Live Mesh Reviewer's Guide Final Web 2

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A First Look at Live Mesh

Published April 2008

For more information:Rapid Response Team

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide(503) 443-7070

[email protected]

Abstract

Live Mesh is a “software-plus-services” platform and experience from Microsoftthat enables PCs and other devices to “come alive” by making them aware of each other through the Internet, enabling individuals and organizations tomanage, access, and share their files and applications seamlessly on the Weband across their world of devices. This document provides selected reviewers

with a first look at Live Mesh, including instructions on how they can try it out for themselves.

mailto:[email protected]




The information contained in this document represents the currentview of Microsoft Corp. on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing marketconditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on thepart of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This is apreliminary document and the subject matter contained within thisdocument may be changed substantially prior to final commercialrelease of the software, products, or services described herein

This reviewers guide is for informational purposes only.MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,IN THIS SUMMARY.

Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of thisdocument may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks,copyrights or other intellectual property rights covering subjectmatter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any writtenlicense agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this documentdoes not give you any license to these patents, trademarks,copyrights or other intellectual property.

Unless otherwise noted, the example companies, organizations,products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos, people, placesand events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association withany real company, organization, product, domain name, e-mailaddress, logo, person, place or event is intended or should beinferred.

Microsoft, the Live Mesh logo and Windows Live are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies

© 2008 Microsoft Corp. All rights reserved.



Introduction.................................................................. ............... ...........1

Getting Started..................................4

Live Mesh Notifier............................ .8

Live Mesh Folders.................................................................. ................9

The Mesh Bar.............................................................................. ..........12

News.......................................................................................... ............15

Live Desktop.......................................................................... .............. .17

Live Mesh Remote Desktop........................................................ .........19

On the Horizon................................................................................. .....21

Conclusion................................................................................... .........23

Cleaning Up Your system............................................. ................ .......24

Glossary................................................................................... .............25

CONTENTS



Why Live Mesh?

Today we live in a world of the Web and a world of devices. Although the Web is at the center of

our experiences, those experiences are delivered through a diverse range of increasingly

powerful devices. As we take advantage of this new digital world, our experiences often become

fractured and complex. We create and accumulate massive amounts of data, with the information

and applications we care about residing on different devices and spread across the Web. We also

interact with a broader array of people, struggling to stay connected with them and informed of

the latest happenings. We are in need of, and increasingly demand, seamless “just works”

computing experiences that bring it all together.

Microsoft is starting to solve these and many related problems with Live Mesh, a platform

experience that uses the Internet as a hub to bring together your data, devices, applications, and

the people you want to connect with into your own personal “mesh” that is always up-to-date and

available from anywhere. With Live Mesh, Microsoft believes that:

… your devices should work together.

… your data and applications should be available from anywhere.

… the people you need to connect with should be just a few clicks away for simple sharing, collaborating, and learning more about them.

… you should have all the information you need to stay informed.

What is Live Mesh?

Live Mesh is a “software-plus-services” platform and experience that enablesPCs and other devices to “come alive” by making them aware of each other

through the Internet, enabling individuals and organizations to manage, access,and share their files and applications seamlessly on the Web and across their world of devices. Live Mesh includes:

A platform that defines and models a user’s digital relationships between devices, data,

applications, and people—made available to developers through an open data model and

protocols.

A cloud service providing an implementation of the platform hosted in Microsoft data

centers.

Software, a client implementation of the platform that enables local applications to run offline

and interact seamlessly with the cloud.

A platform experience that exposes the key benefits of the platform for bringing together a

user’s devices, files and applications, and social graph, with news feeds across all of these.

What differentiates Live Mesh is its underlying platform. As a platform company, Microsoft

believes in the power of the operating environment—and that if that environment is built correctly,

the entire ecosystem will benefit. Live Mesh is built on the Live Services Platform, providing a

Web-centric Mesh Operating Environment that evolves the user experience from one of “My

INTRODUCTION



Computer” to one of “My Mesh,” with the user at the center of that experience. (For more

information on the Live Services Platform, go to www.mesh.com/blog .)

While many existing offerings may appear similar in that they utilize hostedservices for storage, sharing files, or peer-to-peer connections between PCs,most of those products fulfill only one specific need. Live Mesh is unique in that it

takes a more robust approach, bringing together all of this functionality in oneoffering. By weaving together the best of software and Internet services, LiveMesh delivers a platform and experience that is comprehensive yet simple andopen.

Who Will Benefit?

Live Mesh provides a seamless “just works” experience that puts you at thecenter of your digital world by connecting you with the people you care about andputting you in control of your information, applications, and devices. As such, itcan benefit anyone who uses the Internet and has more than one device—or hasonly one PC but wants to access its data or applications from nearly anywhere.

Early adopters will likely be technology-savvy individuals who today struggle withmultiple devices. However, this user base will expand over time as more andmore individuals see the benefit of a Live Mesh approach to simplifying their computing experiences, sharing information, and staying connected.

Specific benefits of Live Mesh include:

Devices Working Together. Live Mesh brings the Web to your devices so that your data and

applications are seamlessly synchronized and aware of each other, communicating over

encrypted channels to help keep user data secure.

Anywhere Access. The information you put in your mesh is available from any of your other

devices, including your own personal Live Desktop that resides on the Web. Live Mesh also

provides remote desktop functionality for situations where you need to take full control of a

device remotely.

Simple to Share. With Live Mesh, you can simply invite a friend or colleague to share a

folder, giving them access to view or edit only the files you put in the folder. Live Mesh keeps

track of and synchronizes the changes across your mesh.

Stay Informed. Live Mesh has a robust news feed system that allows you to easily keep

track of the activities you care about, including the online status of your friends or colleagues,

changes to files and folders in your mesh, and the status of your devices.

A Closer LookThe remainder of this document examines how Live Mesh enables you to:

Keep data automatically synchronized across devices with Live Mesh folders, including the

ability to share data with other Live Mesh users.

Access devices and applications remotely with Live Mesh Remote Desktop, which lets you

take full control of any device in your mesh from virtually any PC with a Web browser and

Internet connection.

http://www.mesh.com/blog






Access your mesh from any Web browser with Live Desktop.

Stay abreast of what’s going on with Live Mesh News, so you can easily keep track of

friends or colleagues, changes to files and folders, and status of the devices in your mesh.

Each feature is discussed in greater detail in the following sections, along with detailed instructions

on how to “try it for yourself.”



Prerequisites and System Requirements

Access to the Live Mesh technology preview is by invitation-only. To try it out,here’s what you’ll need—and need to know:

Windows Live ID. Someone from Microsoft should have already provided you with a special

Windows Live ID, which you’ll need to try Live Mesh.

Operating System. At this time, Live Mesh supports PCs running Windows Vista and

Windows XP (with Service Pack 2 installed). Live Mesh will eventually support Macintosh

computers and Windows Mobile-powered devices as well.

Second PC. The Live Mesh Remote Desktop enables you to access and control devices in

your mesh using only a Web browser. As such, it can best be experienced from a second PC.

Administrator Rights. Administrator rights are not required to install and use Live Mesh (the

main client/shell enhancements). However, they are required to install the Live Mesh Remote

Desktop Enhancements, which improve security and performance when using the Live MeshRemote Desktop feature. If you don’t have administrator rights or choose not to confirm the

User Account Control elevation prompt when using Windows Vista, you can still try out all the

features of Live Mesh.

Web Browser and Internet Access. Live Mesh is compatible with Microsoft Internet

Explorer 6, Firefox 2.0, and Safari 3.0, or later versions of each Web browser. However, the

Live Mesh Remote Desktop feature is not compatible with Firefox.

Windows Live Messenger. To view your Messenger contacts’ status within Live Mesh, you

must be signed in to Windows Live Messenger. You can install Messenger at

http://get.live.com/messenger/overview.

Note: You’ll be using a prerelease version of Live Mesh and, as such, you should keep a

separate copy of any files or folders you add to your mesh.

Instructions for Trying Out Live Mesh

The following sections of this document discuss the various features of LiveMesh. Instructions for trying out those features are presented as follows:

Try it out…

1. Step 1

2. Step 2

You should now be ready to start using Live Mesh! To make it easy for you to seehow Live Mesh is intended to work, we’ve created a test account for you that hasbeen pre-populated with some files and user relationships.

Signing In

The Live Mesh experience begins by signing in, which is done using your Windows Live ID.

GETTING STARTED

http://get.live.com/messenger/overview






To sign in to the Live Mesh devices page:

1. Using your Web browser, go to http://www.mesh.com and click Sign in.

2. Enter your Windows Live ID and password.

3. Click Sign in.

4. To enable Messenger integration, sign in to Messenger using the same Windows Live ID and

password.

Devices View

After you sign in, you’ll see the Live Mesh Devices page (see Figure 1), avisualization of your personal computing environment. Live Mesh breaks downthe seams between these devices by making all your information accessible onany device and making those devices accessible no matter where you are. LiveMesh delivers this experience by building on the Live Services Platform MeshDirectory, which associates your identity with the devices, files, applications, and

people that are part of your mesh.

Figure 1: Live Mesh Devices page after adding multiple devices.

Everyone starts with one device, the Live Desktop, which can be accessed withany supported Web browser. This “device in the cloud” makes it easy to accessinformation in your mesh even when you’re not using one of your own devices.(Live Desktop is discussed in greater detail later in this document.)

http://www.mesh.com/








You can see in Figure 1 that devices can use Live Mesh to share their status or other information. The screen shot shows one device reporting itself as onlineand healthy, a second device reporting itself as online but requiring attention, anda third device with no status currently reported. Over time, Microsoft expectsdevices such as PCs, mobile phones, printers, and more to communicate to theuser and with each other using the mesh. In addition, just as the Live ServicesPlatform makes it possible for devices to publish information to the mesh, it alsoenables users and other devices to reach in to manage or interact with thosedevices. You’ll see an example of that later with Live Mesh Remote Desktop.

Adding a Device

To synchronize folders with the Live Desktop, you’ll first need to add that deviceto your mesh. This is done by installing the Live Mesh software, which assigns aunique cryptographic identity to the device and associates that device with your mesh. The Live Mesh software also includes a synchronization runtime,extensions to the Windows Explorer shell that make it easy to interact with your

mesh, and support for Live Mesh Remote Desktop, which is discussed later inthis paper.

To add a device to your mesh:

1. Click Add Device, select the version of the operating system you’re running, then click Install.

During installation, you’ll see a pop-up above the notification area in the Windows taskbar

informing you of progress. (If you’re using Windows Vista, you may get a User Account Control

(UAC) elevation prompt during installation. You must have elevated privileges to install the Live

Mesh Remote Desktop enhancements, which improve security and performance for the Live Mesh

Remote Desktop feature. If you don’t elevate during installation, you can still install and use Live

Mesh.)

2. After installation is complete, a sign-in dialog will appear (see Figure 2). Sign in using your

Windows Live ID and password.

3. In the Add Device dialog box, rename the device if you like. (If you’re running Windows Vista,

make sure the check box next to Enable Live Mesh Remote Desktop enhancements is checked.)

4. Click Add Device. The Live Mesh notifier will appear above the notification area of your

Windows taskbar and a Live Mesh icon will appear in the taskbar.

The same process applies when installing subsequent devices. After you’veadded a device, you’ll have access to your Live Mesh folders from that device

(either from the notifier or Windows Explorer) and the added device will appear inthe Live Mesh notifier. A Live Mesh entry will appear in the Start menu under AllPrograms.

The Live Mesh software is installed on a per-user basis, and all data and settingsare stored in the same manner. In addition, no changes to firewall policy aremade during installation. This eliminates the need for administrator rights or consent dialogs during the installation process, isolates the impact of thesoftware, and makes it simple to uninstall. However, there are several ways in



which Live Mesh can be enhanced using optional components that do requireadministrator rights to install, including peer-to-peer network connectivity andenhanced Live Mesh Remote Desktop support. Computers with Microsoft Updateturned on should get updated automatically with the latest version of the LiveMesh software as it becomes available.

Figure 2: Live Mesh software sign-in dialog.



After installing the Live Mesh software, you’ll seethe Live Mesh notifier icon (see Figure 3) in the notification area of your Windows

taskbar.

Figure 3. Live Mesh notifier icon (appears second from left).

Hovering on the icon brings up the Live Mesh notifier, which provides aconvenient way to access, manage, and stay abreast of what’s happening onyour mesh. Today, the notifier provides three views:

Folders, which provides information on and access to the folders in your mesh.

Devices, which provides information on and access to the devices in your mesh.

News, which enables you to stay abreast of the activities in your mesh.

Figure 4 shows the devices view in the Live Mesh notifier. We’ll explore thefeatures of the notifier later in this document, after adding some information toyour mesh.

Figure 4. Live Mesh notifier devices view.

LIVE MESH NOTIFIER



If you have more than one computer, you’re probablyfamiliar with the problems of making sure the files you need are always on hand,no matter which device you’re using. And, of course, if you’re collaborating ondocuments at work or putting together a photo album at home, there will be files

that you’ll want to share with colleagues, friends, and family.

Live Mesh folders solve those problems by enabling you to share and managefolders across devices. Folders can be synchronized among devices in your mesh and shared with other users, who can access the folders you sharethrough their own meshes. Through Live Desktop, Live Mesh also offers a cloud-based storage service that enables you to access your data even when all your devices are unavailable.

Live Mesh folders deliver two key features that set them apart:

Robust synchronization among peer devices and a storage service in the cloud.

A rich collaboration space that’s more than just a place to drop files.

From an end-user perspective, Live Mesh folders appear just like the other folders on your hard drive, with a standard file path. You can copy or move filesbetween Live Mesh folders and other folders on your device, and your applications can read or write into those folders as they would any other folder.

Behind the scenes, the Mesh Operating Environment keeps folders synchronizedacross your mesh. Similarly, developers who want to make their applications“mesh-aware” can take advantage of the Mesh Operating Environment APIs todetermine the status of—and interact with—files, devices, and other users acrossthe mesh. This will enable the delivery of “optimized online, enabled offline”experiences in which applications will always have local access to data,

eliminating the need to worry about the availability of network connections or whether users are working offline—in a way similar to the Cached ExchangeMode feature of Microsoft Office Outlook 2007.

Creating a Live Mesh folder

When you add an existing folder on your device to your mesh, it continues toexist in the same location on your hard drive, where it looks and acts like other local folders. You can still drag and drop, copy and paste, or save files or other folders directly to it. There are three ways to add a folder to your mesh from your device:

Make any existing folder on your device a Live Mesh folder by right-clicking the folder andthen clicking Add folder to your mesh.

Drag and drop a folder into Live Mesh Folders, a location under My Computer in Windows

Explorer that shows all folders in your mesh.

Open Live Mesh Folders, right-click in Windows Explorer, click Live Mesh Options, then

click Create folder in your mesh.

LIVE MESH FOLDERS



By default, a copy of the folder is added to your Live Desktop and files aresynchronized when they are added or modified. You can also adjust how LiveMesh folders are synchronized across your mesh, enabling you to specify thedevices on which you want the folder to be available and when to synchronizefiles. This is another example of how the Live Services Platform makes itpossible for all your devices to work together, giving you a way to view status andmanage settings for any device in your mesh.

Figure 5. Adding a Live Mesh folder.

To create a Live Mesh folder:

1. Create a new folder on your Windows desktop and copy a file or two into it.

2. Right-click on the folder, then click Add folder to your Live Mesh.

3. Click Show synchronization options to view or change synchronization settings.

4. Click OK to add the folder to Live Mesh, upon which the folder’s icon will change to blue to let

you know it’s a Live Mesh folder.

Working Offline

Live Mesh is designed to work offline as well, enabling you to interact with LiveMesh folders on your local device in the same way as you would with any other



folder. When you go online again, any changes to your Live Mesh folders will besynchronized across your mesh.

Figure 6. Working offline.

Future Directions

Today, Live Mesh folders provide the ability to synchronize files. However, theLive Services Platform was designedwith a flexible data model that can alsorepresent applications, discussions, settings, and more. Over time, Live Meshwill deliver new experiences built around other types of data.

In addition, the Live Services Platform is designed to support a federated storagemodel that will enable enterprise customers to host their own storage services,ensuring that their data is never stored in a Microsoft data center. Moreinformation on how federation works will be provided later in 2008.



After you’ve created a Live Mesh folder, there are severalways to open that folder on your device:

In the notifier, click the Folders icon, then select a folder—or click Manage folders and then

double-click the desired folder

Open the Live Mesh Folders folder in Windows Explorer and double-click the desired folder

The Live Mesh software extends Live Mesh folders with the Live Mesh bar, acompanion window that provides an integrated view of what’s happening with thisfolder across the mesh—and is especially useful for collaborating with other users.

Synchronized Devices

In the Live Mesh bar, under Synchronized Devices (see Figure 7), you can seehow the folder is being used within your mesh. You’ll see machine presence and

synchronization status for the folder, as well as a convenient link to managesynchronization settings for the folder.

Figure 7: Live Mesh bar – Synchronized devices view.

To view the Synchronized Devices view in the Live Mesh bar:

1. Double-click on a Live Mesh folder and click Synchronized Devices. You’ll see the status of each

device synchronizing the folder.

2. Click Edit to see how you can change the synchronization settings for the folder.

3. Click Cancel to return to the Synchronized Devices view.

THE MESH BAR



Members

Devices and folders aren’t the only thing woven into your mesh—other peopleare, too. In the Live Mesh bar, under Members, you can see who else has accessto a Live Folder and invite friends or co-workers to share the folder. Live Mesh

uses the Activities service in the Live Services Platform to monitor which foldersusers have open, enabling you to easily know when other members are lookingat the same content (as indicated by the orange square). The same view alsointegrates status information from other services such as Windows LiveMessenger, showing whether the members of a folder are online or offline (seeFigure 8).

Figure 8: Live Mesh bar – Members view.

To invite another Live Mesh user to share a folder:

1. On the Live Mesh bar, click Members. An orange dot to the right of a member’s name shows who

is actively browsing the folder. If the user is on your Windows Live Messenger buddy list, you’ll

see a Messenger pawn, which you can click to send that user an instant message.

2. Click Add and type the other person’s e-mail address. If desired, click View e-mail message and

customize the message.

3. Click OK to send the message.

4. In the Members view of the Live Mesh bar, you’ll see that the person you just invited to share the

folder has been added to the list, with status as “pending.”



News

With people woven throughout your mesh, you can stay abreast of their activities.The News view in the Live Mesh bar builds on the Activities service in the LiveServices Platform to give you context about what’s happening in a folder,

providing an easy way to see what’s changed and add comments to a folder.Behind the scenes, the Mesh Operating Environment handles news entries thesame way as files and folders, synchronizing the data throughout your mesh sothat it’s always available.

Figure 9: Live Mesh bar – News view.

To post a message about a folder:

1. Select the News view in the Live Mesh bar and click New post, then type your message and click

OK . In a moment, you’ll see the message you just posted appear.

2. Add a new file to the folder and you’ll see another new news post appear, notifying you that the

new file was added.



Keeping you up to date is a core concept of Live Mesh, so news isprevalent throughout the system. Live Mesh provides a broader view of news inthe notifier, showing you the most recent activities across all of your folders.

Figure 10. News view in Live Mesh notifier.

NEWS



Clicking “View all news” in the notifier takes you to a Web page that displays amore complete view of recent activities. And clicking on the name of a member inany news view takes you to that member’s profile page, showing you thatmember’s activities for the folders you share and enabling you to easily see howthat user has been participating in your mesh.

Figure 11. Member profile.

To view all of the news for your mesh:

1. Open the Live Mesh notifier, click the News icon, and click View all news.

2. Click on a member’s name to see that person’s profile.

News provides a flexible and customizable way for the devices, folders,applications, and members in your mesh to communicate with you. Theunderlying Activities service in the Live Services Platform provides a way for developers to build applications that can both create and read news for aresource in the mesh after the applications have been granted the appropriatepermissions by the user who owns the resource.



You’ve seen how the Live Mesh software connects youwith the information and people in your mesh. But how do you access your meshfrom devices other than your own—say, when you’re borrowing a friend’scomputer?

For true anytime, anywhere access, you can use the Live Desktop (see Figure12), a virtual “device in the cloud” that can be accessed using only a Webbrowser. Live Desktop is an Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX)application that interacts with the Live Services Platform’s storage service todisplay the files you’ve chosen to store in the Live Mesh cloud. Through LiveDesktop, you can interact with your mesh in the same way as you would fromdevices that are joined to the mesh.

Figure 12. Live Desktop.

LIVE DESKTOP



Microsoft envisions Live Desktop as a “home base” for anywhere, anytimeaccess to all of your information. Today it provides access to the files, folders,and people in your mesh but, over time, it could become a portal for anytime,anywhere access to applications as well.

To try Live Desktop:

(Note: This is best experienced from a second system that’s not running the Live Mesh software. All

you’ll need is a Web browser and an Internet connection. If such a system is available, move to it now.)

1. Open a Web browser, go to http://www.mesh.com, and sign in with your Windows Live ID. This

will open the Live Mesh devices page.

2. Click the Desktop button at the top of the screen and you’ll be presented with the Live Desktop.

3. Double-click on the Live Mesh folder you created earlier. You’ll see the familiar Live Mesh folder

view, including the Live Mesh bar.

4. Double-click on the file you placed in the folder. You’ll be prompted to open or save the file.

Assuming you have the application necessary to open the file on the PC you’re using, you can

click Open to bring up the file in that application. (Note: This downloads a temporary read-only

copy, which is opened using the target application, which you can use to save the file locally).

5. Close the application.

6. In the Live Mesh folder, click Upload File, select a file, and click OK . When you open that folder

on your PC running the Live Mesh software, you’ll see that the new file has been added.

7. Now create a new Live Mesh folder by double-clicking Create new folder on the Live Desktop.

Name the folder and click OK . The new folder will appear on Live Desktop and on the Windows

desktop of your PC running the Live Mesh software.



Although the Live Desktop enablesyou to interact with the folders in your mesh, there are times when you’ll need fullremote access to a device, such as to schedule a recording on your home mediacenter or check a customer record on the CRM system at work. Live Mesh

Remote Desktop (see Figure 13) addresses this problem by enabling you toaccess any device in your mesh from any other device that’s running the LiveMesh software, as well as from any compatible Web browser.

Figure 13. Live Mesh Remote Desktop.

Live Mesh Remote Desktop builds on the Windows Remote Desktop Protocol,

enhancing it in four key ways: End-to-end connectivity that is accomplished through a combination of client logic and

hosted relays, enabling you to connect regardless of network topology, firewalls, or network

address translation.

Device presence that enables you to see which of your devices are available for a remote

connection.

LIVE MESH REMOTE DESKTOP



Stronger connection security, in which ports are opened only when authorized requests

are routed through the Live Mesh rather than leaving ports open to receive connections—and

with only the source of a request able to connect to opened ports. This is a more robust

approach to security than simply requiring a user name and password.

End-to-end encryption, in which traffic is encrypted with a key known only to the two

devices involved in the session, making it extremely difficult for any other device (including

Live Services Platform relays) to snoop on the traffic.

To use Live Mesh Remote Desktop:

1. On the Live Desktop, click the Devices button at the top of the page and then click the device you

want to access. The device ring will rotate to bring your device to the front.

2. Click Connect to connect to the device. (You may be prompted to install an Active X control and

may need to accept User Account Control prompts if running Windows Vista.)

3. When prompted for confirmation that you want to connect with the device, click Connect. Live

Mesh Remote Desktop will establish the connection and, as soon as the encrypted connection is

available, you’ll be prompted with the Windows log on screen for the remote device. (This may

take up to 30 seconds, as a message will be presented on the screen of the target device letting

anyone who may be using the device know that you are trying to connect remotely to it.)

4. Enter your user name and password for the remote device and click OK . You should now have full

control over the device.

5. On the remote machine, open Notepad and type a few words of text. Select the text and copy it to

the Windows clipboard as you normally would. Then minimize the Internet Explorer window,

open Notepad on your local system, and paste the text into the local document.



Live Mesh Applications

You’ve seen how Live Mesh makes your devices come alive, enabling you tointeract with the files and people in your mesh. Fulfilling the Live Mesh vision,

however, will require supporting an additional element of your digital life: your applications. Live Mesh applications are not yet implemented, but we’d like toprovide a hint of what’s to come.

Just as the Mesh Directory stores relationships between you, your devices, andyour files, it can also associate you with the applications you use. In addition toenabling applications to read and write the files, folders, and news in your mesh,the Mesh Operating Environment is built to synchronize all types of data, whichenables Live Mesh to distribute applications throughout your mesh as well—evento your Live Desktop, if appropriate.

Figure 14. Example

of a Live Mesh

application.

Figure 14shows anexample of aLive Meshapplication.After addingthe applicationto your mesh

and granting itpermission toaccess theinformation inyour mesh,you’ll be ableto run thisapplicationdirectly fromyourLive

Desktop. And in the same way that you control how devices synchronize files in

your mesh, you’ll be able to specify whether you want this mesh application to beavailable on those devices so that you can run it locally when you’re not online.

Developer Platform

In the coming months, you’ll hear more about the developer platform for LiveMesh, including how developers can write services and applications that interactwith the mesh to provide a more personal and meaningful user experience.

ON THE HORIZON



Broader Availability

Microsoft intends to increase the number of people invited to preview Live Meshthroughout the rest of 2008, with plans to deliver a more open beta release in thefall.



Live Mesh is a “software-plus- services” platform and experience

from Microsoft that enables PCs and other devices to “come alive” by making them aware of each

other through the Internet, enabling individuals and organizations to manage, access, and share

their files and applications seamlessly on the Web and across their world of devices. With Live

Mesh:

All your devices work together.

All your data and applications are available from anywhere.

The people you need to connect with are just a few clicks away for simple sharing,

collaborating, and learning more about them.

You have all the information you need to stay informed.

Through such capabilities, Live Mesh provides a seamless, “just works”experience that puts you at the center of your digital world.

For More Information

For more information about Live Mesh, visit the Live Mesh blog atwww.mesh.com/blog or contact:

Rapid Response TeamWaggener Edstrom Worldwide(503) [email protected]

CONCLUSION











Feel free to keep Live Mesh installedand experiment with it, as the account you have will remain active. However,please remember that it’s a technology preview and safeguard your dataaccordingly.

Should you wish to uninstall Live Mesh, follow these steps:

Remove Your Devices from the Mesh

1. Go to http://www.mesh.com and sign in.

2. Click the device you want to remove from your mesh.

3. Click Options, then click Remove device from Live Mesh.

Uninstall the Live Mesh Software

For each device on which you installed the Live Mesh software:1. From that computer's Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs (in Windows

XP) or Programs and Features (in Windows Vista).

2. Select Live Mesh and click Uninstall.

Note: Uninstalling the Live Mesh software does not remove any local folders from your device.

Uninstall the Live Mesh Internet Explorer Add-In

For each device on which you’ve used Internet Explorer and Live Mesh RemoteDesktop:

1. Launch Internet Explorer.2. Click Tools, then Internet Options.

3. Select the Programs tab, then click Manage Add-ons.

4. Select WLCTSCControl Class and click Delete.

CLEANING UP YOUR SYSTEM

https://preview.mshorizon.com/







Following is a list of the key terms used in this document.

TERM DEFINITION

Live Desktop A “device in the cloud” that is automaticallyadded to your mesh and can be accessed

from any Web browser

Live Mesh Name for the overall service

Live Mesh bar The companion window that is appended to

the right side of Windows Explorer for Live

Mesh folders

Live Mesh devices Devices that are connected to your mesh

Live Mesh Devices A view of devices provided on the Live

Desktop

Live Mesh folder Any folder in your mesh

Live Mesh Folders A system folder created on your device when

the Live Mesh software is installed

Live Mesh news News provided on activities in your mesh

Live Mesh News A view of news presented on the Live Desktop

Live Mesh notifier The window that appears when you click the

Live Mesh icon in the notification area of the

Windows taskbar and provides easy access to

the folders, devices, and news in your mesh

Live Mesh Remote

Desktop

Feature of Live Mesh that builds on Remote

Desktop Protocol to enable you to remotely

access devices in your mesh

Live Mesh Remote

Desktop enhancements

An optional component of the Live Mesh

software (for Windows Vista) that enhances

security and performance when using Live

Mesh Remote Desktop

Live Mesh software Client software that is downloaded and

installed to add a device to Live Mesh

Live Services Platform The Microsoft software-plus-services platform

upon which Live Mesh is built

Mesh Operating

Environment

A Web-centric operating environment that

provides synchronization, data storage, and

other services to tie together an individual’sdata, devices, applications, and contacts

GLOSSARY

Live Mesh Reviewer's Guide Final Web 2

Documents

Transcript of Live Mesh Reviewer's Guide Final Web 2