When users log on to Communicator Web Access, they do so using a sign-on page that identifies the site as a Communicator Web Access site. However, the sign-on page provides no indication as to which virtual server the user is signing on to. If you would prefer to have users log on from a customized sign-on page, one that includes your organization’s name and brand (as well as any other information you might want to provide), you can do so by adding a header or footer to the default sign-on page.

Note:
Technically, you do not modify the Communicator Web Access logon page itself. Instead, you create two additional HTML pages: one for the header and one for the footer. These two pages are then displayed in an iFrame, which is an HTML structure that allows one or more HTML documents to be inserted into (and displayed alongside) another HTML document.

The default sign-on screen is approximately 690 pixels wide by 390 pixels high. Because of this, you might want to size your header and footers pages to make sure that they conform to the following guidelines:

For example, suppose you size your header page and footer page to each by 75 pixels high. That would make the height of your customized sign-on screen 540 pixels: 390 + 75 + 75.

Your custom header and footers can include scripts, hyperlinks, graphics, and any other element that can be included on an HTML page.

When assigning a custom sign-on screen, you need to use the XML schema shown in the following table.

Element Description Allowed values

logon

Indicates the section of CustomConfig.xml devoted to the custom header and footer.

active="True"

active="False"

When set to True, the sign-on page displays the custom header and footer (this assume that you have specified a custom header and footer).

If set to False, the default sign-on page does not display the custom header or footer, which is the case even if you have specified a custom header or footer. To see the custom sign-on page, you must set the value to True.

header

The URL of the Web page that serves as the sign-on page header. Note that the header will be displayed only if the active attribute of the <logon>element is set to True.

Any URL accessible to your users. If external users are able to access Communicator Web Access, this URL must be available from outside the firewall.

footer

The URL of the Web page that serves as the sign-on page footer. Note that the footer will be displayed only if the active attribute of the <logon>element is set to True.

Any URL accessible to your users. If external users are able to access Communicator Web Access, this URL must be available from outside the firewall.

headerframeheight

The height, in pixels, of the header. This represents the amount of space to be used for the header, regardless of the actual size of the Web page serving as the header. For example, if the frame height is 100, only the first 100 pixels of the header Web page are displayed.

An integer value.

footerframeheight

The height, in pixels, of the footer. This represents the amount of space to be used for the footer, regardless of the actual size of the Web page serving as the footer. For example, if the frame height is 100, only the first 100 pixels of the footer Web page are displayed.

An integer value.

To create a custom sign-on screen

  1. Create a Web page to serve as the custom header and/or create a Web page to serve as the custom footer, and then save these files to a location on your network that is accessible to both Communicator Web Access and users connecting to the service over the Internet or intranet.

    Note:
    You do not have to use both a custom header and a custom footer; instead, you can use either just a custom header or just a custom footer.

  2. On the computer running the Communicator Web Access server, use a text editor to open the file CustomConfig.xml. This file is typically found in the folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2\Communicator Web Access\Server\CWA\Client.

  3. In the CustomConfig.xml file, locate the <logon>element. By default, the <logon>element looks like the following:

    Copy Code 
    <logon active = “false”>
<header>http://contoso.com/header.html</header>
<footer>http://contoso.com/footer.html</footer>
<headerframeheight>100</headerframeheight>
<footerframeheight>100</footerframeheight>
</logon>

  4. Modify the <logon>element by using the schema and values shown in the preceding table.

    Note:
    If you want to use a custom header or footer, you must set the Active attribute to True.

  5. When you are finished, save and then close the CustomConfig.xml file.

  6. After modifying CustomConfig.xml, you must restart the IIS service before Communicator Web Access can begin using the custom header and footer. To do this, type the following command at a command prompt and then press ENTER:

    iisreset /restart