Network performance evaluation of Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007

Instant multimedia communication has moved into mainstream application scenarios and is used in various settings. Dimensioning future networks into which these solutions are integrated requires knowledge of the underlying traffic characteristics of these systems. Here we present findings for the Microsoft Office Communication Server deployed at a midsize educational institution in the upper Midwest. We find that different individual bandwidth utilizing classes of communication clients or endpoints can be identified that shape the overall server traffic significantly and range from self-similar to random bandwidth utilization patterns over time. Using our initial findings presented here allows for future network capacity planning and bandwidth utilization modeling before deployment of this and similar solutions.