If you have users who cannot, or prefer not to, use clients such as Office Communicator, you can deploy Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access. Communicator Web Access provides Office Communications Server services – such as instant messaging (IM), presence, audio conferencing, and desktop sharing – to users with a Web-based client. You may need this feature to provide access to users who:

The following table shows the Web browsers on which Communicator Web Access is supported.

Table 1. Communicator Web Access Browser Support

Operating system Browser

Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 (SP4)

  • Internet Explorer 6.0 with SP1

Windows XP with SP2

  • Internet Explorer 6.0 with SP2

  • Internet Explorer 7.0

  • Firefox 3.0.X

Windows Vista

  • Internet Explorer 7.0

  • Firefox 3.0.X

Macintosh OS 10.3.9

  • Safari 1.3.X

  • Firefox 3.0.X

Macintosh OS 10.5.4

  • Safari 3.X.X

  • Firefox 3.0.X

Red Hat Linux 2.16

  • Firefox 3.0.X

HP UX

  • Firefox 3.0.X

IBM AIX

  • Firefox 3.0.X

Sun Solaris

  • Firefox 3.0.X

Comparing Communicator Web Access and Office Communicator

Communicator Web Access offers many of the same features found in Office Communicator; the difference is that Communicator Web Access does not require the installation of any software other than a supported Web browser, and Communicator Web Access can also run on platforms other than Windows. A comparison of the features available in Office Communicator and Communicator Web Access can be found in the following table.

Table 2. Feature Comparison

Feature Office Communicator Communicator Web Access

Rich presence

Yes

Yes

Call forwarding

Yes

Yes

Instant messaging

Yes

Yes

Click-to-Call Audio

Yes

No

Audio conferencing

Yes

Yes

Anonymous join

Yes

Yes

Attendant console support

Yes

Yes

Admin support

Yes

No

Response Group support

Yes

No

Team call

Yes

Yes

Video

Yes

No

Live Meeting

Yes

No

Distribution groups

Yes

Yes

Extensible tabs

Yes

Yes

Custom logon screen and menus

No

Yes

Custom authentication

No

Yes

Zero download

No

Yes

Non-Windows/Cross-platform

No

Yes

Call deflection

Yes

Yes

Location

Yes

No

Custom states

Yes

Yes

Personal note

Yes

Yes

Contact card

Yes

Yes

Public Instant Messaging Connectivity (PIC)

Yes

Yes

Federation

Yes

Yes

Suggestive search

Yes

No

Outlook contact search

Yes

No

Global address list (GAL) contact search

Yes, using Address Book Server

Yes, using Active Directory

Desktop sharing

Yes

Yes

See Also