The Office Communications Service (OCS) uses a MS Windows internal instant messaging service that integrates with your SharePoint and/or/ MS Outlook and enables you to see the availability of other staff members. You have several options to set levels of privacy when sharing your availability information. OCS allows you to collaboratively engage in conferencing with chat, video, and audio capabilities. You can use OCS on your desktop, or you can start a chat using the Web version on your browser. OCS uses the SIP protocol.
Installing OCS
You must save all files to your computer before running them. (Note that the following might be needed if you are running MS Office 2007: Hotfix for Office 2007).
Office Communicator 2007 for Windows or Messenger for Mac install the main OCS service. The following are optional services that you can install after you have installed OCS:
- Live Meeting – adds the Live Meeting service, which enables you to start large group meetings from OCS.
- Conferencing for MS Outlook – adds the Conferencing service to your MS Outlook, which enables you to start large group meetings from Outlook.
- NIH Custom Presence – is an NIH-specific service that adds options (such as “Enroute” and “Working Wirelessly”) to your standard availability information (“Available” or “Busy” for example). You must save this file locally and rename it to a .reg extension – double-click the new file and it will write the new information to your computer’s registry.
- https://webim.nih.gov allows you to access OCS using a Web browser. Important: Before you sign in, turn off pop-up blocking software for this website. If you are asked to accept a certificate, do so to continue.
After you have installed OCS, you must log on using the firstname.lastname@nih.gov format of your NIH email address, and your normal NIH password.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the NIH Help Desk at:
301-496-HELP, 301-496-8294 (TTY), or 866-319-4357 (toll free),
or go to http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/.
Tips and Information
Office Communicator Quick Reference Guide
Office Communicator 2007 Installation Guide
Office Communicator 2007 Start-Up Guide
Office Live Meeting 2007 Installation Guide
