Using Directories

An Internet Locator Server (ILS) directory contains a list of people who are currently using SGImeeting, DC-Share, Microsoft NetMeeting or another ILS-compatible conferencing application. This makes it easy to locate and connect to other people, either by simply browsing to see who is currently listed, or by looking up a specific person by their email address.

In order to log on to a directory, you must specify your own details, such as name, location and email address. You will be prompted for these details the first time you run SGImeeting. You can choose whether to list these details for access by everyone; if you do not, then only those people who know your email address will be able to call you using the directory.

ILS is based on the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) standard for directory access. For more information about ILS, lists of public ILS services, and details of how to download and set up your own ILS server, see the Microsoft ILS Web pages.

How do I...

	change my personal information?
	log on to a directory server?
	log off from a directory server?
	see up-to-date information in the directory list?
	log on to a directory when SGImeeting starts?
	make myself invisible to other users?
	call someone in the directory list?
	call someone at a server using their email address?
	set up an ILS server?
	access an ILS server outside a firewall?

Changing personal information

To change the information that identifies your site when logging on to a directory server, select the Change My Information... command on the Call menu. This displays the "My Information" dialog. The fields in this dialog that you need to fill in are:

First Name. This is the name used to identify you in a conference.
E-Mail address. This is used to identify you when logging on at a directory server.
Category. This is used by NetMeeting users to narrow down the list of names they see when querying a directory server.

Change the details as required and select OK.

The new details will be used the next time you log on to an ILS server. If you are currently logged on to an ILS server, your information at the server is automatically updated.

Logging on to a directory server

Log on to a directory server by selecting the Log On to Directory Server... command on the Call menu. Enter the name of the directory server you want to log on to and select OK.

When SGImeeting has successfully logged on to the directory server, the server is automatically queried for other users also logged on to that directory. To view the directory listing, select the Directory command on the View menu. See Switching between the conference status and directory list view for more details.

Directory servers which you can log on to include

ils.microsoft.com
ils1.microsoft.com, ..., ils9.microsoft.com
ils.four11.com
ils.business.four11.com
ils.family.four11.com

Logging off from a directory server

To log off from a directory server, select the Log Off From Directory Server command on the Call menu.

Refreshing the directory list

To view up-to-date information in the directory list, select the Refresh Directory command on the View menu.

This option can only be selected when the directory list is displayed. See Switching between the conference status and directory list view for information on viewing the directory listing.

You can also configure SGImeeting to automatically update the directory listing at regular intervals. This is done by setting the appropriate Options under the Tools menu.

Logging on to a directory when SGImeeting starts

If you want SGImeeting to automatically log on to a directory server when it starts, select the Change My Information... command on the Call menu to display the "My information" dialog.

Select the option "At startup, log on to the directory server" and type the name of the directory server you want to log on to in the "Server Name" field.

The next time you start SGImeeting, it will log on to the directory server you specified.

Making yourself invisible to other users

If you do not wish to be visible to other users when logging on at a directory server, select the Change My Information... command on the Call menu to display the "My Information" dialog, and select the option "Do not list my name when logged on at the directory server".

The next time you log on to a directory server, your details will not be displayed to other people logged on to the server. However, anyone who knows your e-mail address can still call you using the directory server.

If you are currently logged on and visible when you select this option, SGImeeting automatically updates your entry at the directory server and makes you invisible.

Calling someone in the directory list

You can call a user shown in the directory list by double clicking on the user's entry in the directory view.

Note that if the "Add to address book" option in the "Place Call" dialog (accessed by selecting the "Place Call..." option in the Call menu) is selected, any users you call using the directory list will be added to the address book.

Calling someone at a server using their email address

SGImeeting allows you to call a user who is logged on to a directory server by specifying the user's e-mail address. Note that you can do this even if the user is not logged on visibly.

To call a user in this way, type the name of the directory server they are logged on to and the user's e-mail address, separated by a "/" character. For example:

ils.microsoft.com/bob@acme.com

SGImeeting queries the specified directory server for a user with the e-mail address you entered. If the user is logged on to the directory server, SGImeeting will try to start a call with them.

Setting up an ILS server

An ILS server for Windows NT is available free of charge from Microsoft. For information on downloading it and setting it up, see the Microsoft ILS web pages.

There are currently no ILS server products for UNIX.

Accessing an ILS server outside a firewall

If your computer is located inside a firewall, and you want to access an external ILS server, you need to perform some additional configuration in order to do this. See Advanced Topics for information.