See Also
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:
- Are not running the Windows operating system. For example,
Macintosh or Linux users can participate in IM or desktop sharing
sessions as long as they are running a supported version of the
Safari or Firefox Web browser.
- Are not logging on from outside the organization firewall. For
example, a salesperson can stay in constant contact with the home
office by logging onto the Internet from a hotel room or Internet
café.
- Have locked-down computers. A Web browser is all these users
need to gain access to Office Communicator features such as IM and
rich presence.
- Do not have accounts in your Active Directory domain or the
Active Directory domain of a federated partner. If invited, these
anonymous users can participate in audio conferences or desktop
sharing sessions without needing to be authenticated.
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) |
|
|
Windows XP with SP2 |
|
|
Windows Vista |
|
|
Macintosh OS 10.3.9 |
|
|
Macintosh OS 10.5.4 |
|
|
Red Hat Linux 2.16 |
|
|
HP UX |
|
|
IBM AIX |
|
|
Sun Solaris |
|
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 |