Sooner or later, in any corporate or large home network the question arises of what means of communication to use, how to organize effective notification of all employees and the delivery of files. Of course, you can use commercial delivery complexes instant messaging, expand mail server and organize shared data stores. But what if the network is not that big?
In this case, Network Software Solutions has developed a client-server messaging program that is a chat. In the chat, you can create various channels (for example, within a department), conduct a private conversation without clogging up the general chat, transfer files and much more.
MyChat Server
It should be noted right away that there are two versions of the chat server: commercial and free. For small networks, the free version of FREE MyChat is enough. The main differences can be seen on the developer's website, of the major limitations we can note - the lack of integration with Active Directory and the limitation of the number of connections to 15 people - for the Free MyChat version.
As for installing the server, there shouldn't be any difficulties, the installation is done in automatic mode and does not require significant effort from the user. At first glance, setting up an application may seem complicated, as there are quite a few options. But, all the settings are well categorized, for each section there is a good reference material in Russian. In addition, a hint about its purpose is provided for each option, which greatly simplifies the search for the desired tool.
Server functions:
- Actually the server itself, keeps statistics of users, active time, traffic, connections, etc.;
- FTP server, used as a shared data storage;
- User management, management of groups and access rights, appointment of Administrators, operators and other servers;
- Creating filters: filtering users by IP, filtering by MAC, anti-flood, filtering obscene expressions in chat;
- Creation of scripts to automate repetitive actions, etc .;
- Fine tuning the server (backup, logging, timers, remote control);
- Creation of ads;
- Web access for server administration;
MyChat client
MyChat client is used for direct connection to the server. Allows you to connect to individual channels, register in channels, conduct private conversations, transfer files, view bulletin boards, search for users, create alerts with various parameters. Plugins built into the program deserve special attention, which allows you to expand the client's capabilities.
In summary, we can say that MyChat is an excellent choice for small and medium-sized organizations, especially for home networks. If it were not for the limitation of 15 connections, the program could be safely used in large corporate networks. MyChat interface is available in three languages: Russian, Ukrainian and English. License Free version provides for non-commercial use. To get a free version of MyChat, you need to go to the developer's website and fill out a simple questionnaire.
Sergey and Marina Bondarenko
Vypress Chat software is available in several versions, which differ as much as possible possible amount users in local network.
One of the advantages of this program is a well-thought-out chat concept, in which users can organize groups to communicate according to their interests. Chatting is conducted in separate windows - channels. By default, the program uses the main channel at startup. Users create other channels on their own. The user can set the list of channels to which Vypress Chat should connect at startup.
The program can work both in multi-line mode and in single line mode. The chat contains tools for flood protection. So, for example, in the program you can create rules for filtering messages, forcing it to ignore messages from users with a specific name or IP-address, as well as with a given text.
Each user can be assigned their own sound signal, as well as set the automatic sending of a message when a user appears on the network.
Chat messages can be sent both in the general channel and individually. In addition, using the F6 key, you can create a multicast message by highlighting those in the list of users who should receive the sent text. Vypress Chat users can change their chat name and set their current status (Active, Do Not Disturb, Away and Disabled). The program also has an archive of messages by which you can quickly find useful information received yesterday or even last month. With Vypress Chat, users can also send files to each other.
If the text of a message typed in a general channel or in an individual message was made by mistake in a different layout, you can quickly change the layout of this text using the keyboard shortcut.
Network settings can be detected by the program automatically. Vypress Chat can work using a local network or the Internet (via TCP / UDP protocol). If the program is used on a network with a specific configuration, it is convenient to use the export all network parameters programs into one XML file.
LANcet Chat is good free chat with Russian language support, designed for a small local network, with total users about twenty people.
This chat does not require setting up a local network at all, except in rare cases, when, for example, you need to determine the port used by the program.
LANcet Chat supports a small set of emoticons. Communication using this chat can take place in conference mode, as well as in private communication mode. Switching between the windows of private communication and general chat is carried out using convenient tabs. In order to communicate with one of the users confidentially, go to the "Private" tab and indicate this interlocutor in the list of all users in the chat. If this is not done, the message will not be sent. You need to specify the interlocutor only once, after which messages are sent to him automatically.
To make it clear to the interlocutors in the conference who they are dealing with, users can set an icon indicating their gender. In addition, the program can customize the size and color of the font that is used for messages for each user.
When a new message appears, the program may report this sound signal or animation of the icon. All major chat events are accompanied by pop-up notification windows.
To save free space on the screen, in the LANcet Chat settings, you can turn off the display of the program on the taskbar. In this case, it will only present itself as an icon in the system tray.
One of the features of the program is a special function "Antiboss", which allows you to quickly hide the program window by pressing just one key. By default, this is the Esc key, but in the program settings, you can select another key instead. Chat keeps statistics of conversations, recording all events in the LANcetChat.history file. The size of this file can be limited to a certain size.
The program has two interfaces - normal and simplified. All tools are available to the user in the usual interface text editor, contact list and menu with some commands. A simplified view of the program shows one contact list, which makes LanTalk.NET look like an ICQ client or some other service for sending instant messages. The user's contact list is displayed in the form of a tree structure; by default, the chat uses the user's name in the system as an alias in the chat.
LanTalk.NET allows you to fine tuning both the client and network connections... For example, you can set maximum number connections, connection support time, set the time interval after which the program will check the status of users, define the port for messages and the port for the "Contact List", the size of the sent text message and etc.
The program has a quick reply editor. With its help, you can compile a whole collection of the most frequent answers. Subsequently, template messages can be sent by pressing just a few keys.
You can attach any file to any message - document, archive, etc. In addition, graphics in GIF, JPG, JPEG or BMP formats can be inserted into the message body. LanTalk.NET uses a set of emoticons similar to that found in Vypress Chat. When using a smiley in the body of the letter, the program converts the graphic image of the smiley into text, so the size of the picture can be changed in the body of the letter.
The program provides three modes of sending messages - send text only to those users who are in the "Online" status, only to those users who are currently in the "Offline" status, and send messages to everyone, regardless of their status. When sending messages in the program, you can set the priority of the sent message. If you want the company employees not to engage in empty conversations, you can configure the program so that the chat can only receive messages.
LanTalk.NET has a message search option. For a more precise query, you can set search criteria in the program - determine the time period in which the searched text was sent, indicate whether the message contained an attached file, clarify who exactly the message was intended for, etc.
This small program is made on the principle "the simpler the better". The lack of any features had a positive effect on the size of the chat - less than a megabyte. As a result, this program is one of the smallest chats for local networks. Local Network Chat does not require installation. It is enough to launch the file and the chat is already working. In addition, this chat is almost completely devoid of an interface. A tiny window for a list of active users and a pop-up chat window - that's the whole "look" of Local Network Chat. The program in the process is displayed as an icon in the system tray, clicking on which opens the contact list.
The program uses UDP protocol for communication, and, if necessary, the connection can be configured by specifying the port. In the user list, you can quickly view the IP address of each remote computer. The program can automatically load with Windows, with a time delay of thirty seconds.
The text of negotiations in the chat window can be quickly deleted or, conversely, saved in a separate RTF file using the appropriate command context menu... Local Network Chat can be used for free, but please note that free version the program allows only three users of the local network to work in chat at the same time.
Unlike the chats described above, CommFort works according to the client-server scheme. In order to connect several users by chat in the local network, it is necessary to install a server on one of the workstations that will combine and redirect user requests. This chat architecture has many advantages. For example, using the server, you can configure chat functions - enable protection against flooding, set rights for users, appoint moderators, control the server's communication channel width, fine-tune the logging of events on the server. In addition, using the server settings, you can allow the use of the message board in the chat, enable the voice chat function, and allow file transfer. You can also limit the number of users, make filters to automatically replace "bad words" in the chat, and much more.
Each chat user can fill out his profile, which includes date of birth, home and work phone numbers, E-mail and other data. If desired, you can upload your photo to your profile.
The program implements the ability to work with a common bulletin board. This feature allows you to post messages that will be visible to all chat users. Subsequently, the published advertisement can be edited or removed by the user who posted it. CommFort supports skins and has a smiley library like the one found in QIP.
One of the features of the program is the ability to create a voice chat between users. Depending on the speed of the network connection, in the chat settings, you can set different quality of audio data transmission, starting from the lowest, with a frequency of 8 kHz and with a sound depth of 8 bits.
The program works perfectly even on those networks where the data transfer rate is unstable and connection breaks are often observed. Such troubles have little effect on CommFort's work - the program has a well-implemented mechanism for caching transmitted data. In the chat, it is possible to continue downloading the transferred files, so if the connection with the remote computer is interrupted for no more than five minutes, you can rest assured - as soon as the connection is established, the data will be transferred.
The interface of this chat consists of two parts - a window with a list of users in the chat and a main window for sending and receiving messages. Boogy Chat lacks a main menu, and chat settings and commands are implemented using buttons on the toolbar. On the one hand, this is good, since it saves space, but on the other hand, it is not immediately possible to understand which button is intended for what.
By default, the contact list is divided into two groups - the main group and the "black" list, which includes blocked users. Any user in the contact list can be blocked or unblocked by clicking on their name and choosing the "Deactivate / Activate" command. If there are too many users in the contact list, you can organize the list by creating special groups and giving them your own names.
When the user is absent from his workplace, he can use the answering machine function. This Boogy Chat feature only works when the user is chatting privately. If the user is absent, the chat will automatically respond to the message and will send a pre-prepared answer, for example, "I left for five minutes, I will be there soon." To enable this option, it is enough to create at least one answer option in the program settings.
Boogy Chat can insert images into text, and also allows you to use animated emoticons. You can quickly turn off the animation of GIF files in the chat window, and you can also disable the display of graphics. Each message can be accompanied by a time stamp, the user's IP-address and his picture.
The entire history of chat messages is stored in the History directory, in the folder where the program was installed. This data can be saved in text format txt or in RTF format, and in the second case, images inserted into the text of messages will also be automatically saved.
Despite the fact that this chat is at the testing stage, it may well compete with many analogues, including paid ones.
Chatting can be done in the main channel or in private mode. In addition, AChat users can create their own communities in separate channels by sending an invitation request to acquaintances from the contact list.
The fact that there are no smilies in the program is easy to explain - this chat is intended mainly for serious corporate networks. Another interesting feature of the program is a proof of this - a mass poll. Not sending messages (which, by the way, is also in the program), but a poll, with the ability to answer it either in the affirmative or negative. This is a very handy option when you need to quickly make a decision by conducting a remote vote to approve a project. In the process of such voting, you can select groups or individual users to whom the request will be sent.
The program can store its settings either in the system registry or in a separate configuration file. Another very useful option of the program is the automatic transition to the "do not disturb" ("DND") status when you start an application on your computer in full screen mode... When using this option, the likelihood that while working with another program in full screen mode, a new message will not be received in the chat and will not cause an application conflict, will be higher. The program can also show other users which application is currently running in full screen mode. If there is no activity on the computer or when the screen saver is turned on, the chat can set the corresponding status - Away.
AChat allows you to send files, and, after sending, the data is placed in a folder with general access... A separate tool in the program is for sending graphics. It can be used to send an image that will open on remote computer in a special viewer window. Similarly, you can send the contents of the clipboard by copying a fragment of the image there.
In order to attract the user's attention, for example, to hint about a private conversation, a warning signal can be sent to him.
Conclusion
It is generally accepted that the most universal way communication - using instant messaging services, such as ICQ, Skype, etc. This option is not always convenient, because to use the above clients, an Internet connection is a prerequisite. Local chats can work without access to the global web and, moreover, save Internet traffic. Despite the fact that all survey programs allow you to communicate on the local network, each of them has its own advantages. CommFort allows you to finely organize work with a large number of users and provides the ability to communicate through voice. If, for some reason, you are not satisfied with the mandatory presence of a server, you can try installing Vypress Chat, which, moreover, can work over the Internet. Well, Local Network Chat is a great solution for a small home network that connects a maximum of three computers.
Written for CHIP magazine by Sergey and Marina Bondarenko
Today there is two main ways organization of a corporate chat. First of them is to use the most common IM clients in our country: ICQ, QIP, Skype and so on. Its main advantage is ease of implementation and low cost. Indeed, it is impossible to come up with something easier: it is enough for all employees to establish a client and add each other to their contacts. The use of these systems is generally free.
However, this solution has a number of serious drawbacks. At first, they lack many very useful features... In particular, on all systems (except Skype) there is no group chats, message read confirmation functions, etc. Secondly, IM chats completely unmanageable across the organization. Each employee has his own account, with which he is free to do whatever he wants. This raises the problem of control over employee correspondence, access to the archive of messages, creation of “corporate” numbers, etc.
Thirdly, use IM clients - potential threat information security companies. And this is not only about technical issues (for example, the risk of downloading infected files, clicking on dangerous links, etc.) that can be successfully dealt with. IM chats are one of the main leakage channels confidential information, which, among other things, is quite difficult to control from DLP systems. This is especially true for Skype, which transmits traffic in encrypted form. In addition, there is always a risk that an employee will lose control over his ICQ account. Having obtained it, the attacker will be able to communicate with the company's clients, implementing various fraudulent schemes in order to deceive them. Which, in the end, will have an extremely negative impact on the reputation and business of the company.
Second the way to organize a chat for the office is to use special software. And although this is a somewhat more costly method, it is free from all of the above disadvantages. Well, additional features that can be actively used in business processes, increasing their efficiency, quickly recoup the costs of implementation. Naturally, this requires that the software implements all desired functions... Therefore, the choice of a program for organizing a corporate chat should be approached very carefully: the more functionality of the product, the more widely it can be used. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to another aspect - namely, the possibility of implementation and administration. Integration with Active Directory, remote management, scalability of the solution can significantly simplify the management of corporate chat, and therefore reduce the cost of ownership.
An example of a solution that meets all the requirements is the MyChat product presented by Network Software Solutions. It is with a client-server architecture. This means that a special server is used to ensure the operation of the product, which takes over communication and other functions. The client-server approach is optimal for organizing corporate chat in both small and large networks. It is distinguished by good manageability, broad capabilities and low bandwidth utilization.
In terms of functions intended for end users, the program MyChat have something to brag about. You need to start with having two modes of communication: personal and group. With the first, everything is very simple. Two users can correspond with each other in much the same way as in ICQ. Group communication implemented in the form of channels - special “groups” to which either everyone or only certain employees of the organization can connect. In this case, channels can be created by the administrator and always exist, or they can be opened by the users themselves (who have the rights to do so) if necessary. This flexibility is very convenient in practice. For example, you can create one common channel for communication of all office employees and separate channels for correspondence within each department.
During communication, users can apply a wide range of different functions... Among them, we can note the possibility of using formatting of text and emoticons, arbitrary pictures and links in messages, transferring files both directly and through the chat server, saving the history of correspondence, ignore lists, filters (anti-mat, anti-flood), etc. In fact, in MyChat everything necessary for full-fledged and comfortable communication of employees with each other has been implemented.
Naturally, it is impossible to imagine an office chat without a contact book. IN MyChat there are even two of them. The first contains full list all registered users. Moreover, they can be divided into departments, highlighting the chief in each group. This is especially true for large companiesin which employees from different departments may not know each other. The second contact book is personal. Each user has his own. It can include all the people with whom you need to communicate frequently.
In addition, in the considered office chat, a whole a number of additional features... The first one is notification system... With its help, you can send to all or only some users a certain message and request a read confirmation from them. This allows you to send out orders for review, notification of meetings, etc. Moreover, employees will no longer be able to say that they did not see or read the message.
The second additional opportunity – built-in FTP server... Its presence in office chat may seem strange. However, this is actually very convenient, especially if the company has not yet deployed its own FTP server. What does he give? First, storage for recording files, both general, accessible to all users, and personal. Secondly, it can be used to exchange documents (for example, you can save documents on an FTP server for a user who is not online at the moment). Third, an FTP server is required to automatic update chat clients (we'll talk more about this a little later).
The next additional feature is bulletin board... You can "hang" an ad on it, which will be visible to all users within a specified period of time. You can also note the account manager, which provides convenient use of clients on those computers that can be used by different employees.
Many functions in MyChat is designed to increase the convenience of its deployment and administration. The more possibilities the system has in this regard, the more convenient it is to manage it. This means the lower the total cost of chat ownership. Distinctive feature MyChat is the ability to use in networks, including distributed ones, of very different scales, ranging from several to thousands and even tens of thousands of clients located in different cities or even countries. This is provided by a whole range of administrative functions.
You need to start with how to install client programs. You can install them either manually or automatically using group policies Active Directory... The same can be said for client upgrades. However, MyChat has a more convenient implementation of this process. This office chat has an automatic update feature. When using it, the client is updated independently at the command of the user, who is given a corresponding notification (in this case, the built-in FTP server is used, where the administrator must first download the distribution kit new version). Implemented in, which can greatly facilitate the life of the IT department of the company.
Another very important feature the office chat in question is own scripting engine... What is it for? This engine allows you to write arbitrary scripts that are used to automate various processes and integrate chat with other corporate software tools. Here you can also note the ability to connect various plugins. For example, a plugin for remote control users' computers. Combined with some other features MyChat (sending screenshots, MyChat Actions technology, etc.) this allows you to organize an effective technical support users.
The developers of the security program paid a lot of attention. All traffic transmitted in the system is encrypted, which makes it useless to intercept. This allows you to safely connect remote users over the Internet. You can also note the presence of a very flexible system for setting user access rights to chat capabilities. They are installed in groups, and the administrator can allow or deny almost any operation. This allows you to customize the chat for the office exactly as needed in each case.
Distinctive feature MyChat program is the active use of web technologies... This product includes its own web server that can be used to manage this office chat. This method of administration complements the traditional local console perfectly. It allows you to control the chat server remotely from your work computer or even from home via the Internet.
Programs for convenient online communication with your software.
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Net Speakerphone 4.8 build 090508 is a client that allows you to exchange messages on a local network. The Net Speakerphone application allows you not only to send messages to users, but to use your computer as a network phone.
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Network Assistant 4.5 build 2668 is an application for communication and effective interaction using a local network, which does not require a dedicated server.
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BORGChat 1.0.0 build 438 is a chat client that works for free on the local network.
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LAN: Looking Any Network 2.75 is an application that, despite its ease of use, is quite functional. LAN: Looking Any Network application will be useful for any type and category of users to be able to monitor and check local or Internet network.
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CommFort 5.40 is a multifunctional and quite convenient client-server chat, which is designed to work in a local network and combines not only text and voice chatbut also a tool for the possibility fast transfer individual files or file folders.
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LanSend 1.3.0.27 is convenient applicationto help you send messages to other computers on the network. LanSend can send messages using a specific user or an arbitrary group of recipients as the recipient.
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Intranet Chat 1.21b6 is a high-quality and fairly convenient program for communication. The Intranet Chat program will allow you to communicate using correspondence not only on the local network, but also on the Internet.
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Vypress Chat 2.1.9 is an application that acts as a text chat running on a local network. The Vypress Chat application can run between two computers and support more than a dozen.
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VideoPort VideoPhone 5.5.6 is an application for video communication using the Internet or local area network. VideoPort VideoPhone app also has the ability to use noise reduction, face detection, automatically detects channel width and has other features that will provide high quality video even with a weak channel.
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Mixero 0.57 is a convenient, functional and powerful Twitter client. Mixero is packed with tools such as Contexts, Activity Sheet and Filters to organize and filter your Twitter stream, filtering out unnecessary information.
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Mibew Messenger 1.6.4 is a free-source application that provides a convenient and fast online consultation. Using the application, it is possible to add a button to the site with direct communication with your operator, and all communication will take place right in the browser. The application allows you to communicate with a large number of operators at the same time and the choice of an operator for communication occurs with manual switching.
Once, when I was still a young green software engineer who came to work in a company where there was no "Internet", I was very surprised when I saw what a "corporate chat" is. Technically, everything was simple - somewhere in some city in Ukraine an IRC server was set up on a voluntary basis, a cracked mIRC (or PIRCH, who liked which more) worked in the company's network, which was spread between cities. Everything worked in a large internal corporate network, built on leased lines, "forwarded" throughout the country.
I didn’t see ICQ back then, I didn’t use by email - due to the non-proliferation of access to the Internet in our city at that time. But I realized how effective chat communication between company employees can be, especially when something happened and there was no one to ask for advice on the spot. Then, using chat, the problem could be solved in minutes. Because there was always someone on the net who could help. From another city, from an unknown division of the company, a person whom I have never even seen in my life.
Now this is perceived as the norm. But then for me personally it was a technical miracle. The chat was extremely simple and ascetic, it was impossible to exchange files in it, from all the information about a person you could see only a nickname, and the "@" sign in front of this nickname, which said that this person was exposed by some authority of the "operator" chat. But even that was more than enough.
Why do you need an internal corporate chat, and not an Internet messenger?
There are many reasons for this, and we have written about them more than once. I will give here only a part of the problems that are solved by the communication program, the server of which works directly in your company, under control.
What now?
Now there are a lot of chats for the local network, both paid and free. Free programs, as a rule, are programs created with pure enthusiasm, with little features, with errors and other legacy arising from the inexperience and lack of time of the programmers who created these programs.
Free serious products like OpenFire stand apart, but to install and configure such programs you need an experienced specialist who understands well how and what to do.
There are also a lot of paid products, there are plenty to choose from. However, as a rule, the prices for such programs are very "bite". Especially if the developer is eminent, such as Microsoft or IBM. And most of the functions of such programs are simply not needed by small firms.
SYYYYYYYRRRR! Or Chip and Dale rush to the rescue
For small companies with no more than 15 employees, the ideal option is to install. This is almost a fully functional version of it. But absolutely free and with rich functionality.
This program has everything you might need. It does not need to be configured, the program works immediately after installation. Even a blonde admin can figure it out, if there are any in the wild :) Messenger in Russian, with a large detailed and illustrated help. Although, it is unlikely that you will have to look at it right away (unless later, when you want to try different interesting functions "to the teeth"), the program is intuitive and similar to a standard office suite from Microsoft.
MyChat developers are from Ukraine and, like no one else, have a very good idea of \u200b\u200bthe specifics of domestic companies and their needs.
