Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 provides a powerful, scalable, enterprise-grade instant messaging (IM) and integrated presence solution. Instant Messaging is the ability to transfer text messages in real time over an Internet Protocol (IP) network such as the Internet or a corporate network. Presence awareness is the ability to detect another user's availability on one or more devices. Live Communications Server also supports peer-to-peer audio, video, application-sharing, and data collaboration, instantly accelerating the workflow of today's information workers. Live Communications Server 2005 improves business efficiencies across organizational boundaries by extending IM and other real-time communication capabilities to trusted partners, customers, and suppliers.

Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 SP1 is a free software update to Live Communications Server 2005 that includes:

• Public IM Connectivity (licenses are sold separately—please see the Pricing and Licensing section)

• Enhanced security features including spam over IM (SPIM) control

• Enhanced federation

• Support for Communicator 2005

• Increased server application programming interface (API) performance

Additional information can be found at on the Live Communications Server 2005 SP1 Overview Web page.

Live Communications Server 2005 is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional).

Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1 is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional).

Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1 enables you to:

• Share security-enhanced IM and presence information between two or more organizations using the enhanced federation capabilities.

• Allow conversations and presence awareness to take place with specific contacts on public IM networks (MSN, America Online (AOL), and Yahoo!) using a single desktop client.

• Use the new Communicator 2005 client.

• Collaborate with business partners as easily as co-workers, while keeping sensitive business information encrypted and logged.

• Integrate with Microsoft SQL Server, which allows for logging and archiving, making Live Communications Server 2005 ideal for use in regulated environments.

• Provide remote users the ability to connect with and use presence and IM capabilities without requiring a virtual private networking (VPN) connection.

• Control unsolicited instant messages using the optional server side SPIM filters.

• Perform large-scale deployments, including fail-over and data recovery capabilities, with an advanced architecture using SQL Server 2000.

• Support up to 15,000 active users per server (Standard Edition) and up to 120,000 active users (Enterprise Edition) using the new "server pool" architecture.

Standard Edition is best for small and mid-size companies, or smaller enterprise organizations, with user data stored locally and support for up to 15,000 active users per server. Enterprise Edition is built for large organizations, with user data stored in a back-end SQL Server 2000 database and support for more than 100,000 active users per server pool. For more information, see the Live Communications Server Feature Comparison.

See the Live Communications Server Feature Comparison for details about the differences between Live Communications Server 2003 and Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1.

Public IM Connectivity is a licensed service, offering users in a corporation a single client to connect with users of MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger contacts.

See the Live Communications Server 2005 Public IM Connectivity Overview for more information.

To enable Public IM Connectivity, customers must be running Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1. Users must be licensed for Public IM Connectivity separately from that of the base Live Communications Server 2005 Client Access License (CAL). See the Pricing and Licensing section below for more information.

Public IM Connectivity features include the following:

• Live Communications Server enabled users can add contacts, send IMs, and share presence information with users of MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger clients.

• Administrators can choose which public IM service providers to connect with.

• Administrators can authorize Public IM Connectivity on a per-user basis.

• Administrators have the option to log encrypted messages sent to public IM service providers.

• All three public IM service providers are included in the service license price.

Public IM Connectivity with Live Communications Server is the recommended solution because it offers a secure interface that encrypts data, eliminates the need for multiple clients on the desktop, and optionally logs and archives transactions.

Public IM Connectivity as a service is agnostic to languages—all customers can register for Public IM Connectivity using the English language provisioning site and use their non-English language Live Communications Server deployment and non-English language Communicator 2005 products to communicate with users of MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger clients. The provisioning site is currently only available in English. Non-English versions will be available in subsequent releases.

Please see Live Communications Server pricing and upgrade information.

Yes. Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1 evaluation software can be downloaded from Microsoft.com or you can order a CD. Find more information about getting Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1 trial software.

Pricing for Public IM Connectivity includes access to all three public IM service providers—Microsoft Network (MSN), America Online (AOL), and Yahoo!.

Public IM Connectivity is sold on a per-user, per-month service agreement, Public IM Connectivity service licenses can be added to a current customers Select, Enterprise, Government, or Open Value agreements. Customers may pro-rate the months left on their agreement, adding Public IM Connectivity service licenses, but the termination of Public IM Connectivity service must co-terminate with the customers' agreement.

On average, depending on Volume Licensing discounts, the price for Public IM Connectivity USL will be approximately $.72-$.92 per-user/per-month.

Note  There is no single or two public IM service provider license available.

For more information, please see Live Communications Server pricing and upgrade information.

Public IM Connectivity service licenses are available for Microsoft Volume License and Open Value customers only and are not available for retail or Open customers following other Microsoft subscription licensing programs.

No. Public IM Connectivity follows other Microsoft online service models and is only available in Open Value, Select, Enterprise, and Government Volume License channels.

 Note   Public IM Connectivity requires a per-user; per-month subscription license that is in addition to the Live Communication Server Client Access License (CAL). No trial or evaluation is available for the public IM connectivity service with the Live Communications Server trial software. However, customers have the option of purchasing a small number of public IM connectivity licenses allowing their company to try the service, and then increase the number of licensed users once they find the service meets their needs.

Yes there is a free, 60 day, 10 seat Public IM Connectivity trial. To qualify for the trial, participants must be either a Select, Enterprise, or Open Value customer. Since Public IM Connectivity is dependent on Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1, the trial participant must either have licenses for or be running Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1. To request a trial, please contact your Microsoft account manager.

No. Public IM Connectivity is a separate service and therefore not covered under Live Communications Server CAL SA.

Yes. Microsoft Exchange Server customers with a valid EA/SA (valid up to October 1, 2003) coverage are eligible for one Live Communications Server Standard Edition server license for each Exchange Server license and one Live Communications Server CAL for each Exchange CAL covered under the agreement.

Note  If your company's EA or SA coverage expired after October 1, 2003, and was renewed without attaching SA to Live Communications Server, you are not eligible to receive Live Communications Server 2005 and must purchase licenses separately. Please contact your Microsoft representative for more details about how to take advantage of this offer.

Yes. Obtaining Exchange licenses from BackOffice Server CALs does qualify your company. If your company has a valid EA/SA (valid up to October 1, 2003), you are eligible for one Live Communications Server Standard Edition server license for each Exchange Server license and one Live Communications Server CAL for each Exchange CAL covered under the agreement.

Note  If your company's EA or SA coverage expired after October 1, 2003, and was renewed without attaching SA to Live Communications Server, you are not eligible to receive Live Communications Server 2005 and must purchase licenses separately. Contact your Microsoft representative for more details about how to take advantage of this offer.

Yes, obtaining Exchange licenses from Core CAL does qualify your company. If you have SA or an EA that was signed and valid up to October 1, 2003, you are enexpheadd to an equivalent number of Live Communications Server Standard Edition CALs and/or Server Licenses at no cost.

Note  If your company's EA or SA coverage expired after October 1, 2003, and was renewed without attaching SA to Live Communications Server, you are not eligible to receive Live Communications Server 2005 and must purchase licenses separately. Contact your Microsoft representative for more details about how to take advantage of this offer.

Yes, if your company is licensed for Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 or Microsoft Small Business Server 2000 (Server License and CALs), and also has SA coverage that was signed and valid up to October 1, 2003, then you are enexpheadd to an equivalent number of Live Communications Server Standard Edition CALs and/or Server Licenses at a nominal media fulfillment fee.

Note  If your company's EA or SA coverage expired after October 1, 2003, and was renewed without attaching SA to Live Communications Server, you are not eligible to receive Live Communications Server 2005 and must purchase licenses separately. Contact your Microsoft representative for more details about how to take advantage of this offer.

If your agreement renewal occurred on or before October 1, 2003, then you have rights to the latest Live Communications Server Standard Edition as long as your current agreement is valid. At your current agreement renewal time, you must acquire SA coverage for your Live Communications Server licenses to maintain upgrade protection.

If your agreement renewal occurred on or after October 2, 2003, then you get rights to Live Communications Server 2003. You do not get rights to Live Communications Server 2005 Standard Edition unless at the time of renewal you acquired SA coverage for your granted Live Communications Server licenses.

Non-English versions of Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1 are available for download. Visit the How to Buy Live Communications Server page for up-to-date pricing and licensing information.

Previously, Live Communications Server 2003 was only sold as a Standard Edition server. Live Communications Server 2003 customers with a valid SA coverage can obtain Live Communications Server 2005 Standard Edition at no cost.

Similarly, if your company obtained SA on their Live Communications Server 2003 CALs, you can obtain Live Communications Server 2005 Standard Edition CALs at no cost. Please contact your Microsoft representative for more details about how to take advantage of this offer.

Previously, Live Communications Server 2003 was only sold as a Standard Edition server. Live Communications Server 2003 customers with a valid SA obtained under their Exchange EA/SA agreement can obtain Live Communications Server 2005 Standard Edition at no cost. Please contact your Microsoft representative for more details about how to take advantage of this offer.

See the Live Communications Server 2005 system requirements. In addition, you can review the Live Communications Server 2005 planning and quick start documentation available on the Live Communications Server Deployment Center.

Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1 runs on:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1, Enterprise Edition

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition

While Live Communications Server 2005 SP1 continues to support Microsoft Windows Messenger 5.1 for presence and instant messaging scenarios, Communicator 2005 is the preferred client for enterprise-to-enterprise federation, telephony, and public IM connection scenarios.

For more information on Communicator 2005 visit the Communicator 2005 Overview.

Live Communications Server is built on top of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE) standards of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Live Communications Server also uses the simple object access protocol (SOAP). Learn more about Live Communications Server protocols.

Using the Windows RTC Client API, applications can be developed to take advantage of the RTC Client APIs. Using the open standards of SIP and SIMPLE, customers and partners can write their own client applications that take advantage of Live Communications Server features and presence engine.

You can obtain resources on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) to help build programs that work with Live Communications Server such as:

• RTC Client API

• Live Communications Server API

Live Communications Server planning and quick start guides are available in the Live Communications Server Deployment Center.

Live Communications Server Standard Edition uses Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) as its presence registrar database, a core component of its presence and IM architecture. The MSDE does not require a separate license and is shipped via the Live Communications Server CD. If you choose to use the optional Live Communications Server Archiving Services, then a separate physical SQL Server and license will be required. See the Live Communications Server planning and quick start guides on the Live Communications Server Deployment Center for more information.

Live Communications Server 2005 Enterprise Edition uses a separate physical SQL 2000 server as its presence registrar database, a core component of its presence and IM architecture. A separate physical SQL 2000 Server and license is required before attempting to install Live Communications Server 2005 Enterprise Edition. See the Live Communications Server planning and quick start guides on the Live Communications Server Deployment Center for more information.

Live Communications Server works better together with these products:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003. Live Communications Server runs on Windows Server 2003 and also integrates with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Server, offering real-time capabilities to workspace members.

• Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003. Live Communications Server makes presence information available in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 pages, and the client SDK allows for additional integration of IM and presence in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Web parts.

• Microsoft Office 2003 Editions. Live Communications Server acts as a presence engine, integrating with Microsoft Office programs to provide presence and real-time collaboration capabilities from familiar applications such as Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Office Word.

• Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. Live Communications Server and Exchange Server help complete the end-to-end messaging and collaboration environment. Live Communications Server, using Office Programs, can show Exchange free/busy calendar information making a user's presence that much more useful.

• Windows Messenger 5.1. Windows Messenger 5.1 or later is the enterprise version of the consumer-based IM client application. Together, Live Communications Server and Windows Messenger 5.1 offer additional levels of productivity and security features unparalleled in consumer IM clients.

Live Communications Server requires the Microsoft Windows Active Directory service to be installed. Live Communications Server supports Active Directory in Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003.

Note  For cross-forest Kerberos authentication, all domain controllers must be Windows Server 2003.

Communicator 2005 is an integrated communications client, enabling information workers to communicate in real time. As the recommended client for Live Communications Server, Communicator 2005 integrates with Microsoft Office System applications and enterprise telephony infrastructure. See the Communicator 2005 Overview for more information.

Communicator 2005 is currently available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) versions.

For customers with a valid Live Communications Server 2005 CAL wishing to use Communicator 2005 as the client for IM, presence, and PC to PC based communications, there is no additional charge.

Live Communications Server customers using Communicator 2005 telephony integration features (private branch exchange (PBX) integration for call control or public switched telephone network (PSTN) conferencing), require an appropriate number of Live Communications Server Telephony CALs. For pricing information on the Live Communications Server Telephony CAL, see the Live Communications Server How to Buy page.

Yes, Communicator 2005 evaluation software can be downloaded from Microsoft.com and will soon be available via CD. For more information, see the Live Communications Server 2005 Trial Software page.

See the system requirements for Communicator 2005.

Windows Messenger 5.1 is a Windows component that provided the end-user experience for Live Communications Server users before Communicator 2005 was available.

Communicator 2005 is the best client for Live Communications Server 2005, providing a rich and integrated user experience. For more details on Communicator 2005 features and benefits, see the Communicator 2005 Product Features Guide.

Find more information about Communicator 2005 in the Communicator 2005 Product Features Guide.

Communicator Web Access is a browser-based client designed to extend the reach of Live Communications Server 2005 to a broader base of information workers. End users can connect to Communicator Web Access by simply entering a URL into their Web browsers. Users do not need to install platform-dependent components or other prerequisites on the client other than the supported Web browser.

Communicator Web Access is currently available in English only. Additional languages (English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Simple and Traditional Chinese) will be available early in 2006.

Communicator Web Access is provided at no additional cost to customers who have current server and CAL licenses for Live Communications Server 2005.

No. Communicator Web Access is designed to provide IM and presence functionality to information workers who are unable to use the desktop version of the Communicator 2005 client. Voice, video, or telephony functionality would likely introduce platform dependencies or require users to download and install components to use Communicator Web Access.

You can download Communicator Web Access here.

Review the Communicator Web Access system requirements.

Communicator Mobile is a Windows Mobile powered unified communications client designed to extend the reach of Live Communications Server to information workers' mobile devices, ensuring that they can continue to be connected to Live Communications Server when away from their desktops.

Communicator Mobile is currently available in English only. Additional languages will be available later in 2006.

Communicator Mobile is provided at no additional cost to customers who have current server and CAL licenses for Live Communications Server 2005.

Communicator Mobile integrates with the underlying mobile phone capability of Windows Mobile powered devices to enable users to initiate calls on their cellular network from the Communicator Mobile client. Communicator Mobile also enables PC-to-PC Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling when using a Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC device with a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network interface. Additionally, Communicator Mobile allows you to control forwarding of a desktop phone if Live Communications Server 2005 and Communicator have been integrated with your corporate PBX system. Communicator Mobile does not provide video calling capability.

You can download Communicator Mobile.

Find system requirements for Communicator Mobile.