IBM Sametime Client now available for iPad
by Volker Weber
We are very excited to bring you the IBM Sametime Mobile Client for iOS! This gives you access to IBM's award-winning platform for Unified Communications on today's hottest devices - the iPhone and iPad.
However:
The IBM Sametime Mobile Client for iOS devices requires the Sametime 8.5.2 IFR 1 Proxy Server to be deployed in your infrastructure environment. Please contact your IT department to validate this is the case.
Comments
Would love to be able run that on IBM i
I prefer to carry an iPad instead of an IBM i.
Volker i think he wants to run the server part on a System i to sametime enable his ipad and iphone user.
Sure. But that's not funny.
So why is IBM requiring Proxy Server for this to work when a third-party app (QuipIM) works perfectly fine without the Proxy Server?
Maybe it is the first step to get rid of the domino server component.
The new iNotes integration, connections integration works also with the proxy server.
Claus - The proxy still connects to the Domino Sametime Community server, so it does not remove that component.
Kirk, I think some of the reasons are probably as follows:
The toolkits that exist for accessing Sametime Community Services are Java, the older C++ toolkit is deprecated. So, as this is being written for multiple platforms, and not all platforms supporting Java, it is probably easier to write migratable code using the STProxy REST apis than porting java code, or interfacing directly with the ST Community server.
Many organizations are not happy having a none standard port like Sametimes port 1533 open on their firewalls. ST proxy can uses HTTP so companies are more comfortable with it.
I imagine the main most important reason however is the proxy is much more resilient to the idea that network connections come and go, where as a direct connection to Sametime port 1533 is not. In a mobile application this is very important.
Carl - So Maybe I need a Proxy to connect to Notes/Domino (so far port 13529 in to future too ;-). All theses proxies and edge servers for Sametime, Connections, ... make the infrastructure complex and expensive (even in a virtual environment) due to more servers to be maintained and monitored. Proxy as a security option is nice, but please not mandatory.
Joerg, I don't work for IBM so they were just my opinions on why IBM might have chosen to use proxy instead of direct connection.
Also many companies don't allow 1352 traffic, they require VPNs. My company allows 1352, but I don't have a department of paranoid security folks imposing restrictions on what I can do.
@kirk - More to it than you might imagine. Additional to Carl's comments, Proxy Server 8.5.2 IFR1 update is also adding the new server mechanism to deliver push notifications via Apple Push service. This is essential in a single tasking environment like Apple iOS. Otherwise users can frequently appear offline to others and the chat flow breaks down. Sametime Community server does not support that model so apps that connect direct to that server do not offer this critical usability feature.
Carl, at the moment the proxy server uses the domino community server. that is true, but in the future if IBM wants to get rid of the domino server for sametime they have not to change the other products like connections, portal, quickr, inotes, etc., because they only interact with the proxy server.
So the change to a websphere sametime server would be easier. In my opinion it would be really nice to have a choice if I want to use a domino for sametime or a complete websphere based sametime installation.
Just in case it still matters, the 8.5.2IFR1 Proxy Server can be deployed with IBM i in two ways:
First, it can be just installed on top of System i. See Sametime wiki for the system requirements.
Second, it can be installed on any other OS and connect to the community server on System i.
And yes, for a complete setup it will reqire also access to DB2 (where it stores the offline messages). But DB2 is always included in System i.
Sametime 8.5.2 IFR 1 Proxy Server - IFR stands for "Interim Feature Release". What does "interim" mean? Not done? Not ready? Install now, update soon?
I recommend using the iOS or client first instead discussing only things around it.
Have a Greenhouse account? No? Register at:
Have the app? Search Sametime in Appstore, download the right client and configure:
Host server: st85meetingsp.lotus.com
Port 9444
Secure connection: On
Connection type: Direct
Ah, and the Android client is there since June 2011 already.
I am amazed that I had to search for so long to finally find out here, on this blog, what the connections settings are for Sametime on the Greenhouse.
Once again, search for accurate and current information on IBM's plethora of wiki, blogs and infocenters failed, simply failed.
Thanks heaps Herr Weber! "ceci n'est pas un blog" - yes, it's much more to me at this very moment ;-)
You have to thank Volker Jürgensen, the IBM Sametime person here in Germany.
