Getting started

Start off by testing the Sametime clients on the same network subnet as the server; in other words, take firewalls / Network Address Translation (NAT) out of the equation, as follows:

1. Disable the client and server firewalls
2. Confirm Point-to-Point (P2P) and then three-way calls
3. Confirm P2P will connect clients together with connections in both directions
4. Confirm three-way (or greater) calls will cause all traffic to flow through the server
5. Debug audio/video (AV) calls first, and then move to AV in meetings

Do not add additional network complexity until this setup is working correctly.

Requirements for Sametime 8.5 clients to connect to the Media Manager Server

In order for the Sametime clients to connect to the Media Manager Server, the following must be in place:

• A Media Manager Server installed without errors, configured properly, and all its are components running.

• All WebSphere® Application Server fixes required by Media Manager are already applied, per the IBM Support Technote, “WebSphere Application Server V7.0 fixes needed by Lotus Sametime 8.5.”

• Latest cumulative hotfix applied on client and server (recommended).

• AV policies are set correctly in the Sametime System Console (SSC).

• The policy “Voice and video capabilities available through the Sametime Media Server” under Sametime Instant Messaging Default Policy is enabled.

• For embedded clients, the policy “Allow all Sametime Connect features to be used with integrated clients (IC)” under Sametime Instant Messaging Default Policy is enabled

If you receive the error, “ST_CONNECT_NOT_PRIVILEGED” or “ST_CONNECT_HOST_UNREACHABLE” in the Media Manager Server logs, then add the Media Server IP in the trusted IP list of the Sametime Community Server.

Issue: AV doesn't work for n-way chat or AV meetings call

If AV isn't working for n-way chat or AV meetings call, and only P2P AV calls work, typically this problem occurs due to configuration settings. To resolve the issue, do the following:

• Confirm that at least one Packet Switcher is available to the Conference Manager for all n-way and meetings AV calls.

• Verify that a PacketSwitcher.info file is present in the Media Server logs directory.

• Open the stavconfig.xml file under the Deployment Manager (DM) profile directory in WebSphere Application Server and verify that the value of the Packet Switcher host is the same as the machine on which it is running.

• Try removing any host aliases from the OS host's file.

• Make sure that Media Server is deployed on the primary host name of the machine, if there are multiple IP/hostnames available on the machine.

• Verify that none of the clients and media server are behind a NAT firewall.

• Clients and Media Server should be able to open connections (or ping) in both directions.

• User Datagram Protocol (UDP) must be allowed through firewalls. Test by disabling firewalls on client and server and verifying AV.

• If necessary, diagnose the Media Server logs and enable tracing.

Modifying the maximum number of participants in an AV session

To do this, edit the ConferenceManager.properties for every Conference Manager, changing the MaximumAudioConferenceUsers and MaximumVideoConferenceUsers values to the number of participants appropriate for your network and your environment's conditions:

Troubleshooting video

When troubleshooting video issues, note that:

• The minimum video card memory is 128M. A lower value sometimes works, but you may see problems later, and 16M always fails.

• The amount of memory required depends on resolutions / bitrates.

• DirectDraw drivers are used heavily for decoding, so use latest video drivers for best performance.

Troubleshooting Webcams

When troubleshooting Webcam issues:

• Always use the manufacturer's drivers.

• Most installation instructions state to install drivers before plugging in the camera, to avoid USB Video Class (UVC) drivers.

• Use Microsoft® Windows® Update to get the latest drivers.

• Many crashes have been traced back to issues in old Webcam drivers.

Troubleshooting UVC cameras

When troubleshooting UVC camera issues:

• Use a generic Windows driver, such as thumb drive, when nothing more specific is found.

• Note that drivers are broken in Windows XP SP1, mostly work in SP2, and fully work in SP3.

• It's always better to have full drivers that recognize device specifics (focus and other camera features do not work with generic drivers).

• Some cameras use only UVC drivers; however, many show up as UVC initially but do not implement the spec completely, causing crashes later. They are very camera specific.

Troubleshooting AV Policies

SSC: Media Manager Server/User Policy Attribute Verification
Below are URL mappings showing the different Policies that are available on the Media Server:

SSC: Media Manager Policy Attribute Verification from UI

1. From Manager Policies, select the Media Manager tab and click the New button. Give the policy a name, for example, audio_only; update the values accordingly; and save the changes.
2. Click the Assign button to assign it to a user or group, depending on the requirement. Click Client Assign and then Done (refresh interval is 1 hour).

Community Server: Policy Attribute Verification

1. Restart the Community server to start generating the detailed policy logs under the Domino trace directory: stpolicy_<#>.txte.g. stpolicy_100315_0957_0.txt

NOTE: If you want the stpolicy logs to generate quickly or the values to display quickly on the client, then the administrator must change the value of "How often to poll for new servers added to the Sametime community (in minutes): 60" on the Sametime Community server portlets to whatever shorter interval is desired, for example, 5 minutes or 10 minutes.

Resources

Sametime wiki article, “Troubleshooting the Sametime 8.5 Media Server:"
http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/stwiki.nsf/dx/Troubleshooting_the_Sametime_8.5_Media_Server

developerWorks Lotus Sametime product page:
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/products/instantmessaging/

Technotes for Lotus Sametime:
www.ibm.com/support/search.wss?q=Sametime%20Standard&rs=477&tc=SSKTXQ&dc=DB520&dtm

Sametime Information Center topic, “Log file locations”:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/sametime/v8r5/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.help.sametime.v85.doc/trouble/trbl_intro_log_collection.html

About the authors

Naveed Yousuf is a Software Engineer working on various teams at IBM's Dublin Software Lab since 1999. He has worked with the Sametime Verification Test team for the past four years, focusing on integration and interoperability across Lotus Sametime products.

Alicia Casarrubios is a Software Engineer working on the Sametime Verification Test team. She's been with IBM since 2009, focusing on integration and interoperability across Lotus Sametime products.