How Groove initiate a P2P-Connection

[RaBe]

Hi all,

i am new on Groove and try to use it in a 3 Worker Team all connected from
Home-Office via Dial-Up on different ISPs to INet.

On
http://technet.microsoft.com/de-de/magazine/2006.10.intothegroove(en-us).aspx
i found lots of details of communication like Ports etc.

But - how can a groove client connect to a unknown ip? To establish a
P2P-Connection, the target ip is needed - i think. Out of the (Office)box,
nobody installs a groove-relay.

So - how does groove initiate a Connection to a Member wich IP-Address
changes on each dial-in???

 

[Mark Smith]

Hi Rabe -

Good question!

As I understand it there are two mechanisms.

1: Local Network. Every copy of Groove sends out an "I'm here" message every
so often. Other copies of Groove pick up this message and communication can
take place.

2: The Internet. Your copy of Groove talks to your Presence Server, a part
of the Groove infrastructure, hosted either by your company, or by Microsoft.
It stores your current IP address. When another space member comes along, the
Presence Server sends your IP address to them, and their IP address to you.
The two computers (yours and theirs) can then send messages to each other.
Since both of you are trying to talk to each other, then most firewalls see
this as one person's computer talking and the other persons as responding, so
let the messages through. This might not work perfectly. If it doesn't,
messages are send via the Relay server, which both client machines can reach
without a problem.

 

[RaBe]

Hi Mark,

2: The Internet. Your copy of Groove talks to your Presence Server, a part
of the Groove infrastructure, hosted either by your company, or by Microsoft.
It stores your current IP address. When another space member comes along, the
Presence Server sends your IP address to them, and their IP address to you.

thats what i think about it.

But - any information how to change the use of microsoft to the use of my
one? Any idea of the configuratione-place?

Regards
Rabe
from Hamburg/Germany