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Polycom and IBM intend to create a solution that is easily and seamlessly integrated into everyday workflows, including unified communication solutions. This will allow users to call from any device, anywhere, to any location
Polycom and IBM have teamed up to deliver Polycom Unified Collaboration Solutions for IBM Sametime®, IBM Lotus Notes® and IBM Connections. This joint solution gives businesses the social and real-time collaboration tools they need to connect networks of people and drive better business results. The Polycom RealPresence™ Platform natively integrates with and enhances IBM's Social Business applications to allow organizations to do more with less from anywhere, using any device. The solution's seamless integration maintains IBM Sametime's flexibility and multiple platform support while delivering the groundbreaking benefits of Polycom voice and video solutions.
Combined with IBM Sametime for real-time communications, Polycom RealPresence™ Platform is a comprehensive portfolio of infrastructure systems and applications that enables teams to interact over voice and video to collaborate anywhere, anytime.
This solution spans desktops, conference rooms, mobile devices and remote sites, providing the flexibility to quickly escalate from IM to voice and/or video from any location, conference in other remote users on the fly or quickly start a web collaboration session. Polycom offerings deliver unique user experiences through Polycom’s high-definition voice and video endpoints, which are presence-aware and easy to use.
High-definition desktop conferencing capabilities boost conferencing effectiveness by providing multiple video screen layouts that represent each person attending a meeting. In these environments, dispersed teams can interact together quickly and effectively by using the IBM Sametime client, which discovers attendee availability through a powerful, presence-aware “click to call” contact list. This tight integration makes setting up web conferencing with video fast and intuitive.
What is the Polycom-IBM Integration?
Polycom UC solutions are based on direct integration with the IBM Sametime server, leaving the clients intact. This means that Sametime users maintain their familiar user interface and workflow, as well as the flexibility of devices including mobile OS, Linux, Mac®, and Windows clients, as well as browser-based AV clients. On-demand and scheduled conferencing options enable users to initiate video-enabled calls directly from the Sametime client or from Web collaboration meetings using their familiar existing interface, and to join high-quality video conferencing from anywhere, using any device.
Flexibly Reach People at Any Place
Two different integration approaches are available with the Polycom Realpresence Platform integration. These two approaches provide different functional use cases.
- User-based Dialing
- Device-based Dialing
The following diagram illustrates the gloabl high-level solution architecture showing the solution components, main interfaces.
This article will only cover the User-Based Dialing approach. That approach is an “User Oriented” collaboration, a new kind of approach for the video world. Instead of collaborating via specific devices, you directly collaborate with persons without being concerned about the video device.IBM Sametime user can launch a multipoint voice or video call to other IBM Sametime users, and the call is automatically hosted by Polycom RMX platform. The initiator or receiver of the call may select the “preferred device” for the call, including standards-based video systems. User based dialing is achieved by integrating the Polycom RMX with the Sametime Media Manager
The Device-based Dialing approach is covered in that article: (link
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IBM Sametime Integration Components
- IBM Sametime 8.5.2 IFR1
- Polycom RMX conference platform ver 7.7+
- Polycom Conferencing Add-in for IBM Lotus Sametime - A TCSPI adapter to be installed on Lotus Sametime Server
- UC Professional Services for IBM environment - Delivered through Polycom or certified Polycom partners
High-level conceptual architecture
The following diagram illustrates the high-level solution architecture of the User-Based Dialing approach showing the solution components, main interfaces. A typical Lotus Sametime server includes a set of logical servers for instant messaging on a Domino-based platform and other logical servers running on WebSphere Application Server that support meetings, audiovisual services, and connections to a variety of clients.The Media Manager Server provides support for point-to-point and multipoint audio and video calls. It includes the Telephony Conferencing Service Provider Interface (TCSPI) adapter and the Polycom RMX Conferencing Add-in for IBM Lotus Sametime.
The Polycom RMX Conferencing Add-in for Lotus Sametime creates multipoint audio and video meetings via API on the RMX 1500/2000/4000 system. If HDX system or Telepresence system is configured as one of the endpoints available for usage by Lotus Sametime client, the RMX dials out to that HDX, connecting it to the conference.
Call Flow
The meeting organizer is participating in an IM session with other Sametime Client users. The meeting organizers starts a Video Call from the Sametime Client
window. The Sametime Media Manager forwards the request via the Polycom RMX Conferencing Add-in for IBM Sametime to the RMX and a video meeting is created on the RMX and the Meeting Organizer’s Sametime Client connects to the RMX meeting. Invitee A and B receive an invitation to the meeting and accept the call using their Sametime Client. Their video is connected to the RMX meeting. Invitee C receives an invitation to the meeting and accepts the invitation using the HDX system. The RMX dials out to the HDX via H.323 connection enabling Invitee C to see video on the HDX using the Sametime Client.
User Experience
Two different use cases can be done through that integration :
Click-to-Conference
1/Select contacts and 1) start chats and escalate to video call 2) directly start a video call
2/ IBM Sametime users receive incoming call notification and select device from which to receive the call. Users can simply add
3/ Polycom RMX hosts the voice and video multiparty calls with continuous screen for rich conference experience
Rich Online Meeting
1/ Enter a Sametime meeting room (ad hoc or scheduled). Invite others (drag & drop contact names into Meeting Room or choose contacts from Meeting Room UI)
2/ The recipient of the meeting joins the meeting room.
3/ Participants dial into the Polycom RMX from within the meeting room window
If you want to see a real demo of Sametime & Polycom :
P.S : IBM Sametime client can start or join an Immersive Telepresence (ITP) conference running on the RMX if this mode is enabled on the RMX. In that video, you will see a participant attending the meeting from a Telepresence room.
Native Sametime A/V capabilities in a Web Meeting
Sametime + Polycom A/V capabilities in a Web Meeting
Polycom Conferencing Plugin for IBM Sametime V3
With this new Add-In, the User-based Dialing approach has been updated to provide integration with Polycom DMA. Polycom RealPresence DMA distributes voice and video calls based on priority, bandwidth availability, and class of service. It provides bridge virtualization, video call control functions including dial plan management and scalable VMR (Virtual Meeting Room) management. The solution’s advanced routing algorithms maximize resource utilization. The Polycom Conferencing Add-in for IBM Sametime creates multipoint audio and video meetings via the RealPresence DMA on the RealPresence Collaboration Server (RMX) 1500/2000/4000 system using API commands.
The new features of this Add-In are:
• Scalability/Resiliency across multiple RMXes
• DMA feature set (Site Topology, SIP Conference Failover, BW Management, etc)
• Includes Conference Control for both SIP and H.323
• Mute/UnMute/Mute All status now supported
• Lock/Unlock conference now supported
• Configurable DMA Templates
• Can set DMA template to be used for ad-hoc conferences by DMA Adaptor deployment (in plcm.properties files)
For More Information
Contact IBM@polycom.com or http://www.polycom.com/IBM
Author :
Vincent Perrin : Polycom Glocal UC Architect
Some figures are extracted from the "Polycom® Unified Communications Deployment Guide for IBM® Sametime® Environments" document.