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I Want Your Input: What HotKey Should Our Free Lync Select Dial Tool Use?

 

vote

Our free, Lync Select Dial tool allows you to select text in any Windows app and dial it using Microsoft Lync! We have gotten some feedback that some users want a new hotkey---so give us your feedback what you want it to be over there --->

As you vote and give input, remember:

  • We want it to work with Windows 8
  • Not to conflict with other highly used GLOBAL hotkeys (F5 comes to mind)
  • If you suggest a changeable hotkey that means you need to donate for programmer to do it! ;-) (ha!)

Vote on the poll to the right, or give you input in comments!

To See in detail how Lync Select Dial works, click here:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2012/06/lync-user-quicktip-22-lync-select-dial.html

Download the Free Lync Select Dial App for Lync 2010:
http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Lync-Copy-Dial-Just-Select-3c426244

To donate to the Lync Select Dial “needy programmer” if you suggested changeable:

Or…if you are not a generous soul, at least Click Here and give the app a 5star rating! ;-)

Questions About Microsoft Lync Server and Music on Hold #Lync #snom #polycom

 
UC holds the promise of a new model of communication where being "on hold" happens less often. In the real world sometimes there is no other option but "holding" and because of this soothing music on hold to keep our callers happy is expected.

With Lync Server there are some questions I see coming up about music on hold and I thought I would take a crack at trying to answer some of them and clear some of the smoke and fog rolling across some new Lync administrators minds.

Q.What, the Lync EndPoint Provides the Music on Hold?!
My exact question (including the incredulity) the first time I saw this. But you are reading correctly--Lync Server depends on the endpoint to provide the music on hold.


Q.How Do I Setup Music on Hold on the Lync Client?
In the Lync client click on "Options" and then on "Ringtones and Sounds". As shown on the screen below in the "Sounds" section you will see an option to set the WMA file you want to use as the music on hold. This may be greyed out if the admin has designated this from a policy.

 
Q. Does Music on Hold Work With Calls Through a PSTN Gateway?
Sure, if a Lync client is configured to provide MOH and works, it will work just with calls through a PSTN gateway as well.

Do note there is no music on hold option if the Lync user is not an Enterprise Voice user so if a non EV user puts someone on hold there will not be MOH. (just a standard "beep beep beep")  But if a non Enterprise Voice user calls an EV user and the EV put the call on hold there can be MOH.

Q. What are the different places Music on Hold can be configured in Microsoft Lync?

There are several places that music on hold can be configured in Microsoft Lync:

Place Scope
Lync Client or Lync Phone Edition During any audio call: P2P or through a PSTN Gateway
Call Park during call park
Response Group during response group queue time
Gateways when hold button pressed for calls going through gateway


Q. How Do I Centrally Set the Music on Hold for Users?
This is a snap using a powershell script. Ken's UC Blog does a great job of explaining this. With these powershell scripts you can easily change large groups of Lync users music on hold centrally and ensure they get what the admin wants as music on hold. Or you can be extremely granular and let each decide what they want.

Set-CSClientPolicy –Identity Global -EnableClientMusicOnHold:$true –MusicOnHoldAudioFile “c:\moh\moh.wma”

Note that if you EnableClientMusicOnHold from a policy you also need to designate what music on hold file. Another thing to note: if the Lync client cannot find/reach the file you designate in “MusicOnHoldAudioFile”, it will not change in the Lync client even though you have changed the policy---in other words the Lync client does not blindly change the path and filename if it is not legitamate.

NOTE: After you make these changes you MAY need to wait an hour or more till the changes propagate the whole way down to your client. A great way to ensure the changed came down to your client is to change the WMA file to some location other than the default. You can see then in Lync client exactly when the change has occurred.

Q. I’ve Setup Music on Hold for my Response Group, But When I Press Hold on Lync Client, My Caller Is not hearing that Music on Hold I setup. Why?

When you configure the MOH for a Response Group you are defining the MOH the caller will hear while waiting in the queue, NOT what they will hear when a Lync User presses the hold button. Remember, the endpoint/Lync Client provides the MOH delivered when Hold button is pressed.

Q. What are the Limitations & Requirements of Response Group MOH?

  • 4MB or less file
  • 16khz, mono, 16-bit Wave file recommended
  • 8-bit or 16-bit file supported
  • Mono or stereo supported
  • Linear pulse code modulation (LPCM, A-Law, or mu-Law format

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398649(v=ocs.14).aspx

Q. I have configured music on hold for Call Park and after rebooting the Lync server the music reverts to default. What is Wrong?

You have encountered a known issue with Call Park music on hold. Currently rebooting your Lync Server will loose the custom music on hold you have configured.  This is a known issue with no current fix as of Jan 14, 2013. See Source: Click Here 

A work around is to have a script that runs on server startup to reconfigure the custom music on hold. To communicate your interest in having this fixed please Click Here.

Q.Why Does The Hold Button on My Polycom CX600/500 or Other Lync Phone Edition Device Not Play MOH?
Sorry to break the news friend, but the music on hold button on these devices does not play music on hold. Consolation? If you have a Lync Phone Edition device that is tethered with "Better Together" tether (like how that rolls of the tongue? ;-) then if you press the hold button on your PC Lync client the other user will get music on hold. Yeah, I know--not so cool--but at least on option.  (<< seems like an update made this stop working.)

UPDATE: 12/21/2012 If you update your Lync Phone Edition “Aries” devices to 7577.4366, (available here) pressing hold will now play the DefaultHold.wma file to callers. So the steps to get MOH on your LPE devices

Q. How To Setup “Aries” Lync Phone Edition Music On Hold?

Lync Phone Edition Aries devices can now provide MOH by simply upgrading the LPE device. If you update your Lync Phone Edition “Aries” devices to 7577.4366, putting calls on hold will now play the DefaultHold.wma file to callers. At the moment you either use this MOH file or nothing on LPE, there is not way to change this file by admins or users.

Below are my steps to get MOH working on your LPE devices. Using the below instructions instead of KB 2703325 will help avoid a possible snafu related to pre-existing Lync client music on hold set centrally using the MusicOnHoldAudioFile setting in the csClientPolicy commandlet. Onward…

  • Update the Aries/LPE device(s) to firmware 7577.4366 (Click Here for Step by Step)
    • For Polycom, Aastra or HP devices 7577.4366 Firmware download Click Here
  • Set the value of EnableClientMusicOnHold=$true and MusicOnHoldAudioFile="" in the Client Policy using:
    • Set-csClientPolicy -Identity <Policy_Identity> -EnableClientMusicOnHold:$true -MusicOnHoldAudioFile=""
    • The part where my instructions deviate from the Microsoft KB is the MusicOnHoldAudioFile="". The reason for this is that in my testing the Aries/LPE will not play music if this setting is anything but Null/””.
  • Ensure that the Client Policy has had time to propagate down. (could be 2minutes or more)
  • Restart the “Aries” phones in question to get the new settings

Below are some things to be aware of Aries MOH feature:

  • You cannot change the preset MOH file on the Aries device.
  • If you want to use the MOH on the Aries device, you cannot centrally configure the MOH file for the Lync client.  The client policy setting “MusicOnHoldAudioFile” MUST equal “”.
  • The new LPE/Aries MOH features works fine with Lync Server 2010 or Lync Server 2013 since it is totally a feature of the LPE device.



Q. Does the Hold Button on the Polycom CX300 Play Music on Hold?
Yes! Since the hold button on the USB Polycom CX300/Plantronics Calisto P540 really is merely pressing the hold button on the Lync client it works fine. (Don't you just hate it when a cheaper device has a feature that more expensive unit doesn't? )

 
Q. Does the Hold Button on the CX200 Work?
Just had to throw that in there--actually there is no hold button on the CX200. And--hang on a minute--who is using the CX200 anymore?! ;-)
 
Q. Is There Any Way to Provide Music on Hold to Your PSTN Callers (If Using Lync Phone Edition or other device that doesn’t provide endpoint MOH):

Yes, select PSTN Gateways can provided music on Hold. Some Lync PSTN gateways (Audiocodes, NET UX, Ferrari Electronic) will also take the responsibility for providing music on hold to your PSTN callers. The thing to remember here is that only calls going through the gateway will get the music on hold using this method. Federated callers and internal callers will not get MOH.

 

My notes on Audiocodes Mediant 1000, MSBG800 and MediaPack Gateway Delivered MOH:

  • There are 2 ways that MOH can be provided by Mediant & MediaPack gateways:
    • by the Call Progress Hold Tone (fixed BEEP, no music)
    • or by the prerecordedtones.dat file. (this can be an actual MOH file, of very limited size, in supported gateways) (Note that the changing the Call Progress tones requires a gateway reboot and changing the prerecordedtones.dat does not.)
  • By default the Mediant 800 will play the Call Progress Hold Tone when a Lync device put on hold and Lync is not providing MOH
    • When a call is transferred this same (irritatingly loud beep) is played to the caller before the transfer happens. Not a good experience and your users will likely ask you to remove it.
  • The size allowed for prerecordedtones.dat is as follows
    • Mediant 1000 = 2MB
    • Mediapack gateways = 200K
    • Crazy as it sounds, Audiocodes support (as of 7/24/2012) says Mediant 800 does not support prerecordedtones.dat.But (whisper) we’ve used a 76k file filled with silence and it seems to work—use this tip at your own risk. (8/30/2012 Note: music on hold via prerecordedtones.dat stopped working in the latest FW. Audiocode’s support says it will be added back in at version 6.6 or 6.8 Msbg800 FW but that is several months out.)
  • How to setup MOH on Audiocodes by UnplugthePBX:

My notes on NET UX1000/UX2000 Gateway Delivered MOH

rolls-net

My notes on Ferrari OfficeMaster Gate

My Notes on Dialogic Gateways/SBA

  • According to Randy, Dialogic does not support Music on Hold via gateway


Q. Can I Use Live External Source for Lync Music on Hold?
Due to the distributed nature of Lync music on hold from Lync it is not possible. Currently the music on hold source needs to be a sound file, of a certain type, accessible to the Lync Server (response groups/call park) or the Lync Client (client based music on hold) or uploaded to the PSTN Gateway (audiocodes requires a very specific file type too).

UPDATE: It appears that NET UX series of gateways actually a will accommodate a live audio source. The way they do  it through a FXS port on the gateway. (clever guys) To read more details, Click Here.

Q. What Happens If I Press Hold While on a Lync Conference Call?
Will the conference be barraged with hold music? According to alert reader @Darrylr Lync will be smart and recognize that you are on a conference and NOT play Music On Hold to the 200 unwitting conference participants. Nice!

Q. Does snom UC Edition Have a Hold Button That Plays Music on Hold?
Still testing this. Since the snom phones can listen to/use a multi cast stream to provide music on hold to caller they theoretically should be able to provide their own music on hold but I need to verify if they can.

UPDATE: snom UC Edition Firmware 8.8.1.11 does support Lync music on hold. The MOH file is hosted on the deskphone and works using same mechanisms as Lync 2010 PC client. The MOH provisioning is even configured using CSClientPolicy. (At the moment the music on hold file can not be changed via the phone web GUI. It requires a MOH file provision server and XML) To read more about snom UC Edition FW 8.8.1.11Click Here.

Q. Where Does the Lync 2010 Standard “KerChung” (Played To Caller When No Lync MOH is Defined) Come From?

If a UserA, using Lync 2010 client, is put on hold and the other side does not provide music on hold, the Lync 2010 client will provide a default “KerChung” sound every 30 seconds. Where does this come from? It may be a little confusing/unituitive, but it comes from the User A’s Lync client. So to put it another way, if you want to change the standard “KerChung” YOU hear when someone else puts you on hold (and doesn’t provide MOH to you), go into “Change Windows Sounds” on your PC. (Sounds | Program Events | Microsoft Lync 2010 | On Hold) Also be aware that whatever sound you select will be played, then 30 seconds of silence, then repeated.

Q. Where Can I Get Music On Hold that is Royalty Free?

If you would like to read an article on the laws regarding using downloaded music for music on hold click here. If you just want to get some royalty free music on hold music, below are a few links:

Free: http://opsound.org/genre/classical/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-hold-music-vol.-1/id445328651

Conclusion

If anyone else has Lync music on hold real life experience they wish to share, please do so in the comments.

Footnotes and Links:

More Details on Setting the Music on Hold (Powershell, etc):
http://ucken.blogspot.com/2010/10/music-on-hold-for-lync-clients.html

How to Setup LPE MOH:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/07/questions-about-microsoft-lync-server.html#Setup_Aries_LPE_MOH

Call Park MOH:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/07/questions-about-microsoft-lync-server.html#CallPark_MOH

Royalty Free MOH:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/07/questions-about-microsoft-lync-server.html#royaltyfree_musiconhold

Quick First Impression snom 720 Video Review

NOTE: While the 720 box says UC Edition, this device currently is NOT Lync Qualified.

Below is my quick video review of the snom 720.

snom ONE Mini IP PBX First Impression Review

 

WP_000715

snom is starting to accumulate a bit of a history producing solid state mini PBX hardware: the CS410, Sheeva Plug PBX and now the snom ONE Mini.

Some unique things about this device that I noticed: The unit is, well, mini. The unit can be powered by Power Over Ethernet. (snom says a 60Kwh per year) The snom ONE mini hardware can handle 20 extensions and has quite a few features. The device support IPV6.

An interesting possible use for the device to be a failover PBX server in case the primary communication system fails. A separate and intersting use: This device is not Lync Certified, but it is possible to integrate snom ONE to Microsoft Lync, so by extension snom ONE mini should have no problem. (see guide here)

Some quick Specs

  • Runs snom ONE software
  • Entirely solid state
  • Supports 20 extensions
  • According to snom uses less than 60kWh per year (compared to 876kWh for a PC)
  • Power it with POE
  • IPv6
  • This unit can act as a backup SIP registrar for cloud services failover
    • Also, using snom phones it can act as Voice backup server

Some Interesting Specs

  • 1.4GHZ ARM Processor (running Linux)
  • 512MB NAND/512MB RAM
  • 1GB Ethernet
  • USB 2.0 port

Cons

  • No analogue pstn connectivity ports (FXO/FXS)
  • Unit can handle 20 extensions, but device includes free extension 10 license (it appears you need to pay for a 20 User snom ONE Yellow license)
  • There is no LED to indicate the system is up and running?

Some of my notes:

  • Includes no PSTN Ports connectivity, only SIP trunks supported (I supposed Ethernet PSTN gateway will work)
  • No Audio In/Out for Music On Hold and Page Out. You will need to use a MOH file and the snom PA for paging
  • 1 NIC means no 2 NIC for creative stuff
  • Appears to be using the same enclosure as snom m9 DECT phone! (just interesting note)
  • The snom ONE Mini has gold trim (to differentiate it from snom m9 enclosure I suppose.)

Photos

Below: side view: reset button, power, POE/1GB NIC, 2 unused places, USB 2.0, Another Unused place.

WP_000708

Below: LEDs

WP_000717

Below: back side

WP_000718

Of interest to our Lync audience may be our How to Integrate snom ONE and Microsoft Lync blog:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/09/using-snom-one-as-sip-trunk-gateway-for.html

http://www.snom.com/en/products/ip-pbx/snom-one-mini/

Using Polycom VVX500 IP Phone With Microsoft Lync: First Impression Review

vvx500

Please note: This Polycom device is NOT Lync Certified. Polycom notes that it can register to Lync, but this device is NOT Lync Certified.

As of August 2012 the VVX 500 is Microsoft Lync Qualified when using FW 4.1.0.73405. this review was done using FW 4.0.1:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lync/gg278172

I need to admit that I have a accumulating stack of Lync devices that I need to review. After a discussion about the VVX500, I decided to pull the unit off the “stack” and put it through the paces. From my initial testing this appears have the potential to be a very interesting knowledge worker Lync device at some point.  A very outstanding feature of this device in Lync scenarios is that it exhibits NO delay when taking a call from Lync Response Groups—a first!

Video Review

 

Unique features of the VVX500

  • Gesture Touch screen (feels like a smartphone touchscreen/ 320x240/ 3.5” TFT)
  • 12 1-Touch Contacts on main screen
  • No delay on answering Lync Response Groups
  • API to customize the device
  • Polycom Desktop Connector: Use PC keyboard/mouse on phone! Click Here
  • USB based local call recording
  • Exchange Calendar integration

Some observations about the VVX500 device:

  • No dedicated Transfer/Call or Hang-up Button
  • Visual Voicemail (partial: how many new or old messages)
  • 12 Presence indicating Contacts on main screen is very clever
  • First Lync phone I have ever tested that has no Response Group delay through a PSTN Gateway. Zero delay from my **very unofficial** testing. (the closest contender is snom 821 UC Edition at 1.5 seconds: Click Here)
  • Transfer UI is not the most efficient (unless I’m missing something)
  • No ability to Park a Call (but you can Pickup a Parked Call)
  • Video Camera socket
  • For wall mounting this device requires an additional bracket ($25+/- if it is similar to CX600 bracket)
  • The VVX500 is not updated/provisioned from Lync Server. You will need separate provisioning infrastructure.
  • up.OneTouchVoicemail = Enabled (Preferences | Additional Preferences | User Preferences) can make this phone play voicemail with 1 button press
  • up.OneTouchVoicemail =Disabled and msg.bypassInstantMessage = Enabled will show true visualvoicemail

vvx500

Photos

Below are the ports: power, headset, Ethernet, 1GB Ethernet switch port, Handset and below is headset.

ports

Below: The USB video camera port on that top of the phone. Also, note a second usb port.

video-port

Below: Demonstrating the right to left swipe ability. Swiping from an active call to the main Contact page.

swipe-demo

My thoughts/opinions on this device:

This device nails and addresses some of the challenges in with Microsoft Lync Ent. Voice presented by the current crop of Lync Phone Edition devices, but currently the overall design and feature set of the Polycom VVX feels more like a collaboration/information worker user device* (sans Better Together) than a heavy Voice user oriented IP Phone:

  • lack of dedicated transfer, Call and Hangup buttons
  • lack of 2 button transfer (even on the screen)
  • No call Park (this could be addressed with FW upgrade)
  • No definable Music on hold

Note that most, but not all, of the above items could be addressed with a future firmware update.
As always, I’d like to hear your input.

More:
http://www.polycom.com/products/voice/desktop_solutions/business_media_phones/vvx500.html

How to Configure this device with Lync by Jeff Schertz:
http://blog.schertz.name/2011/12/lync-integration-with-polycom-sip-phones/

* I just noticed Polycom positions this device as an information worker device:
http://www.polycom.com/products/voice/desktop_solutions/business_media_phones/vvx500.html

Feedback From the Field: Challenges & Solutions Using Lync Phone Edition in Very Heavy Enterprise Voice Scenarios

Polycom_CX600

The Lync Phone Edition devices (Aries devices specifically: Polycom CX600/HP4120/Aastra6725ip/etc) are a very compelling group of IP Desk phone devices in collaborative office scenarios. They are very integrated into the Lync experience (Better Together), very easy to use and very easy to setup.

In very heavy Enterprise Voice scenarios it is good to keep an eye on some of the below items. (Some of the below items are setting expectations correctly for those coming from PBX key systems.) So, with no further ado and not necessarily in order of importance…

  • 2nd incoming call will "interrupt" (take the attention away) from what you are doing
    • you can press ignore and you will be back to your dialing/etc.
    • snom UC Edition does not exhibit this “attention grabbing” behavior (sorry about the awful pun there)
    • Following the “only ring when relevant” principle when using Response Groups may help this scenario, but not entirely since Lync presence is not aware that person is “Dialing”. Dialing from Lync 2010 client can side step this issue.
  • Transferring call experience is less than optimal (up to 7-10 button presses)
    • Those doing frequent call transfer will want to use Lync Attendant
    • Or, for those wanting a very traditional experience, the  snom UC Edition (snom 370 with extension module)
  • 2nd incoming call (call waiting) "beep beep" volume and on/off is not configurable
    • Lync 2010 client sound for 2nd call is configurable
    • Once again, following the “only ring when relevant” principle when using Response Groups can mitigate this issue
  • When dialing/calling, others don't see your presence as "In A Call" till the call is connected so Attendant may send user a call when another one is in progress
    • snom UC Edition devices can set your presence to “In A Call” when receiver picked up
  • PBX keys system users will want to note that other users will not be able to see when your phone is ringing, only when you are in a connected call
  • Currently the LPE  does not provide definable MOH when you press HOLD
  • LPE Devices Do Not Have 1 Button "Buddy" and Overhead Page Dialing
  • Does not have Intercom (phone to phone 2 way audio without called party needing to pickup) to another extension or Lync Client
  • Consult transfer requires the user to not hangup till the transfer is complete.
    • Once again, the Consult Transfer experience is best using the Lync Attendant console
  • When Answering Response Group calls, there is a delay before user can start speaking
  • Not possible to do a “Safe Transfer” with an Aries device (safe transfer = call is transferred back if to transferer if person transferred to does not pick up.)
    • Currently the Lync 2010 Attendant and snom UC edition devices can do a Safe Transfer.
  • RESOLVED! - No Transfer Directly to Voicemail
    • Update has brought transfer to Voicemail functionality to LPE. Click Here
    • Lync Attendant and snom UC Edition can transfer to directly to Voicemail.
  • The PC connected to the “PC Port” (using the embedded LPE switch) will only connect to the default VLAN. The embedded switch will not pass VLAN tags through the switch to the PC
    • snom 821 and Polycom VVX500 seem to pass these tags fine.
  • The LPE devices do not support USB/Bluetooth Headsets
    • snom 720/760 and Polycom VVX500 do support select USB Headsets.
    • Snom: Click Here
    • Polycom: Click Here

Understanding Microsoft Lync and Telco Caller ID Number and Name Handling

Caller_ID_receiver

Microsoft Lync 2010 can set the Caller ID Number. It can set the caller ID as the extension calling or an alternative number. For more details click here.

Caller Name in PSTN Cloud Scenario

The first step in making sure Caller ID Name works correctly is your telephone company needs to submit your Name to a (one or more) database(s) used by the destination telephone company's.

If the call is traversing the PSTN cloud, the Caller ID Name (or display name) is the responsibility of the person being called’s telephone company. Their telephone company looks up the number provided in their database and displays text accordingly to their customer.

NOTE: Remember that many PBX’s and mobile phones do contact name lookup, overriding the telco’s name presentation. Because of this, the best way to test Caller ID Name presentation is to call a plain-Jane, vanilla Caller ID phone.

Caller Name in Federation/SIP Direct Scenarios

In these scenario Lync is responsible for passing on the Caller Name.


More LInks:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398898.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID

Step by Step Enabling Lync Server 2013 Enterprise Voice Features, Response Groups and Managers – Part 5

In this step by step we will look at enabling Enterprise Voice  features in Lync Server 2013. If you are interested in the new Response Group Manager feature in Lync 2013 click here .

To get by in Part 5 you need to have done at least Part 1 of Our Lync 2013 Lab.

Enable Users for Enterprise Voice

To enable our users for Ent. Voice lets open the Lync Server Control Panel. Now click on Users. To save on CPU no users are shown by default so just click on Find to show all your currently enabled Lync users.

find-users 

Now We will see a list of Lync enabled users. Note in the Telephony column that our users are enabled for “PC-to-PC only”. Let’s changed that by double clicking on a user to edit.

note-users-have-pc2pc-only

Now we can change a few setting

  • Telephony:Enterprise Voice
  • Line User: tel:+18005551003;ext=1003

Now click “Commit”.

enable-user-for-enterprise-voice

Now you can repeat this step for each user. (or use powershell). Now if we give our Lync clients a few minutes a new “Phone” tab will show up inside our Lync 2013 client! (NOTE: there is no need to log out or do anything on the Lync client side. This will automatically show up.)

ent-voice-tab

Alright, now your users should be enabled for Enterprise Voice.

Trying Out the Audio Test Service

If we click on the Phone Tab/Button we will see our phone dial pad. From here we can make our first “Voice” call. If we click the “Check” button Lync will call the Lync Audio Test Service. Go ahead.

phone-dialpad-and-testvoice

test

Enabling and Using Call Park

To enable the call Park feature go to Voice Features | Call Park | New

add-call-park

Configure a  Park using the below example. In our example we are making 5 parking “slots” or spaces so we can park up to 5 calls. We could make this the amount we want to, but for this lab we’ll make it 5.

  • Name: Call Park Orbit
  • Number Range: #500
  • Number Range: #505
  • FQDN of destination server: FE01.lab.local

Now click “Commit”

setup-park

Now let’s call another rLync user and test our new Park feature. After we are connected, hover over “Call” then click “Transfer Call” and then “Parking Lot”park-a-call

Once the call is Parked, you will be notified which of the “slot” the call is in. In the below case it is in #500. Anyone on Lync with Ent. Voice enabled can pick up this call Parked by dialing #500. You can  click “COPY” to IM this to someone or verbally.

call-is-parked-notice

Some Quick notes about Call Park

  • By default, if no one picks up the park xx minutes, the call will ring back to the person who parked the call.
  • You can only have 1 call park orbit per user/deskphone. So, for example, you can not have a Park for Sales and a Park for Service.
  • Unlike some PBX systems, you will not be able to see if someone is currently in Park via a light/button on a phone

Setting Up Normalization

Since we probably don’t want to be walking around dialing things like “tel:+18005551003;ext=1003” to reach another extension, (I suspect our users would suspect us of being insane? ;-) we need to make a Normalization rule that turns “1003” into “tel:+18005551003;ext=1003” for us automatically.

In the Lync Control Panel we’ll make this new Normalization Rule under “Dial Plan”. To do this Click “Voice Routing” | “Dial Plan” | select the “Global” dial plan | “Edit” | “Show Details” as shown below.

voice-routing-dialplan

Now under “Associate Normalization Rules” click “New”.

new-normalization-rule

Now define the New “Normalization Rule” like below.

  • Name: Extensions
  • Length: Exactly 4
  • Pattern to match: ^(1\d(3))$
  • Translation rule: +1800555$1;ext=$1
  • Internal extension = checked

To save this “Normalization Rule” click “OK” | “Commit” | “Commit All”.

Note: The normalization rule we just setup will only take care of extensions in the 1000-1999 range. In our lab exercises we’ll make sure we stay in that range, but if you to a little “exploring” just be aware.

Update Address Book

Because of the way Lync Server is designed the changes we made above will take some time to propagate out to all the clients if we just let the process happen normally. We can “push” this process by taking the below steps on each client we want to test “right now”.

  • Run Update-CSAddressBook from the Lync PowerShell and wait about 5 minutes
    • you can check Lync Server event log to see when this happens
  • Signed out of the Lync 2013 Client and delete everything under:
    • C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync
    • Lync 2010 = C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Communicator

Now you should be able to dial Lync user’s by their Ent. Voice 4 digit extension number.

Unassigned Number

The first thing we need to do to create a “Unassigned Number” is to create an announcement. This requires Powershell New-CsAnnouncement command. Here is an example:

  • New-CsAnnouncement –Identity ApplicationServer:FE01.lab.local –Name “Welcome to Lab 001” –TexttoSpeechPrompt “Welcome to Lab Announcement” –Language “en-US”

new-csannouncement-pw

New we will define the new Unassigned Number in LSCP. After filling the form below click OK. Then “Commit all”

ERRATA NOTE: the 2nd number in the number range below should be exactly the same as the first. If you are using the ext=xxxx suffix you can have only 1 extension per range. If using plain jane DID number  you can have a range.

anouncement-lscp

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398522

Quick Notes About Unassigned Number

  • If you have an “ext” LineURI you can only have 1 number in Unassigned Number range. If a normal DID you can have a range.
  • If you have a legit number that falls inside an unassigned range you will still be able to call it

Response Group

Response Groups…

The overview to setting up a RGS is

  • Assign specific Lync users to a Group
  • Assign Group(s) to a Queue
  • Define a Workflow and assign the Queue to the Workflow.

Group | New | Select a pool (FE01.lab.local)

Commit

rgs-group

Next we’ll setup a Queue.  Queue | New | Select a Service (Front end Pool. In our case FE01.lab.local) |

new-rgs-queue

Create or Edit a Workflow | select a Service (or FE pool)

Lync will now pop out a browser window will pop up. From here you can create a new workflow/response group. Let click on “Create” beside “Hunt Group”.

rgs-configuration-tool-main-menu

Now configure your Hunt Group as shown below:

rgs-huntgroup-setup-part1

next

rgs-huntgroup-setup-part2

next

rgs-huntgroup-setup-part3

next

rgs-huntgroup-setup-part4

rgs-huntgroup-setup-part5

Now your response group will be deployed and you will see the below when it is. NOTE: I’ve you may need to wait several minutes after the RGS is deployed till you can actually dial it. So, don’t get too worried if you get “Your organization does not support calling this number.”

rgs-deployed

Now we can call this response group.

RGSManager

Setup a Response Group Manager

Now that we have tested our response group, let’s circle back and look at a new feature in Lync Server 2013: Response Group Managers. RGS managers allows us to configure otherwise normal Lync users as RGS managers that can login to Lync Server Control Panel, Response Group Config web page or PowerShell and only have access to appropriate response group(s) and configuration.

Response Groups in 2013 can be Managed by a manager or UnManaged, which means they are administrated by the Lync Admin.

To setup a Response Group Manager is to add our Response Group manager user to the CSResponseGroupManager AD Group. We’ll ad u1@lab.local.

Note: this user needs to be enabled in Lync

assign-user-to-csresponsegroupmanager

Next, lets edit our Response Group/Workflow and add our user as a Response Group Manager.

Remember several things:

  • The Queues and Groups cannot be used in another Response Group if we are going to make this a managed RGS

After we add our user, scroll to the bottom and click Save.

add-a-manager-to-response-group

Now lets move to the Manager user’s machine (or log onto a machine with the manager credentials). The manager will be able to login to these Admin tools, but they will ONLY see RGS info they can manage:

Lync Control Panel: Only Manager related items are enabled.

  • In Users tab, Manager can see users, but not edit them
  • In Response Group tab Manager can see only their own Response Groups, Queues and Groups.
  • They can not add new RGS, but can add new Queues and Groups.

lync-control-panel-from-manager-perspective

Response Group Config: Note the manager can’t add a new RGS.

logged-in-as-rgs-manager

To read more about RGS Managers, see below:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398513(v=ocs.15).aspx

Some General Notes:

  • Lync Attendant 2010 Seems to crash on Windows Server 2012 RC
  • Lync Attendant 2010 seem to run fine on Windows 8 Release Preview

Continue your lab with more articles in this Lync Server 2013 Step by Step Series:

5 Tricks Using snom UC Edition: Intercom, Safe Transfer, Show VirtualKeys & More

Magic-Tricks

I’ve been testing the latest snom UC Edition firmware and I came across some items I thought others might want to hear about.

Intercom

Currently intercom is not a feature of Microsoft Lync. (phone to phone 2 way audio without called party needing to pickup)  But with snom UC Edition devices you can configure intercom functionality to other snom UC Edition devices.

  • You can do an intercom from a snom UC Edition thru Lync Server to another snom UC Edition device. So this means you can “intercom” people in other sites or across the globe!
    • snom achieves this by sending “alert-info” in SIP packet and Lync sends this along.
  • How to configure?
    • On device receiving intercom: Web GUI Advanced > Behavior > Intercom Policy=Always (or your desired setting)
    • On the phone initiating an Intercom call: In web gui setup a button of Intercom type and no SIP URI (this will allow you to type one in at time of call)
      • If you want you can assign a Intercom button to a specific user by specifying sip uri
    • NOTE: This may be a security concern in some scenarios/offices.

 

How to do a Lync “Safe” Transfer

  • What if you want to do a transfer, but if the other person doesn’t answer you want the call to come back to you? In Lync this is called a safe transfer, and currently the only client that can do this is the Lync Attendant. (other than snom UC Edition)
  • How do you do a safe transfer with snom?
    • Establish Call, then Press the Transfer Button, dial extension# you want to transfer to. Now you press the right context soft-key under the screen to “Safe Transfer” this call.
    • If the person you transferred to does not answer, the call will come back to you. If you are on the phone it will come back to you as a call on hold. (how handy)

 

Show Line Info/Button Labels on snom 821

  • Press and Hold the buttom clear button on the right of the 821 screen
  • or go into the Web GUI and set the Preferences > Line info layer

 

Show the 12 Virtual Keys on snom 821

  • Press and Hold the Top clear button on the right of the screen

 

Call Waiting Sound & Indication Settings

With Lync Phone Edition devices there is no setting (Lync 2010 and Attendant there is) to modify how the phone acts on 2nd+ incoming call. With snom UC Edition you can tweak this.

  • To Turn off/Tweak Call Waiting “Beep Beep” by going to snom phone Web GUI and Advanced > Audio > Call Waiting Indication. You have the option of On/Visual Only/Ringer/Off.

Speed Dial a Partial Number

This was a tip given by snom support.

  • Type=Speed Dial
  • Number= <the-part-of-number-you-want-speeddial-to-type-for-you>;number=icomplete
  • Short Text=<whatever-you-want>

snom UC Edition seems to be getting to be a quite compelling IP phone to bring a complete voice feature user experience to Lync. 

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Mark Orman of Novus LLC for several of these cool tips.

Is SkyDrive Becoming Microsoft’s “Cloud OS” Plus?

Is the below picture Windows 8 Operating System Start Screen?

outlook dotcom menu

The answer is: No, this is the Skydrive “Start” menu! With the latest iteration of Skydrive, Skydrive has become even closer to a complete “Window Web OS”. What are some of the components of this “Web OS”?

  • Very simple “Start” menu
  • File Storage (Hardrive)
  • Office Apps
  • Photo viewer
  • Email (not only the client but the service as well!)
  • Presence & Instant Messaging (via Live Messenger web client)
  • This web OS easily sync’s with WindowsPhone, iPhone, now Android

What are some things currently lacking?

  • Configurable and complete Start menu
  • Ability to install additional apps
  • Printer management?

To access the “Start” menu, Open Outlook.com or Skydrive web interface, Goto email then:

how to get the skydrive Start menu

Make no mistake, the components that are already in Skydrive are a large part of what “light OS” users do.

Read more about the new features of Skydrive to be released soon and…keep an eye on the developing “Web OS”!
http://windowsteamblog.com/skydrive/b/skydrive/

snom Introduces snom ONE Mini PBX Appliance

snom_ONE_mini

 

  • Runs snom ONE software
  • Entirely solid state
  • Supports 20 extensions
  • According to snom uses less than 60kWh per year (compared to 876kWh for a PC)
  • Power it with POE!
  • IPv6
  • This unit can act as a backup SIP registrar for cloud services failover
    • Also, using snom phones it can act as Voice backup server

 

Of interest to our Lync audience may be our How to Integrate snom ONE and Microsoft Lync blog:
http://windowspbx.blogspot.com/2011/09/using-snom-one-as-sip-trunk-gateway-for.html

http://www.snom.com/en/products/ip-pbx/snom-one-mini/

Lync Federation Directory Project Reaches 10,000 Organizations Milestone: Will UC Federation Ultimately Replace PSTN Cloud?

 

lfdp-10kThe Lync Federation Directory Project was started September 2011 to make people aware of just how many companies are available to collaborate using Microsoft UC solutions and the benefits of UC Federation. There has been huge interest in this project worldwide and I’m glad to announce that the Lync Federation Directory Project has surpass our goal and milestone of 10,000 organizations! A huge THANKS to the Lync community and Lync administrators worldwide!

Progress at the Lync Federation Directory Project

For all the contributions the community has made I think you are all due an update. I’m very glad to be able to share the below statistics of what has been happening at the Lync Federation Directory Project:

  • +10,000 organizations: http://bit.ly/lyncfed
  • 11 Months running: Started September 2011
  • Over 60 Countries represented
  • Nearly 5,000 downloads of the free Lync Who Can Federate Tool: http://bit.ly/wcftool
  • 32 Five Start Ratings of Lync Who Can Federated Tool
  • Mentions on TechRepublic, TMCnet, NoJitter and blogs all over the web. (Thanks for each mention!)

 

Goals of Lync Federation Directory Project?

I’ve just had someone ask again last week, What do you hope to achieve by the Lync Federation Directory Project? Here is my short answer:

  • To communicate the benefits of UC Federation
  • To make people aware just how many organizations are available to collaborate via UC Federation
  • To Evangelize UC Federation’s viability as a  future “PSTN Cloud Replacer”

As I’ve said in private discussions, I don’t believe that a “big list” of companies using Lync is the primary benefit of the project: the awareness that it brings is the primary benefit.

New Lync Federation Directory Project Features You May Not Know About

  • The Lync Who Can Federate Tool can run as a tray app and give you a daily report of people you can  federate with: http://bit.ly/wcftool
  • The Lync Federation Directory how lists entries by top level domains

 

Vision for the Lync Federation Directory Project’s Future

As we look to the future we can see a time when the Lync Federation Directory Project current objectives will be about as necessary as a mail server directory. ;-) When that time comes, I’ll be glad because our current goals will obviously be achieved. Once the initial goals of the project are achieved what might be some ways it can continue to deliver value to the community?  Some requests that I get are:

  • Is there exchange where Lync administrators can securely connect to each other to negotiate federation arrangements?
  • Is there a list of Abusive domains?

Yes, as we look to the future we can see a time when the Lync Federation Directory Project current objectives will be about as necessary as a mail server directory…but not yet!

How Can You Help the Project?

  • Add your organization to this list by {clicking here}
  • Help yourself and community by seeing who in your Outlook contact list has Lync/OCS by running WCF Tool and submitting entries not currently in Lync Federation Directory Project. Takes 1 min! {click here}
  • If you have used the Who Can Federate Tool and like it, please take a second to Rate it! (5star of course ;-) http://bit.ly/wcftool
  • Promote http://bit.ly/lyncfed
  • Spread the Word: Comment or Tweet how UC Federation helps you.

More Details on the Lync Federation Directory, please see the official page here:
http://bit.ly/lyncfed


Mentions by
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http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/networking/microsoft-lync-federation-enables-cross-organization-communications/5376
http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/microsoft/lync-federation-tool-makes-it-easy-to-find-lync-enabled-business-partn.asp