XADM: How to Install Instant Messaging Service

Instant Messaging Service provides a new means of communication between individuals that is immediate, interactive, and private. This article describes how to install and configure Instant Messaging on Exchange 2000 Server. This article assumes that you have a working knowledge of Exchange 2000.

System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

• Pentium 200 or greater microprocessor
• 64 megabytes (MB) random access memory (RAM) (128 MB or higher recommended)
• 2 gigabytes (GB) of available NTFS file system (NTFS) hard disk space
• CD-ROM drive, network cards, mouse, and so on

Software Requirements

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

• Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
  • Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) Stack
  • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) Stack
  • Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS)

Exchange 2000 Server

• Exchange 2000 Server
• Exchange System Management
• Exchange Instant Messaging

Component Prerequisites

• Windows 2000 Server with Internet Information Services 5.0 must be installed. Make sure that you select both Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) during the installation process.
• A DDNS server must be installed and available in your domain.
  
  IMPORTANT: The target installation computer must register all network interfaces with this DDNS server and corresponding dynamic enabled zones.
• A user account that is designated as the Exchange Service Account should be created in the domain before Exchange 2000 Server is installed.

NOTE: The Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging Server can be installed on either a member server or a domain controller and requires membership in a domain. The Exchange 2000 Server computer cannot belong to a workgroup.

Installing Instant Messaging

Install Exchange 2000 from your Exchange 2000 CD. Make sure that you install the following components:

• Exchange Server
• Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Exchange System Manager snap-in
• Instant Messaging Service

Configuring Instant Messaging

1. Create a virtual server. If you create an Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging virtual server, Windows 2000 users can communicate with other users in real time by using the MSN Messenger Service client program. To create a virtual server:
   1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click Exchange System Manager.
   2. Click to expand the Administrative Groups container, and then click to expand the first administrative group.
   3. Click your server, and then click Protocols.
   4. Right-click Instant Messaging (RVP), and then click New.
   5. Click Instant Messaging Virtual Server.
   6. The Instant Messaging Installation Wizard, which helps you create the Instant Messaging Service virtual server, is displayed.
      
      In the Welcome dialog box, click Next.
   7. In the Display Name dialog box, type the display name of your virtual server.
   8. In the IIS Server dialog box, click the Web site that you want to use in the list.
   9. In the Domain Name dialog box, the host or computer name of your Instant Messaging virtual server is automatically displayed. This information is gathered from the host header data that is associated with the Web site that you selected. Change the server name to the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server. The FQDN must have the following format, where servername is the name of the server, and example is your domain name:
      servername.example.com
   10. In the Host Server dialog box, click to select the Allow this server to host user accounts check box. This means that the server is responsible for hosting users; otherwise, the server becomes an Instant Messaging router that directs incoming Instant Messaging traffic to the appropriate destination.
2. Create and configure a Domain Name System (DNS) service location (SRV) record:
   1. Start the DNS.
   2. Click the zone that you want.
   3. Right-click that zone, point to Other New Records, point to Service Location, and then click Create record.
   4. In the Service box, type _rvp.
   5. In the Protocol box, type _tcp.
   6. In the Priority box, type 0.
   7. In the Weight box, type 0.
   8. In the Port Number box, type 80.
   9. In the Host offering this service box, type the FQDN of the server.
   NOTE: The FQDN is the same as the FQDN that was displayed when you created the Instant Messaging virtual server.
   
   
3. Enable a user for Instant Messaging:
   1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
   2. In the console tree, double-click the domain, and then click Users.
   3. Right-click the name of a user, click Exchange Tasks, and then click Next in the Welcome dialog box.
   4. Click Enable Instant Messaging, and then click Next.
   5. Next to Instant Messaging Home Server, click Browse. In Select Instant Messaging Server, in the Server name column, click the Instant Messaging virtual server that you created in step 1, and then click OK.
   6. When the server is displayed in the dialog box, click Next.
   7. Click Finish.
   NOTE: Repeat the preceding steps as needed for any additional users that want to use the service.
   
   
4. Install the MSN Messenger Service client. You may use a computer that is running either Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Microsoft Windows 95, or Microsoft Windows 98 to connect and communicate with an Instant Messaging server. Winsock 2.0 must be installed on Windows 95 based-computers to use Instant Messaging. To install the MSN Messenger Service client:
   1. Insert the Exchange Server CD.
   2. Click Start, and then click Run.
   3. Click Browse, locate drive_letter:\Instmsg\I386\Client\Usa\Mmsetup.exe (where drive_letter is the letter of your CD-ROM drive), and then click OK.
   4. Read the end user license, and then click Yes. The MSN Messenger Service client is installed.
   5. In the Welcome to MSN Messenger Service dialog box, click Next.
   6. In the Provide Microsoft Exchange Instant Messaging information dialog box, type the e-mail address of the Instant Messaging user that you want to configure in the following format
      alias@domain_name.com
      where alias is the Exchange 2000 alias and domain_name is the name of the domain.
   7. In the Get a free passport dialog box, either import an MSN passport or use Exchange Instant Messaging only, as applicable.
   8. Click Finish.

After you install the MSN Messenger Service client, the client can log on to the Instant Messaging server and communicate with other Instant Messaging clients.

NOTE: The Instant Messaging client relies on Microsoft Internet Explorer for the connectivity settings. If there is a period (.) in the user's Instant Messaging logon domain (for example, someone@.microsoft.com), Instant Messaging determines that the destination is "external." If Internet Explorer has a proxy server defined for connectivity, this request is passed to the proxy server for a connection.