Yung Chou is a Windows 7 PC : Collaboration

Microsoft Office Groove 2007 Workspace Replication Upon Acceptance of Invitation

yungc — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:33:00 GMT

This blog explains how a Groove 2007 client behaves differently from a Groove 3.x client on the replication of a workspace. Upon a client's acceptance of a Groove workspace invitation, the current content of the workspace is replicated via a Groove cloud...(read more)

Screencast: Groove Network Topology and Deployment Options

yungc — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:02:00 GMT

In this screencast, I talked about the deployment options available in Groove and how to relate Groove infrastructure, Groove and SharePoint integration, and the associated collaboration model with Microsoft's vision. To see it in full screen, doubl-click...(read more)

Groove vs. OneNote

yungc — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:38:00 GMT

I had a chance to participate in Microsoft Office System Webcast: Tips and Tricks for Groove 2007, Provide Anywhere, Anytime Access to People and Information (Level 100) delivered by Paul Cannon, Microsoft Groove Product Manager, on 09/16/2008 and help...(read more)

Restricting Groove Collaborations Based On Groove Domain Policies

yungc — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:41:00 GMT

This post assume you have some experience of Groove admin console. With Groove domain policy settings, an administrator can enforce corporate policies on Groove collaborations. First, we must deploy the Device Management Key to our Groove clients , such...(read more)

Selected Groove Resources

yungc — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Groove Home Page for General Info System Requirements Microsoft Office Groove 2007 User's Guide Groove Server TechCenter Downloadable Books for Office Groove 2007 - Planning, Deployment, Operations, Security, & Troubleshooting Getting Started for...(read more)

Groove Non-Managed Client

yungc — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:59:00 GMT

In Groove infrastructure, there are 2 essential servers, Groove Server 2007 Manager and Groove Server 2007 Relay. The former is where a Groove domain gets created and accounts populated (while the account configurations are actually stored in an associated SQL backend.)

For a non-managed account, i.e. one configures/activate a Groove account without a configuration code (as shown below) via internet, the account is created in a Groove Server 2007 Manager and the configuration stored in an associated SQL backend both managed by Microsoft in the clouds. There is however, as the name indicated, no management to a non-managed account once created. Logically a non-management Groove client works similar to a pre-paid cell phone. It looks and functions just like a normal phone, other than there is no service contract with a cell phone service provider and a pre-paid phone will cease functioning once the pre-paid minutes are used up. A non-managed Groove client functions just like a managed client other than it is not associated with any Groove domain from a Groove user's view. As well a non-managed client is entitled to use Microsoft public infrastructure in the clouds for 5 years once configured.

Groove Communications

yungc — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:05:00 GMT

Groove communicates with Simple Symmetric Transmission Protocol (SSTP) using 2 types of connections.

Using phone conversation as an example, when Alice calls bob, if Bob answers the call, they are directly connected. This is logically similar to a Groove-to-Groove connection between two Groove clients. If for some reason, Bob is not answering the phone; Alice will leave a message in Bob's voice message box which later can then be consumed by Bob with his pin when he connects to the voice message box. This is logically similar to a Groove-to-Relay connection for the sender to queue the message for an intended recipient at the recipient's designated Relay. To consume a message queued at the recipient's designated Relay; a recipient will employ a Groove-to-Relay connection as well. Notice Groove Relay does not initiate connections to client. It is always a Groove client initiates and connects to the client's designated Relay.

As depicted in the following slide, Groove will always try first to establish and prefer a direct, i.e. Groove-to-Groove, connection followed by Groove-to-Relay connection as needed. A Groove-to-Groove connection requires TCP 2492 open. Groove-to-Relay on the other hand uses HTTP PROXY Connect to or tunneling through port 443, if allowed, or simply HTTP port 80.

A technical overview of how Groove works is also available here.

IRM-Enabled SharePoint Documents in Groove Workspace

yungc — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:07:00 GMT

Windows Server 2008 has Rights Management Services (RMS, which is a server add-on feature) as an installable role and seamlessly integrated into the OS. Further Information Rights Management (IRM, which is the client ability to comply with what is set to be enforced by RMS) can be enabled in SharePoint Central Admin (after installing RMS client on the SharePoint box) by pointing SharePoint to a RMS server in Central Admin Operations and also granting IIS App Pool ID and AD RMS Service Group access right to server certificate web services on the CA box required by RMS. The operations are straightforward as discussed in my webcast.

When adding a SharePoint file tool in a Groove workspace, the documents downloaded from an IRM-enabled SharePoint document library are still embedded with set usage policies. Groove does not translate SharePoint permissions, nor the usage policy embedded in an IRM-enabled document regardless it is from SharePoint or not. As far as documents in a Groove workspace are concerned, Groove is a secure transport. As far as Groove is concerned, all documents are bits and bytes. It is up to the file system at an end point to, as appropriate, invoke an associated application to open a file. The transition of a file from Groove to a local file system is transparent to a user. With RMS-aware application like Office 2007, IRM will kick in and the usage policy is for sure enforced at file opening time based on individual’s license acquired form RMS server.

The net is IRM is transparent to Groove. IRM is enforced at file opening time regardless where it is from or if it is placed in Groove or not.

Launch Events, and Webcasts, and TechEd 2008, Oh My

yungc — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:31:00 GMT

Here are some of my upcoming engagements. Hope to meet you in person and in the air.

Windows Server 2008 Launch Events

04/29, Long Island, NY

05/13, Reston, VA

05/23, Baltimore, MD

06/03, Edison, NJ

We will mainly cover 3 of the 4 big investments Microsoft made in Widows Server 2008, namely solid foundation, Web, virtualization, and security. Other than Web technology briefly touched, we have planned 3 1-hour sessions to give you a good understanding of the new features and capabilities now you will have when running Windows Server 2008. As always, you will also receive all the goodies which I know are not what you are attending the event for. J

TechNet Webcast: 24 Hours of Windows Server 2008 (Part 19 of 24): AD RMS and AD FS (Level 200)

In my view, the 24 Hours series is a quick and cost-effective way to get yourselves trained on Windows Server 2008.

My 2 sessions to be delivered in TechEd 2008 for IT Pro at Orlando, FL

The Groove session is a continuation of my commitment to help customers understand what Groove is about. I will not discuss too much on the basics which has already been covered in my TechNet article (you can download it here), instead I would like to focus on the integration and talk about scenarios of employing Groove as an integral component of your entire collaboration solution.

Prototyping a collaboration solution is a challenge I am facing everyday when demonstrating business values added by various capabilities introduced by Microsoft technologies. With Hyper-V, the virtualization solution included in Windows Server 2008, there are new ways of building and managing a sandbox, and I thought it will be interesting and beneficial for IT Pros to share some of the best practices and exchange ideas.

Answers to Some of Frequently Asked Questions on Groove

yungc — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:58:00 GMT

I have recently met many with the same questions on Groove and thought here to share my answers. If you woudl like to know more technical information about Groove, recommend starting with my TechNet article, J

Get into the Groove: Solutions for Secure and Dynamic Collaboration

to get a technical overview, followed by reviewing the content at

Groove Advisor and Groove Tech Center

Groove Advisor is closely monitored by Microsoft Groove product group and many seasoned Groove veterans. It is a great resource to find out more on Groove.

When deploying Groove Server on site, does one need to deploy both Groove Server Manager and Groove Server Realy?

For a Groove Server Relay to be associated with a Groove Server Manager (which is the root CA of a Groove Domain) and serve Groove accoutns issued by this Groove Server Manager, one will need to, from the Realy, request a certificate from the Groove Server Manager as required by Groove PKI. Operationally this can be done from Groove Server Manager console when setting up a Relay Set, or Groove Server Realy configuration applet. Either way, one will need to have an admin access to an intended Groove Server Relay. Not to mention, it is my undersatnding for an on-site Groove server deployment, Microsoft Product Support and Services supports only when both Groove Server Manager and Groove Server Relay are deployed.

Does a Groove Server keep all workspaces for all clients?

Not at all. All Groove workspace content are replicated and stored at the client side. For instance, if three are 10 members in a workspace, there are total 10 copies of the content and each member has a copy of the workspace encrypted and stored locally. Groove can and will automatically sync workspace content for a member when a client-to-client or a client-to-relay connection is established. Groove Server Realy holds message queues for assigned users to temporarily store Groove messages (deltas, IM, etc.) when applicable, i.e. a client-to-client connection is not establishable, while a client-to-relay conneciton is. And these temporarily stored messages are permanently deleted once consumed by an intended recipient when connecting to the Relay. Groove Server Manager, on the other hand, provides a web interface for administering a Groove domain and stores only account configuration data in an associated SQL backend.

How can a Groove user back up all files in all workspaces?

While highlighting a workspace in Groove Launchbar, right-click and Save As, and Archive. This will save the content of a workspace by default at Groove Workspace Archives in a user’s Domument folder.To know more about Groove’s backup options, please review this whitepaper.

Should a Groove Server Relay be accessible from Internet? Which ports does it use?

Yes. Groove Realy Server is to provide a rendezvous point such that a sender and an intended recipient can exchange messages (here all Groove data are considered as messages) without the need to be on line at the same time, or within the same (IT) organizational boundary.

A Groove client can establish a connection with a Groove Server Relay (which never initiates a connection to client) via the following ports, in order of preference,

· 2492, if open, with SSTP (Simple Symmertric Transmission Protocol) (See 917165)

· 443, if open with connection to proxy is allowed, with SSTP (Notice Groove uses SSTPon 443 and not SSL as described by 917165)

· 80 with HTTP

So, at least opening port 80 is necessary.Notice port 80 is also iused by a client to contact Groove Server Manager, when applicable.For more information, review Groove Security Architecture and Planning and Architecture for Office Groove Server 2007.

Putting A Groove Relay with no interface to Internet means that the Realy will relay traffic in only Intranet, in such case IPsec and domain/server isolation can take care of the network/connection security while AD and NTFS can manage access control, SharePoint in this scenario is the right and best solution for all intranet only collaboration.

See you at Microsoft TechEd 2008 at Orlando, FL

yungc — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:57:00 GMT

Two sessions in the upcoming TechEd 2008, I will be presenting. Both are about employing 2007 Office System as a solution platform to solve business problems. Technical decision makers, IT leadership, solution architects, and technical consultants will all benefit from both sessions and gain insights on how Microsoft Office technologies integrate and work together as end-to-end solutions. Here’s some information:

Topic	Groove, An Enabler for Secure And Dynamic Collaboration
Description	A key factor for businesses today to gain competitiveness is the capability to quickly bring people together, securely access and analyze information, methodically build and share business intelligence, and make informed decisions accordingly. Too often, the total cost of ownership to acquire such capability becomes prohibitive while appreciating the scope of technology involved, the complexities in integrating network, communication, and data technologies, the experiences and skill sets required to develop, deploy, and maintain the system. Microsoft Office Groove 2007 is a member of the 2007 Microsoft Office System and as a cost-effective way to extend the collaboration platform beyond organizational boundaries with optionally policy-enforced security and privacy to complement SharePoint-centered collaboration solutions. This presentation gives an overview on the hybrid architecture, security, user experience, and deployment models of Groove followed by a discussion of the integration with SharePoint and InfoPath.
Track	Office and SharePoint
Level	300 - Advanced
Technologies	Microsoft Office Groove 2007, Microsoft InfoPath 2007, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services

Topic	To Build (or Prototype) An End-to-End Collaboration Solution, A Cookbook
Description	2007 Office System including clients, servers, and services is a comprehensive platform for building business solutions. The built-in features and seamless product integrations offer information workers a point-n-click experience with zero coding needed to develop an end-to-end business solution. This presentation is to demonstrate how an information worker can build a collaboration solution by employing 2007 Office System to streamline content development, approval, and publishing processes with minimal IT support without compromising security.
Track	Office System
Level	300 - Advanced
Technologies	MOSS 2007 including Excel Services and Form Services, Office Enterprise 2007 including Excel, InfoPath, Outlook, and Groove

Look forward to meeting you all at Orlando, FL in June.