An application developer can use Unified Communications Managed API version 1.0 to build instant messaging applications running against Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. Such applications can be used to broadcast instant messages to Microsoft Office Communicator and other Communicator-aware clients. Unified Communications Managed API version 1.0 can support applications broadcasting at a capacity greater than 1000 messages per second. Typically, an MTLS-based connection manager would be used for this function.

Because an application does not expect any incoming connections, there is no need for the application to register any endpoints with Office Communications Server 2007 (or any other SIP registration server). The application can then use registration-free endpoints of the SipPeerToPeerEndpoint type.

To broadcast an instant message to all the targets, the application can set up a loop to create and establish thousands of concurrent signaling sessions, each targeting a different remote participant. In each session, the application invites the remote participant to the session, sends the message to the remote endpoint, and then terminates the session after the remote application responds with an acknowledgement. Messages are sent as the SIP Message type.

Unified Communications Managed API version 1.0 may be used to broadcast a very large number of Instant Messages that must be rapidly delivered and rendered by Microsoft Office Communicator, Microsoft Communicator Web Access clients or other federated clients. Alternatively, Unified Communications Managed API version 1.0 may also enable the broadcast of very large number of custom alerts (500 alerts per second) that are received and rendered by custom clients other than Office Communicator or Communicator Web Access clients.

An Instant Messaging Bot is a server application that appears to the end-user as a regular contact registered with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. The end-user interacts with the Instant Messaging Bot by simply initiating a conversation with the Bot. The Bot can then provide a service for the end-user that may be as simple as returning the quote of a stock ticker after she sent an IM containing the ticker or retuning the status of a parcel delivery after she sent an IM containing a tracking number. It may also be more sophisticated and provide Role Agent / Queue Manager functionalities by queuing and distributing incoming IM conversations to Helpdesk Customer Service Representatives. The Role Agent is often a SIP Back to Back User Agent that applies a skills-based routing logic to automatically distribute incoming calls.

Persistent Chat Rooms are an example of a “rendez-vous” application that can be hosted by a Media Control Unit (MCU) that establishes hundreds of concurrent sessions with Microsoft Office Communicator clients and exchanges hundreds of SIP messages per second.

Applications can exchange data with one another by leveraging the federation capabilities of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and the SIP communication toolkit provided by Unified Communications Managed API version 1.0.

Concepts