I’ve just released an updated version of HIDnLync. It adds a few new presence states, as well as the ability to automatically run it when the user logs in to Windows.
The new version is 1.0.12.
Download it from here:
As per THIS post, you only need BOTH versions of my utility if you have BOTH Lync 2010 *and* Lync 2013 clients installed on your PC. If you only have one installed client, then either version of the utility will work fine.
Lync applications/utilities built using either the 2010 or 2013 client-side API software development kit (SDK) are supposed to work against all 3 major releases of the Lync client: 2010, 2013 & 2013 Basic. This means if you upgrade your client from Lync 2010 to the 2013 release, your third party utils (like my Profiles for Lync, Elyza and HIDnLync) should all still work.
The wheels will however fall off if you have *both* the 2010 and 2013 clients installed on your PC. If you use a 2010 util against the 2013 Client (or vice versa), the util will be unable to establish a connection with the client and will throw an error. (In newer builds of my utils, you’ll be linked to this page).
In this situation, you need to use a build of the util compiled with the same SDK version as the client. For this reason and for the time being I’ll continue to release two versions of each util, although end users with only one version of the client installed need only install either version of the utility.
Both builds of Elyza and HIDnLync operate exactly the same. For Profiles for Lync, I recommend you use the 2013 version, as the 2013 SDK fixed a bug in its predecessor that manifests itself when you’re switching between sites with Manual or Automatic host discovery.
– G.
Here’s a blast from the past!
I recently encountered a customer in a bind. They’re still on OCS 2007 R2 (don’t ask) and are (were?) using Polycom SoundPoint phones registered to OCS through “SmartSIP”.
SmartSIP was a useful little util that let you register generic SIP phones to OCS, but it’s since been EOL’d by Sonus/NET.
It seems the SmartSIP licence had expired and whilst the phones kept working, they stopped displaying presence. Then, one day after a scheduled server reboot they stopped altogether – and so did the SoftSwitch that sits between Mediation and the PSTN Gateway, so that meant all calling to and from the site also ground to a halt! (This was clearly an early install with SmartSIP running on the production Mediation Server and not quarantined on its own).
It was quickly bypassed on Mediation and the Gateway to restore the connection to the outside world, but that still left the phones.
I encountered an interesting fault this week: calls were being presented to Lync Response Group Agents, but they couldn’t answer them. Callers would be listening to hold, cursing the delays in the queue while the agents were desperately trying to answer the calls.
At the same time it also transpired that one of their two PSTN Gateways had died (although not fully). They had two ISDN streams, one into each Gateway, and one Gateway had failed with what I suspect to be the loss of one power supply rail. This was not enough to drop the ISDN circuit, so any calls that were presented on that service were rejected with an ISDN supervisory message. Unplugging the ISDN cable was sufficient to address that once we realised a reboot wouldn’t bring it back.
This is a Lync 2010 installation, with the PSTN Gateways talking by TCP back to the Mediation Server role in the single Enterprise Edition Front-End server.
Prior to me being engaged, the customer had already restarted the FE, as this fault seemed to have appeared after they’d installed some Windows Updates, which were duly removed. Interestingly, it would come good for *1* call, and then no other calls could be answered.
Response Group problems like this are usually resolved by restarting the RGS Service, but alas it wasn’t going to be that easy.
I’ve just stumbled across a June firmware update for the Sonus nee NET nee Quintum Tenor family. This update takes us from P108-09-21 to P108-09-23. (I wrote about the last release HERE).
Interestingly, it fixes a problem I didn’t even know I had!
4916 PSTN_to_SIP call: Music on Hold not heard when Lync put Call on Hold
When a call was made from the PTSN to Tenor to Lync and then the call was put on hold from the Lync side with a re-INVITE SDP from Lync Mediation contained a=sendonly, the PSTN caller could not hear the music on hold played from the Lync Server. This has been resolved.
The latest update to the OCPE / Lync Phone Edition firmware is BIG news if you’re in Chile or Paraguay, with another intersting fix thrown in to keep the rest of us entertained:
2861336 Update that includes the 2013 DST changes for Chile and Paraguay in Lync Phone Edition
2861335 Can’t sign in automatically to an Aries common area telephone that is running Lync Phone Edition after you restart the telephone
This update takes Phone Edition to 4.0.7577.4397:
And HERE’s PAT’s awesome “New-CsFirmware.ps1” script to upload the new CABs for you.
G.
Just in case you missed this week’s kb, Lync Server 2010 can now be installed into an Active Directory where the forest and domain are at the Server 2012 functional level.
This brings Lync Server 2010 into alignment with Lync Server 2013 plus Exchange 2010 & 2013, all of which are OK on functional levels of Server 2003 Native and up. (Double-check the links below if you’re still living in the dark ages of 2003 Mixed).
kb 2869728 , 12 July 2013: Windows Server 2012 Active Directory Directory Services support for Lync Server 2010
Lync 2010: Active Directory Infrastructure Requirements
Lync 2013: Active Directory Infrastructure Requirements
Exchange 2010 System Requirements
Exchange 2013 System Requirements
It’s a relatively light update for Lync Server 2010 this quarter, but there are still some interesting fixes in there. This update takes the server up one increment, from 4.0.7577.216 to 217. (The current client update is last week’s hotfix release, taking it to 4.0.7577.4392. That’s HERE).
Microsoft has published a Critical security bulletin (MS13-054) detailing a “Vulnerability in GDI+ [That] Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2848295)”.
“This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Lync, and Microsoft Visual Studio. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views shared content that embeds TrueType font files”.
The bulletin is HERE.
Continue reading ‘Lync Remote Code Execution Vulnerability – 9 July 2013’ »
The US has started their Independence Day celebrations a couple of days early with the release of CU2 for Lync Server 2013.
THIS post on the Lync Team Blog that explains the new features that snuck into this update:
I’m a little excited by this one – mostly because the update KB article includes a DETAILED list of installation steps, where previously there has been some ambiguity (particularly around the database updates).
The update takes the server to “5.0.8308.420”: