Data Subscription
This content is no longer actively maintained. It is provided as is, for anyone who may still be using these technologies, with no warranties or claims of accuracy with regard to the most recent product version or service release.
When a session after logon is successfully initiated, a Unified Communications API client is subscribed to receiving the following information:
Presence categories
The presence categories contain published presence information about other Office Communicator users. This can include the user on-line status, telephone numbers, e-mail address, and location. The Access Control Level assigned to the logged on user determines what presence information is visible for a contact.
In-band provisioning categories
"In-band" provisioning allows a Unified Communications API client application to provide full functionality without the requirement for persisting user or configuration data on a local data store. All category and contact information is provided by the Communicator Web Access Server at the time a user logs on to the server. The category and contact information is sent asynchronously from the server through XML documents on one of the two communication channels maintained by the client and server.
Roaming option categories
This feature allows a logged on user to configure their user experience, personal publishable information, and default options. These configurations are user-centric rather than local-host centric — in other words, the user can log on to a Communicator Web Access Server from a workstation in a certain location, make configuration changes, and then see those configurations after logging on to a workstation at another location. With this feature, all user logon customizations are applied to a Unified Communications API client if a logon occurs from a public Internet workstation (for example) or a personal laptop. After logging on to a Communicator Web Access Server, the client is provisioned with specific user options and contact list based on the user's logon information rather than location.
Contacts
Just as a user's options are applied to the Unified Communications API client they log on to regardless of location, the user's contact list is similarly provisioned. A user can subscribe to the presence of another Office Communicator user for the duration of a Communicator Web Access session. The subscription to the user can also be made permanent. A permanent subscription to a user's presence is known as a Contact. A permanent subscription means that whenever the user logs on to a Communicator Web Access Server, the current presence of the contact is available.
Access control level (ACL)
The ACL is the mechanism that allows a user to control the type of personal contact information available to other Office Communicator users. When another user has added you to their contact list, that user is said to have subscribed to your presence. Each Office Communicator user that adds you to their contact list is placed in an access category defined by the ACL. The ACL is the mechanism that allows you to control the personal information visible to that user. For example, you can assign a contact to an ACL category, which allows that contact to see all of the personal contact information you have published. This can include a number of identifying items including home telephone number, pager, and address. You might choose to allow another user to see only your e-mail address. Another user may be blocked from seeing your on-line status altogether.