Polycom Conference Suite 7.0
Release Notes
September 15, 2004
This document provides complementary or late-breaking information about the Polycom Conference Suite
7.0 that is not available in the documentation or online Help. Check the Polycom web site
(http://www.polycom.com) for the latest information.
Table of Contents
Server Requirements....................................................................................................................................2
Client Requirements......................................................................................................................................2
User Account Requirements.........................................................................................................................2
What’s New in 7.0.........................................................................................................................................3
Scheduling ........................................................................................................... 3
Reports................................................................................................................ 3
Server/Administrative Features/Enhancements.......................................................... 3
New Licensing Information............................................................................................................................4
Licensing ............................................................................................................. 4
Redundant Server Licensing.................................................................................... 4
IMPORTANT NOTES: Upgrade from PCS 6.0 to 7.0...................................................................................4
Installing the Outlook component..................................................................................................................5
Installing the Notes component.....................................................................................................................5
Tips................................................................................................................................................................6
Fixed Issues In 7.0........................................................................................................................................7
Known Issues and Limitations ......................................................................................................................7
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Server Requirements
• Intel® Pentium® III, 650 MHz or higher
• 256 MB RAM
• 500 MB Hard Drive free space
• 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet NIC card – Must be set to 100 Mbps
• One of the following operating systems:
o Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Service Pack 2
o Microsoft Windows 2003 Server
• Internet Information Services (IIS) must be installed.
Note: Under Windows 2000, IIS 5.0 is automatically installed; however some users elect to remove it.
Under a Windows 2003 full installation, IIS 6.0 is not installed automatically. It must be manually added
using the “Manage Your Server” window before installing PCS.
• Microsoft MSDE 2.0 or SQL 2000 Server (MSDE 2.0 is shipped with Polycom Conference Suite)
Client Requirements
• Intel Pentium II-class processor or higher
• 30 MB free space
• 64 MB RAM. 128 MB RAM is recommended for better performance
• Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or greater with Active X control permission enabled
• For the Microsoft Outlook component, Microsoft Outlook 2000 SR-1 or later, Outlook 2003, or
Microsoft Outlook XP must be installed.
•
For the Lotus Notes component, Lotus Notes version 6.0.1 or higher must be installed.
User Account Requirements
Server: You must have administrative privileges to install and uninstall this program on the server. This
includes having administrative privileges the next time you restart the computer if prompted to during the
installation. Installation through terminal services is not supported.
Client: You must have a least Power Users privileges to install and uninstall PCS Outlook or Lotus Notes
components on a client PC.
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What’s New in 7.0
Scheduling
• New Wizard schedule interface that simplifies scheduling experience
• Schedule video conferences using Lotus Notes
• New free/busy view of multiple resources
• Chair person support
Reports
• New Reporting tools that can include data from multiple tables
Server/Administrative Features/Enhancements
• Conference templates that allows user to define MCU settings as conference default
• LDAP-Active Directory integration
• Cascade MCUs
• Least Cost Routing
• Gatekeeper Authorization for PathNavigator
• Improved setup of MCUs and video codecs
• International dialing definition for ISDN (H.320) services
• Simplified access to server management, system configuration, and troubleshooting tools
available on Administrator Console
• Improved import capabilities
• Improved SNMP traps and email notification management
• Documentation converted to online help
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New Licensing Information
You must have administrative privileges to install and uninstall this program on the server. This includes
having administrative privileges the next time you restart the computer if prompted to during the
installation. Installation through terminal services is not supported.
Licensing
Since version 6.0, Polycom Conference Suite used Polycom corporate standard licensing activation
system. That is, the old PCS 5.0 authentication code that begins with “PCA” is no longer accepted. Also,
under the new licensing standard, PCS 7.0 will not accept PCS 6.0 key code. Purchase of new license is
required for upgrade.
Redundant Server Licensing
If PCS is installed as a redundant server, the key code and the serial number of the primary server is
entered on the license validation screen, as if installing as a standalone server. When the installation
completes, enter the redundant key code on the Admin > Redundancy Settings of the web interface to
activate the server as a redundant server.
When activating redundant server, PCS 7.0 redundant key code is expected and will not accept 6.0 key
code.
IMPORTANT NOTES: Upgrade from PCS 6.0 to 7.0
Some enhancements have been made to store H320 (ISDN) and H323 (IP) data in this new release. New
parameters have been created to accurately represent ISDN and IP services. In some cases, it is not
possible to match PCS 6.0 parameters one-to-one with the new 7.0 parameters during the data migration.
As a result, after an upgrade, some of these data are blank, requiring user to input new data. A few
known issues and limitations:
• Direct Connect services for MCU and video codecs are not migrated during upgrade. Users will
have to create new Direct Connect services and enter new number for the new services.
• ISDN number for a video codec isn’t migrated during an upgrade. Users will have to manually re-
enter it. In the case of ISDN off net resource, new H.320 (ISDN) service will have to be created.
• After an upgrade, a default prefix value ‘88’ is set to the Prefix parameter under the H.323 (IP)
Service for Polycom MGC. This should not affect overall MCU operation. It is recommended that
user enter the prefix value that matches their MCU service.
• IP only resources whose E.164 alias was not specified will not have a default service defined
after upgrade. Users will have to manually define the default H.323 service and leave the Alias
field blank.
• Users who have used the web scheduling interface in PCS 6.0 will not be able to use the new
scheduling wizard unless previous controls are removed. To manually remove previous controls,
o Close all browsers.
o Using Windows Explorer, go to c:\windows\downloaded program files.
o Delete all files in this folder.
o Login into PCS and use the scheduling wizard. This will force re-download all new
controls.
o Alternatively, users can install new controls on their own by downloading and running
from <PCS server address>/PCSControls.exe before using the scheduling wizard.
• SNMP traps are not being upgraded correctly until you reboot the PCS server.
• After an upgrade, emails aren’t being sent out after conferences are scheduled. Reboot the
server resolves this issue.
Note: To ensure data are properly set and initialized, user should reboot the PCS server after an
upgrade.
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Installing the Outlook component
For each user who wants to install the Outlook component, on his/her computer, log on to PCS, go to
Support > Downloads link, and select Outlook Plug In link.
Run the executable on a PC that has Outlook 2000 SR-1, Outlook 2003, or Outlook XP. PCS Outlook will
not install if Outlook is not detected on the client machine. Before installing, close Outlook and then follow
the screen instructions to enter the user account, password, domain, and server information. Local user
with Power Users privilege is all that is required to install the component.
Note: If PCS server is configured to use LDAP User Administration, users who want to schedule
videoconference through Outlook must access PCS web site at least once in order for their account to be
created.
Installing the Notes component
For each user who wants to install the Lotus Notes component, on his/her computer, log on to PCS, go to
Support > Downloads link, and select Lotus Notes Plug In link.
Run the executable on a PC that has Lotus Notes 6.0.3 or higher. The local user privilege must be at
least Power Users in order to install the plug in. Refer to the Notes Scheduling Guide. PDF for further
instructions on setting up Notes plug in.
Note: If PCS server is configured to use LDAP User Administration, users who want to schedule
videoconference through Lotus Notes must access PCS web site at least once in order for their account
to be created.
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Tips
When working in the Polycom Conference Suite Web View
• If a user remains at one screen for some time without taking any action, the user’s session with
Polycom Conference Suite automatically times out. In this case, it may appear that Polycom
Conference Suite is not working. To continue work, close the browser and log on again.
• If any unusual error message appears, the Internet Explorer connection to the server has been
compromised. Simply CLOSE ALL open Internet Explorer windows, restart Internet Explorer and
login as normal.
• Allow the web pages to fully load before clicking on any controls, Back button or Home icon in
Polycom Conference Suite. This will reduce the chances of unexpected browser behavior.
When using Polycom Conference Suite, only one session should be opened at one time from a
computer. This includes having:
1. One browser with the Polycom Conference Suite opened at one time OR.
2. One Scheduling or Manage conference window opened in Outlook at one time.
It is highly recommended not to have a Scheduling or Manage Conference window through
Outlook and a browser opened with the Polycom Conference Suite at the same time.
In some cases it may be necessary to remove PCS ActiveX controls and load new ones. Use the
steps below to remove these files:
o Close all browsers
o Using Windows Explorer, go to c:\windows\downloaded program files
o Delete all files in this folder
o When the web scheduling page is accessed, new controls will be loaded automatically.
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Fixed Issues In 7.0
1. PCS 6.0 Outlook plug-in would not detect a modification of the conference time if it was done
directly in Outlook. Similarly, PCS could not detect a deletion of an Outlook scheduled
conference. In PCS 7.0 this is detected automatically and updated in PCS DB. The user doesn’t
have to specifically modify the “Conference Resources” tab.
2. When extending the time of a conference that was created using resources from a distributed
network in PCS 6.0, the new conference end time was correctly shown on the interface but
actually the conference was not extended. This was fixed in PCS 7.0.
3. In PCS 6.0, on the Network Management > Monitor screen, the ViaVideo remained active (green
icon) even though the ViaVideo was turned off or the application was not running. In PCS 7.0 the
status shows correctly.
4. When PCS 6.0 scheduled an MCU conference that allowed participants to dial into an MGC 6.0
using IVR, the conference ID in the email notification sent by Polycom Conference Suite was
incorrect and participants could not get into the conference. This is fixed in 7.0.
5. Removing a guest from a scheduled conference using PCS 6.0 Outlook plug-in would sometimes
cause errors. This is fixed now.
6. In PCS 6.0 there was no option to define specific MP capabilities of a video codec. In PCS 7.0 the
definition of the MP capability is very flexible and can be defined separately for IP, ISDN and
both.
7. In PCS 6.0 there was no SNMP trap or email sent when failing over to the redundant server. In
PCS 7.0, both types of notifications are sent, stating that the primary service was stopped.
8. Host site designation in PCS 6.0 could not be deselected. In this version, this option is available
when selecting resource from the scheduling screen.
Known Issues and Limitations
1. When a meeting that is part of a recurring meeting is modified, deleting the recurring meetings as
a series does not delete the modified meeting.
2. The scheduling user interface allows a conference to be created at 128K with People+Content
although the minimum required speed is 192K.
3. Using Manage Conference, creating a new connection to an on-going conference doesn’t
connect the new participant to the conference.
4. When scheduling via Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, user cannot add catering to recurrent
scheduled conference.
5. In XP client where the regional setting is Bulgaria, scheduling or managing conference results in
run-time error.
6. Certain foreign language characters, such as French characters çàè"éù, are not recognized in the
Conference Name, Ref ID, or Guest edit field.
7. When the Outlook component is uninstalled from a machine, the “VideoMeeting” drop down
option still exists in Calendar Properties > General Tab. This option must be changed to display
“Appointments”. If “VideoMeeting” is still selected after uninstalling, errors will occur when
scheduling appointments.
8. Refrain from scheduling meetings and managing conferences concurrently as this will result in
performance issues. An example of this would be having the Appointment window opened at the
same time a Manage Conference window is opened.
9. Currently, users who have the “request only” user profile are allowed to schedule conferences
that start “Now”. The application does not warn the user that this is not an allowed action. The
consequences of users being able to schedule “Now” will result in conferences that remain
unapproved after the scheduled time.
10. Multipoint conference cannot currently be scheduled using Polycom iPower as an MCU.
11. Import returns an error “Request BinaryRead failed” when the CSV file size is greater than 200
KB. This occurs when PCS is using a remote SQL setup. The current work around is to break the
large file into smaller files (< 200 KB) and perform the import.
12. The current maximum speed for a scheduled conference is 768 Kbps regardless of whether the
equipment can support higher dial speed.
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P/N 3725-21159-001
Copyright (c) 2004 Polycom Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Polycom and the Polycom logo design are registered trademarks; ViaVideo, ViewStation, iPower are trademarks of Polycom, Inc. in
the United States and various other countries. Microsoft and Outlook are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of respective owners.
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