Plug-in for Sametime and Lotus Notes.
Let's now discuss how to install and to un-install the plug-in through the update site functionality. To install the meetings plug-in in this way, follow these steps: 1.
In Lotus Notes, select File > Application > Install. NOTE: For Notes users who do not have the File > Application > Install capability, refer to subsection 2.3.2, Drag to install, or to Section 6, Troubleshooting, for information on how to enable this feature.
On the Sametime Client, select Tools > Plug-ins > Install Plug-ins.
2. Select the option Search for new features to install, as shown in figure 3; click Next.
Figure 3. Search for new features to install
3. In the next window, click the Add Remote Location button. A new window opens (see figure 4), prompting you for the name and URL of an update site.
Enter the update site from which to install the plug-in; some sample URLs you can use are listed below, depending on the plug-in type being used. NOTE: The URL for the update site is taken from the default brand brand files page. Within the brand files page, you can copy the URL from site.xml file. For Unyte Meetings plug-in: http://<CONFERENCE_SERVER>/brands/<PROVIDER_NAME>/<BRAND_NAME>/site.xml For LotusLive Meetings plug-in: http:// <CONFERENCE_SERVER>/brands/<PROVIDER_NAME>/<BRAND_NAME>/site.xml
4. Click OK and then select the name of the update site you just added; click Finish. 5. A new window displays with the features to install, as shown in figure 5. Select the plug-in version
to install and click Next.
6. The licence agreement displays. Select I accept the terms in the license agreements and click Next. 7. A summary of the install features is shown in the next window (see figure 6). Click Finish.
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After the installation, you will be prompted to restart your client. Do this before proceeding to use the tool. You should now have a fully functional Meetings plug-in.
For Notes users, select File > Application > Application Management (see figure 7).
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For Sametime users, select Tools > Plug-ins > Manage Plug-ins, as shown in figure 8.
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NOTE: For some early versions of the Lotus Sametime Client 7.5.1, the Preference window may open instead of the Product Configuration. To get to the Product Configuration, click "Advanced Options" in the Preferences window. 2. In the next window that opens (see figure 9), select the meetings plug-in from the left-hand pane and do either of the following actions:
Right-click and select Uninstall, or Click the Uninstall link in the right-hand panel
3. Click OK to confirm the uninstall and then restart your client. The plug-in should now be uninstalled.
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To find updates for the Sametime Connect Client, select File > Tools > Plug-ins > Install Plug-ins, and again, select Search for updates of the currently installed features (see figure 10 above).
3 Plug-in branding
The LotusLive Meetings and Sametime Unyte services offer a managed way to customize their look and feel. Service Administrators are provided with credentials to a Web Admin application that's used to manage all the settings for customizing the meeting service, according to the style and needs of their organization.
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You can also customize LotusLive and Sametime Unyte Meeting plug-ins by using the Web Admin service. The remainder of this section is intended for Service Administrators who have access to the Web Admin and wish to customize this aspect of the plug-in.
Unyte Meetings. Used by Sametime Unyte customers and resellers who directly use the conferenceservers.com services LotusLive. Used by LotusLive users
The type not only differentiates the look and feel of the plug-in but also the host and invite logic. NOTE: Different plug-in types can be installed simultaneously on the client but not multiple instances of the same type. To set the plug-in type, go into the brand information page in the Web Admin client and edit the details under the Sametime plug-in section, as shown in figure 11. If the plug-in type needs to be updated, select the type and then click Update Brand. This action will repackage the plug-in with the updated brand information.
Figure 11. Sametime plug-in brand details
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Host template URL. Used by the host to start a meeting Join template URL. Sent to the participant, via Instant Messaging (IM), to join the meeting
Both URLs can use a set of variables that are provided by the plug-in at runtime. The variables must be surrounded by < and > in order to be interpreted correctly. Table 1 contains the full list of variables available.
Table 1. URL variables
Variable
<CONF_SERVER> <ACCESS_CODE> <SUB_ID> <SVC_PROV> <SEC_SVC_PROV> <BRAND> <HOST_NAME>
Description
The conference server hostname, as specified in the plug-ins preference page. The Conference ID (or sometimes referred to as passcode). The meeting password (or sometimes referred to as SubscriberID). The service provider code The secondary service provider code The brand code Used only for the Sametime Unyte service. The hosts name, as defined in the plug-ins preference page. Used only for the Sametime Unyte service. The hosts email, as defined in the plug-ins preference page. Used only for the Sametime Unyte service. The hosts phone number, as defined in the plug-ins preference page. Used only for the Sametime Unyte service. The hosts company, as defined in the plugins preference page. The participants name, as defined in Sametime directory service. The participants email, as defined in Sametime directory service. The participants phone number, as defined in Sametime directory service. The participants company, as defined in Sametime directory service. The option of starting a meeting right after logging in.
<HOST_EMAIL>
<HOST_PHONE>
<HOST_COMP>
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NOTE: The special syntax adopted for the AUTOSTART Boolean value allows you to specify custom values for the AUTOSTART Boolean option, which may vary according to the entry point interface. The template mechanism lets you specify custom values that map to the true and false values of AUTOSTART. The default templates and corresponding plug-in type of service are as follows: Sametime Unyte:
Host template: https://<CONF_SERVER>/webagent/webagent.asp? UserName=<SUB_ID>&Password=<ACCESS_CODE>&mode=online&cust=<SVC_PROV>& SecSvcProv=<SEC_SVC_PROV>&brand=<BRAND>&fname=<HOST_NAME>&email=<HOST _EMAIL>&comp=<HOST_COMPANY>&pnum=<HOST_PHONE> Join template: https://<CONF_SERVER>/meetme/meetme.asp? code=<ACCESS_CODE>&cust=<SVC_PROV>&SecSvcProv=<SEC_SVC_PROV>&brand=<B RAND>&fname=<PART_NAME>&email=<PART_EMAIL>&comp=<PART_COMPANY>&pnum=< PART_PHONE>
LotusLive Meetings:
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Listing 1. Sample style.css code <body onload="javascript: init()"> <div id="container"> <div id="header"> <div id="logo" /> </div> <div id="content"> <div class="form_group"> <div id="join_form"> <form method="post" action="javascript: join()"> <h1>JOIN</h1> <div> <input onblur="inputFieldOnBlur()" onfocus="inputFieldOnFocus()" class="inputfield" id="conferenceIDInputField" type="text" value="Enter Conference ID to join" /> <a href="javascript: join()" id="join_button_id" class="button">Join Meeting</a> </div> </form> </div> </div> <div class="form_group"> <div id="host_form"> <form method="post" action="#host"> <h1>HOST</h1> <div> <a href="javascript: host()" id="host_button_id" class="button">Host Meeting</a> <span id="meeting_id">ID XXXXXXX</span> </div> </form> </div> <p> <a href="javascript: setPreferences()">Click here to set your meeting preferences</a> </p> </div> </div> </div> </body
In the CSS file, the following standard HTML elements may be redefined:
If you just want to change some colors or images, the base style can be used as a template. To retrieve the base style, please contact Lotus Customer Support.
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If a brand-new style needs to be developed from scratch, the designer must respect the classes and divs listed above; also, the resulting CSS file must be named style.css.
4 Configuration settings
Once the plug-in is installed, you are able to view the configuration settings (see figure 12). To view these settings, click the Set Meeting Preferences link and, in the resulting dialog box, select the Configuration Settings link. NOTE: No changes should be made by the user unless instructed by the administrator.
Figure 12. Configuration Settings window
Setting Brand name Service provider code Secondary service provider code (customer) Meetings server URL
Description The name of the brand to be used by the plug-in This should contain the name of your service provider This should contain the name of your secondary service provider/customer The URL to your meetings server 19
Host URL template Join URL template URL for creating new accounts
The URL template to host meetings (refer to Section 3.2, URL template mechanism, for more details) The URL template to join meetings (refer to Section 3.2, URL template mechanism, for more details) The URL used to create new accounts
Refresh the display every time Enable this to download the brand information from meetings the client starts service every time the client starts Refresh now Click to download the brand information now
If you change a setting, click Apply to save the changes, then click OK. If you want to restore your default settings, click the Restore Defaults button and any changes made will be lost. NOTE: There are no setting differences between the Sametime Unyte meetings plug-in and the LotusLive meetings plug-in.
5.1 Host
After installing the plug-in, you can now host meetings directly from the plug-in. Depending on the type of plug-in installedeither Sametime Unyte or LotusLive Meetingsthere are a few differences in how this is handled.
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The following details can be entered when using the Sametime Unyte plug-in:
PIN#. This name depends on what the service administrator applies to the field: Term for Guest Access Code value set in brand file (see Section 3, Plug-in branding, for more information). ID. This name depends on what the service administrator applies to the field: Term for Subscriber ID value is set in the brand file. See Section 3 Plug-in Branding for more information. Your name. Automatically fills in from Sametime details. Your email. Automatically fills in from Sametime details. Your company. Optional Your phone number. Optional
It is not possible to host a meeting or send invitations if the PIN and ID fields are left blank. Once these details are entered, the host functionality becomes enabled. To host a meeting, click the Host Meeting button (see figure 14).
Figure 14. Host Meeting button
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By clicking this button, you launch the system's default browser, and the meeting is started automatically. All the user details are already pre-populated by use of the values specified in the Preferences page.
Once the meeting ID is entered, the host functionality is enabled. Remember to include the hyphen within the meeting ID. To host a meeting, once again, click the Host Meeting button (recall figure 14 above). By clicking the button, you launch the system's default browser, and the LotusLive log-in window displays, as shown in figure 16. The user needs to have a registered LotusLive account in order to log in and host a meeting.
Figure 16. LotusLive log-in window
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NOTE: The meeting ID within the Preferences page is not used when a meeting is being hosted with the LotusLive meetings plug-in; instead, the LotusLive log-in credentials are used to authenticate and host. The meeting ID is used when the host sends invites to Sametime contacts to join their meeting.
5.2 Invite
The Meetings plug-in allows the host to invite people to their meeting by simply selecting one or more contacts from their Sametime Contacts list. The invitation is sent as an IM and contains the URL already prepared to join the meeting. Since the plug-in is sending a plain hyperlink, there is no need to have the plug-in installed on the invitee side. The meeting ID set in the Preferences page is used when sending these invitations. To send an invite, simply select a single contact or multiple contacts, right-click, and select Invite to a Meeting, as shown in figure 17.
Figure 17. Invite multiple contacts
If you have a defined group in your list, you can invite the group by right-clicking on the group name and selecting Invite to a Meeting (see figure 18).
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A chat message is sent to all the selected contacts, as shown in figure 19. The message contains short descriptive text and two links:
Join Now. Joins the Web meeting. Test Your Browser. Tests the browser capabilities, a system check will run and results are displayed in your default browser
When the invitee clicks the Join Now link, the machine's default browser launches, and the meeting will load. The user joins without having to enter their details because the Join Now link is pre-populated with the invitee's details retrieved from the directory services. The host receives an announcement to the effect that the invitation was successfully sent (see figure 20).
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Note that, if the host is using the Sametime Unyte plug-in, the meeting is automatically opened in their default browser. If using the LotusLive plug-in, the LotusLive log-in screen opens, prompting the host to enter their LotusLive log-in credentials before reaching the meeting window.
5.3 Join
The Meeting plug-in also allows you to join a meeting if you have the meeting ID. To do this, simply enter the meeting ID in the Join field and then click the Join Meeting button (see figure 22).
Figure 22. Join Meeting button
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The default system's browser launches, and you are brought into the meeting. For Sametime Unyte, all your user details are pre-populated with the values specified in the Preferences page. For LotusLive, if the user already has a LotusLive session open, the directory values stored in the LotusLive account will override those specified in the plug-in's Preference page. If the meeting has not yet started, the user will be placed in the waiting room.
Lotus Notes Clients: 8.0, 8.01, 8.0.2, and 8.5 Lotus Sametime Clients: 7.5.1, 8, 8.0.1, and 8.0.2
2. Should you accept the security prompt after installing the Meetings plug-in when using Lotus Notes 8.5? Yes, this will appear the very first time you open the plug-in on Notes 8.5 after the installation (see figure 23). Click the X to close it, and it should not appear again.
Figure 23. Security warning
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3. Is it possible to install the two Meetings plug-in types on the same Notes or Sametime client? Both Meeting plug-in types can be installed on the same client, but you cannot have more than one instance of the same plug-in type installed; for example, you cannot install two instances of the LotusLive plug-in on your Notes client. 4. For Notes users who do not have the File > Application > Install capability, you must enable this feature prior to plug-in installation. To do this: If your Lotus Notes client is running, exit the program by selecting File > Exit. Using a text editor such as Notepad, add the following line to the file \framework\rcp\plugin_customization.ini located in your Notes home folder:
com.ibm.notes.branding/enable.update.ui=true
Save the file and start the Notes client.
This configuration file change enables the Install function of the Applications menu, which is disabled by default. NOTE: If you do not know the path to your Notes home folder, you can find the file by selecting Start > Search and searching for plugin_customization.ini. When the search results display, find the file that ends in \framework\rcp\plugin_customization.ini, and open it. (For Macintosh users, right-click the Notes application and choose Show package contents. The plugin_customization.ini file is located in the Contents/MacOS/rcp/plugin_customization.ini folder.) 5. What happens if an invalid meeting ID is accidentally placed in the Join section or in the meeting preferences? If a user wishing to join a meeting enters an incorrect Meeting ID, they will be placed in the waiting room for the meeting ID entered. The user can click the Back button on the 'Waiting to Join Conference' window. If using the LotusLive Meetings plug-in, the user will then be directed to the LotusLive Join a Meeting page as shown in figure 24.
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If using the Sametime Unyte plug-in, the user will see the Participant tab information, as shown in figure 25, giving them another opportunity to enter the correct meeting ID.
Figure 25. Join a Meeting from Sametime Unyte plug-in page
6. What happens if you sign out from a LotusLive meeting but do not close the browser? As a host, if you sign out of your meeting, you will be able to start a new meeting without reauthenticating on LotusLive because the session is kept by the browser. If you do close your browser after a meeting using LotusLive, you must re-authenticate each time.
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7.
What should you do if an error appears after you attempt to refresh brand information in the configuration settings? If the refresh operation returns an error, check the following: Network connection: Check that you have access to the Internet. Conference server: Check that the conference server specified in the configuration settings can be reached. Provider and brand: Check with Sametime Unyte/LotusLive Support to make sure that the provider and brand in the configuration settings are valid.
7 Conclusion
You should now have the information you need to install and use LotusLive and Sametime Unyte Meeting plug-ins. Our discussion included the following topics:
Various options available for installation Brand information required Configuration settings Using the plug-in to host, invite, and join a meeting using Lotus Notes and Sametime clients
We also pointed out any differences between the two plug-ins, where applicable and concluded with a troubleshooting section to provide help/answers to any issues/questions you may have.
8 Resources
developerWorks article, Introducing LotusLive: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/lotuslive-intro/ developerWorks article, Introducing LotusLive Meetings: https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/lotuslive-meetings/ LotusLive product page: https://www.lotuslive.com/en/ Lotus Domino and Notes information center: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/domhelp/v8r0/index.jsp Lotus Sametime 8 information center: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/sametime/v8r0/index.jsp Lotus Expeditor 6.2 information center: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ledoc/v6r2/index.jsp LotusLive Engage wiki: http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/bhwiki.nsf 29
Trademarks
developerWorks, Domino, IBM, Lotus, LotusLive, Notes, Redbooks, Sametime, Symphony, and Unyte are trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.
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