Unified Communications by Yann Espanet

With the Microsoft Unified Communications Virtual Experience, you can see first-hand how Microsoft’s Unified Communications solution can help you harness the power of software to streamline communications between people anytime, anywhere, free for 60-days.

NB : Use AALL in the company name if you want to test it with me !

See how it works

By registering for the Unified Communications Virtual Experience, you’ll discover how you can:

• Gain the power to connect with the right person, right now from within familiar, easy-to-use Microsoft Office applications—with one click
• Bring people together quickly and easily—anytime, anywhere
• Break down communication silos—whether people are down the hall, across continents, or constantly on the road

If you are currently certified on the UC Voice Specialization or plan to be, be aware that an updated version of the Voice Specialization Exam 74-924 will be available en of June this year.

This exam is designed to validate that candidates have the skills to design, deploy, and administer Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release 2 (R2). Candidates should have experience with interoperability between Office Communications Server 2007 R2, Office Communications Server 2007, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unified Messaging, and Active Directory Domain Services. Candidates should also have experience with network infrastructure components that support the deployment and ongoing management of Office Communications Server 2007 R2.

You can have more details on the Microsoft’s official page concerning this test:

Exam 74-404: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 – U.C. Voice Specialization

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/Exam.aspx?ID=74-404&Locale=en-us#tab3

It’s highly recommended to attend the following three days Course 50232A: Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Ignite !

Course 50232A: Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Ignite

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/Course.aspx?ID=50232A&Locale=en-us

You can also use the Microsoft Office Communications Server R2 – Training Portal to find some useful resources to prepare for this hard exam!

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/training/ocs.aspx

You will have a global view of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 traffic flow between component like : IM and Presence, Conferencing, Application Sharing, and Enterprise Voice.
You can see the different server roles, the needs in term of server certificate, and also the firewall and DNS configuration requirements.

Ref :

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=AF2C17CB-207C-4C52-8811-0ACA6DFADC94&displaylang=en

The Deployment Validation Tool allows you to perform automated testing of calls between agents that are Office Communications Server 2007 R2 clients. It is included with Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Resource Kit Tools, available as a free download at the Microsoft Download Center at :
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=145159

You can find the technet page here :

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd572350(office.13).aspx

And watch this video from the Microsoft Technet Chopstick :

Communicator for Apple IPhone :

iDialog is an OCS 2007 and OCS 2007 R2 compatible client for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. 

Participate in IM message and Forward incoming OCS Voice Calls

iDialog supports the following features:

• Display OCS contact list and presence information
• Set presence information, including custom note and location data
• Search corporate Global Address List (GAL)
• Send and receive Instant Messages (IM)
• Add multiple participants to an IM conversation
• Manage and participate in multiple IM conversations simultaneously
• Control incoming OCS Voice calls (forward/redirect an incoming OCS call to another device, such as an iPhone, voice mailbox, or another phone number)
• Call a phone number listed on a contact card (This feature is not available on iPod Touch devices)
  Send an email to an address listed on a contact card

http://www.modalitysystems.com/idialog/

Communicator for BlackBerry :

What you can do :

• Initiate and manage group chat sessions of three or more participants from your smartphone
• View the presence status of contacts, such as online, busy, do not disturb, be right back, away or appear offline and set your own status to inform others of your availability
• Enjoy a synchronized contact list, with the same contacts available on your BlackBerry smartphone and your computer
• Find contacts quickly with the quick find function and picture association
• Receive alerts when team members become available

Download the BlackBerry Client for use with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007

http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/server/exchange/ocs2007.jsp

• Install the BlackBerry server for Exchange :
  https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/browseSoftware.do
• Install the BlackBerry Collaboration Service and select Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007
  -> But you need to install a Communicator Web Access R1 in your R2 environement. See this post on how to : http://blogs.technet.com/ucedsg/archive/2009/06/04/i-need-to-support-rim-s-como-client-in-ocs-2007-r2.aspx

Communicator for Java Phones :

Java Based Phones (Nokia S40/S60 series and Motorola RAZR v3 Devices)

Microsoft makes a version of Office Communicator Mobile R2 available that is optimized for Java. There are different versions available depending on your phone (listed below). OCS 2007 R2 must be running on the backend.

a) Office Communicator Mobile 2007 R2 for Java (Nokia S60 320X240 resolution)

- Supported Phone Models: E51, E66, N95;   Supported Telecom Network: Vodafone and Orange networks in Europe, Airtel and Vodafone networks in India.

b) Office Communicator Mobile 2007 R2 for Java (Nokia S60 240X320 resolution)

- Supported Phone Models: E51, E66, N95;  Supported Telecom Network: Vodafone and Orange networks in Europe, Airtel and Vodafone networks in India.

c) Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile 2007 R2 for Java (Nokia S40)

- Supported Telecom Networks: Vodafone and Orange networks in Europe, Airtel and Vodafone networks in India;   Supported Phone Models: Nokia S40 – 5th edition phones including: 3120 Classic, 3600 Slide, 5220 XpressMusic , 5310 XpressMusic , 5610 XpressMusic, 6212 Classic, 6300i, 6301, 6500 Classic, 6500 Slide, 6600 Fold, 6600 Slide, 7210 Super Nova, 7310 Super Nova, 7510 Super Nova, 7610 Super Nova, 7900 Prism and 8800 Arte

d) Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile 2007 R2 for Java (Motorola Razr V3xx – U.S.)

- Supported Telecom Network: AT&T (US);  Supported Phone Models: Motorola RAZR V3xx

How to make OCS 2007 R2 non-RFC 3966-compliant ?
Office Communications Server 2007 Mediation Server uses a plus sign (+) to prefix E.164 numbers in the Request Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for outgoing calls. Unfortunately, some IP-PBXs don’t comply with RFC 3966 and do not accept numbers that are prefixed with a plus sign (+).

In OCS 2007 R2 use a new WMI setting, RemovePlusFromRequestURI, which is described in this TechNet article called Enterprise Voice Server-Side Components.
According to the TechNet article, Office Communications Server 2007 R2 introduces two new Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) settings for Mediation Server. The first new setting specifies how Mediation Server processes E.164 numbers in outbound calls. The second new setting enables Quality of Service (QoS) marking on Mediation Server.

Handling E.164 Numbers in Outbound Calls (OCS 2007 R2)
By default, E.164 numbers in the Request Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for outgoing calls are prefixed with a plus sign (+). Most Private Branch eXchanges (PBXs) process such numbers without problem. Certain PBXs, however, do not accept numbers that are prefixed with a plus sign.

To ensure interoperability with these PBXs, Mediation Server has a new WMI Boolean setting called RemovePlusFromRequestURI, which has two values: TRUE and FALSE. If your PBX does not accept numbers prefixed with a plus sign, the value for the WMI setting should be set to TRUE, which causes Mediation Server to strip the plus sign from a Request URI for outbound calls. The default is FALSE, which causes Mediation Server to pass the outgoing INVITE’s Request URI, To URI, and From URI unchanged.

The TechNet article also discusses compatibility with PBXs that do not support the plus (+) sign.

By default, E.164 numbers in the Request URI of outgoing calls from Office Communications Server 2007 R2 are prefixed with a plus sign. Most PBXs process such numbers without problem. Some PBXs, however, do not accept numbers that are prefixed with a plus sign and do not route those calls correctly.

Additionally, the From headers of inbound calls from some PBXs does not conform to RFC 3966 because they are not prefixed with a plus sign. Microsoft Office Communicator cannot resolve these numbers to the correct user.

To assure interoperability with these PBXs, Office Communications Server 2007 R2 has a new Mediation Server setting for WMI called RemovePlusFromRequestURI. This setting can be set to YES or NO. The default value is NO.

- If a PBX downstream from the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Mediation server does not accept numbers prefixed with a plus sign, set the value of RemovePlusFromRequestURI to YES. This causes Mediation Server to remove the plus signs from the Request URIs of outgoing calls. It also causes the plus signs to be removed from the To and From URIs.
- If the downstream PBX accepts numbers prefixed with plus signs, leave the value of RemovePlusFromRequestURI set to its default value of NO. This causes Office Communications Server 2007 Mediation Server to pass Request URIs, To URIs, and From URIs unchanged (that is, with plus signs).

Extract from : http://tmcnet.com

You have to choose between beeing secure or stop working with OCS according to Microsoft !:

Your evaluation period may be expired with this error in event viewver :

Event source: OCS Server
Event id: 12290
Event text: The evaluation period for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 has expired. Please upgrade from the evaluation version to the full released version of the product.

So, you follow the “Upgrading Office Communications Server 2007 Evaluation to the Full Released Version” document :

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=54A5521D-A928-46F2-8BF7-125DA636DD2E&displaylang=en

BUT here’s the result :

OCS Setup log :

Failure
[0xC3EC78D8] Failed to read the Office Communications Server version information. This can happen if the computer clock is not set to correct date and time.

After some research I’ve found that the workaround was to remove  the MS Crypto API security update KB974571. So I removed the update, rebooted the machine, and OCS 2007 R2 was up and running again, without any issues.

What is the position of MS regarding this issue :

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/974571/en-us

Microsoft recommends to postpone installing KB974571 on any LCS 2005 / OCS 2007 /OCS 2007 R2 servers.

“Microsoft is investigating this issue, and will determine the most appropriate way to address it. Customers who are not running OCS or LCS server are not affected by this known issue, and can safely ignore this issue.

Customers who have deployed the OCS or LCS product on a server should assess the risk that is involved to decide whether to install the security update on that server. These customers should revisit this Knowledge Base article often, because this article will be updated as soon as more information and a resolution are available.”

Nice one from MS !

You can download Exchange Server 2010 Release Candidate to the Microsoft Download Center!

This is the build number 14.00.0639.011 and you can download it from here :  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c6d27da1-ba2c-4570-a491-c0d7b39ede8b

This build is compatible with both Windows 2008 SP2 and Windows 2008 R2 (from RC1 through to RTM). As we changed the store schema between the Exchange Beta and RC, there’s no in-place upgrade from the Beta release. However, we will support in-place upgrade from the Release Candidate through to the final RTM build.

Extract from “Paul Bowden – Release Manager – Exchange Server”

 ——————————————————————————————–

Here’s a quick start guide to get you up and running as quickly as possible with the new build:

Windows 2008

1.       Install Windows Server 2008 x64 (Standard or Enterprise – but not Core or Web Server) and join the appropriate domain

2.       Install Service Pack 2 from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd262148.aspx

3.       Install .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ab99342f-5d1a-413d-8319-81da479ab0d7

4.       Install the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Update from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=98E83614-C30A-4B75-9E05-0A9C3FBDD20D

5.       Install the combined PowerShell v2/Windows Remote Management package (Windows 6.0-KB968930.msu) from https://connect.microsoft.com/windowsmanagement/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=21268

6.       For Hub Transport and/or Mailbox roles, install the Office Filter Pack from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=60C92A37-719C-4077-B5C6-CAC34F4227CC

7.       Open a command prompt, and use the installation scripts from the \Scripts sub-folder on the installation media to enable operating system components:

a.       For a typical installation of Client Access, Hub Transport, and the Mailbox role, run:

• ServerManagerCmd –ip <media>\Scripts\Exchange-Typical.xml

a.       For a Client Access role only, enter:

• ServerManagerCmd –ip <media>\Scripts\Exchange-CAS.xml

b.      For a Hub Transport role, enter:

• ServerManagerCmd –ip <media>\Scripts\Exchange-Hub.xml

c.       For a Mailbox role, enter:

• ServerManagerCmd –ip <media>\Scripts\Exchange-MBX.xml

d.      For a Unified Messaging role, enter:

• ServerManagerCmd –ip <media>\Scripts\Exchange-UM.xml

e.      For an Edge Transport role, enter:

• ServerManagerCmd –ip <media>\Scripts\Exchange-Edge.xml

8.       For Client Access server roles, run “sc config NetTcpPortSharing start= auto” from a command-prompt

9.       Restart the computer

10.   Run the Setup.exe program from the Exchange 2010 download package

Windows 2008 R2

1.       Install Windows Server 2008 R2 (Standard or Enterprise – but not Core, Web Server or Foundation Server) and join the appropriate domain

2.       For Hub Transport and/or Mailbox roles, install the Office Filter Pack from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=60C92A37-719C-4077-B5C6-CAC34F4227CC

3.       Open a Windows PowerShell console window from the Accessories menu

4.       Enter “Import-Module ServerManager” and press return

5.       Use the Add-WindowsFeature cmdlet to enable operating system components:

a)      For a typical installation of Client Access, Hub Transport, and the Mailbox role, enter:

• Add-WindowsFeature NET-Framework,RSAT-ADDS,Web-Server,Web-Basic-Auth,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-Metabase,Web-Net-Ext,Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console,WAS-Process-Model,RSAT-Web-Server,Web-ISAPI-Ext,Web-Digest-Auth,Web-Dyn-Compression,NET-HTTP-Activation,RPC-Over-HTTP-Proxy
• Set-Service NetTcpPortSharing -StartupType Automatic

b)      For a Client Access role only, enter:

• Add-WindowsFeature NET-Framework,RSAT-ADDS,Web-Server,Web-Basic-Auth,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-Metabase,Web-Net-Ext,Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console,WAS-Process-Model,RSAT-Web-Server,Web-ISAPI-Ext,Web-Digest-Auth,Web-Dyn-Compression,NET-HTTP-Activation,RPC-Over-HTTP-Proxy
• Set-Service NetTcpPortSharing -StartupType Automatic

c)       For a Hub Transport role or Mailbox role, enter:

• Add-WindowsFeature NET-Framework,RSAT-ADDS,Web-Server,Web-Basic-Auth,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-Metabase,Web-Net-Ext,Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console,WAS-Process-Model,RSAT-Web-Server

d)      For a Unified Messaging role, enter:

• Add-WindowsFeature NET-Framework,RSAT-ADDS,Web-Server,Web-Basic-Auth,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-Metabase,Web-Net-Ext,Web-Lgcy-Mgmt-Console,WAS-Process-Model,RSAT-Web-Server,Desktop-Experience

e)      For an Edge Transport role, enter:

• Add-WindowsFeature NET-Framework,RSAT-ADDS,ADLDS

6.       Restart the computer

7.       Run the Setup.exe program from the Exchange 2010 download package

Active Directory Configuration

a.       The schema master must be running a minimum of Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1

b.      The forest must be in Windows Server 2003 functionality mode (or later)

c.       All Exchange 2010 servers must be able to communicate with a global catalog server which is running Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (or later)

d.      Read-only domain controllers (RODC) are not supported with Exchange 2010

e.      We generally recommend that you install Exchange 2010 on member servers versus domain controllers. This helps to secure your installation

Enjoy your test !