Internet Locator Server

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An Internet Locator Server (abbreviated ILS) is a server that acts as a directory for Microsoft NetMeeting clients. An ILS is not necessary within a local area network and some wide area networks in the Internet because one participant can type in the IP address of the other participant's host and call them directly. An ILS becomes necessary when one participant is trying to contact a host who has a private IP address internal to a local area network that is inaccessible to the outside world, or when the host is blocked by a firewall. An ILS is also useful when a participant has a different IP address during each session, e.g., assigned by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.

Microsoft NetMeeting

Microsoft NetMeeting is a discontinued VoIP and multi-point videoconferencing client included in many versions of Microsoft Windows. It uses the H.323 protocol for videoconferencing, and is interoperable with OpenH323-based clients such as Ekiga, OpenH323, and Internet Locator Service (ILS) as reflector. It also uses a slightly modified version of the T.120 Protocol for whiteboarding, application sharing, and file transfers.

Local area network computer network that connects devices over a small area

A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building. By contrast, a wide area network (WAN) not only covers a larger geographic distance, but also generally involves leased telecommunication circuits.

There are two main approaches to using Internet Location Servers: use a public server on the Internet, or run and use a private server.

Private Internet Location Server

The machine running an Internet Location Server must have a public IP address. If the network running an Internet Location Server has a firewall, it is usually necessary to run the server in the demilitarized zone of the network.

Microsoft Windows includes an Internet Location Server. It can be installed in the Control Panel using Add/Remove Windows Components, under "Networking Services" (Site Server ILS Services).

Microsoft Windows is a group of several graphical operating system families, all of which are developed, marketed, and sold by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. Active Windows families include Windows NT and Windows Embedded; these may encompass subfamilies, e.g. Windows Embedded Compact or Windows Server. Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile and Windows Phone.

Control Panel (Windows) part of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface

The Control Panel is a component of Microsoft Windows that provides the ability to view and change system settings. It consists of a set of applets that include adding or removing hardware and software, controlling user accounts, changing accessibility options, and accessing networking settings. Additional applets are provided by third parties, such as audio and video drivers, VPN tools, input devices, and networking tools.

The Internet Location Server (ILS) included in Microsoft Windows 2000 offers service on port 1002, while the latest version of NetMeeting requests service from port 389. The choice of 1002 was to avoid conflict with Windows 2000's domain controllers, which use LDAP and Active Directory on port 389, as well as Microsoft Exchange Server 2000, which uses port 389. If the server is running neither Active Directory nor Microsoft Exchange Server, the Internet Location Server's port can be changed to 389 using the following command at a command prompt:

On Microsoft Servers, a domain controller (DC) is a server computer that responds to security authentication requests within a Windows domain. A domain is a concept introduced in Windows NT whereby a user may be granted access to a number of computer resources with the use of a single username and password combination.

Microsoft Exchange Server is a mail server and calendaring server developed by Microsoft. It runs exclusively on Windows Server operating systems.

ILSCFG [servername] /port 389

Additional firewall issues

Internet Location Servers do not address two other issues with using NetMeeting behind a firewall. First, although a participant can join the directory from an external IP address, the participant cannot join a meeting unless the internal host manually adds the participant to the meeting from the directory. Second, while this approach is fine for data conferencing, audio or video conferencing requires opening of a wide range of ports on the firewall. In this case, it may be desirable to use a gateway.

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