Instant Messaging

Create an Instant Messaging Router

An Instant Messaging router forwards instant messages to the Instant Messaging home servers on your network. When an Instant Messaging router receives an instant message addressed to a particular user, it locates the user and forwards the message to the user's home server.

Important   Before you create an Instant Messaging router, determine the Instant Messaging domain this Instant Messaging router will service, for example, "im.microsoft.com."

To create an Instant Messaging router:

  1. Start System Manager
    On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click System Manager.
  2. Navigate to the Protocols folder for the physical server on which you want to create the Instant Messaging router.

    Servers

    1. Server_name
    2. Protocols
  3. Right-click Instant Messaging (RVP), click New, and then click Instant Messaging Virtual Server. This starts New Instant Messaging Virtual Server Wizard.
  4. As you step through the wizard, provide the following information:
  5. Click Finish to complete the wizard.
  6. The Instant Messaging domain name determined previously must be DNS-resolvable throughout your installation, wherever your Instant Messaging clients are used. Create the necessary Domain Name Service (DNS) resource records for the Instant Messaging router. If you will have more than one Instant Messaging router, each router must have a host address (A) record.

    Note  For a group of Instant Messaging routers that have the same Instant Messaging domain name (the typical situation for large installations), use DNS round robining to translate the same domain name to the different IP addresses of the routers.

    If you want Instant Messaging Internet connectivity between your installation and other Exchange Instant Messaging installations, make sure your Instant Messaging domain name is also DNS-resolvable externally, that is, from outside your organization. Depending on the type of firewall security desired, the external DNS A-records you create can point either directly to your Instant Messaging routers, or to HTTP reverse proxies that proxy inbound Instant Messaging traffic to the routers.

Related Topics

Create a Home Server Create an IIS Virtual Server Service Architecture Instant Messaging Topologies User Addresses and URLs