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Domino and eSuite are trademarks and Lotus, Lotus Notes, Notes, and Sametime are registered
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Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Browser Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2 The Sametime Server . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Before Sending the Issue to an IBM

Developer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

General Issues

......................... 3

Sametime Administration Tool Issues

....... 4

Logging On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Using Access Control Lists (ACLs)

....... 5

Monitoring Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Logging Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Configuration Issues

.................... 8

Settings That Appear in the

Sametime.ini File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
(LDAP) Directory Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Configuring Databases

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

with LDAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Hypertext Protocol (HTTP) Issues

. . . . . . . . . 13

Setting up HTTP Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Server Crashes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Before Sending the Issue to an IBM

Developer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

3 The Sametime Meeting

Center and Sametime Connect . . . . . 17
General Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Connectivity Issues

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Meeting Room Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Broadcast Client

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Testing Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Audio/Video Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

iii

Chapter 1
Introduction
Before Sametime can function properly, administrators must set up the
Sametime server correctly, and end users must ensure that their computers
are capable of supporting Sametime technology.
Support engineers can use the Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting
Guide to ensure that customers have completed all necessary steps before
using Sametime. In addition, customers can use this document as a checklist
to complete before calling support. If the customers problem persists after
he or she has completed the procedures in this document, the support
engineer can use the sections entitled Before Sending the Issue to an IBM
Developer to gather the information that a Sametime developer needs to
solve the problem.

Chapter 2
The Sametime Server
Use the information below to ensure that the Sametime server is configured
correctly.

General Issues
If the Sametime server is not functioning properly, ensure that:

The customer has installed the server as an administrator or with

administrator rights.

The Sametime services are running. To make sure the services are
running, the customer should:
1. Click Administer the Server on the Sametime Welcome page. The
Server Overview page appears.
2. On the Server Overview page, ensure that the status for each
service is Running.
3. If one or more services are not running, stop and restart the
Sametime server. For more information, see the topic Starting and
stopping the Sametime server in the Sametime 2.5 Administrators
Guide.

If the customer is using the Sametime Administration Tool in

Microsoft Internet Explorer, ensure that he or she has turned off the
Use HTTP 1.1 setting in the Advanced settings of the browser. To
turn off this setting, choose Tools - Internet Options and click the
Advanced tab. Ensure that the Use HTTP 1.1 option is not selected
and click OK.

Sametime Administration Tool Issues

Logging On
A Sametime administrator can use the administrator name and password
specified during the Sametime installation to access the Sametime Administration Tool. If a user is unable to access the Sametime Administration
Tool, review the topic Adding a new Sametime administrator in the
Using the Sametime Administration Tool section of the Sametime 2.5
Administrators Guide. This topic describes the configurations required to
manually enable a user to access the Sametime Administration Tool.
If there is a problem logging on to the Sametime Administration Tool and
the customer is using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), he or
she must ensure that the administrator has a Domino account (to use the
Sametime Administration Tool) and an LDAP account (to use the other
areas of Sametime). To ensure that the administrator has a Domino account,
see the topic Adding a new Sametime administrator in the Sametime 2.5
Administrators Guide.
Note If the customer is using LDAP and he or she can access the Sametime
Administration Tool but cannot access other areas of Sametime (such as the
Sametime Meeting Center), see the topic Administrator cannot attend
meetings or use Sametime databases in the Sametime 2.5 Release Notes. You
can also find information about this issue in the How LDAP is used with
Sametime and Adding a new administrator in the LDAP environment
topics in the Using LDAP with the Sametime server section of the
Sametime 2.5 Administrators Guide.
Enabling Diagnostics
If a customer still cannot add administrators to a Sametime server or log on
to the Sametime Administration Tool, he or she should follow the procedure below before contacting an IBM developer:
1. Open the Sametime/Data/servlets.properties file.
2. After each occurrence of the Enable.Diagnostics.Notify=true
parameter in the servlets.properties file, add a comma and the
following parameter: Enable.Diagnostics.Trace=true.
3. Verify that the user name the customer is attempting to use to log on to
the Sametime Administration Tool:
Exists in the names.nsf database locally on the Sametime server
Has a defined Internet password
Exists in the stconfig.nsf Access Control List (ACL) and has all roles
defined

4 Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide

4. Try to log on to the Sametime Administration Tool. If you cannot log

on, continue to step 5.
5. Locate the DiagnosticsFileOutput.txt file in the Sametime directory on
the Sametime server and send the file to an IBM developer.

Using Access Control Lists (ACLs)

If the customer cannot use the Domino Directory - Access Control menu
item or the LDAP - Access Control menu item in the Sametime Administration Tool, he or she might need to add the administrators name (or administrators group name) to a File Protection Document in the Domino
Directory.
Common gateway interface (CGI) scripts for the Sametime Administration
Tool ACL access applet are stored in the adm-bin directory on the
Sametime server. The adm-bin directory is protected by a File Protection
Document that controls who can read, write, or execute programs that are
stored in the adm-bin directory. To enable a Sametime administrator to use
the ACL access applet in the Sametime Administration Tool, the customer
must ensure that the administrators name (or administrators group name)
appears in the File Protection Document.
To add an administrators name (or administrators group name) to the File
Protection Document:
1. Open the Lotus Notes client on the Sametime server. (To open the
Lotus Notes client from the Windows desktop, choose Start - Run, and
then browse to the file C:\Sametime\nlnotes.exe and click OK.)
2. From the Lotus Notes client, open the Domino Directory on the
Sametime server.
Choose File - Database - Open.
For Server, select Local.
For Database, select the Address Book icon that includes the
community name. (For example, if the community name is Acme,
select the Acme Address Book. The filename for the Directory or
Address Book is names.nsf.)
Click Open.
If necessary, close the About this database window.
3. In the left-hand panel of the Domino Directory, select Server - Web
Configurations.
4. In the right-hand panel of the Domino Directory, click the triangle to
the left of the Sametime server name.
5. Click the triangle to the left of Domino Server.
Chapter 2: The Sametime Server 5

6. Double-click the document named Access to C:\Lotus\Domino\

Data\domino\adm-bin to open the File Protection Document.
7. Click Edit File Protection.
8. Click the Access Control tab.
9. Click the Set/Modify Access Control List button. The Access Control
List dialog appears.
10. Select the arrow to the right of the Name box to browse the list of user
names and groups in the Directory. The Names box appears.
11. From the scroll list at the top of the Names box, select the Directory (or
Address Book) for the Sametime community.
12. Select the administrators name (or administrators group name) from
the list of Directory entries and click OK.
13. Select the Write/Read/Execute access (POST and GET method)
option.
14. Click Next.
15. Click OK.
16. Click Save and Close at the top of the File Protection Document.
17. Close the Lotus Notes client.
18. Restart the server for the change to take effect.
Note If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, and the names of
databases do not appear in the ACL access applet of the Sametime
Administration Tool after you have modified the File Protection Document,
type a valid filename in the Filename box of the ACL access applet and click
the Access button to make the entire list of databases appear. The names
might not appear until you have manually typed in a valid filename. To
manually type a valid filename:

Start Microsoft Internet Explorer and browse to the Sametime server

home page.

Select either Domino Directory - Access Control or LDAP Directory Access Control.

Type a valid Sametime filename in the Filename box of the ACL access
applet. (For example, type stconf.nsf in the Filename box.)

Click the Access button.

If the list of databases still does not appear, restart Microsoft Internet
Explorer and open the Sametime Administration Tool ACL access
applet again. The filenames should appear in the ACL access applet.

6 Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide

Monitoring Issues
Sametime includes a variety of graphical monitoring tools that provide near
real-time information about server activity and statistics. The Sametime
monitoring tools display information about:

Community Services logins and Total unique logins

Meeting names and participants per meeting

Number of active meetings

Client connections (Sametime Meeting Room connections and

NetMeeting or other H.323 or T.120 client connections)

Broadcast meetings (number of connections and broadcast streams)

Collaborative activities (or tools) used in meetings

Information on Hypertext Protocol (HTTP) requests and commands

If any of the monitoring tools are reporting incorrect data, even after the
customer clicks the Refresh button, the customer should wait for approximately ten minutes. The data should refresh in that time.
Note Unfortunately, IBM cannot fix any issues related to the graphical
monitoring tools. These tools are provided to IBM by Lotus eSuite, and
IBM is unable to make any changes to them.

Logging Issues
Sametime enables the administrator to record information about Sametime
server activity and statistics. The customer can record the following information in the Sametime log:

Community Logins/Logouts

Community Statistics

Failed Meeting Logins

Place Login Failure

Client Connections

Meeting Connections

Meeting Events

Server Events

Capacity Warnings

Usage Limits

Chapter 2: The Sametime Server 7

If any of the information in the Sametime log is displayed incorrectly when

the customer views it from the Logging menu of the Sametime Administration Tool, the customer should try the following solutions:

If the customer expects logging information to appear in the Sametime

Administration Tool, choose Logging - Settings, and click on the
General tab. Ensure that the Enable logging to a Domino database
(STLog.nsf) setting is selected. If you change this setting, click Update
for the change to take effect.

If the customer expects logging information to appear in a text file,

choose Logging - Settings, and click on the General tab. Ensure that the
Enable logging to a text file setting is selected and that the Path to
log text file field is filled in. Look in the directory that is specified in
the Path to log text file field to locate the text file. If you change this
setting, click Update for the change to take effect.

If there is missing information in the log, choose Logging - Settings, and

review all of the settings on the General and Capacity Warnings tabs to
ensure that all desired information is being logged. If you change any
settings, click Update for the changes to take effect.

If the solutions above do not work, it is possible that the Sametime

server has crashed. If a crash has occurred, follow the steps below to
gather information to send to an IBM developer:
1. Use the Windows NT Services Panel to enable the allow service
to interact with desktop setting for the Sametime Meeting Server
and STLogger services.
2. Restart the Sametime server.
3. View the Sametime log. If a server crash occurs when the logging
problem occurs, a dialog box appears.
4. Take a screen shot of the dialog box or write down the wording of
the errors in the dialog box.
5. Send the information from step 4 to a developer for further
troubleshooting.

Configuration Issues
If the customer has entered a change using the Configuration menus in the
Sametime Administration Tool and the change does not appear, the
customer should:

Click the Update button on the appropriate page of the Sametime

Administration Tool and then stop and restart the Sametime server.

8 Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide

Verify that the change appears in the Sametime Configuration database

(stconfig.nsf). Stconfig.nsf stores the values for parameters that are
available from the Sametime Administration Tool. To view stconfig.nsf
in Lotus Notes, choose File - Database - Open, select Local as the server,
and select the stconfig.nsf database.
If the change that you entered does appear in stconfig.nsf, stop and
restart the Sametime server.
If the change that you entered does not appear in stconfig.nsf, you must
enter the change in stconfig.nsf. Use the instructions above to open
stconfig.nsf in Lotus Notes. Open the documents that need to be
modified, enter the necessary changes, save the documents, and close
the database. Be sure to stop and restart the Sametime server after
entering changes in stconfig.nsf.
Note If you change the Configuration - Connectivity - Community
Services Network - Community server port for client connections
setting or the Configuration - Community Services - Maximum user
and server connections to the Community server setting of the
Sametime Administration Tool, the changes should appear in the
sametime.ini file on the Sametime server (instead of appearing in
stconfig.nsf). See the topic that follows for more information.

Settings That Appear in the Sametime.ini File

If you change the following settings in the Sametime Administration Tool,
the changes should appear in the sametime.ini file on the Sametime server.
The location of the sametime.ini file depends on how you have installed
Sametime. To find the file, open Windows Explorer and search for
sametime.ini.

If you add an additional port number to the Configuration Connectivity - Community Services Network - Community server port
for client connections setting of the Sametime Administration Tool,
that port number should appear in the list of ports specified in the
VPMX_PORT setting of the sametime.ini file. For example, if you enter
port 8081 in the Sametime Administration Tool, the VPMX_PORT
setting in the sametime.ini file should contain the following entries:
VPMX_PORT=1533,8082,8081.

If you change the Configuration - Community Services - Maximum

user and server connections to the Community server setting of the
Sametime Administration Tool, the new value that you enter should
appear in the VPMX_CAPACITY setting of the sametime.ini file.

Chapter 2: The Sametime Server 9

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Directory Issues

If the customer is using an LDAP directory with a Sametime server, read
this section of the Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide to
ensure that the Sametime and LDAP servers are configured correctly. For
detailed information about the procedures required to appropriately set up
a connection to an LDAP server in either the Web-only or Domino environments, see the following topics in the Using LDAP with the Sametime
server section of the Sametime 2.5 Administrators Guide:

Setting up an LDAP connection in the Web-only environment

Setting up an LDAP connection in the Domino environment

Note If a customer cannot log on to the Sametime Administration Tool or

access the LDAP - Access Control menu item in the Sametime
Administration Tool, follow the procedures in the Sametime
Administration Tool Issues section above.

Configuring Databases
If the customer is using an LDAP directory with Sametime, it is usually
necessary to manually configure Sametime to access the LDAP Directory.
The specific configurations required depend on the schema of the LDAP
Directory that Sametime accesses. For more information, see the following
sections in the Using LDAP with the Sametime server section of the
Sametime 2.5 Administrators Guide:

Configuring LDAP Connectivity settings

Configuring LDAP Basics settings

Configuring LDAP Authentication settings

Configuring LDAP Searching settings

Configuring LDAP Group Contents settings

If the customer is experiencing LDAP problems (such as errors when

attempting to authenticate users), review the following databases to ensure
that the information in them is configured correctly:

The Domino Directory on the Sametime server (names.nsf)

The Directory Assistance database (da.nsf)

The Sametime Configuration Database (stconfig.nsf)

If the customer is using LDAP in the Web-only environment, these

databases are automatically created and some information is automatically
entered in them. However, the customer must enter LDAP schema information in the databases.

10 Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide

If the customer is using LDAP in the Domino environment, he or she must

create these databases and enter all relevant information in them.
Note If the customer is using the Sametime Administration Tool to enter
LDAP information, he or she must stop and restart the Sametime server for
any changes to take effect.
The Domino Directory Database (names.nsf)
Ensure that the Domino Directory database (names.nsf) lists the location of
the Directory Assistance database:
1. Open names.nsf in Lotus Notes.
2. Open the Server document for the Sametime server and click the Basics
tab.
3. Ensure that the Directory Assistance database name field is filled in.
The default Directory Assistance database is da.nsf.
For more detailed instructions, see the topic Identify the Directory Assistance database on the Sametime server in the Using LDAP with the
Sametime server section of the Sametime 2.5 Administrators Guide.
The Directory Assistance Database (da.nsf)
Verify that the Directory Assistance database (da.nsf) contains a Directory
Assistance document for the LDAP server. Ensure that the following fields
on the LDAP tab of the Directory Assistance document have the correct
information:

Hostname: This field should contain the DNS host name (for example,
ldap.acme.com) or the IP address of the LDAP server.

Base DN for search: The value for this field varies depending on the
schema of the LDAP directory that Sametime accesses. Example values
for some of the most commonly used directories are:
Lotus Domino directory: An example value is O=DomainName,
where DomainName is the Lotus Notes domain (for example,
O=Acme).
Microsoft Exchange 5.5 directory: An example value is CN=
recipients, OU=ServerName,O=NTDomainName, where
ServerName is the Windows server name and NTDomainName
is the Windows NT Domain (for example, CN=recipients,OU=
Acmeserver1,O=NTAcmedomain).
Note This example assumes that the directory is using the default
directory schema. If you have changed the schema of the Microsoft
Exchange 5.5 directory, the entry in the Base DN for search field
must reflect the new schema.

Chapter 2: The Sametime Server 11

 Microsoft Active Directory: An example value is CN=users,

DC=DomainName, DC=com.
Netscape LDAP directory: Use the format O=, followed by the
organizational unit that was specified during the Netscape server
setup. If you are uncertain about what information to enter, use the
administrative features of the Netscape server to determine the
appropriate entry.

Optional Authentication Credential: This field allows you to enter the

user name and password that the Sametime server uses to authenticate
when it connects to the LDAP server.
Note Authenticated binding is optional. If you are not using
authenticated binding in the Sametime Administration Tool, you do not
need to make any entries in the Optional Authentication Credential
setting in the Directory Assistance database.
This user name and password should be identical to the user name and
password that is specified in the LDAP Directory - Connectivity - Use
authenticated binding to the LDAP server setting in the Sametime
Administration Tool. For more information about this user name and
password, see the topic Use authenticated binding to the LDAP
server in the Using LDAP with the Sametime server section of the
Sametime 2.5 Administrators Guide.
If you require Sametime to authenticate with the LDAP server, the user
name and password that you specify above must have the right to
access specific attributes of the LDAP directory. If you do not require
Sametime to authenticate with the LDAP server, Sametime accesses the
LDAP directory as an anonymous user. In this case, anonymous users
must have the right to access the specific attributes of the LDAP
directory that Sametime requires. These attributes are described in the
Use authenticated binding to the LDAP server topic in the Using
LDAP with the Sametime server section of the Sametime 2.5
Administrators Guide.
Note For more information about configuring a Directory Assistance
document, see the topic Create a Directory Assistance document that
enables the Sametime server to access an LDAP server in the Using
LDAP with the Sametime server section of the Sametime 2.5
Administrators Guide.

The Sametime Configuration Database (stconfig.nsf)

The Sametime Configuration database (stconfig.nsf) includes several
settings for LDAP. You must configure these settings so that they are
appropriate for the schema of the LDAP directory Sametime is accessing.

12 Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide

You can configure the LDAP settings in stconfig.nsf from the Sametime
Administration Tool. Theses settings are documented in the Using LDAP
with the Sametime server section of the Sametime 2.5 Administrators Guide.

Using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) with LDAP

If you are using SSL to secure the connection between Sametime and an
LDAP server, see the topic Using SSL to encrypt the connection between
Sametime and the LDAP server in the Things You Need to Know section
of the Sametime 2.5 Release Notes (strn25.nsf or strn25.pdf).

Hypertext Protocol (HTTP) Issues

If the customer is experiencing HTTP problems, he or she should record
any relevant information and send it to IBM support. The customer can use
the procedures below to gather information about HTTP problems and
Sametime server crashes.

Setting up HTTP Diagnostics

A customer can use this procedure to record the contents of the Domino
console in the domconsole.txt file. The customer can then send the file to
IBM support so that a developer can use it to solve any HTTP problems.
Note If the HTTP process fails, follow the procedure in the Server Crashes
section below.
1. Make sure the Domino console is visible while Sametime is running.
2. Add these lines to the \Sametime\Notes.ini file:
DEBUG_OUTFILE=domconsole.txt
DEBUG_THREADID=1
3. Add this line to the \Sametime\Data\httpd.cnf file:
debugthreadlogging on
4. In the Server document on the Sametime server, choose Internet
Protocols - HTTP - Enable Logging to Log files and Domlog.nsf.
5. In the Sametime/Data/servlets.properties file, add a comma and the
following parameter after each occurrence of the
Enable.Diagnostics.Notify=true parameter:
Enable.Diagnostics.Trace=true.

Chapter 2: The Sametime Server 13

6. Add the following line to the sametime.ini file under the [CONFIG]
section:
Debug=1
7. Restart the server.

Server Crashes
If the server crashes:
1. Note what you were doing on the server before the crash.
2. Enter the following command in the Domino console:
tell http show thread state
3. Wait two minutes and repeat step 2.
4. Save the following files:
The Notes.RIP file.
The domconsole.txt file from the Winnt/system32 directory. After
you save this file, delete it from its original location.
The DiagnosticsFileOutput.txt file from the Sametime directory.
The req*.log files from the Sametime directory. After you save these
files, delete them from their original location.
The domlog.nsf file.
The *.log file from the Data directory.
The stconfiguration.txt file from the Sametime directory.
5. Re-create the crash conditions and repeat steps 1-4.
6. Send all relevant files to support.

Before Sending the Issue to an IBM Developer

If the problem persists after the customer has performed the procedures
above, the support engineer should ask the following questions and send
any relevant information to an IBM developer:

How has the customer installed Sametime?

Has the server ever worked?

Did the customer test the server after installing it? If so, what was
tested?

Has the customer changed anything? If so, has the customer replicated
changes to all other Sametime servers?

Is the server name in Domain Name System (DNS) format?

14 Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide

Can the customer ping the machine? Can the customer resolve the
machine by name?
Note Information about pinging the machine is only helpful if you are
familiar with the organizations restrictions on Internet Control
Message Protocol (ICMP) network traffic. See the Connectivity Issues
section below for more information.

Does the customer have a customized Notes Address Book (NAB)? If

so, how has the NAB been customized?

Chapter 2: The Sametime Server 15

Chapter 3
The Sametime Meeting Center and Sametime Connect
Use the information below to:

Ensure that the customers computer includes the necessary hardware

and software to use Sametime.

Ensure that the customer can schedule, attend, and participate in

Sametime meetings.

General Issues
Before using Sametime, the customer should:

Make sure that he or she is using a supported operating system:

Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows NT 4
Workstation with Service Pack 5 or higher, Windows 2000 Professional
with Service Pack 1, or Windows Me.

Make sure that he or she is using a supported browser:

Microsoft Internet Explorer: Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 with
Service Pack 2, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01, or Microsoft Internet
Explorer 5.5 with Service Pack 1
Netscape: Netscape Communicator 4.5 or 4.7

Click Yes or Grant if any security warnings appear when the

customer is trying to schedule or attend a meeting. See Handling
Security Warnings in the Sametime 2.5 Users Guide for more
information.

Connectivity Issues
If the customer is having trouble connecting to the Sametime server, he or
she can record diagnostic information for the Sametime clients (the Meeting
Room client and the Broadcast client). The customer can view the diagnostic
information in the Java console and then send the information to an IBM
developer. See the section Before Sending the Issue to an IBM Developer
below for information about viewing the Java console.

17

Meeting Room Client

To record diagnostics information for the Sametime Meeting Room client:
1. Go to the following directory and open the diagnostics.properties file:
\\sametime\data\domino\html\sametime\stmeetingroomclient\
STMRCRes25\properties.
2. Change the values for the following settings from false to true:
MRCNotifyEnabled
MRCWarningEnabled
MRCTraceEnabled
3. Save and close the file.

Broadcast Client
To record diagnostics information for the Sametime Broadcast client:
1. Go to the following directory and open the diagnostics.properties file:
\\sametime\data\domino\html\sametime\stbroadcastclient\
STBCCRes25\properties.
2. Change the values for the following settings from false to true:
BCNotifyEnabled
BCWarningEnabled
BCTraceEnabled
3. Save and close the file.

Testing Connectivity
Although pinging the server to test connectivity is a common procedure, it
is only helpful if you are familiar with the organizations restrictions on
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) network traffic. Because pinging
uses the ICMP protocol, it is possible for a firewall or proxy to prevent you
from pinging a server (by blocking ICMP traffic) while allowing you to
access the server using TCP/IP.
The Telnet program that is packaged with Microsoft Windows provides a
more useful way to test connectivity. This program connects to port 23 (the
standard Telnet port) by default; you can change it to connect to other
ports. The connection that Telnet makes is a socket connection that is very
similar to Sametimes direct connections. However, this connection will fail
if a proxy server is needed to connect to the server.

18 Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide

Audio/Video Issues
Before using Sametime audio and video, the customer should:

Ensure that his or her computer includes the required hardware and
software. For information, see Supported Sound Cards and Cameras
and Additional Information about Supported Cameras in the
Sametime 2.5 Users Guide.

Test his or her audio and video. To test audio and video, click Test
Audio/Video in the Sametime Meeting Center or choose Options Test My Audio Video in Sametime Connect.

Ensure that the sound recorder will record and play sound. See
Testing and Configuring Your Sound Card in the Sametime 2.5
Users Guide.

Ensure that the audio/video preferences are set correctly. See Setting
Audio/Video Preferences in the Sametime 2.5 Users Guide.

Browser Issues
The customers browser must be configured properly before he or she can
schedule and attend Sametime meetings. To be sure the browser is functioning, the customer should:

Enable the following elements in the browser: JavaScript (Active

scripting), Java, Style Sheets (in Netscape Communicator),
SmartUpdate (in Netscape Communicator), Cookies, and prompting for
downloading of signed ActiveX controls (in Microsoft Internet
Explorer). For more information about configuring the browser, see
Making Your Browser Work with Sametime in the Sametime 2.5 Users
Guide.

Check for JavaScript errors. If the customer is receiving JavaScript

errors, he or she should record the error text and line numbers exactly
as they appear on the screen, as well as the URL or behavior that
caused the error, and then send the information to IBM support. To
check for JavaScript errors:
If you are using Netscape Communicator, type javascript: in the
Location bar at the top of the browser. The JavaScript console
appears.

Chapter 3: The Sametime Meeting Center and Sametime Connect 19

 If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, double-click the yellow

triangle on the status bar. If you do not see the yellow triangle,
choose Tools - Internet Options and click the Advanced tab. Select
Display a notification about every script error in the Browsing
section. When you try to complete an action that generates a
JavaScript error, the error appears in a new window on your screen.

If the above suggestions do not work, the support engineer should

check the HTML for corrupted HTML tags. (For example, a proxy
server might corrupt <object> tags by converting them into invalid
<objec!> tags.) In addition, ensure that all applet parameter tags are
configured properly. For example, look for domain names that are not
fully qualified and therefore not resolvable (such as http://server
instead of http://server.acme.com/), missing (empty) parameter tags,
or incomplete URLs. If necessary, compare the HTML on the Sametime
server that is not working with the HTML on a working Sametime
server and note the differences.
Note It is important to check for corrupted HTML tags when the
customers organization is using a proxy server or a portal server.

Before Sending the Issue to an IBM Developer

If the problem persists after the customer has performed the procedures
above, ask the following questions and send any relevant information to an
IBM developer:

Which browser are you using when you experience the problem?

Has Sametime ever worked before?

When did Sametime stop working?

What features are working?

What are your audio/video preferences?

Does the problem occur on every computer that you use?

Does the problem occur for all users?

What service packs have been applied to the computer that you are
using for the Sametime clients (the Sametime Meeting Room and
Sametime Connect)?

20 Sametime 2.5 Preparation and Troubleshooting Guide

What version of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) are you using? To find
the version of the JVM:
If you are using Netscape, choose Help - About Communicator. A
Netscape Communicator information page appears; the version
number of the browser is listed at the top of the page. The JVM
version is identical to the browser version.
If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, locate the version
number of the file msjava.dll. (The version number for this file is
identical to the version number for the JVM.) See the instructions in
the following bullet to locate the version number of msjava.dll.

If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, what version is the

msjava.dll? To find the version number:
If you are using Windows NT or Windows 2000, go to the Windows
system32 directory. Right-click on the dll, select Properties, go to
the Version tab, and look at the Product Version.
If you are using Windows 95 or Windows 98, go to the Windows
system directory. Right-click on the dll, select Properties, go to the
Version tab, and look at the Product Version.

Did the system administrator turn on any extra debugging parameters

in the Sametime server properties file? If so, which parameters did the
administrator set?

Are you using a proxy server? If so, what kind of proxy is it? Does the
proxy server require authentication?

What version of the Java console are you using? Is it the same for both
browsers? To determine the version number for the Java console:
In Microsoft Internet Explorer, choose Tools - Internet Options and
click the Advanced tab. Under the heading Java VM, select the
Java console enabled option. Restart the computer, and then restart
Microsoft Internet Explorer. Choose View - Java Console to see the
version of the Java console.
In Netscape Communicator, choose Communicator - Tools - Java
Console to view the version of the Java console.

Chapter 3: The Sametime Meeting Center and Sametime Connect 21