Basic questions about using Groove

[Charlie]

I'm very new to Groove. I just finished watching the tutorials about Groove.
However, I have one main question remains. To use the Groove 2007, do I and
all of my users need a Groove Management Server or some sort of server to
keep track of all the sharing files/synchronization/meetings/appointments and
so on? If yes, then what's Groove 2007 good for if we do not have the server?

 

[Mark Smith]

Hi Charlie -

I think a lot of the information about Groove is aimed as big corporates,
even though Grove is equally well suited to the smaller company.

Good news is you don't need anything other than $79 per user per year for
Microsoft Office Live Groove, which is a hosted Groove service you buy direct
from Microsoft:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/FX101945661033.aspx

 

[Charlie]

Many thanks for the response. So if just installed the Office 2007
Professional version that has Groove 2007 in it, we won't be able to do
what's advertised or as the demo tutorial video showed, correct? Many of the
demo video clips I've seen did not mention anything about a back bone that
supports Groove which I think there must be someway to keep everything
organized and in synch. So the short answer is Groove 2007 that came with
Office 2007 will not work as the demo video portrayed, right?

 

[Donna Shaw \(Microsoft Program Manager\)]

Charlie,

There is no reliance on a server for Groove to organize and sync data.
There is a server involved, the Groove Relay server, which is an an
integral part of the Groove peer-to-peer story and is how Groove is able to
sync between clients across firewalls (and when one client is offline).

The relay is part of each member's account information; organizations that
deploy the Groove servers on-premise assign relays that they are running.
For hosted services and for individuals such as yourself using Groove Live,
the Relay servers are provided by Microsoft.

The data that is sent through the relay is encrypted both on the wire and
when it is stored (temporarily) on the relay. Only the recipient has the
keys that can decrypt it, and the relay has no knowledge of the contents
that it is managing. Further, the relay never stores all of the data for
the workspace, it's only updates to changes made in the end workspaces.

There is also the Groove Manager server which provides administration and
management for organizations that require that capability.

Hope that helps,
Donna

 

[Charlie]

Thanks for the response. I have a little more understanding. However, the
simple question is, with just Groove 2007 that came with Office 2007
Professional, I won't be able to do what the demo clip
(http://www.groove.net/tutorial/interface.swf) demostrate, correct? And if I
need Groove Live, at the very minimum, to get it working like the demo clip
showed, Groove Live and the Relay server are not free, are they?

 

[Bryan]

I'm eager to hear too. I can't find a desc anywhere. I'd think that the basic
functions would be supported without the server as it's installed and running
when you install Office07.

 

[Donna Shaw \(Microsoft Program Manager\)]

Yes, the functionality works out of the box without purchasing a server.
When you install either Office Ultimate or Office Enterprise (suites that
include Groove), the functionality works as described in the demo. You
could check here for additional information
(http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/groove/FX100487641033.aspx).

 

[Bryan]

Cool. Thanks. So what does the server do that was spoken about?

 

[Bryan]

Never mind. Found it. Thanks for the link. Here are the top 10 benefits of
server for the rest of you.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/grooveserver/HA101655131033.aspx