Creating a Communicator Web Access Virtual Server By Using the Command Line

Topic Last Modified: 2009-08-06

Instead of using Setup you can also start the Create Virtual Server Wizard by running the file CWACreateVirtualServer.msi. Note that there are no command-line options that enable you to actually create a virtual server. All you can do is start the Create Virtual Server Wizard.

This means that there is no difference in the installation process. However, there is a slight savings in time. When you start it from the command line, the Wizard starts immediately. By contrast, it can take a minute or so longer to load Setup and then start the Wizard from there.

To create a virtual server from the command prompt

  1. Log on to the computer where you want to install the Communicator Web Access snap-in as a member of both the local Administrators group and the Domain Admins group.

  2. Click Start, and then click Run.

  3. In the Run dialog box, type cmd, and then click OK.

  4. At the command prompt, type the path to the Setup\CWA folder on the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 CD and then press ENTER. For example, if your CD drive is drive F, you would type the following:

    cd f:\setup\cwa

  5. Type the following command to start the Create Virtual Server Wizard:

    CWACreateVirtualServer.msi

    If you would like to create a log file for the installation process then add the /lv switch followed by the file path for the log file. For example, to save a log file as C:\Logs\CWA_Install.txt use the following command:

    CWACreateVirtualServer.msi /lv c:\logs\cwa_install.txt

  6. In the Create Virtual Server Wizard, on the Welcome page, click Next.

  7. On the Select Virtual Server Type page, click Internal or External and then click Next.

  8. On the Select Authentication Type page, do one of the following:

    • If you want the virtual server to support the authentication methods built into the operating system, click Use built-in authentication and then click Next.
    • If you want the virtual server to support authentication mechanisms not built into the operating system, click Use custom authentication. If you select this option, you can also enter a URL in the Sign-Out URL (Optional) box. This represents the URL of the Web page that users will see after they sign out of Communicator Web Access. Click Next.
  9. Do one of the following:

    • If you chose built-in authentication and you are creating an internal virtual server, select Forms-based authentication and/or Integrated (NTLM/Kerberos) password authentication from the Select Authentication Type page. Click Next.
    • If you are creating an external virtual server, you will see the Select Authentication Type page. However, you will not be able to select an authentication mechanism. Instead, Forms-based authentication will be selected for you automatically. Click Next.
    • If you chose custom authentication you will not see the Select Authentication Type page. That is because neither forms-based authentication nor integrated password authentication can be used with custom authentication. Instead, you go directly to the Select Connection Type page.
  10. On the Select Connection Type page do one of the following:

    • Select HTTP (May be used with SSL accelerator) and then click Next.
    • Select HTTPS (Recommended) and then click the Select Certificate button. In the Select Certificate dialog box, select the certificate to be used with this virtual server. Click the appropriate certificate and then click OK. On the Select Connection Type page, click Next.
  11. On the Select IP Address and Port Settings page, select the IP address to be assigned to the virtual server. In the Port box, type the port to be used by the virtual server. Click Next. Do not select a port that is already in use by another application (for example, port 135, which is used by Remote Desktop, or port 445, which is used by file and printer sharing. If you select a port that is already in use setup will continue, but, upon completion, you will not be able to start your virtual server.

  12. On the Server Description page, type a name for the virtual server in the Description box; this is the way the virtual server will be identified both in the Communicator Web Access snap-in and in the Internet Information Services (IIS) snap-in. Click Next.

  13. On the Select a listening port page, type the port number that the Communicator Web Access server uses to listen for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages in the Listening port box and then click Next.

  14. On the Select a pool page select the fully qualified domain name of the Office Communications 2007 R2 server or server pool that will act as a “next hop” server for anonymous users. Select the next hop server from the Next hop pool dropdown list, type the SIP listening port (typically port 5061) in the Port box, and then click Next.

  15. On the Start Server Option page, select Start this virtual server after the Create Virtual Server Wizard finishes and then click Next. This ensures that the virtual server will start immediately after it is created.

  16. On the Review Settings Before Virtual Server Creation page, verify that the virtual server has been configured correctly and then click Next.

  17. On the Create Virtual Server Complete page, click Close to close the Create Virtual Server Wizard.