Frequently Asked Questions
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Introduction
A web conference is a synchronous online gathering that includes content presentation, text chat, and sometimes audio/video components. Lotus Sametime (http://sametime.udayton.edu) provides faculty and staff with the ability to schedule and host synchronous online meetings for their courses or events free of charge. Support and training on the use of this tool is available through UDit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
  1. What is Lotus Sametime?
  2. How do I access Sametime?
  3. What are the technical requirements for using Sametime?
  4. Do I have to download anything to join a Sametime meeting?
  5. Will Lotus Sametime work on my Mac?
  6. I can’t connect to my Sametime meeting, is there something wrong with the network?
  7. Where do I go for help?
  8. Where do I go for ideas/strategies for using Sametime in my course?
  9. Can I host my non-academic meeting on Sametime?
  10. How do I host a Sametime Meeting?
  11. How do I attend A Sametime Meeting?
  12. Are Sametime meetings recorded anywhere?
  13. Is there a specific type of file I should use in Lotus Sametime meetings?
What is Lotus Sametime?
IBM Lotus Sametime 7.5 is an award-winning, market-leading platform for unified communications and collaboration. Lotus Sametime provides tools businesses need to collaborate in real-time. At the University of Dayton, Sametime is utilized for both instant messaging and web conferencing.
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How do I access Sametime?
UD’s Lotus Sametime server is hosted at UD. It can be located at the web address: http://sametime.udayton.edu.
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What are the technical requirements for using Sametime?
Listed below are the minimum technical requirements to attend or host a Lotus Sametime meeting. For optimal performance HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION IS RECOMMENDED. Additionally, Sametime Meetings use Java, so the most current version of JRE/JDK must be installed (go to java.com to download).
Meeting Room Client Software Requirements
Supported Web Browsers
  • Firefox 1.5 on Windows XP
  • Firefox 2.0 on all platforms
  • Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher on Windows XP
  • Safari 2.0 on Macintosh OS X
Meeting Room Client Hardware Requirements
Microsoft Windows
  • CPU - Pentium 3 800 MHz (or higher)
  • RAM - 512 MB
  • 16-bit color Video card installed
  • Sound card
 Apple Computer
  • CPU - Macintosh OSX 10.4.6 (Tiger)
  • RAM -- 512 MB
  • 1GB free disk
  • 16-bit color Video card installed
  • Sound card
Optional Hardware Device Requirements
Supported Web Cameras1
  • Logitech: QuickCam Fusion
  • Microsoft: LifeCam VX-3000
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Do I have to download anything to join a Sametime meeting?
Yes. You will need administrator rights on your machine to install an applet the first time you attend a meeting. For help obtaining administrator rights on your work computer, please consult your IT support technicians.
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Will Lotus Sametime work on my Mac?
Yes, but performance is limited. At this time there is no support for desktop/application sharing or video in the Mac client. For more information about the hardware requirements for an Apple Computer see above.
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I can’t connect to my Sametime meeting, is there something wrong with the network?
Connection problems could indicate a possible problem with your network configuration. Hardware and software firewalls should be configured to allow traffic over ports 802, 4433, and 15334 (at minimum). If off-campus, please consult your technical staff for more information about your corporate network configuration. Feel free to refer them to UDit E-Learning ((937)229-5039 or email e-elearning@notes.udayton.edu) with any firewall-related inquiries.
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Where do I go for help?
You have several options for help with Lotus Sametime
  1. Call the University of Dayton Computer Help Desk at (937) 229-3888. If you have a critical problem after hours, call the UD Public Safety office at (937) 229-2121 and they will contact UDit.
  2. Browse the Sametime help files (available from the meeting center and within meetings). From the Sametime Meeting Center, click the Sametime Documentation Link or visit: http://sametime.udayton.edu/sametime/stmtghelp/H_INDEX_3084_OVER_X.html
  3. Visit the IBM website for additional resources: http://www-142.ibm.com/software/sw-lotus/products/product3.nsf/wdocs/st75home/
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Where do I go for ideas/strategies for using Sametime in my course?
The E-Learning Lab is available to help faculty develop new and innovative ways to use technologies like Lotus Sametime. For assistance or to schedule a consultation, call (937)229-5039 or email e-learning@notes.udayton.edu.
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Can I host my non-academic meeting on Sametime?
Yes. Sametime is a university-wide resource and hosting privileges are available to every member of the UD community with a Novell/LDAP login. If you need to give a non-UD user access to the site to host a session, contact the E-Learning Lab.
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How do I host a Sametime Meeting?
At the Sametime website (http://sametime.udayton.edu) two options are listed on the right of the page: Attend a Meeting and Schedule a Meeting. Choosing Schedule a Meeting will open a New Meeting form. View each of the four tabs and adjust the settings to specify how your meeting should function:
ESSENTIALS TAB
  1. Meeting name: required; a description is optional
  2. When: Select Start Now to create an impromptu meeting or enter a date, time, and duration. Note: scheduled meetings can be set to repeat at specified intervals.
  3. Audio and video services:
    • None: for meetings using traditional teleconferencing
    • Computer audio: for VoIP Telephony
    • Computer audio and video: for use of VoIP AND a Webcam
  4. Meeting password: Optional, but recommended for privacy
PEOPLE TAB

  1. Chair: The person who is creating the meeting inserted by default; the change button will allow you to substitute anyone listed in the UD directory.

    NOTE: if you are not logged into Sametime, the chair is anonymous and cannot be changed.

  2. Who can attend: Select attendees (your Sametime login is required to do so) or leave the meeting open to all users

  3. Permissions: By default, all users have the ability to present content; restrict this ability by unchecking the box under permissions.

    NOTE: Permissions can also be changed when a meeting is in session
SLIDES TAB
Add Slides...: Add slides/files from your computer. Please reference supported file types to ensure that you are adding appropriate attachments.
IBM Lotus Sametime Print Capture

Print Capture is a "virtual printer" that allows you to convert files for display in the Sametime Meeting Room. Print Capture converts Microsoft Windows® application files into Sametime files (“.swb” or "Sametime Whiteboard" files) instead of printing them on a piece of paper.

NOTE: This option should work for most “non-supported” file types, but interactive files are best shared thru Sametime File Sharing (contact E-Learning for more information)

  
OPTIONS TAB
  1. Recording: To record a meeting session, this option must be selected prior to the meeting start time
  2. Hide the meeting: This option will keep the meeting from appearing in the meeting center directory (not recommended)
Press the Save button at the bottom at the dialog box to create your meeting and be taken to the “Meeting Details” screen.
Meeting Details
This screen has options to change, end, delete, or attend a meeting (dependant on start time). It also provides a direct link to the meeting which you can provide to attendees if desired.
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How Do I attend A Sametime Meeting?
  • Direct your web browser to http://sametime.udayton.edu
  • Select Attend a Meeting on the right side of the page
  • At the Meeting Center, you can browse a list of past, in progress, and scheduled meetings. Select the meeting you’d like to attend.
  • When the meeting has loaded and you have supplied any required passwords, you will redirected to the Lotus Sametime Welcome Page.
The Lotus Sametime Welcome Page
  1. The Welcome page provides summary information about your meeting.
  2. The participant list shows meeting attendees, who can present, and who has their “hand” raised. If you use integrated audio or phone services, you can also see who is talking and control your audio connection.
  3. Annotation tools make it easy to highlight points on slides and to draw on the whiteboard for group brainstorming.
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Are Sametime meetings recorded anywhere?
Yes – if requested. All Lotus Sametime Meetings have the option of being recorded to the Sametime server. The meeting host must select this option while creating the session (or prior to the start of the meeting). Recordings made on our Sametime server are available at: http://sametime.udayton.edu/stconf.nsf/vwWebRecordedMeetings?Openview&Count=50.
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Is there a specific type of file I should use in Lotus Sametime meetings?
Yes. The following file types are automatically converted by IBM Lotus Sametime for proper display in the meeting room; unlisted file types must be shared via application sharing or the Lotus Sametime Print Capture:
File Types Extensions
Adobe Acrobat, Versions 2.1, 3.0 - 8.0 .PDF
Bitmap .BMP
CompuServe Graphics Interchange Format .GIF
Computer Graphics Metafile .CGM
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) .HTM, .HTML
JPEG file .JPEG, .JPG, .JPE
Microsoft Excel for Windows, Versions 2.2 through 2003 .XLS
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows, Versions 3.0 through 2003 .PPT
Microsoft Word for Macintosh, 3.0, 4.0, 98, 2001
Microsoft Word for Windows, Versions through 2003 .DOC
Paintbrush/DCX (multi-page PCX) .PCX
PICT and PICT2 Bitmap Graphics .PCT
Portable Network Graphics .PNG
Revisable Form Text .RFT
Rich Text Format .RTF
Sametime Print Capture File .FST
Sametime Whiteboard .SWB
Tagged Image File Format .TIFF, .TIF, .EPS
Text file .TXT, .BAT, .INI
Windows Metafile Graphic .WMF
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Footnotes
  1. Similar webcams have been reported to work, those listed are officially recommended by IBM
  2. Standard port for Internet traffic
  3. Standard port for secure Internet traffic
  4. Registered port for IBM Sametime IM
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