August/September COUCUG Meeting Content

This has been posted for a bit but I forgot to blog it. If you are interested in SIP Tracing or Lync as a PBX, you’ll want to go grab these slide decks. Mike Stacy did an awesome job explaining SIP messages and I did the Lync as a PBX discussion.

You can download them directly here: https://skydrive.live.com/?mkt=en-US#cid=5C11935A4B9961BF&id=5C11935A4B9961BF%21107

Or you can go to http://www.coucug.org and access all of the past presentations there.

DHCP Option 002 (Time-offset) for #Lync and #Polycom Phones

*** Update 11/27/2014 – It was asked in the comments if this applies to the Lync Phone Edition devices (LPE). LPE is created/maintained by Microsoft but various companies manufacture the devices, including Polycom. The Polycom LPE’s are the CX series phones. This article does not apply to the LPE devices. It only applies to the Polycom phones that run Polycom’s own software such as the VVX line of phones.

Lately, I have found myself having to do the math for the time offset for DHCP Option 002. I decided it was worth just documenting them so I could look them up quickly and what better way to come up with all of them than with Powershell?

EDIT (I realized that I shouldn’t have done 1-24 for the timezones, you actually have to account for time zones after and before (East and West) of GMT):

$timezone = @(1..24)
foreach ($i in $timezone) { $a = (3600 * -$i); $b = ("{0:X0}" -f $a); write ("0x" + $b)}

$timezone = @(1..12)
$results = @()
write “Timezones East of GMT:”
foreach ($i in $timezone) {
# Get TimeZones East of GMT
$a = (3600 * $i)
$b = (“{0:X0}” -f $a)
write (“Timezone ” + $i + ” – 0x” + $b)
}
write “Timezones West of GMT:”
foreach ($i in $timezone) {
# Get TimeZones East of GMT
$a = (3600 * -$i)
$b = (“{0:X0}” -f $a)
write (“Timezone -” + $i + ” – 0x” + $b)
}

This will give you:

Timezones East of GMT:
Timezone 1 – 0xE10
Timezone 2 – 0x1C20
Timezone 3 – 0x2A30
Timezone 4 – 0x3840
Timezone 5 – 0x4650
Timezone 6 – 0x5460
Timezone 7 – 0x6270
Timezone 8 – 0x7080
Timezone 9 – 0x7E90
Timezone 10 – 0x8CA0
Timezone 11 – 0x9AB0
Timezone 12 – 0xA8C0
Timezones West of GMT:
Timezone -1 – 0xFFFFF1F0
Timezone -2 – 0xFFFFE3E0
Timezone -3 – 0xFFFFD5D0
Timezone -4 – 0xFFFFC7C0
Timezone -5 – 0xFFFFB9B0
Timezone -6 – 0xFFFFABA0
Timezone -7 – 0xFFFF9D90
Timezone -8 – 0xFFFF8F80
Timezone -9 – 0xFFFF8170
Timezone -10 – 0xFFFF7360
Timezone -11 – 0xFFFF6550
Timezone -12 – 0xFFFF5740

Pretty simple and now I can just look up what I need versus doing the math each time.

Review – Getting Started with Microsoft Lync 2013

*** DISCLAIMER – I was approached by Packt Publishing to review this book. I was given access to the book for free. All opinions are mine.

Like a few other bloggers, I was asked to read through “Getting Started with Microsoft Lync Server” by Fabrizio Volpe. I had never read a Packt Publishing book before so I may have had poor understanding of how the book was constructed. It seems Packt Publishing books tend to be shorter and a bit more to the point than a traditional book, so be aware, this is not a massive tome like other computer books out there. This is 122 pages including the index and everything else.

It took me getting through the book once to understand the scope and target. Once I had that, the book overall was pretty good in what it was trying to achieve. This book will get the reader underway and does a decent job launching the reader into Lync.

There is an assumption that the reader has a decent understanding of Windows and Active Directory. If the reader is missing this background, they probably need to step back and learn that before continuing.

The book has seven chapters:

1. Installing a Lync 2013 Enterprise Pool
2. Understanding Front End Pool Pairing
3. Deploying Lync Mobility and External Users Access
4. Introducing the Lync Mediation Server
5. Getting Started with Lync Enterprise Voice
6. Deploying Persistent Chat Server
7. Choosing Lync 2013 Clients

The first 5 chapters really flow together. The focus is on the core concepts of Lync (IM, Presence, Voice). Each chapter sets up the next and you move right along. The author hits on some good topics that tend to fall into the advanced category but good info none the less. Most authors would have focused on a more simplistic setup to “get started” with a product but not here, were getting all the goodies including High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) topics.

One thing, the author sets up the infrastructure with two Lync Front-ends. I’m assuming this was done due to lack of hardware in order to have three. Microsoft does not recommend an Enterprise Lync Front-end pool with only two servers. This wasn’t stated in the book and there are plenty of documented issues with only two servers, just want the reader to be aware.

When we get to chapter 6, it seems like such an abrupt change to talk about Persistent Chat (or maybe the author did such a great job with the flow of the first 5), but again, the reader is getting the good stuff. Persistent Chat is the evolution of Group Chat from previous versions of Lync (and OCS 2007 R2). The author does a good job of walking through the install of Persistent Chat and leaves it up to the reader to decide if they want to install it in their organization.

Lastly, the author touches on the various clients. All of the clients are addressed and discussed. The only thing that could have been a good addition would have been a discussion on DNS entries needed for each client to allow for automatic server discovery. Since the author does a great job throughout the book of citing other blogs for info, I’ll point my readers to Stale Hansen’s blog on the DNS entries: http://msunified.net/2013/08/07/lync-client-sign-in-and-dns-records-recommendations/.

Overall, this is a pretty good book and I think the author made a great effort here. I would encourage folks who are looking for more of a step by step book to consider this one as it achieves what it set out to do.

*** In case folks are looking for where to get the book, you can go to Packt Publishing: http://www.packtpub.com/getting-started-with-microsoft-lync-server-2013/book

 

Using SoundeXchange to convert MP3 to WAV for #Lync and #MSExchange

When working with Lync and Exchange I regularly find myself needing to convert MP3 files to WAV files for the specific need of UM.  Typically, this involves finding the right bit rate, etc.  After finding a command line tool (SoundeXchange) to do this, I naturally wanted it even easier so I created a function in PowerShell to do just that.

In order to run this script, you do need a few pre-reqs.  First, you need to install SoundeXchange.  You can download it from here: http://sox.sourceforge.net.  My script is based on version 14.4.0 and I believe there is a newer version out so change the script below to fit the version you install.

Next, you need to have the libmad.dll file placed in the SoX directory (you will need to find libmad.dll on the Internet as I cannot host it).

Now that you have those two pieces, here is the script:

###########################################################
#
# Convert-MP32Wav
# By: Adam Ball
# Date: 03/15/2013
# Version 1.1
#
# NOTE: Assumes you have SoundXchange installed in "C:\Program Files (x86)\sox-14-4-0"
#
# History:
# 1.0 Initial Script that allows you to choose a file
# 1.1 Changed the script to be a function that accepts an input
#
# Example:
# convert-mp32wav -filename my_audio_recording.mp3
#
##########################################################

# Function to open a File Dialog box to choose the filename
Function Get-FileName($initialDirectory)
{
 [System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.windows.forms") | Out-Null

 $OpenFileDialog = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.OpenFileDialog
 $OpenFileDialog.initialDirectory = $initialDirectory
 $OpenFileDialog.filter = "All files (*.*)| *.*"
 $OpenFileDialog.ShowDialog() | Out-Null
 $OpenFileDialog.filename
 } #end function Get-FileName

# *** Entry Point to Script ***
Function Convert-MP32Wav
{
 param($filename)

 $mp3file = $filename

 If ($mp3file -eq $null){

   If ((Test-Path "C:\Program Files (x86)\sox-14-4-0") -eq $true){

   $initdirectory = $env:USERPROFILE + "\Documents"

   # Get the file you want to convert
   $mp3file = Get-FileName -initialDirectory $initdirectory

   # Change the Filename from MP3 to WAV
   $newfilename = $mp3file.replace("mp3","wav")

   & "C:\Program Files (x86)\sox-14-4-0\sox.exe" $mp3file -r 8000 -c1 $newfilename
 }
 Else {
      Write "You need to install SoundXchange"
      }
 }
 Else {
     If ((Test-Path "C:\Program Files (x86)\sox-14-4-0") -eq $true){

     # Change the Filename from MP3 to WAV
     $newfilename = $mp3file.replace("mp3","wav")

     & "C:\Program Files (x86)\sox-14-4-0\sox.exe" $mp3file -r 8000 -c1 $newfilename
     }
     Else {
          Write "You need to install SoundXchange"
          }
     }
}

Lync Server 2013 and the #Lync 2010 Client (Cross-post)

The latest published article I wrote for my employer:

http://pei.com/2013/02/lync-server-2013-and-the-lync-2010-client-2/

It is important to note that you should upgrade your Lync 2010 clients to the September 2012 update prior to moving the users over to the 2013 server.

Thanks!

#AudioCodes Mediant 800 SBA and #Lync 2013

A week or so ago, I was in the middle of deploying an AudioCodes Mediant 800 at a remote site.  The device had the Lync SBA installed as well.  We were trying to get the SBA to work with our Lync 2013 deployment.  This is just to document the issues we ran into.

***NOTE: The gateway must be updated to version 6.6 prior to upgrading the SBA.

First, an SBA that is based on Lync 2010 cannot be an SBA for a Lync 2013 Front-end.  This should make sense as a backup registrar must be on the same platform as the Front-end it is backing up (i.e. 2010 and 2010 or 2013 and 2013).  Sadly, I battled this way longer than I should have before this realization hit me.

Second, AudioCodes does provide an update to the SBA for Lync 2013.  If you have a valid support account with AudioCodes, you can get it here.

Once you have downloaded the updated image (warning, this took me 3-4 hours due to AudioCodes restricting speeds, I was on a 100Mb link), you must perform the SBA recovery procedure with the USB drive that AudioCodes provides.

Now, when I was doing this, I ran into an issue that has now been fixed.  The image that had been available didn’t have the right network drivers.  Therefore, the SBA would never detect the NICs.  Make sure that the image you are using has a modified date of 2/8/2013 or newer.

After the image has been updated, run through the wizard as per usual.

I battled this for hours and hours and had to call into AudioCodes in the middle of the night to get the driver situation fixed.

I’m chalking alot of this up to being a bit bleeding edge with a deployment but these challenges are what make being an engineer fun (when viewed in hindsight).

Lync 2013: What’s new in Persistent Chat (Cross-post)

One of the reasons I don’t post very often here anymore is because I write blog posts for my employer (PEI).  Here is a Lync 2013 post I did on Persistent Chat:

Lync 2013: What’s New in Persistent Chat

I’m trying to post up new articles here but figure I can point folks back to some good articles over there as well.

Thanks!

Lync 2013 Refer Support

This isn’t a major change, merely just a “if you aren’t paying attention it might just slide past you” type of thing.  In Lync 2013, the option for Refer Support has changed from a Check-box to a Drop-down menu.

Here is what it looks like in Lync Server 2010:

And here is what it looks like in Lync Server 2013:

Not really such a big deal but if you are just comparing check boxes between the two system, it can easily be over-looked.

The reason for the change to the drop down is because Refer support is no longer an on or off setting.  We now have three settings:

Per Technet (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj688104.aspx), our two options (besides None) are:

If set to Enable sending refer to the gateway, indicates that the trunk supports receiving Refer requests from the Mediation Server.

If set to Enable refer using third-party call control, indicates that the 3pcc protocol can be used to allow transferred calls to bypass the hosted site. 3pcc is also known as “third party control,” and occurs when a third-party is used to connect a pair of callers (for example, an operator placing a call from person A to person B).

Lync Web Services through the Reverse Proxy

As a Lync consultant, I get asked about what the Reverse Proxy does in the Lync Architecture frequently. I can always recite the basics off the top of my head such as Address Book download and Meeting Content but here is what actually is tied to it:

* Enabling external users to download meeting content for your meetings.
* Enabling external users to expand distribution groups.
* Enabling remote users to download files from the Address Book service.
* Accessing the Microsoft Lync Web App client.
* Accessing the Dial-in Conferencing Settings webpage.
* Accessing the Location Information service.
* Enabling external devices to connect to Device Update web service and obtain updates.
* Enabling mobile applications to automatically discover mobility URLs from the Internet.

One thing to note here is the last one. Just a week or so ago, the Lync Mobility Service was released. The Lync Mobility Service is published via the Reverse Proxy as well as the other pieces.

Here is the Microsoft Technet article describing the Reverse Proxy in detail:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398069.aspx

In the end, the Reverse Proxy, while not dependent to make the Lync client work, is a very important piece of the architecture. Ensuring that it is working properly can really help make your users experience with Lync better.

Lync CU4 and Mobility

Microsoft has released the CU4 and Mobility updates. Get the goodness here:

CU4: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2493736

Mobility: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=28356

Mobility Doc: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=28355