Microsoft Windows XP Networking Inside Out
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Chapter 8
Setting Up
and Connecting with Windows
Messenger 219
Using Windows
Messenger 225
Using Windows
Messenger
Instant messaging has become very popular during the past year or so; advertisements for products as distinct as Internet service providers (ISPs) and cellular phones bombard us with hyperbole about instant text messaging. The concept of instant messaging is certainly nothing new in Microsoft Windows XP either. Windows XP includes Windows Messenger, formerly MSN Messenger, as the default instant messaging tool. However, Windows Messenger does much more than simple text messaging. It also offers live video and live audio over the Internet; additionally, you can use Windows Messenger to collaborate on a drawing or illustration with a friend, or even have private chat conversations.
Windows Messenger is a multimedia tool designed to give you instant communications flexibility. E-mail can take too long, voice conversations are not visual (and often intrusive), and face-to-face meetings can often consume too much time. With Windows Messenger, you can have multimedia-based, realtime communications with friends, family, and colleagues using the Internet or a local intranet. It is, of course, not the answer to all of life’s communication problems, but Windows Messenger does provide you with an alternative communication method that might be able to meet your specific needs.
Setting Up and Connecting with Windows Messenger
Windows Messenger is readily available on your Windows XP computer by clicking Start, All Programs. To begin using Windows Messenger, all you need is an Internet connection
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(see Chapter 4, “Configuring Internet Connections”) and a Microsoft .NET Passport. If you want to use video or voice with your Windows Messenger calls, you’ll also need a sound card, a microphone, and a Web camera.
tip Your computer is probably already equipped with a sound card—see your computer’s documentation for details. You can purchase a microphone and a universal serial bus (USB) Web cam inexpensively at your favorite computer store.
To set up Windows Messenger, click Start, All Programs, Windows Messenger, or you can double-click the Windows Messenger icon if one appears on your desktop in the lower right notification area. If you have not previously configured a .NET Passport, a wizard appears to help you.
Creating a .NET Passport
When you use a .NET Passport, Microsoft uses your e-mail address and a password to identify you, and notifies any services relying on Passport of your secure identity. Once you are logged on, you can take full advantage of all that Windows Messenger has to offer, and you can seamlessly log on to Web sites that use Microsoft .NET Passport. If you want to use online publishing in addition to some other features in Windows XP, you’ll need a .NET Passport for those services as well. Signing up for the .NET Passport is easy and private—just follow these steps:
1Connect to the Internet.
2Click Start, All Programs, Windows Messenger.
3The .NET Passport Wizard appears. If the wizard does not appear automatically, select the Click Here To Sign In link in the Windows Messenger window to start the wizard.
4Click Next on the .NET Passport opening page.
5The wizard connects to a .NET Passport server, and the next wizard page asks if you have an e-mail address. If you do, select Yes. If you don’t, choose No, I Would Like To Open A Free MSN.com E-mail Account Now. With previous versions of Windows Messenger, you had to have an MSN or Hotmail e-mail address to obtain a passport. Now, however, any e-mail address can be linked to your passport account. Click Next.
6On the What Is Your E-mail Address page, enter your e-mail address and click Next.
7If you are using a Hotmail or MSN account, you’ll need to provide your existing password on the next page. If not, you’ll be prompted to create a
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.NET Passport password to use with the account and retype it to confirm you typed it correctly the first time. Also, notice that you can select Save My .NET Passport Information In My Windows XP User Account, which is selected by default, as shown in Figure 8-1. Enter the password information and click Next.
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Figure 8-1. Make up a password of at least six characters and click Next.
8If you created a new password in step 7, you’ll see the Choose And Answer A Secret Question page. In the Secret Question list, choose a question, and then answer the question in the Answer box. This question will be asked of you if you forget your password in the future. By answering this question, you can select a new password for your account. Click Next.
9On the Where Do You Live page, which is also shown if you’re creating a new password, you must complete the Country/Region field, the State field if you’re in the United States, and then the ZIP Code field. You’ll also have to provide this information in the future if you forget your password and want to choose a new one for your account. Click Next.
10On the next page, you can read the Microsoft Passport Terms of Use. You must accept the terms to complete your Passport registration. Click Next.
11The Share Your Information With Participating Sites page appears. You don’t have to select either of the sharing options on this page; however, if you want other Web sites that use your .NET Passport to receive information such as your e-mail address and geographical information, select the appropriate
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check boxes. The idea is to save you from having to type in your e-mail address on those sites, as well as allow some sites to provide you with custom content tailored to your location. Click Next.
12Click Finish. Windows Messenger automatically uses the .NET Passport you have created to sign on to Windows Messenger, as shown in Figure 8-2.
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Figure 8-2. The user Windows 2000 is online, and there’s also a new version of Windows Messenger that the user can download by clicking the banner.
Connecting Through a Firewall
If you are using a firewall (or if your company uses one), that firewall might require some configuration to allow Windows Messenger to work. If you are using Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) on an Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) network with no additional router or residential gateway, there is nothing else you need to do. ICF is configured to work with Windows Messenger automatically. However, if you are using a router or residential gateway device that uses network address translation (NAT), that device must also support Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). UPnP is a standard supported in Windows XP that allows computers to automatically detect network devices and flexibly work with them. By using UPnP, Windows Messenger is capable of working through a NAT-enabled router or residential gateway that supports UPnP. See your router or residential gateway’s documentation for details about UPnP. You can also learn more about UPnP at the UPnP Forum at www.upnp.org. If your firewall doesn’t support the relatively new UPnP standard, you’ll have to check its documentation to see if you can manually configure it to allow Windows Messenger traffic through the firewall. See the next section.
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tip Upgrading Routers and Residential Gateways to Support UPnP
Many devices that do not offer UPnP support out of the box are able to provide support for it via upgrades to their onboard firmware. Check the manufacturer's Web site for their latest firmware upgrades.
Firewall Configuration
Although ICF is configured to work with Windows Messenger, there is an exception—file transfer. To use the Windows Messenger file transfer feature, you’ll need to create a service entry to allow the transfer, as described in “Enabling Services” on page 130. If you are on a network that uses another firewall or in a domain environment where a firewall is used, the firewall administrator might need to statically configure TCP ports so that Windows Messenger can communicate. TCP ports are described in the following list:
●Windows Messenger uses TCP port 1863 when it is available. If port 1863 is not available, Windows Messenger uses the same port that the Web browser uses, which is typically port 80. A firewall administrator should open TCP port 1863 for best results.
●Windows Messenger uses TCP ports 6891 through 6900 for file transfers, allowing up to 10 simultaneous transfers at a time (one on each port). ICF requires a service entry to allow file transfer.
●Windows Messenger uses TCP port 1503 for application sharing and whiteboard communications (see “Whiteboard and Application Sharing,” page 240).
●Windows Messenger uses dynamically assigned ports through UPnP for voice and video.
Configuring Proxy Server Settings in Windows Messenger
Windows Messenger automatically detects and uses your connection to the Internet. However, in some cases where a proxy server is used, Windows Messenger might have problems identifying the proxy server. In this case, help Windows Messenger identify the server, by following these steps:
1Open Windows Messenger, and click Tools, Options.
2In the Options dialog box, select the Connection tab.
3On the Connection tab, shown in Figure 8-3 on the next page, select the I Use A Proxy Server check box, and choose the type of server in the Type box. Enter the server’s IP address or name in the Server box, and any user name and password information required for the connection in the User ID and Password boxes.
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Figure 8-3. Use the Connection tab to enable Windows Messenger when you use a proxy server for your Internet connection.
Windows Messenger and Virtual
Private Network (VPN) Connections
You might experience problems when using Windows Messenger and a VPN connection at the same time (see “Creating a Connection to a VPN Server,” page 515, to learn more). If you are using Windows Messenger and open a VPN connection at the same time, the Windows Messenger connection might disconnect with no warnings or disconnect messages. This problem occurs because the VPN connection, while it is active, tries to use the default gateway on the remote network. This essentially stops your Windows Messenger connection from working. However, you can change the VPN connection so that the remote gateway is not used for Internet connections, which will allow you to use both a VPN connection and a Windows Messenger connection at the same time. To do that, follow these steps:
1Open Network Connections.
2Right-click the VPN connection and click Properties.
3In the properties dialog box, click the Networking tab.
4Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in the list of connections, and click the Properties button.
5In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box, click the Advanced button.
6On the General tab of the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box, clear the Use Default Gateway On Remote Network check box, and click OK to close each dialog box.
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Using Windows Messenger
Once Windows Messenger is set up to work with a .NET Passport account and your Internet connection, you are ready to begin using and exploring its features. The following sections explore the various aspects of using Windows Messenger and putting it to work for you.
note Windows Messenger is constantly being upgraded. At the time of this writing, version 4.6 was the latest version. Depending on when you purchased Windows XP, you might have a newer or older version of Windows Messenger. Check Windows Update, or http://messenger.microsoft.com, to find newer versions of Windows Messenger, including any important security updates that might become available.
Managing Sign-in
Whenever you log on to Windows XP, Windows Messenger attempts to automatically sign in. Windows Messenger will not launch an Internet connection, however, so if you are not connected when Windows Messenger attempts to log on, the logon will fail. You will also see the Windows Messenger icon with an X over it in the notification area.
If you do not want Windows Messenger to attempt to log you on whenever you log on to Windows XP, follow these steps:
1In Windows Messenger, choose Tools, Options.
2On the Preferences tab of the Options dialog box, clear the Run This Program When Windows Starts option, as shown in Figure 8-4, and click OK.
Figure 8-4. The Options dialog box lets you stop Windows Messenger from automatically logging you on.
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Your User Account and .NET Passport
When you first created your .NET Passport account, you had the option of storing the password and account information with your user account. So what happens if you change your .NET Passport at some point in the future or decide to no longer use it?
In this case, you can simply open User Accounts in Control Panel, access your account, and change the .NET Passport or remove it altogether.
tip Logging on to Windows Messenger
If you are not currently signed in using Windows Messenger, you can right-click the icon in the notification area and click Sign In. However, you will have to enter your password. This option is also handy if you want to sign in under a different account than the default account for the computer, should you have more than one account or be logging on using another person’s computer. To log on more quickly, either rightclick the icon in the notification area and click Sign In As … (the entry will list your sign-on e-mail address), or double-click the icon and select Click Here To Sign In in the Windows Messenger window that appears. Both options require you to have saved your password in Windows Messenger; otherwise, you’ll have to try again and supply the password for the account.
Creating Contacts
Windows Messenger enables you to control who you communicate with over the Internet or intranet via its contacts feature. When you add contacts to Windows Messenger, they are stored on .NET Passport servers so that you can be contacted directly when you are online.
Contacts appear in the Windows Messenger window, as shown in Figure 8-5. Any contacts that you have added appear under Online if they are online, and any contacts that are not currently online appear under Not Online.
You can add a contact quickly and easily by following these steps:
1Choose Tools, Add A Contact.
2In the Add A Contact Wizard that appears, you are asked how you want to add a contact. You can choose By E-mail Address Or Sign-in Name, or you can choose Search For a Contact. The search option checks your address book or the online Hotmail directory, and frankly, is not a very useful feature. Typically, if you are adding a contact, you already know the contact’s e-mail address. Click Next.
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Figure 8-5. Online and Not Online contacts appear in Windows Messenger.
3If you choose to enter the e-mail address, enter the address on the next wizard page, as shown in Figure 8-6. The e-mail address you are using must be an MSN, Hotmail, or Passport e-mail address. If you enter any other e-mail address (or even an MSN or Hotmail account that is not configured for .NET Passport), you can choose to e-mail that person, telling them about Windows Messenger so that they can download and use it. Of course, until the person does so and configures a .NET Passport, you can’t communicate with them using Windows Messenger. Click Next.
Figure 8-6. Enter the e-mail address of the contact.
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