Lync Server Response Groups can be setup to “Enable agent anonymity”. Enabling agent anonymity, or, Anonymous Response Groups, will hide the agent (Lync user who is answering the RGS call or making a call on behalf of a RGS) from the incoming caller and allow users to call out as a Response Group instead of as themselves.

How Does a RGS Agent Call Out as an RGS?

Pretty much just like they would if they were a Delegate for another user. If a Lync user/Agent is a part of a RGS that is enabled for agent anonymity, there will be another item in the “Call” dropdown for the RGS. (shown below)

There are some limitations and quirks to be aware of when implementing anonymous response groups.

Anonymous Call Limitations

• No conferencing, application sharing, desktop sharing, file transfer, white boarding, data collaboration or call recording. (source: click here)
• Anonymous calls cannot start with IM or video and bump up to audio

Quirks

• Handset Answers Instead of Headset when answering with Lync toast
• Blind Transfer won’t go to voicemail (like Blind transfer) and won’t return user who transferred the call (like Safe transfer)

Handset Answers Instead of Headset when answering with Lync Toast

If a Lync user answering anonymous RGS calls has both a Handset (ie: Lync Phone Edition) and a Headset with the Headset selected as the “Primary Device” (as shown below)  if the user answers with the Lync call toast (versus answering via Headset button) the call will actually be answered on the Handset.

Blind Transfers Won’t Go To Voicemail or Return to User That Transferred the Call

If a user receives an anonymous RGS call and blind transfers the call to another user, if the call is not answered the caller won’t go to voicemail (like Blind transfer) and won’t return user who transferred the call (like Safe transfer) but the call will just ring endlessly until the caller hangs up.

Below is the official verbiage that I think is trying to convey this message: (source: click here)

Official RGS config page:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg412827(v=ocs.14).aspx

You’ve heard of UI Suppression in relation to Lync Desktop Development, but what does it really mean, and what can it do? Here are the 6 things you need to know.

1. What is it?

Normally, when using the Lync Client SDK to write desktop applications with Lync functionality, the Lync client is running. It’s a requirement of the SDK that the Lync client is installed, and when you call certain functions in the SDK, for example making a call or starting a new instance message conversation, you can see that happening in the Lync client. The best way to think about it is that the SDK is automating the client for you or your user.

However, sometimes you don’t want to reuse the client: you want to handle everything yourself. For instance, if you’re writing an application for a touch-screen kiosk to go in a reception area, you don’t want users to see the Lync client: you want to provide your own UI to handle all the things the kiosk might do. In fact, showing the Lync client may allow the kiosk user to do things you don’t want them to, like change devices or settings.

This is where UI Suppression comes in. It’s designed so that the Lync SDK can still use the client for Lync functionality, but it’s not displayed to the user. When it’s enabled the lync.exe process will still run, but you won’t see the Lync splash screen, or the client displayed.

2. How to turn it on (and off)

Turning UI Suppression on and off is only possible via the registry.

To turn UI Suppression on, open regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\Microsoft\\Office\\15.0\\Lync

(if you don’t already have it)Create a new DWORD called UISuppressionMode and set the value to 1.

Exit Lync.

From your code, calling LyncClient.GetClient() will cause the lync.exe process to start and you can interact with Lync from your code.

To turn UI Suppression off, either delete the registry key above, or set the DWORD value to 0. Depending on how cleanly your application exited (and whether or not you shut Lync down in code) you may need to terminate the lync.exe process before double-clicking the Lync icon to open Lync normally.

You can also set Lync to install with UI Suppression turned on by default, by calling the installer with the switch /FullUisuppression

For Lync 2010 the key is still called UISuppressionMode but the registry location is either:
32 bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Communicator
64 bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Wow6432Node\\Microsoft\\Communicator

3. The advantages of UI Suppression

• Applications created for UI Suppression mode can offer a more customised user experience, incorporating corporate branding or be designed for specialist demographics, such as children or old people.
• You can hide login credentials within your application so that you don’t have to expose them to users of the application. For instance, for a kiosk application you might create a KioskUser1 user, but embed the credentials into the application. On startup, the application can then perform the Lync login process without needing any interaction from the user.
• You can control which Lync features are available. For instance, you might want to limit features to only instant messaging. Because you are in complete control of the UI, the only features which are available to your users are the ones you provide code for.

4. The disadvantages of UI Suppression

• With great power comes great responsibility! With UI Suppression, you’re responsible for handling all the user interactions. For instance, if users need to log in as themselves, you’ll need to provide a login screen to capture Lync address and password. If Autodiscovery doesn’t work, you’ll need to re-prompt for domain credentials etc etc. This can lead to lots of extra code, more testing etc.
• If users will be signing in as themselves, then you will be created a Lync endpoint for that user. That means that their presence will be shown to other users, and any calls or messages sent to that user will be forwarded to your device. You need to deal with them (either presenting them to the user to accept/decline) or declining them outright. The normal Lync incoming popup won’t be shown.
• If you want your users to be able to change devices, you have to provide a mechanism for them to do this in your application. The SDK has methods to list and change devices, but it’s important to remember that your users won’t have access to the usual Tools > Options dialog box. Read more about changing devices here: Lync: Programmatically switching video device during a call

5. Kiosk setup tricks

If you’re creating a kiosk-style application which always logs in as the same user, and always uses the same devices, then this trick might work for you, and save you writing extra code:

On the kiosk device, turn off UI Suppression and load up the Lync client. Sign in as the user you will be using. This gives you a chance to provide domain credentials, tests that the user is active and caches the credential certificates on the machine. Once you’re logged in, use the Lync client to set up the default devices exactly how you want them for the kiosk experience.

Once you’re done, exit the Lync client, and turn UI Suppression on. Your application will now be able to log on simply by passing SIP address and password, and won’t have to worry about checking or changing devices.

LyncAutoAnswer.com – Open Source UI Suppression Mode Project

6. Use GitHub code to get started

A while ago, I helped contribute to a project called LyncAutoAnswer with Scott Hanselman and Paul Nearney which is a full-screen UI Suppressed WPF application which auto-answers incoming calls and makes them video calls automatically. All the code is open source, so you can download and look through how it’s all done. In particular, the UI Suppression part is also its own project: Lync-UISuppression-VideoAutoAnswer and is a good place to go if you just want to browse through the code.

Back at Lync Conference 2014 Dustin Hannifin and I co-presented on the various video interoperability options available for Lync 2013.

I’m specifically calling out Lync 2013 as the video enhancements, specifically the addition of H.264 SVC, created challenges when integrating existing Lync 2010 video solutions. For those that want to know more on this subject I covered this in detail during our presentation – long story short whilst existing support for the RTVideo codec is still included various signaling changes require vendor specific updates.

Of the solutions available today there is an emphasis on all conferences taking place on a 3^rd party MCU or bridge. Microsoft’s Video Interoperability Server (VIS) will bring some relief in this area, but in some cases this may not address all scenarios.

Many are already familiar with the Polycom RMX portfolio (don’t be deterred by cost at this point either, the entirety of this platform can now be virtualized and is also available in software), which previously was also limited to the same “meet on the bridge” scenario. But with the recent update a new capability (referred to as “RealConnect for Microsoft Lync” – don’t shoot the messenger I don’t work in marketing ) is made available. With this feature Lync clients continue to join the Lync Server (or AVMCU) and traditional video VTCs (not specific to Polycom), with an emphasis being on Cisco including their non-standard based “TelePresence Interoperability Protocol” (TIP), LifeSize and any other standards-based system) join the Polycom MCU. Both worlds are then cascaded or barbelled and Microsoft’s SVC is leveraged resulting in up to 5 of the active video participants being composed within the Polycom MCU layout, referred to as “Continuous Presence”.

RealConnect for Lync 2013 Overview

First up you’ll need to schedule the conference call, this achieved in the same way any other Lync conference is scheduled, specifically via a Lync Online Meeting invite – there’s one important attribute within the invitation and that’s the dial-in conferencing ID. This ID is leveraged by the VTC as a way of dialing into the call, so for those who haven’t deployed dial-in conferencing it’s a pre-requisite. Note for those that don’t already have this deployed or have the notion of enabling PSTN dial-in conferencing capabilities – that’s okay – a dummy number can be added, we’ll cover this later.

With the invitations sent to all those that are required to join the call, let’s go through the join process and UX. The animation below (credit to Jeff Schertz) illustrates the following steps:

We see the Lync clients (top right) joining the Lync conference (as per the usual process), resulting in an AVMCU call – with that Lync clients are now presented with “Gallery View” video (bottom right).

1. Next up (the order of this isn’t important) the VTC(s) join by dialing the meeting’s respective Lync dial-in conference ID (top left).
2. The Polycom RealPresence Platform components (specifically RMX and DMA, which are already integrated to Lync), perform a process whereby the Lync conference SIP URI is obtained and an ad-hoc Virtual Meeting Room (VMR) is created, this VMR is assigned the same number as the Lync conference ID and automatically dials into the Lync conference – as though it were another Lync client.
3. Once the call is cascaded the VTC is seen as an additional participant within the Lync conference (bottom right) and the existing Lync participants (and their respective video streams, up to 5 of the active) are composed within the RMX layout (bottom left).
4. As additional VTCs join the RMX layout increases by one and the existing VMR within the Lync Gallery switches based upon the active VTC speaker.

Deployment Overview

The solution is comprised of two mandatory Polycom infrastructure components:

1. DMA (6.1), which handles signaling, Lync conference URI lookup and VMR creation
2. RMX (8.4), performs the media handling and connects into the Lync conference

Note: an additional software component is required for deployments where Lync to traditional VTC (and vice-versa) content is required.

I won’t cover the base Polycom RealPresence Platform steps, this is already well documented and this picks up from the point whereby both the DMA and RMX are already deployed and integrated via the Trusted Application process – one difference worth noting here is that creating a “Static Route” is no longer a requirement unless Lync to VMR calling is still a requirement.

Steps:

1. Deploy Lync Dial-in Conferencing (if not done so already)
2. Customize the Lync meeting invitation, add H.323/SIP dialing instructions
3. Configure DMA (SIP Peer)
4. Create a RealPresence Platform Lync account
5. Configure and enable the DMA Lync conference dial rule
6. (Optional if not already configured) Ensure ICE is enabled on your RMX

The following content is an abridged version of the Polycom UC Deployment Guide for Microsoft Environments, this content was created by yours truly and edited by James Hill – the complete guide can be downloaded here.

Step 1. Enable Dial-in Conferencing:

1. Install the dial-in (PSTN) conferencing component for the Lync Front End server or Pool in the Lync 2013 Topology builder by going to Edit Properties > General > Features and Functionality.

2. Check Dial-in (PSTN) conferencing and click OK.

3. Publish the topology by right-clicking the central site name and clicking Publish Topology > Next > Finish.

Once published, the output displays as shown next.

After you change the topology, deploy the application on the Lync Server by running the Lync 2013 ‘bootstrapper’ process.

To deploy the application:

1. Open the command prompt on your Lync Front End server and execute the command:

%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Lync Server 2013\Deployment\Bootstrapper.exe

2. Install the associated service by opening the Lync Server Management Shell and executing Start-CSWindowsService.

Next, ensure that a dial-in conferencing region is configured. Typically, you need to configure multiple regions and assign local access numbers. In the following example, we add a default region in order to generate an H.323 or standard SIP number that users can dial into from any standards-based room system. The naming convention is not important but you must populate the dial-in conferencing region to complete the configuration.

To populate the dial-in conferencing region:

1. Open the Lync 2013 Server Control Panel and go to Voice Routing > Edit the Global Dial Plan > Dial-in conferencing region.

2. Specify a dial-in access number by going to Lync 2013 Server Control Panel > Conferencing > Dial-in Access Number > New and completing the following fields:

• Display number  This field permits alpha numeric entry. This is typically the dial-in access number. This example uses the VMR or Conference ID and is labelled here as ‘VMR-Number’.
• Display name Choose a display name. Typically, this name matches the region.
• Line URI The line URI will not be used as the actual dial-in conference is not being used. This example uses a dummy number ‘tel+111’.
• SIP URI This field allocates a SIP address to the conference number. Though this field is not used for RealConnect, you must enter a SIP URI.
• Pool Enter the pool you are enabling for dial-in conferencing.
• Primary language This field is not used for RealConnect.
• Associated Regions Add the region you created in step 1.

Step 2. Customize the Lync meeting invitation, add H.323/SIP dialing instructions:

If you want to customize the meeting invitation, you can add custom footer text to allow meeting participants to join a meeting using a standards-based video endpoint.

1. In the Lync 2013 Control Panel, go to Conferencing > Meeting Configuration.
2. Edit the default global template as shown next.

This example shows external addresses. If you want to show external addresses, you need to enable standards-based video Firewall traversal using, for example, a Polycom RealPresence Access Director.

Your Lync environment now includes Conference IDs in Lync-enabled meeting invitations.

Step 3. Configure DMA (SIP Peer):

Next, complete the Lync 2013 and DMA integration. Configure DMA network settings to match the Lync Server, specifically, Time and Domain. You need to configure the domain to match the extension you gave to the DMA DNS name.

Next, specify domain and time on the DMA system.

To specify domain and time on the DMA system:

1. In the DMA administrator screen go to Local Cluster > Network Settings > General System Network Settings.

2. Configure the time to synchronize with the same source as the Lync Server, typically one of your domain controllers, by going to Local Cluster > Time Settings. Specify an IP address for your time server as well as a time zone.

Next, add the Lync Server as an external SIP peer. To add the Lync 2013 Server as a SIP Peer:

3. In the DMA administrator console go to Network > External SIP Peers > Add. Complete the following fields:

• Name Enter the name you gave to this Lync Front End Server or Pool.
• Description Enter a description for Name field.
• Type Choose Microsoft.
• Next hop address Enter the fully qualified domain name for your Lync Front End Server or Pool.
• Destination network Enter the Active Directory domain for your Lync Front End Server or your Pool. Do not enter your SIP domain.
• Port Enter 5061.
• Transport type Enter TLS

You can leave the remaining fields blank.

4. In the left window, click Lync Integration.

5. In Maximum Polycom conference contacts to publish, enter the maximum number of VMRs you are publishing presence for. This field is not required for RealConnect. This example sets the maximum at 25,000, the recommended number.

6. Check Enable combined RealPresence-Lync scheduled conferences.

Step 4. Create a RealPresence Platform Lync account:

Next, assign a Lync account. This can be an existing account. However, Polycom recommends creating a dedicated Lync account that can be used to perform Conference ID to Lync Conference SIP URI resolution. In this case, the account can be a Lync account enabled for PC-to-PC telephony, as illustrated next.

Edit Lync Server User – RealPresence Platform Service Account

Step 5. Configure and enable the DMA Lync conference dial rule:

Next, create a conference template that is assigned to RealConnect Lync conferences.

To create a conference template:

1. Conference mode Set to AVC only. Mixed mode is not supported.

2. Enable the dial rule on DMA by going to the DMA administrator screen > Call Server > Dial Rules.

The Description field displays Dial by Lync conference ID.

3. Highlight the Dial by Lync conference ID and select Edit.

4. Check Enabled to enable the rule and the Conference template created in the previous step.

The available SIP peer(s) you assigned displays in Selected SIP peers.

5. Click OK.

Your RealConnect for Lync deployment is now complete!

Step 6. (Optional if not already configured) Ensure ICE is enabled on your RMX:

This configuration isn’t specific to RealConnect, however RMX 8.4 introduces a mandatory requirement, specifically where ICE needs to be enabled in all types of Lync deployment scenarios (with or without Edge deployed).

There are two supported methods, either user-based or a new method introduced in RMX 8.4 that leverages a UCMA option, with this we’re able to scale greater than 12 connections for remote worker/Federated scenarios. In the configuration example below we’re going to use the new approach which is now recommended.

To perform this configuration please refer to the new Trusted Application configuration within the sub-chapter Configure Lync Server for use with a Polycom RealPresence Collaboration Server System on page 61 of the Polycom UC Deployment Guide for Microsoft Environments here

• Open up ADSIEdit
• Right-click ADSI Edit in the tree
• Under Select a well known naming context, select Configuration from the drop down
• Expand Configuration, CN=Configuration, CN=Services, CN=RTC Service 
• In there remove the entries that have the random string beneath them by right-clicking and selecting Delete.
• Republish your Topology

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to look in an SDK to find what you need. You might not even be sure if what you want to do is possible.

This isn’t by any means an exhaustive list, but I’ve pulled out some of the more common areas of the Microsoft Lync Client SDK so that you can see what’s available, and give you an area to look into if it’s what you were looking to achieve.

Important: lots of the methods in this SDK start with Begin. If you’re not sure why that is, or what to do about it, read this article: Lync Development and Asynchronous Programming.

Microsoft.Lync.Model.LyncClient

This is where you’ll probably find most of the methods, properties and events you’re looking for. All objects in this section come from the LyncClient object, which you access using LyncClient.GetClient() after importing Microsoft.Lync.Model (read more about getting started: Lync Desktop Development – How to Get Started).

Some common objects available from the LyncClient object.

Contact Manager

The Contact Manager is where to go if you want to modify your user’s contact list, with methods to add and remove groups, list existing groups etc. There’s also methods to bring back details of a contact, either directly using their SIP address, or by part of the name. To add a contact to group, first find the contact then use the methods in the Contact object to perform the add. [read more on MSDN]

Conversation Manager

The Conversation Manager gives you the ability to start new conversations from your code, but also allows you to subscribe to events for when conversations are added or remove. It also has a method so you can join a conference (if you know the conference URI) and will also list existing conversations. Once you have a Conversation object, you can start to participate it in (see next). [read more on MSDN]

Conversation

There’s lots in the Conversation object. Some of the larger areas include the participant list of who is in the conversation (including events for when people join and leave), the state of the conversation (and events for when it changes), and a list of Modalities. Modalities are the different streams of communication within a conversation, such as IM, Audio/Video, DesktopShare etc. See my article: Accepting Incoming Calls in Lync Client SDK.
 [read more on MSDN]

Self

The Self object is useful if you just want to find out more about the user who is signed in. It gives you access to the Contact object for that user, so you can pull out the display name or photo etc. It also has methods for changing that user’s information: such as their photo, location, personal note etc. [read more on MSDN]

Device Manager

If you want to control which devices are active in your code, have a look at the Device Manager. Not only can you get and set the active device, you can also get a full list of all available devices to present to the user for them to choose from. [read more on MSDN]

Room Manager

The Room Manager is the area of the SDK used for Persistent Chat integration. You can query for different chat rooms or see a list of already followed rooms, in order to get to a Room object. With a Room object you can then join or leave a room, send messages to a room, as well as subscribe to activity events. [read more on MSDN]

Utilities

This is where everything else ended up! There are a few handy things in there, such as a method to bring up the New Email window, and also to schedule a meeting. These are two common tasks you might want to be able to achieve in your code, and having them here saves you from needing to access the full Outlook API. [read more on MSDN]

Microsoft.Lync.Model.Extensibility.Automation

The Automation object is where you’ll find methods that more directly interact with the Lync client user interface. It’s a much smaller object that the LyncClient object.

Methods in Automation include one to bring up the Meet Now window, for starting a new ad-hoc conference. There is also a StartConversation method, which you can use to start a conversation with one or more recipients. There is also a method to get the ConversationWindow object of a specified conversation. This is useful because you can then control the size, full screen etc of the window, or close it.

These are just some of the methods available in the SDK. As you can see, it’s a comprehensive section of actions designed to allow you to fully integrate Lync into your application. The full API reference is available on MSDN, and the IntelliSense for this SDK is excellent, with most methods having a detailed description.

We’ve had the August Server update, and hot on it’s heels the client update is here

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2881070

Downloads:

Download the 32-bit Lync update package now.

Download the 64-bit Lync update package now.

15 Fixes are listed:

• 2985514 Lync 2013 signs out and then signs in every 30 minutes
• 2985513 Lync 2013 crashes when you manipulate a pivot table field during an Excel worksheet presentation
• 2985512 Error “Event ID from source Lync cannot be found” instead of event logs from Lync 2013 appears in Event Viewer
• 2981755 Cannot join a meeting by using Lync 2013 when the ACP MCU services are running on multiple front-end servers
• 2981754 Cannot send CER data when a user cannot join meetings in Lync 2013
• 2981753 Lync 2013 meeting issues after you install Lync Meeting Add-in for Office 2013
• 2981752 Cannot select audio device during a VoIP call in Lync 2013 when a user is enabled for RCC
• 2981751 Lync 2013 does not display telephone number of an Outlook 2010 contact in the contact card
• 2981750 An update enables Lync 2013 users to select the default unselected check boxes for saving instant message and call logs
• 2981749 Artifacts remain in chat input area in Lync 2013 after an instant message is sent
• 2981748 Lync 2013 dials the number that calls are forwarded to instead of the last dialed number
• 2981747 A user’s work number is listed in the “Forward Calls To” list in Lync 2013
• 2981746 Cannot paste data from a webpage to Lync 2013 conversation window
• 2981745 Can’t join online meeting that is created in a non-federated organization by using Lync 2013
• 2981743 Can’t sign in to Lync 2013 by using a cached certificate in Lync online hybrid deployment

Also two known issues with the patch:

• 2898357 Screen readers cannot read aloud keystrokes during a Lync 2013 application or desktop sharing session in Windows
• 2932389 Persistent Chat file transfer fails between an external user and an internal user in Lync 2013

Prerequisites:

• MSO (KB2883052, August 2014)
• MSORES (KB2817624 , September 2013)
• IDCRL (KB2817626, September 2013) – at the time of writing, download links on KB incorrect (assuming KB listed is correct
  • http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40213
  • http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40205
• Lynchelp (2881083, August 2014)

I saw some inconsistency with installing the Pre-reqs, Windows 8.1 x64/Office 2013 x86, Windows updated to current

• kb2883052 installed fine
• kb2817624 invalid baseline
• kb2817626 invalid baseline
• kb2881083 No product installed for contained

I’m not sure why this is, but will try to find out more. I suspect some of the pre-reqs are superseded by other patches now.

Using my Install-HotFixes script to install from a directory with all the hotfixes dumped into:

     

Source:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2881070

Download:

• 32-bit – Download the 32-bit Lync update package now.
• 64-bit – Download the 64-bit Lync update package now.

This update resolves the following issues:

• 2985514 Lync 2013 signs out and then signs in every 30 minutes
• 2985513 Lync 2013 crashes when you manipulate a pivot table field during an Excel worksheet presentation
• 2985512 Error “Event ID from source Lync cannot be found” instead of event logs from Lync 2013 appears in Event Viewer
• 2981755 Cannot join a meeting by using Lync 2013 when the ACP MCU services are running on multiple front-end servers
• 2981754 Cannot send CER data when a user cannot join meetings in Lync 2013
• 2981753 Lync 2013 meeting issues after you install Lync Meeting Add-in for Office 2013
• 2981752 Cannot select audio device during a VoIP call in Lync 2013 when a user is enabled for RCC
• 2981751 Lync 2013 does not display telephone number of an Outlook 2010 contact in the contact card
• 2981750 An update enables Lync 2013 users to select the default unselected check boxes for saving instant message and call logs
• 2981749 Artifacts remain in chat input area in Lync 2013 after an instant message is sent
• 2981748 Lync 2013 dials the number that calls are forwarded to instead of the last dialed number
• 2981747 A user’s work number is listed in the “Forward Calls To” list in Lync 2013
• 2981746 Cannot paste data from a webpage to Lync 2013 conversation window
• 2981745 Can’t join online meeting that is created in a non-federated organization by using Lync 2013
• 2981743 Can’t sign in to Lync 2013 by using a cached certificate in Lync online hybrid deployment

Lync 2013: August Update 2014 2881070

Lync 2013: August Update 2014 (Lynchelp) 2881083

These updates resolve the following issues:

• 2985514 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2985514/ ) Lync 2013 signs out and then signs in every 30 minutes

• 2985513 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2985513/ )Lync 2013 crashes when you manipulate a pivot table field during an Excel worksheet presentation

• 2985512 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2985512/ ) Error “Event ID from source Lync cannot be found” instead of event logs from Lync 2013 appears in Event Viewer

• 2981755 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981755/ ) Cannot join a meeting by using Lync 2013 when the ACP MCU services are running on multiple front-end servers

• 2981754 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981754/ )Cannot send CER data when a user cannot join meetings in Lync 2013

• 2981753 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981753/ )Lync 2013 meeting issues after you install Lync Meeting Add-in for Office 2013

• 2981752 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981752/ ) Cannot select audio device during a VoIP call in Lync 2013 when a user is enabled for RCC

• 2981751 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981751/ )Lync 2013 does not display telephone number of an Outlook 2010 contact in the contact card

• 2981750 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981750/ )An update enables Lync 2013 users to select the default unselected check boxes for saving instant message and call logs

• 2981749 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981749/ )Artifacts remain in chat input area in Lync 2013 after an instant message is sent

• 2981748 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981748/ )Lync 2013 dials the number that calls are forwarded to instead of the last dialed number

• 2981747 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981747/ )A user’s work number is listed in the “Forward Calls To” list in Lync 2013

• 2981746 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981746/ )Cannot paste data from a webpage to Lync 2013 conversation window

• 2981745 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981745/ )Can’t join online meeting that is created in a non-federated organization by using Lync 2013

• 2981743 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2981743/ )Can’t sign in to Lync 2013 by using a cached certificate in Lync online hybrid deployment

Update (August 15, 2014): We’re just a few days in and there’s already a revision :)  Based on conversations I’ve had, there’s a desire for a 2010 version as well.  There are also environments that are mixed 2010/2013.  I have modified this tool to work equally well with both.  The commands behind the GUI are similar, however the 2010 commands do not have the ability to set PersistentChat, Mobility, or VoiceRoutingPolicy (hybrid O365 voice environments).  I can’t imagine these are policies that would ever be needed, however if you find a need, I can re-enable it for you.

I created this tool to allow you to add, modify, and remove Lync common area phones with an easy to use graphical front end.  This functionality is not available within the Lync Control Panel and even modifications via the Lync Management Shell can be difficult to those who don’t have to modify them often.

I hope you find this tool straightforward to use.  From a Lync server, you can simply right click it and run it.  However,  due to the modules it loads, it may start faster if you start it from a Lync Management Shell.  The opening screen looks like what you see below.  The glaring red warning is just a note to let you know that sometimes replication can take a bit of time and you may need to hit the refresh buttons a few times before you see updated data.  Within a six server Enterprise pool I was watching it take upwards of 8 seconds.

You should see a listing of all of your common area phones in front of you.  From here, just select them in the left box and change any settings you’d like.  As you change the settings, the colors of the fields should turn green letting you know that a change is pending.  Once you’re ready, click the Save Changes button.  If you change the DisplayName attribute, you’ll receive a warning letting you know to refresh your phone list.  This is because this we use this name to  display and reference the phones in the GUI and behind the scenes.

Clicking the Refresh Phone List button refreshes the list of Common Area Phones and redisplays them.  Clicking the Refresh Phone box only refreshes the information shown in the right side of the screen.

Clicking the Set Pin button resets the pin for the selected phone.  If you enter a pin and receive a failure, the tool is intelligent enough to let you know the error.  In the below screenshots, we highlight a phone, click the Set Pin button, enter a pin and click OK.  The pin we’ve entered is too short however and we receive an error.  Had we entered a pin with the required number of digits, we would have been returned back to the tool without additional prompts.

To remove a phone, simply highlight the phone of your choice and click the Remove Phone button.  You will be prompted for a confirmation before you delete.

To add a new phone, click the Create Phone button.  A new dialog will pop up which will allow you to supply information about the phone.  The OU, Pool, LineURI and DisplayName are required fields, and if you miss one of these you will be notified before you click Create.  The others can be left as is.  Typing an OU in can be cumbersome, so I’ve also added a Browse button that will load all of your OUs as well as the users container.  Drill in and select the OU you want the Common Phone to be created in and click the Select button.  Once you’re ready, click the Create button.  You may need to wait a moment and click the Refresh Phone List button before the data is available to the GUI.

My own future thoughts for improvement include a multi-select mode where you could select multiple phones and modify them as a group.  Let me know if you’d like to see this implemented.

If you have any thoughts, comments, bug reports, or feature requests, the Q/A section in the TechNet gallery is the best place, but I’m also watching here as well.

As with any free tool you find on the Internet, use at your own risk!

To download the program, please find it here in the TechNet Gallery: http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/lync/Lync-2013-Common-Area-57bc4ff1

If you like it, please give it 5 stars over at the TechNet Gallery.  If not, please drop me a line before you rate it and give me a chance at fixing whatever bug you may have found.   I might also be able to add a feature you’d like to see!

Thanks again and let me know what you think!

The August 2014 Client update’s just landed, with some high-value fixes therein. Read all about kb2881070 here.

This update takes the Lync 2013 Client to 15.0.4641.1000.

What’s Fixed?

The update includes some GREAT bugfixes, with particular appeal to those still running Outlook 2010:

• 2985514 Lync 2013 signs out and then signs in every 30 minutes
• 2985513 Lync 2013 crashes when you manipulate a pivot table field during an Excel worksheet presentation
• 2985512 Error “Event ID from source Lync cannot be found” instead of event logs from Lync 2013 appears in Event Viewer
• 2981755 Cannot join a meeting by using Lync 2013 when the ACP MCU services are running on multiple front-end servers
• 2981754 Cannot send CER data when a user cannot join meetings in Lync 2013
• 2981753 Lync 2013 meeting issues after you install Lync Meeting Add-in for Office 2013
• 2981752 Cannot select audio device during a VoIP call in Lync 2013 when a user is enabled for RCC
• 2981751 Lync 2013 does not display telephone number of an Outlook 2010 contact in the contact card
• 2981749 Artifacts remain in chat input area in Lync 2013 after an instant message is sent
• 2981748 Lync 2013 dials the number that calls are forwarded to instead of the last dialed number
• 2981747 A user’s work number is listed in the “Forward Calls To” list in Lync 2013
• 2981746 Cannot paste data from a webpage to Lync 2013 conversation window
• 2981745 Can’t join online meeting that is created in a non-federated organization by using Lync 2013
• 2981743 Can’t sign in to Lync 2013 by using a cached certificate in Lync online hybrid deployment

What’s New?

• 2981750 An update enables Lync 2013 users to select the default unselected check boxes for saving instant message and call logs

Set-CsClientPolicy –Identity global –DefaultEnableIMAutoArchiving $false –DefaultEnableCallLogAutoArchiving $false

Known Issues

Screen-readers appear to be an ongoing problem, and they’re back on the known issues list again this update:

• 2898357 Screen readers cannot read aloud keystrokes during a Lync 2013 application or desktop sharing session in Windows
• 2932389 Persistent Chat file transfer fails between an external user and an internal user in Lync 2013

Pre-Requisites

Two of these have been updated since the June update:

Download

• x86
• x64

Reboot?

Alas, yes. The MSO update requested a reboot.

Before & After

Here’s a before and after comparison of my client on a Windows 8.1 machine.

Before	After
Lync 15.0.4623.1000 MSO 15.0.4631.1000	Lync 15.0.4641.1000 MSO 15.0.4641.1001

- G.

Client Registry Keys – Part One (General & Personal Tab)

Client Registry Keys – Part Two (Contacts List & Status Tab)

Client Registry Keys – Part Three (My Picture & Phones Tab)

Client Registry Keys – Part Four (Alerts, Persistent Chat & Ringtones and Sounds)

Client Registry Keys – Part Five (Audio Device, Video Device, Call Forwarding, File Saving, Recording & Lync Meetings)

Audio Device Tab

These settings are in a different place than all of the other client registry settings.  You can find them all here:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\UCCPlatform\Lync\

Video Device Tab

These settings are in the normal place.  No need to hunt around.  (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync\)

Call Forwarding Tab

All of these settings are stored in your presence documents.  So we will leave that for another time.

File Saving Tab

Recording Tab

These settings are found here:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync\Recording

Lync Meetings Tab

I’ve recently created a script (with the help of @y0avb) which generates an HTML report for Certificates in a Lync environment.
Since Certificates are widely been used in almost every Microsoft environment, we’ve decided to modify the script a bit and add the same functionality for Exchange.

The following script will query for every Exchange 2010/2013 server in the Environment and pull the following information on every Certificates which is assigned to an Exchange Service:

• Services Assigned
• Issuer
• Thumbprint
• Subject Name
• Issue Date
• Expiration Date
• Self Signed or Not
• Subject Alternative Names
• Expires In (Days)

Script Features:

• The script pulls the information from every server by using Get-Exchange Server cmdlet
• The script support Exchange Certificates assignment awareness, meaning it only pull the certificates assigned to Exchange services
• The Script query every exchange server in the environment which is Exchange 2010/2013
• Certificates which are about to expire in the next 30 days will be colored in Red, Certificates which will expire in the next 60 days will be colored in orange
• The script can also be configured to send email as well as being a scheduled task in order to be notified on a weekly/monthly basis.

The current caveats in this version of the script

• Does not pull Exchange EDGE Certificates information
• Does not pull Exchange 2007 Certificates Information

Version Control:

• 0.1 – August-13-2014 – Initial Version for connecting Internal Exchange Servers

Output:

Download:

• TechNet Gallery
• OneDrive Scripts Repository

Microsoft has released a long waiting update for Lync Server 2013, which is the first one since January 2014.

It fixes these issues:

Frontend and Edge Servers

• 2976568 Address book delta files are not generated in a Lync Server 2013 Enterprise Edition environment
  
• 2967626 Error “creating procedure RtcResetAbAttributes” when you run “Install-CsDatabase” for rtcab database in Lync Server 2013
  
• 2967629 Significant bandwidth usage increase by SIP traffic in a Lync Server 2013 environment
  
• 2967630 Callee receives a missed call notification after answering a call on an IP telephone in a Lync Server 2013 environment
  
• 2979931 Error “I can’t find the meeting with that number” when PSTN user dials in to conference in Lync Server 2013 environment
  

Web Components

• 2978444 Update for Lync Server 2013 to disable Lync Web App users’ ability to upload and show PPT in online meetings
  
• 2976906 Incorrect time zone is displayed when you create a meeting by using Web Scheduler in a Lync Server 2013 environment
  
• 2967623 Error “This content cannot be displayed” or blank webpage when you click a dial-in URL in a Lync Server 2013 environment
  
• 2967624 HD video stutters in a Lync Server 2013 based video conference in Lync 2013
  
• 2967628 Telephone numbers are missing in a contact card in a Lync Server 2013-based Lync mobile client
  

Core Components

• 2967621 Error 404 when Lync phones sign in to Lync Server 2013 front-end servers during SBS failure recovery
  
• 2967631 Error “”DistributionGroupAddress” and “AgentsByUri” must be set.” when you migrate the RG service to Lync Server 2013
  

And reliability, stability, and performance Updates to UCMA 4, Administrative tools and Web Conferencing Server

Get the update here

Microsoft has released the august 2014 update for the Lync 2013 client, which resolves these issues:

• 2985514 Lync 2013 signs out and then signs in every 30 minutes
• 2985513 Lync 2013 crashes when you manipulate a pivot table field during an Excel worksheet presentation
• 2985512 Error “Event ID from source Lync cannot be found” instead of event logs from Lync 2013 appears in Event Viewer
• 2981755 Cannot join a meeting by using Lync 2013 when the ACP MCU services are running on multiple front-end servers
• 2981754 Cannot send CER data when a user cannot join meetings in Lync 2013
• 2981753 Lync 2013 meeting issues after you install Lync Meeting Add-in for Office 2013
• 2981752 Cannot select audio device during a VoIP call in Lync 2013 when a user is enabled for RCC
• 2981751 Lync 2013 does not display telephone number of an Outlook 2010 contact in the contact card
• 2981750 An update enables Lync 2013 users to select the default unselected check boxes for saving instant message and call logs
• 2981749 Artifacts remain in chat input area in Lync 2013 after an instant message is sent
• 2981748 Lync 2013 dials the number that calls are forwarded to instead of the last dialed number
• 2981747 A user’s work number is listed in the “Forward Calls To” list in Lync 2013
• 2981746 Cannot paste data from a webpage to Lync 2013 conversation window
• 2981745 Can’t join online meeting that is created in a non-federated organization by using Lync 2013
• 2981743 Can’t sign in to Lync 2013 by using a cached certificate in Lync online hybrid deployment

Get the update here

Download the update
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2881070/

Prerequisites

To install this Lync 2013 update, make sure that the following updates are installed:

MSO (KB2883052, August 2014)

Download the 32-bit MSO update package now.

Download the 64-bit MSO update package now.

MSORES (KB2817624, September 2013)

Download the 32-bit MSORES update package now.

Download the 64-bit MSORES update package now.

IDCRL (KB2817626, September 2013)

Download the 32-bit IDCRL update package now.

Download the 64-bit IDCRL update package now.

Lynchelp (2881083, August 2014)

Download the 32-bit Lynchelploc update package now.

Download the 64-bit Lynchelploc update package now.

This update resolves the following issues:

• 2985514 Lync 2013 signs out and then signs in every 30 minutes

• 2985513 Lync 2013 crashes when you manipulate a pivot table field during an Excel worksheet presentation

• 2985512 Error "Event ID from source Lync cannot be found" instead of event logs from Lync 2013 appears in Event Viewer

• 2981755 Cannot join a meeting by using Lync 2013 when the ACP MCU services are running on multiple front-end servers

• 2981754 Cannot send CER data when a user cannot join meetings in Lync 2013

• 2981753 Lync 2013 meeting issues after you install Lync Meeting Add-in for Office 2013

• 2981752 Cannot select audio device during a VoIP call in Lync 2013 when a user is enabled for RCC

• 2981751 Lync 2013 does not display telephone number of an Outlook 2010 contact in the contact card

• 2981750 An update enables Lync 2013 users to select the default unselected check boxes for saving instant message and call logs

• 2981749 Artifacts remain in chat input area in Lync 2013 after an instant message is sent

• 2981748 Lync 2013 dials the number that calls are forwarded to instead of the last dialed number

• 2981747 A user's work number is listed in the "Forward Calls To" list in Lync 2013

• 2981746 Cannot paste data from a webpage to Lync 2013 conversation window

• 2981745 Can’t join online meeting that is created in a non-federated organization by using Lync 2013

• 2981743 Can't sign in to Lync 2013 by using a cached certificate in Lync online hybrid deployment