In November I posted a collection of how-to videos for Lync Server.

This month, someone has one-upped all of those.

Kevin from MacroConnect emailed me the other day to tell me about his new video series. He’s named it the “Lync Complete Training Guide” Playlist on YouTube.

After watching videos and reading his documentation, I told him I would happily blog about it. You’ll see why in just a moment.

What To Expect – Setup Videos and Documented Specs

MacroConnect.net is a Detroit IT firm. One of their specialties (like ours!) is supporting Lync Server. Where I blog about it, Kevin created a video series explaining how to setup Lync Server 2010.

Here’s the playlist URL: Lync Complete Training Guide Playlist – MacroConnectLync. It’s 31 videos, average viewing time between 3-5 minutes each.

But that’s only half the guide. Kevin has also posted documentation for each video at his website:
Lync Complete Training Guide Documentation – MacroConnect.Net

The documentation is a follow-along for the videos. Each video has a link to its documentation section in the Description. Pretty high-value stuff.

Who Should Watch – Lync Pros and Support Pros

The training videos and documentation are geared toward Lync administrators, help desk personnel, and anyone who’s looking to fill these roles.

Some technical skill is assumed for the audience. Basic knowledge of Windows Server environments for one. Understanding of Lync’s primary functions, as well.

Kevin is thorough, and gives details fast. He does use MacroConnect’s FQDNs, number extensions, and PSTN gateway. Take all this into account; your setup will obviously differ.

I recommend you use the videos as the last review stage in training. The documentation is there to refresh your memory, and the videos give you a visual reminder.

What it Covers – Step-By-Step Lync Server Setup

You start in at the very top – basic server setup, SIP connections, etc. From there, the videos run through the Lync setup process, from prerequisites to server configuration. Most of the videos are devoted to configuring Exchange Server, Lync Front End, and Lync Access Edge.

The reason for documentation becomes obvious fast: the screen is not very visible in YouTube, so you can’t always see the Lync setup options selected or numbers typed in. The documentation provides the specifics you’ll need, all laid out in bullets.

(Especially useful when you’re dealing with Management Shell commands!)

———-
Special Note: There is one section in the documentation list which does NOT have a video. “ADDING EXCHANGE UNIFIED MESSAGING ROLE TO VSERV2″ is between “Configuring AD on vserv1″ and “Install Exchange from Scratch on vserv2 – Stage 1″ in the list.

The documentation does appear correct for adding Exchange UM. But Kevin has six videos in the list for installing Exchange Server – which you need to do first, before installing Unified Messaging! So, keep that in mind.
———-

I like that he covered configuring Lync Mobile and locking down the Lync Server environment . He even ends with some ideas on custom Lync programming in Visual Studio, too.

From here of course, you’ll need to add Edge servers, Mediation, Monitoring/Archiving and so on.

Kevin’s series gives a detailed method for setting up the foundation of Lync Server. If you want a video reference for a typical Lync install, these are a great choice. Thanks for all the work Kevin!

Again, here are the links:
Lync Complete Training Guide Playlist – YouTube
Lync Complete Training Guide Documentation – MacroConnect.Net

What would YOU like to see in a Lync video?

Before we get to Part 2 of our latest Lync how-to series, there’s a question we should ask.

Why would you WANT to connect an internal Lync Server 2010 setup to Office 365′s Exchange Online? Why not use an internal Exchange Server instead? Or go for Lync Online?

Sometimes Email Isn’t Enough – You Need a Phone!

The customer who asked the original question didn’t say. But I suspect it involves the fact that Lync Server includes VoIP. Very important difference when it comes to value.

(Maybe it’s a smaller organization, and Exchange Online works for their needs. If so, more power to them!)

Anyway, continuing on the topic. In Part 1 we provided Lync users with voice mail on Exchange Online. According to the checklist Microsoft has laid out, the next step is to configure Exchange Online’s Unified Messaging to work with Lync Server 2010.

This process will look a bit more familiar to Lync admins. It involves setting up dial plans. Yes, very similar to Lync’s standard dial plan setup – with a couple extra steps added. Let’s get into it.

How-To, Step 2 – Configure Exchange Online Unified Messaging

A) Create a new UM Dial Plan.

Quick refresher: Dial Plans are sets of rules for normalization and governance of calls. In this case, the dial plan will govern:

• How your Lync Server connects to Exchange Online UM
• Dial rules & settings for user access
• Outlook Voice Access connectivity

Creating the dial plan is itself not difficult. Follow these steps:

1. Select Manage My Organization > Phone & Voice > UM Dial Plans.
2. Under UM Dial Plans, click New.
3. Under Name, enter a name that is unique in your organization. It can be up to 49 characters long.
4. Enter the following information for the dial plan:
1. Extension Length: Enter the number of digits you’ve assigned to your Lync phone extensions.
2. Dial Plan URI Type: Because we’re connecting to Lync Server, select SIP URI here.
3. Audio Language: Select the language to use. It’ll cover the automated greetings, phone navigation prompts, Voice Mail Preview, and Outlook Voice Access.
4. Country/Region Code: Enter your country code (or regional code) so UM dials domestic and international numbers correctly. Accepts 1-4 digits.
5. Click Save to create the dial plan.

B) Configure the Dial Plan.

1.  Select the UM dial plan you just created.
2.  Click Details. We have many details to fill out, so make sure you have the following information on hand:

• General. Verify that this information matches what you just created. (If it doesn’t, you may have to go back & recreate the dial plan.) You should see Name, Extension Length, URI Type (SIP!) & Audio Language.
• Dial Codes. Specify the number formats so your outgoing calls reach their destinations.
• Outside Line Access Code – Enter the code for accessing an outside line, if needed to reach external numbers (usually 9).
• International Access Code – Enter the code needed to place international calls for your location (US is 011, Europe is 00).
• National Number Prefix – Enter the prefix required for outgoing calls in your country/region. North America’s is 1.
• Country/Region Code – Same code as the one entered when we created the dial plan earlier. Accepts 1-4 digits.
• Country/Region Number Format – Enter the number format to resolve caller ID for users dialing outside this dial plan to other dial plans in your company. If you wanted to add a 4-digit extension for caller ID (like 1234), you’d enter 1234xxxxx.
• International Number Format – Same as the point above, but for international calls. For instance, if you wanted to add 011-1234 as a prefix to an international caller extension, you’d enter 0111234xxxxx.
• Number Formats for Incoming Calls – Enter the number format to use to provide caller ID on calls placed to users of this UM dial plan. For example, you’d enter 2345xxxxx to add the 2345 prefix to a 5-digit extension for incoming calls.
• Outlook Voice Access. Select the greetings & numbers for Outlook Voice Access. Recorded greetings & announcements must be in 16-bit, 8kHz .wma or .wav file format.
• Welcome Greeting – Click “Change File” if you want to upload a custom greeting file for Outlook Voice Access callers.
• Informational Announcement – Click “Change File” to upload a custom recording to be played for callers after hours.
• Allow Announcement to Be Interrupted – Check the box if you want callers to be able to skip the announcement.
• Numbers for Users to Access Voice Mail – Enter a number for dial plan users to access their mailboxes, and click Add. Letters and numbers are supported.
• Settings. Options for name searches, operator extensions, max recording length, and more.
• Primary Way of Searching for Names – How should callers search for people in the address book? Specify it here. Could be by last name and first name, first name and last name, or an alias.
• Secondary Way of Searching for Names – You can enter a second search method here, or select None to skip the option.
• Audio Codec – Select the codec to use for recording voice mails. Available codecs are: MP3 (default), GSM, G711, and WMA.
• Operator Extension – Enter the extension you want callers to connect with when they press zero. Could be an Auto Attendant, a specific person, or an external number.
• Number of Sign-in Failures Before Disconnecting – How many sign-in attempts before disconnection? Default is 3, but you can choose from 1 to 20.
• Timeouts and Retries – Change these settings to control how long recordings can last. Also controls when to timeout after a failed option.
• Maximum Call Duration – How long should incoming calls last? Default is 30 minutes, but you can change the number (from 10 to 120) for all calls in the dial plan.
• Maximum Recording Duration – Enter the maximum time a voice mail recording can last. Default is 20 minutes. Can go from 1 to 100 minutes (must be less than the Maximum Call Duration).
• Recording Idle Timeout – Enter the number of seconds of silence to allow in a voice mail, before disconnecting the call. Anywhere from 2 to 10 seconds. (default is 5).
• Number of Input Failures Before Disconnecting – How many times should callers be able to enter incorrect information when searching the address book, before they’re disconnected? 1 attempt to 99, default is 3.
• Audio Language – Select the language to use for automated greetings, phone navigation prompts, Voice Mail Preview, and Outlook Voice Access. Same as the one you selected creating the dial plan.
• Dialing Rules. These rules define the types of calls users can make. They also change the number users dial to the number that UM dials for outgoing calls. Adding a 9 for outside lines, etc. Groups of rules are placed into dialing rule groups, which you use to authorize all the rules together. You authorize rules under Dialing Authorization (see below), UM mailbox policies, and/or UM auto attendants.
• In-Country/Region Rules – Create these dialing rules to define what kind of in-country/in-region calls your UM users can make.
• International Rules – Same thing, except for international calls.
• Dialing Authorization. Previously we created dialing rules for controlling the types of calls users can make. This is where we authorize those rule groups.
• Allow Calls in the Same UM Dial Plan – Select the check box to allow unauthenticated callers calling into the access number to call/transfer to other users of the UM dial plan.
• Allow Calls to Any Extension – Checking this box allows unauthenticated callers calling the subscriber access number to call/transfer to extensions of non-UM-enabled users.
• Allowed In-Country/Region Dialing Rule Groups – Dial plan users can dial the numbers authorized by the dialing rule groups in this list.
• Allowed International Dialing Rule Groups – Same as the previous setting, but for the international dialing rule groups.

Don’t forget to click Save!

C) Add the domain configured for your Lync voice mail policy to your Office 365 domains.

By now you already have domains set up for Lync, from Part 1. Microsoft recommends using the third-level domain assigned when you signed up for Office 365 (e.g., office365.yourdomain.com).

(Note: It can’t be the same one you use for Lync users’ SIP addresses.)

To Add the Domain:

1. On the Admin page in Office 365, under Management, click Domains
2. Click “Add a domain.”
3. Under Specify domain on the next page, type the domain name you want to add, and then click Next.
4. Follow the next steps in the wizard to verify with Office 365 that the domain name belongs to you.

Once the domain name is added, you must specify services with which you’ll use it.

1. In the Add a Domain wizard, on the Specify services page, select the services you want. In this case, Exchange Online.
2. Click Next.

Finally, you must edit your DNS records on this domain.

1. If you just completed the Add a Domain wizard, click “Configure DNS records.”
2. Otherwise, click Domains on the Admin page.
3. Click the domain name you just set up, and click the DNS Settings tab. Here are the DNS records for Office 365′s services.
4. Take these records to your domain registrar’s website, and add them into your DNS file.

For more details on this process, read this reference: Add Your Domain to Office 365.

In Part 3 we make the last connection – directing the Lync Server to Exchange Online. Check back next week, and we’ll wrap up the whole how-to.

Lots of questions coming in this month! If you’ve sent one in, don’t worry, we’ll get back to you. (I know we’re testing some changes in our local Lync Server, before we respond to one of them.)

Last week we received this question:

“Can we set up a global policy so everyone has a 5-minute idle in Lync?”

The answer to this question is yes – and no.

Right now, you can’t use a GPO (Group Policy Object) to set a Lync 2010 client’s default idle limit – when Lync switches from Available to Away.

You could go around changing each client’s idle settings, of course. But that’s way too time-consuming (and no self-respecting sysadmin would work that slow).

Don’t worry though! There IS a way to enforce a default idle for Lync users: Use a Management Shell script.

Run a Script at Startup to Set Global Idle

That’s right. One simple script will enforce global idle limits on all clients.

In a moment I’ll show you the script. But before that, a quick reminder: the Lync Server Management Shell isn’t set to run scripts by default! You’ll have to modify the execution policy so you can run scripts.

Which is easy. Just enter this command in the Management Shell prompt:
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

With that done, let’s move to the script itself. Copy the following into Notepad and save it as “set-global-idle.ps1″.

$computer = "."
$registry = [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenRemoteBaseKey("CurrentUser", $computer)
$key = $registry.OpenSubKey("SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Communicator", $True)
$key.SetValue("IdleThreshold",5,"DWORD")

Those of you who are familiar with PowerShell will see how this script works at a glance. Even if you aren’t, this script’s pretty easy to understand: It makes a small change to the client PC’s registry, relating to Lync’s registry keys.

In this case, we’re changing the “IdleThreshold” or idle timeout point.

You will have to run Set-Global-Idle.ps1 on everyone’s PCs at startup. It’ll act like a pseudo-GPO, making a background change during boot. We’ve tested it and had no errors.

Modify the script as you like! Setting idle isn’t all you can do with this method. But be careful; this causes a change to client PC registries. The wrong parameters could cause registry corruption…and nobody wants every single PC in the office to crash at once!

Bravely Standing In for Lync GPO

We’re sure Microsoft will release a Lync Server patch that lets you control global idle soon. Use our Set-Global-Idle.ps1 script as a stand-in/workaround for now. It works, but it’s an extra step imposed on your Lync setup.

Have you modified your Lync Server installation using Management Shell? How?

There’s so much information in the new Lync 2010 Training Package that I had to dedicate another post to it.

As promised, a second comparison of its training lists. As this package is geared toward training users on the Lync 2010 client, we’re talking about the Help Desk list today.

Training List 2: Help Desk

Last post I pointed out that each of the training packages is based off a “standard set” of materials. FAQs, Quick Reference cards, introductory How-To videos, and Self-Paced Training.

With Help Desk, we see how Microsoft adapts the training package for different roles. Specifically, 2 more resources included above this standard (1 new, 1 at higher priority).

A. The addition of “Help Desk Troubleshooting,” a 110-page reference document for common Lync client problems.You’ll find guidelines for everything from “(Sharing) Participants See a Black Window” to “Agent Unable to See Some Response Groups.”

The Troubleshooting document alone makes this worthwhile. It’s a great keep-on-hand reference. Our Support department has already used it to help a client. (I may pull some how-to’s for future posts in fact.)

B. The Instructor-Led Training mentions go from “Optional” to “Strongly Recommended.” Often the only difference between training lists is what priority each material element is assigned. However, because the Help Desk will field most of the (initial) support calls, it’s important they be fully informed on Lync’s capabilities.

If you want to see what’s available for Instructor-Led Training, look here. There are four courses (registration required, but free):

1. Introducing Microsoft Lync
2. Best Practices for Microsoft Lync Conferencing
3. Facilitating a Successful UC Rollout
4. Effective Conferencing with Microsoft Lync: Transitioning from Office Live Meeting

How to Start Lync Training with the Instructor-Led Courses

These 4 are the only courses for the whole Lync Training Package (at least for now). You’ll find them, at different priority levels, in almost every training list.

I don’t think all of these benefit the Help Desk most, though. Pick and choose which are the most relevant to the role you’re training for.

Here’s what I would suggest: Use the Instructor-Led training in the following order (by role).

• Executives and Information Workers sign up for 1 & 2 in succession
• Information Workers sign up for 3 & 4 afterward
• Early Adopters sign up for all 4
• Help Desk signs up for 1, 2 & 4
• New Hires and Admin-Receptionists sign up for 1

This way everyone receives at least an overview. From there, more technical roles take on more technical training. All without disrupting everyday workflow.

Next week – we’re talking about Archiving Server. The recent post on Monitoring Server got a lot of attention, so I’m tackling its cousin. Watch for it!

While on Twitter yesterday, I saw a new Lync download making the rounds:

Microsoft Lync 2010 Training Download Package

From the overview:

“The Lync Training Download Package contains all of the available training and user education resources for Lync.”

All of these resources are sorted for you in an Excel workbook, & divided up by office role.  Information Worker, Early Adopters, New Hires, Admin-Receptionists, Executives, Help Desk and Lync Online.

Each list is broken up by a category, defined by Lync Server Role or communication method.  They are:

• IM and Presence
• Collaboration and Conferencing
• Voice and Video
• Devices
• Group Chat
• Attendee
• Lync Web App
• Lync for Mobile Clients
• Lync for Mac

The training material for each category is ranked, from “Optional” to “Strongly Recommended.”  Some of the material comes in the training package download.  The rest is available on Microsoft’s support websites.

Organizes Current Lync Training Material For You

Why use this new training package?  It makes Microsoft’s Lync education resources neat & easy to find.

Everything (to date!) is included:

–WorkSmart Guides
–Quick Reference Cards
–FAQs
–Training Videos
–Instructor-Led Training (registration needed)

However, it’s important to know:  This is NOT recommended as a resource for Lync certification.  There’s almost no server-side material.   The package is clearly intended to help you train to support Lync’s client-facing functions.

Training List 1:  New Hires

The “New Hires” category is a good starting point.  It lists out what I’ll call the “standard set” of training materials.  FAQs, Quick Reference Cards, introductory How-To  Videos, and Self-Paced Training.

You’ll find these in every other category, with additional resources and/or different recommendation levels depending on the role.  Pay attention to Recommendation levels…they’ll give you a path to follow.  Start with “Strongly Recommended” and work down from there.

For instance, under Collaboration & Conferencing for New Hires, a Quick Reference Card and Self-Paced Training are “Strongly Recommended.”  A How-To Video is “Recommended.”  And Instructor-Led Training is “Optional.”

Catch-All for Microsoft Lync Education

How effective will this training package be?  That depends on how you decide to use it.  The download includes a lot of information, some of it new.  (I’m putting the “Help Desk Troubleshooting” doc on our SharePoint right after this post.)

Microsoft has written the workbook as a catch-all and a starting point.  So you can build training into your office’s activities by grabbing certain elements and putting them in front of the people who need them most.

Next week I’ll go into more detail with comparisons between categories.  Until then – planning to use this download?  How?

Short post today, since everyone’s starting to think about turkey and traffic by now.

I received an email from Rob the other day, asking if he could create a link that would start up a Lync voice call. If so, he could then send this link via email, enabling whoever received it to make a auto-call just by clicking that link.

This IS possible to do with Lync Server. In fact, there’s a couple variations of it out there.

#1 – One-Click Dial with the Lync Internet Explorer Add-In

I mentioned this the other day – an add-in that Lync-enables every recognizable phone number on a website. You click the Lync icon next to it…and Lync auto-dials the number for you.

#2 – Auto-Contact URL for Voice Calls

As it turns out, it’s pretty easy to send a Lync-enabled phone number via email.

All you have to do is create an HTML link in this format – “tel:+12223334444“. 1 plus the area code plus the number. No spaces (and no quotation marks, of course). In HTML it’ll look like this: <a href=”tel:+12223334444″>Call 222-333-4444</a>

Outlook will even auto-create the link if you type it out in an email window.

Lync grabs onto any tel: links Outlook receives. So when the email arrives and the recipient clicks the link, it will automatically open a Lync call window.

(NOTE: Rob also asked about triggering a video call in the same way. I don’t know of a link format that will do this directly. But! Adding video to a call is just one more click in the call window. So, still within reach.)

#3 – Auto-Contact URL for Instant Messages

The same method as #2 can be used to send an IM link. Except in this case, you would use the person’s SIP address. For example:
IM:<sip:chris@PMTestEmail.com>

Thanks to Tom Kisner at TheLync.net for his blog post detailing the auto-contact URL syntax. Perfect fact-check for me on this one (our own tests matched up to his formatting lockstep). If you don’t use Outlook, or want to see the straight HTML used in these auto-contact links, check out his post.

Have you used a link like this? Within your company or outside it? I’m curious to hear what happened, & if you had any snags along the way. Please email me or comment below.

In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving! See you next week.

Joe, one of our Lync engineers, came to me the other day with a story. He’d run up against an error while moving a few users from an OCS 2007 R2 pool into a new Lync Server pool.

The error looked like this:

Lync claimed he didn’t have sufficient access rights to perform the update. Even if you try to force it, the user update won’t go through.

Turns out the solution is pretty easy. Joe found it on the ShyIT Blog.
Lync 2010 Move User – 1 Error(s) Failed While Updating Destination pool :: www.ShyIT.co.uk

The problem isn’t strictly a Lync bug. It’s more of a bug in how Lync Server communicates with Active Directory.

If a user is in a protected Active Directory group, AD removes security inheritance for its account. Lync can’t move that user into its own pools without security inheritance. It must be re-enabled.

Re-Enable Security Inheritance, and Lync Server Welcomes the User

To correct the error and have Lync allow OCS users to upgrade into its user pools, you’ll need to modify that user’s Active Directory security permissions. Here’s how.

1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
• Click “View” and navigate to “Advanced Features.” These must be enabled before you proceed. They probably are, but if not, enable them.
2. Locate the user you want to move. Open its Account Properties.
3. Locate the “Security” tab.
4. Click “Advanced.”
5. Check the “Allow inheritable permissions from the parent to propagate to this object and all child objects” box.
6. Click “Apply.”

Done! This re-applies the user’s security inheritance. Lync takes it as new, and lets the user on through.

Have you encountered this error? Or another error with upgrading users from OCS 2007 to Lync 2010? Email me, or leave a comment. I’d like to hear what you did!

Heads up; next week I’ll have a short Q&A post, since it’s Thanksgiving week. We had a question about sending Lync phone numbers via email. See you back here next week.

Some people learn by reading, some by doing, and some by seeing. Which are you?

Up until now I haven’t done much beyond text on this blog. But today, I have a treat for the visual learners – eight Lync Server how-to videos!

I’ve written a lot of how-to on this blog over the past year. Most of what’s covered in these videos can be found here in text format. However, if you’d rather SEE how to set up an Edge Server or call forwarding, these are for you.

How to Install a Lync Server: Start to Finish, on Video

The first 5 videos come from a YouTube member named “ITBananas.” (Their YouTube Channel is here: http://www.youtube.com/user/itbananas) We’re looking at a 5-part series on how to install and configure a Lync Server 2010 setup.

I suggest watching these in Full Screen mode. It makes seeing the options selected easier.

Video 1 – Install and Configure Lync Server 2010 – Installing ADCS

Video 2 – Install and Configure Lync Server 2010 – Prerequisites

Video 3 – Install and Configure Lync Server 2010 Part 1

Video 4 – Install and Configure Lync Server 2010 Part 2

Video 5 – Install and Configure Lync Server 2010 Part 3

The videos can run a little fast. And there’s no voiceover. (I don’t mind that, but it might throw you off if you expected audio.)

Nonetheless, these make for a good step-by-step visual aid to installing Lync Server.

More How-To: Edge Servers, Call Forwarding and Making Lync Calls

Add an Edge Server to Lync Server 2010

This video was posted by “AhmedYousryHassan,” who’s likely a Microsoft tech. (The “Microsoft TechNet” logo at the beginning, and the contoso.net domain used, sort of give it away.)

This video does have voiceover. It walks you through using Topology Builder to add an Edge server to an existing Lync setup.

It’s a very clear how-to on one specific task. I’m adding this to our training regimen.

Setup Call Forwarding and Simultaneous ring in Lync 2010

We’ve had a few call forwarding questions lately, so I wanted to include a good how-to video for setting it up.

Since this one comes from the Microsoft Lync Adoption and Training Kit, I’d say it qualifies.

Make a Call Using Lync 2010

The acting is kind of bland, but don’t let that ruin this Microsoft training video. It does a good job of showing Lync’s call options. Starting calls from IM, adding people to existing calls, two-click conference calls, and so on.

What other Lync Server videos have you seen? Any good how-to’s we should mention here?

I almost didn’t have time to blog today. Ironically, that’s because two Lync clients are moving forward at the same time. Busy busy.

But, some links have found their way into my browser this past week that were too good not to share. I came across a stellar walkthrough, a new tool for visualizing Lync communication lines, and a complaint from a former Microsoft UC MVP.

I’ve provided the links below. Along with summaries, and my own impressions. And my first impression is, if you want to know anything about how Lync Server is installed, read the first one:

1. Install and Configure Lync Server 2010 Step by Step (with Screenshots for Every Step!)

Last week DoItFixIt.com posted a walkthrough on how to install Lync Server. Somebody spent a LOT of time making this. Their walkthrough is as thorough as a Microsoft TechNet page. With more screenshots.

Seriously, almost every step in this install has a full-sized screenshot included. (Click on any screenshot and it’ll enlarge.)

They run through installing a Lync Standard Edition Server, with Windows Server 2008 preparation, Active Directory configuration, certificate verification and a user setup at the end.

I have to wonder how many hours it took to put this together! It’s one of the best walkthroughs I’ve seen for Lync, hands down. The Lync community owes you guys one!

2. Lync Not Enterprise-Ready, Claims MS Rival – NetworkWorld

Joe Schurman, a former Microsoft MVP who now works for Avaya, has declared Lync Server as a poor choice for enterprises. He’s lobbed 3 complaints against Lync: a) bad support for mobile, b) it’s sold as a software-only platform despite requiring lots of hardware, and c) It’s full of “licensing gotchas”.

Frankly, I think Lync is a fine choice for ALL business types, including enterprises. It does require some preparation and appropriate hardware on the backend. Guess what? So does just about every other server platform out there.

I do agree that mobile support is still lagging. But, as I blogged about last week, the marketplace itself is fixing that.

Something to remember about Lync: It may be a successor to OCS 2007. But with the radical changes made to its architecture, I think of it as an entirely new system. And every new system, no matter who makes it, will have bugs.

The complaint’s well thought out, no question. I don’t fully agree, but it’s good information for the rest of us to chew on. Maybe it will spark further improvements to Lync Server. That’d be the best way to approach this, in my slightly-Lync-biased opinion.

3. Lync Protocols and Ports App for Windows 7 Phones

Via NextHop
I can’t say I’m a big fan of this Windows Phone app store. The design is chunky and cluttered. But the app, as very nicely explained on the NextHop blog, makes for a good Lync reference tool.

The app visualizes all the communication points in Lync. If Client X can’t connect out, this app shows you which links to check. Great for troubleshooting, or as a visual aid for Lync support training.

“Lync Protocols and Ports” is free, but only available on Windows 7 Phones right now. I didn’t find it in the Android Market.

Which of these was most interesting? Should I look for more Lync apps, or walkthroughs, or discussions? You decide. Please email or comment what you think.

It never fails. You blog about a topic, then you come across more information on it.

After last week’s post on Lync certs, a co-worker and I discussed the cert tests he just took (and passed, yay!). He mentioned that the Lync Resource Kit had helped him out. I took another look, and guess what? New stuff came out!

Follow-Up to Lync Certification: Updated Lync Resource Kit Chapters, and a Visual Aid

Two of the 19 available Lync Server Resource Kit Chapters were updated in late August. According to DrRez, they updated “Enterprise Voice” and “External User Access.”
The Enterprise Voice chapter added 8 pages on Call Admission Control (CAC). Given how important this call-routing technology is to Lync, all of us should read through it before the cert test.

DrRez also has a visual aid for us: a Protocol Workloads poster for Lync. It clarifies workload by Server Role: IM and Presence, A/V and Web Conferencing, Enterprise Voice, Application Sharing and Central Management.

The layout for each workload is very similar. Makes it easy to see how the roles can be installed side-by-side in the server room.

Follow-Up to Branch Appliance: Posts from InsideLync.com

One of the sites I check regularly is InsideLync.com, Curtis Johnstone’s blog. It’s a Lync-focused blog (like mine!) with lots of hands-on knowledge. Great resource.

This week’s check showed me two newer posts that relate to my post on Lync Branch Appliances a couple weeks ago.

A. Microsoft Lync Remote PowerShell Administration
Contains tips and a link on remote administration for Lync Servers (like a branch appliance). Pay attention to #3 and #4; if your certificates and your scripts aren’t cooperating, there’s only so much you can do remotely.

While you’re there, read this post on virtualization with Lync:

B. 10 Basics on Lync Server Virtualization
Just like the title says; virtualization basics for Lync. This WILL NOT help you with a branch appliance; as #2 points out, it’s the only server role that can’t be virtualized.

However, virtualization is something to keep in mind when you plan a branch appliance. Will a virtualized Server Role at the main office drop my branch appliance’s performance? Should I virtualize any additional branch servers? And so on.

Arm Yourself (With Knowledge!) Before the Exam

A final note: My co-worker also mentioned that 70-664 (Lync Server Configuring) was more difficult than 70-665 (Lync Server Administrator). So if you’re studying for these certs, spend a little extra time on the Administrator material!

Have you taken the Lync certification exams, or are you planning to? I’d like to hear about it. Please comment or email if you want to share your experience.