BB45
Oct 28th, 2008
Office Communications Server 2007 R2: Enabling Unified Communications

Speakers

Oscar Newkerk, Technical Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation
David Ollason, Group Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Unified Communications Managed API (UCMA) is an API with a full set of capabilities to enable unified communications and IM by leveraging the WWF capabilities. Their tight integration opens the possibility to write a wide range of applications in multiple scenarios for communications. / Mentioned Technologies
·  OCS 2007 R2
·  OC 2007 R2
·  UCMA 2.0
·  WWF
UCMA is a managed code API to create communication and collaboration applications. It presents a level of abstraction that you don’t have to know SIP, but just be aware of how it works.
The API capabilities of UCMA 2.0 include added support for enhanced presence, conferencing, manipulating contacts and groups, and the ability to call control.
It is designed for middle tier applications for high scale and throughput.
Key features are:
·  Enhanced presence services: querying, publishing, and subscribing. There is access to schema in the server that allows a bunch of information.
·  Built-in IM and Audio.
·  Contacts and group services.
·  Multimodal & multiparty call management: possible to add more people into audio conversation.
·  Conference scheduling: create instances of conferences with all its attributes.
·  Connection management: scale and throughput tell the API what type of service you are writing that will program to maximize throughput and scale.
·  Adding services that do work on behalf of users without needing their credentials.
Key developer scenarios:
·  Provide Automated agent (“Bots”) to reduce human latency
·  Automated call management: route calls to middle tier components that can do any work with it. Manage a hunt group.
·  Conferencing: schedule and manage conferences.
·  Custom endpoint for users: publish presence for users and gateway to other devices or environments.
The UCMA Application Architecture differentiates between Application end points and user endpoint in that user endpoints are real people. It is inherently asynchronous.
The UCMA 2.0 Workflow Activities is New in UC R2 Platform. Extends WF to use UC capabilities, IM and Speech modalities, and presence query. Broadcasts the same message to a group. Gives alerts and notifications to a group of people. Allows Information Access, originated by a human being.
Built on top of WWF, leverages many features, like Activities, Designer Surface, Rules Engine, Runtime Services, etc.
What you can do with UCMA 2.0 Wwa: “Call” control, statement (no response is expected), question\answer, commands, events, and query presence.
UCMA Workflow Runtime Services enables the interaction with non-workflow API. Passes data objects between host and workflow.

List of demos

Team Call / Simple application that engages a group of persons into a conference based on their presence to confirm if they are going together for lunch. / About 20 min. into session
Student Help Line—The App / Student is given a series of options where an automated agent answers, even speaks to, a professor if available. / About 15 min. into session


Conclusion

Adding communication can reduce human latency
UCMA 2.0 WA do not require a specific host
Faster development cycle
Pre-packed activities solve common scenarios
Ease of development with workflow

Salvador Fernandez