Description

I’m happy to reach another major milestone for the Set-CsFeatures.ps1 script today, after many weeks of work. This PowerShell script, which installs prerequisites and post installation configuration and tools for Lync Server and Skype for Business Server, now adds support for a few new things. This includes a new version of Skype for Business Server, as well as another operating system. The major changes are listed below. See the full list of changes in the changelog (link at the bottom of this article). Having said all of that, let’s look at all the exciting stuff…

Support for Skype for Business 2019

The script will now install the prerequisites for Skype for Business Server 2019 roles, including front-end, mediation, and edge. “But Pat”, you say – “Skype for Business 2019 isn’t even out yet”. This is true. This script adds the support so that you can hit the ground running when the RTM version is released. If you’re already playing with the Preview version in your lab, this will work there as well. Since Skype for Business Server 2019 has more features related to Office 365, including Skype for Business hybrid and online, and Microsoft Teams, rest assured that I’ll be adding more options and features to support and utilize those.

Support for Windows Server 2019

Now supported by this script are the prerequisites for Windows Server 2019 when installing Skype for Business Server 2019. What what what? That’s right, I support a not-yet released version of Skype for Business on a not-yet released operating system. Crazy? Yep. But some individuals and organizations are already working with this combination, and I wanted to provide a solution that makes life easier for them. Rest assured that as the SfB 2019 and WS2019 solutions evolve, so will this script. Version 5.0 of this script was tested against build 17744.r5 of Windows Server 2019.

Optimized code

As I’ve said before, I don’t consider myself a developer. I’m merely a coder that manages to make things work. As my skills increase, I always try to revisit existing scripts and enhance them with better ways of accomplishing tasks. Some of that is from methods available in newer versions of PowerShell, and some are just in the discovery of better avenues of approach to tasks. There are a LOT of changes in the script to reflect that. If I had to guess, I’d say at least 1000 lines of code have been touched just in the past few weeks.

Enhanced logging

While I realize most people probably never look at the resulting log files generated from this script, they can be key in knowing what’s happened on a server as well as being able to review for troubleshooting in the event of an issue. I think I’ve built and provisioned more servers in my lab to test changes in logging than anything else. There is also the built-in ‘tail’ function that allows you to watch the log file in real-time to see what’s going on ‘under the hood’.

Latest updates for key components

There are updates for some components that have been released recently. This includes the latest cumulative update for Office Online Server, and an update for Windows Server 2012 R2 that replaces a previously required hotfix for Skype for Business Server 2015.

Feature requests

Sometimes, someone suggests a feature or alternative option to something. This version is no different, incorporating some ideas presented by the community. A few are “why didn’t I think of that” type features. An example is popping up a folder browse dialog box if the script can’t find the Windows source files, instead of just throwing an error. Please continue to send feature requests!

Bugfixes

Yeah, bugs happen. As much as I test, some people still find things, although most are just minor things like typos, or features that work differently than what someone expected or wanted. And some are ones I notice that haven’t been reported by anyone else. These pop up either in my lab testing or when I’m working on an unrelated part of the code and just notice it.

More than 8500 lines of PowerShell code mean that the script is fairly complex. Perfect? Hell no. As I mentioned above, I’m a coder. I will say that I ferociously attack known/reported issues and feature requests, and strive to make this tool as best as it can be. While I can’t test every possible combination of environments, I think I’ve accounted for a lot of possibilities.

I sincerely appreciate when people notify me of issues. Seriously. There is an option, 96, in the script that shows you how to report a bug, including what log file to send me. That really helps me address problems quicker.

Finally…

Future additions currently under consideration include at least the following:

1. Automatically add Windows Defender exceptions (auto discovery). This feature will discover an existing Skype for Business Server 2015/2019 installation, and automatically add the required anti-virus exceptions required for Windows Defender for a healthy operating Skype for Business deployment. Since both Windows Server 2016 and 2019 include Defender components, it makes sense to include this. These exceptions are based on the official exclusion list provided by Microsoft.
2. Debugging tools, resource kit, etc. If/when these are added for Skype for Business Server 2019, the script will be updated to support the automated installation of them.
3. Visual C++ 2017

So, with all of this newfound goodness baked into the script, where can one download this pot of gold? Head over to the home page for the script to grab this, or any version of it. The script fully supports using Get-Help for related information. All versions including this new v5.0, are signed with my Digicert code-signing certificate to verify authenticity. Digicert really makes it easy to use certificates, and they have stellar support, too. Also, any recent version of this script will notify you of an updated version when you run it (assuming it’s run on an Internet connected machine).

The changelog for the script shows all of the changes for each new version. Any bug fixes, feature additions & updates are reflected here.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Description

My work at Modality Systems often has me doing health checks for customer Lync environments. These can be due to customer requests, or as part of our onboarding for new managed support customers. If you’ve ever had an Active Directory Risk Assessment Program (ADRAP) or Exchange Risk Assessment Program (ExRAP), it’s quite similar. Lots of tasks to run, lots of data to sift through. So it’s always beneficial to standardize and automate the steps to get the data. The same is the case when you’re responsible for your own environment and want to ensure good health.

Just like Get-CsDatabaseUpdateStatus.ps1, Dave Howe from the Lync product group and I teamed up to automate something. In this case, it’s looking at what Cumulative Updates are installed on each server throughout a Lync environment. This script queries each pool, then finds what servers are part of that pool, and queries each server to find the CU that’s installed. It then provides an easy to read output of the entire environment (with exceptions) for easy review. As shown below, we see three multi-server pools, the version number and “friendly” Cumulative Update info.

PS C:\> .\Get-CsUpdateVersion.ps1

ComputerName   : sjc-edge01
PoolFqdn       : sjc-edge01.contoso.com
Version        :
Product        :
Update         :
FriendlyResult : PSRemoting failure
UpToDate       :
UpdateUrl      :

ComputerName   : sjc-fe01
PoolFqdn       : sjc-fe01.contoso.com
Version        : 6.0.9319.272
Product        : Skype for Business Server 2015
Update         : CU4 - 11/04/2016
FriendlyResult : Skype for Business Server 2015 CU4 - 11/04/2016
UpToDate       : False
UpdateUrl      : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3199093

ComputerName   : sjc-pc01
PoolFqdn       : sjc-pc01.contoso.com
Version        : 6.0.9319.272
Product        : Skype for Business Server 2015
Update         : CU4 - 11/04/2016
FriendlyResult : Skype for Business Server 2015 CU4 - 11/04/2016
UpToDate       : False
UpdateUrl      : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3199093

The script works fine with Standard Edition servers as well.

In the first example, you see that the first two servers show “PSRemoting failure”. This is because the script uses PowerShell Remoting to connect to each remote server to query information (see installation notes below). PSRemoting doesn’t really work the same when dealing with non-domain joined machines, such as the first two, which are edge servers. So the script isn’t able to communicate with them via PSRemoting, and flags them. If the script can’t ping a server, it will show as “offline”. The friendly name of the CU shown is coded in the online XML file that the script queries. So I’ll update it each time a new CU is released.

By default, the script checks all pools. But you can specify a single pool by using the -PoolFqdn parameter.

Syntax

Get-CsUpdateVersion.ps1 [[-PoolFqdn] ] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm]

Installation

This script uses PowerShell Remoting to query remote servers. PSRemoting is enabled by default on Windows Server 2012 and later, but disabled by default on 2008 R2. To enable PSRemoting on 2008 R2 servers, see Enable-PSRemoting. The script requires Internet access on the machine the script is running on. This is to query the XML file containing the update information.

Execution Policy: Third-party PowerShell scripts may require that the PowerShell Execution Policy be set to either AllSigned, RemoteSigned, or Unrestricted. The default is Restricted, which prevents scripts – even code signed scripts – from running. For more information about setting your Execution Policy, see Using the Set-ExecutionPolicy Cmdlet.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Assumptions

None

Download

v3.9 – 03-08-2017 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.9.zip

v3.8 – 02-14-2017 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.8.zip

v3.7 – 02-05-2017 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.7.zip

v3.6 – 01-06-2017 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.6.zip

v3.5 – 11-28-2016 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.5.zip

v3.4 – 11-12-2016 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.4.zip

v3.3 – 08-31-2016 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.3.zip

v3.2 – 07-15-2016 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.2.zip

v3.1 – 07-05-2016 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.1.zip

v3.0 – 04-21-2016 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v3.0.zip

v2.9 – 04-07-2016 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.9.zip

v2.8 – 01-26-2016 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.8.zip

v2.7 – 12-14-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.7.zip

v2.6 – 11-17-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.6.zip

v2.5 – 11-11-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.5.zip

v2.4 – 10-03-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.4.zip

v2.3 – 09-09-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.3.zip

v2.2 – 07-14-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.2.zip

v2.1 – 06-21-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.1.zip

v2.0 – 05-12-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v2.0.zip

v1.9 – 02-19-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.9.zip

v1.8 – 02-09-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.8.zip

v1.7 – 01-01-2015 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.7.zip

v1.6 – 12-12-2014 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.6.zip

v1.5 – 11-21-2014 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.5.zip

v1.4 – 09-24-2014 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.4.zip

v1.3 – 09-02-2014 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.3.zip

v1.2 – 08-07-2014 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.2,zip

v1.1 – 06-02-2014 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.1.zip

v1.0 – 05-02-2014 – Get-CsUpdateVersion.v1.0.zip

Changelog

See the changelog for information on what’s changed/included in each version.

This is the changelog page for Get-CsUpdateVersion.ps1. You will find a complete list of released versions, their dates, and the features and issues addressed in each. Please refer to the script’s main page for more information including download links, installation details, and more.

v3.9 – 03-08-2017

1. Converted script to return PowerShell objects instead of the previously used write-host and write-output. While this sheds the nicely colored output, it makes it far more effective, and better aligns with PowerShell best practices.
2. Converted the script to ONLY use the online data for version info. This means that every time a new update is released for Lync Server 2010, Lync Server 2013, and/or Skype for Business Server 2015, I don’t need to release a new version of the script – merely update the hosted XML file containing the data. This also means that users of the script won’t need to always download a new version. This doesn’t mean there will be no further updates to the script.
3. Fixed an issue where when using the online data (available in the last couple of versions using the -online switch) doesn’t check the online data for each server (and due to a glitch, sometimes twice for each server). The data is retrieved once when the script starts.
4. Added some more verbose output, as large environments or those with slower connections to remote servers, or those with unreachable servers would slow the script down. Running it with the -verbose option will at least give the user some running information.
5. Some code cleanup and optimization.

v3.8 – 02-14-2017

1. added version 6.0.9319.277 for Skype for Business Server

v3.7 – 02-05-2017

1. Code cleanup/optimization
2. added version 5.0.8308.984 for Lync Server 2013

v3.6 – 01-06-2017

1. Added 5.0.8308.977 for Lync Server 2013

v3.5 – 11-28-2016

1. Added 5.0.8308.974 for Lync Server 2013
2. Fixed an issue with the Get-UpdateInfo function that was causing unexpected “PSRemoting Failure” errors later in the script.
3. Added the -online option, which will query update information from an online source instead of the info within the script itself. If this pans out ok, it will be the default method in future versions. It does require that the machine running the script have Internet access.

v3.4 – 11-12-2016

1. Added new update mechanism
2. Added some logging
3. Added 4.0.7577.728 for Lync Server 2010
4. Added 6.0.9319.272 for Skype for Business Server 2015

v3.3 – 08-31-2016

1. Added build 5.0.8308.965 for Lync Server 2013

v3.2 – 07-15-2016

1. Added build 5.0.8308.956 for Lync Server 2013

v3.1 – 07-05-2016

1. Added build 6.0.9319.259 for Skype for Business Server 2015

v3.0 – 04-21-2016

1. Added build 4.0.7577.726 for Lync Server 2010
2. Added build 5.0.8308.949 for Lync Server 2013

v2.9 – 04-07-2016

1. Added build 6.0.9319.235 (03/18/2016) – Thanks to Geir Age Moretensen for pointing it out

v2.8 – 01-26-2016

1. Added support for Lync Server 2013 build 5.0.8308.945 (01/03/2016) – Thanks to Geir for pointing it out

v2.7 – 12-14-2015

1. Added support for Lync Server 2013 build 5.0.8308.941 (12-14-2015)

v2.6 – 11-17-2015

1. Added support for Skype for Business Server 2015 build 6.0.9319.102 (11/17/2015).

v2.5 – 11-11-2015

1. Added support for Skype for Business Server 2015 build 6.0.9319.88 (9/26/2015).
2. Removed references to Skype for Business Server 2015 Cumulative Updates due to general confusion.

v2.4 – 10-03-2015

1. Added support for Lync Server 2013 CU15 (5.0.8308.927)
2. Added support for Lync Server 2013 CU14 (5.0.8308.927). Thanks to Geir for submitting the info.
3. added -SkipUpdateCheck to skip update check

v2.3 – 09-09-2015

1. Added support for Skype for Business Server 2015 CU2 (6.0.9319.72)
2. Added default of “Unknown version”. Thanks to Bernard for the idea.
3. Code optimization
4. server name is now only displayed as NetBIOS name to help reduce wordwrap (was previously FQDN). It’s red if the version is not the latest (or unknown), and green if it’s the latest version.

v2.2 – 07-14-2015

1. Added support for Lync Server 2010 CU16 (4.0.7577.713) – Thanks to Martin for pointing it out.
2. Added support for Lync Server 2013 CU13 (5.0.8308.920)

v2.1 – 06-21-2015

1. Added support for Skype for Business Server 2015 RTM (6.0.9319.0)
2. Added support for Skype for Business Server 2015 CU1 (6.0.9319.45)

v2.0 – 05-12-2015

1. fixed typo for Lync Server 2010 CU15. Thanks to @greiginsydney for pointing it out.
2. Updated Lync Server 2013 CU 11 – original download was 5.0.8308.871, but current download of CU 11 shows as 5.0.8308.872
3. Added support for Lync Server 2013 CU 12 (5.0.8308.887)

v1.9 – 02-19-2015

1. Added Lync Server 2013 CU 11 (5.0.8308.871)

v1.8 – 02-09-2015

1. Added Lync Server 2010 CU 15 (4.0.7577.710)

v1.7 – 01-01-2015

1. Added Lync Server 2010 CU 13 (4.0.7577.707)
2. Added Lync Server 2010 CU 14 (4.0.7577.708)
3. Added Lync Server 2013 CU 10 (5.0.8308.866)

v1.6 – 12-12-2014

1. Added Lync Server 2013 CU 9 (5.0.8308.857)

v1.5 – 11-21-2014

1. Added Lync Server 2013 post CU5 (5.0.8308.803)
2. Added Lync Server 2013 CU 7 (5.0.8308.831)
3. Added Lync Server 2013 CU 8 (5.0.8308.834)

v1.4 – 09-24-2014

1. Added Lync Server 2013 CU6

v1.3 – 09-02-2014

1. Added Lync Server 2010 CU12

v1.2 – 08-07-2014

1. Added script check for updates. This is key because each time a new cumulative update comes out, the script will be updated with version info
2. Added some preliminary code around getting version info for OWAS servers. Need to find a graceful way of getting the server names in a OWAS farm.
3. Added Lync Server 2013 CU5

v1.1 – 06-02-2014

1. Tweaked the PSRemoting code block for retrieving version numbers per Chris Irons. This should resolve unexpected results when querying Lync Server 2010 pools.
2. Filtered out “Debugging Tools” “Resource Kit Tools” “Best Practices Analyzer” and “Meeting Room Portal” which could have a higher version number and cause incorrect results – thanks to Andy G for pointing that out.
3. Shortened some of the output text to reduce the likelihood of word wrap.

v1.0 – 05-02-2014

1. Initial version

Description

Anyone who has updated a Lync or Skype for Business environment with a recent Cumulative Update knows that there are often manual steps to perform after the LyncServerUpdateInstaller.exe/SkypeServerUpdateInstaller.exe program is finished. These are often database update functions. And often, multiple functions to update the various different databases, including the CMS, monitoring, archiving, Persistent Chat, etc. I’ve run across quite a few environments where the LyncServerUpdateInstaller.exe/SkypeServerUpdateInstaller.exe is run, and nothing else is done, and the client can’t figure out why things aren’t running as they expect. Fortunately, the Test-CsDatabase cmdlet will show you the current version of the database and the expected version. But then you have to manually compare each one to determine if an update is required. Of course, there are databases on the local Front End server(s), and the SQL backend server(s). Also, it’s important to review the status of SQL mirroring, and ensuring that databases are active on the principal node and not the mirror node. And that’s just part of the patching process.

Dave Howe, of the Lync product group, and I collaborated on a script that helps streamline part of this process. Dave did a lot of the initial grunt work, so he deserves a lot of the credit. I cleaned things up and optimized per some best practices.

Among the tasks that this script performs:

Determines whether database updates are required. It performs the following checks:

1. Detects whether the pool version is Lync Server 2013 or later, including Skype for Business
2. Detects whether database mirroring is enabled
3. Detects whether the primary and mirror SQL servers are online
4. Detects whether the mirror server is principal for any databases
5. Detects whether the local machine is a FE of the given pool
6. Detects whether the CMS is on Lync Server 2013 or later, including Skype for Business

And returns the following info:

1. Returns list of local databases, their versions, and whether a database update is required (if the local server is a member of the pool)
2. Returns list of backend databases, their versions, and whether a database update is required
3. Returns list of CMS databases, their versions, and whether a database update is required

An example output is shown below. Note that the local XDS database requires an update

Syntax

Get-CsDatabaseUpdateStatus.ps1 [[-PoolFqdn] ] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm] []

Installation

Execution Policy: Third-party PowerShell scripts may require that the PowerShell Execution Policy be set to either AllSigned, RemoteSigned, or Unrestricted. The default is Restricted, which prevents scripts – even code signed scripts – from running. For more information about setting your Execution Policy, see Using the Set-ExecutionPolicy Cmdlet.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Assumptions

None

Download

v1.2 – 02-24-2018 – Get-CsDatabaseUpdateStatus.v1.2.zip

v1.1 – 04-30-2014 – Get-CsDatabaseUpdateStatus.v1.1.zip

v1.0 – 04-30-2014 – Get-CsDatabaseUpdateStatus.v1.0.zip

Changelog

See the changelog for information on what’s changed/included in each version.

Many people have noticed that after installing the Lync Server 2013 Cumulative Update from October, 2013, that the font in the Lync Server Control Panel changed to Times New Roman from the original Segoe UI font.

Lots of people commented online that they were not fans of the change (myself included), and wanted it changed back. The issue was raised with Microsoft who verified that there was no change in the font requested when displaying the Control Panel. This was confirmed by looking through the logs. The problem was an Internet Explorer compatibility issue. Servers that have IE 8 don’t exhibit the problem, but those with IE 9 or later, do. Instead of looking at the font defined by MS Shell Dlg registry value (HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitues\MS Shell Dlg), the Control Panel was using the font configured in IE. If you look in Internet Options>Fonts, you see that the Webpage font is set to Times New Roman.

We can get the original Segoe UI font back by simply changing the webpage font option to Segoe UI, closing the Control Panel, and opening it back up. We can also make the change using PowerShell by changing the value of the registry key that gets set when you use the above method. To do so, open PowerShell, and enter the following:

Set-ItemProperty -path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\International\Scripts\3" -Name IEPropFontName -Value "Segoe UI"

And after restarting the Control Panel, we see it’s back to the way it should be.

You can set the value to any font, really, including Comic Sans MS, as requested by my buddy Ken “The Hoff” Lasko.

Something to keep in mind is that changing that value does have the potential for changing the way other web pages look as well, as this is more of a work-around than a fix. But I’ve not run into that, yet. I’ll post more info as I get it.

Here’s a little bit of fun I had while trying to find out who would be playing my beloved Detroit Tigers in the World Series. I needed to update our Lync servers, so installation of the October 2012 Cumulative Update was in order.

As soon as the Cumulative Update was done installing on one of our front end servers, SCOM started throwing alerts every 30 seconds. Essentially, they looked like this:

Oct 20 13:13:56 cltlb01 l4d: VS 47.231.153.66:443(TMG Lync External HTTPS meetContosoCom) Taken out of service due to failed Real Servers

Looking at the servers, the first front end server wasn’t reporting any issues. But the second was flooded with these in the application log:

Every time the HLB tried to do the health check, another ASP.NET exception would show up in the event log. We checked the HLB config, and it was properly set to connect to https://*/meet/blank.html for its deep health check. This is important because if you have it set to just check /meet or https://*meet/, I’ve seen this identical problem pop up. I verified that the file was at the correct location (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Lync Server 2010\Web Components\Join Launcher\Int), and that I could open it in IE. The file didn’t have a recent modified date. So, we changed the health check just to do a TCP bind to the server, and the problem went away. HLB was happy, and ASP.NET alerts stopped in the event log. Synthetic tests came back fine. Back to the baseball game, I figured.

Fast forward to Monday morning, when two users simultaneously contacted me to say that they were attempting to join a scheduled Lync meeting and getting the below error. Not the same meeting – two separate meetings.

They sent me the links, and I was able to successfully join both meetings, but I’m homed on a different server than those two users. The plot thickens.

I looked at the front end servers again, and sure enough, whenever someone would try to join either of those meetings, that trouble server would throw an ASP.NET error again. It wasn’t as fixed as I hoped.

I drained the server using Stop-CsWindowsService -Graceful, then stopped IIS using net stop w3svc. I navigated to C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727 and ran aspnet_regiis.exe -i. I restarted the server, and suddenly the problem was gone. Everyone was able to join their meetings, and the server no longer was throwing ASP.NET errors. We changed the health check back to looking at /meet/blank.html, and all was good.

The Lync team has released the October 2012 updates for Lync Server 2010 and related products. Here are some of the details:

2493736 Updates for Lync Server 2010

Highlights

1. 2735313 No notification of an incoming file transfer when you minimize a Lync 2010 conversation window
2. 2735319 A user name that is included in a Lync Online meeting URL is incorrect when delegate is configured
3. 2735321 “Block all” setting of the global file transfer filter does not work in Lync Server 2010
4. 2735323 A call to an UCMA 3.0 endpoint is disconnected after 30 minutes

KBs

Lync Server 2010

1. 2670358 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Administrative Tools: February 2012
2. 2740403 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Core Components: October 2012
3. 2701659 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Conferencing Attendant: June 2012
4. 2514978 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Conferencing Server: November 2011
5. 2737902 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Web Components Server: October 2012
6. 2737915 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010: October 2012
7. 2708616 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Web Conferencing Server: June 2012
8. 2640253 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Mediation Server: November 2011
9. 2740406 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Unified Communications Managed API 3.0 Runtime: October 2012
10. 2650037 Description of the update for Lync Server 2010 Bandwidth Policy Service: December 2011
11. 2743736 Description of the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010, Mobility Service: October 2012

Use the cumulative update installer, called LyncServerUpdateInstaller.exe to view and install the needed updates. That update can be downloaded here.

Clients

1. 2737155 Cumulative Updates for Lync 2010
2. 2752160 Cumulative Updates for Lync 2010 Attendee – Administrator level installation
3. 2752157 Cumulative Updates for Lync 2010 Attendee – User level installation

Phone Edition

No updates listed

For information on updating Lync Phone Edition devices, see Jeff Schertz’s article Updating Lync Phone Edition Devices, as well as my script New-CsFirmware.ps1

Group Chat

No updates listed

Installation

Note: Pay close attention to the installation notes listed on the summary page. They include manual tasks that must be followed after installing the updates on Lync servers.

Description

When cumulative updates are released from the Lync Product Group, they often contain firmware updates for Lync Phone Edition devices. The update process is somewhat arduous in that you have to download each update for each device model, extract it, then manually upload each firmware file, test it, then approve it for wide scale release. If you have multiple pools, the updates need to be uploaded to each one so that a copy exists in each Lync file share. And there is no way to select multiple files and upload them, and each file is named ucpdates.cab, so they need to be in separate folders. So, I made this little script to help deal with the upload process.

Create a parent folder called whatever you want. In my example, it is called “CU6 – June 2012”. Inside that folder, I have the Cumulative Update file, LyncServerUpdateInstall.exe, as well as child folders for the various devices. The child folders can be called anything.

Inside each of the child folders, I’ve downloaded the firmware update for that model, run the .exe, and extracted the file back to the same folder. So each folder has the original UCUpdates.exe file that was downloaded, and the ucupdates.cab file that was extracted. This is normal practice for me, even when manually uploading the files. With the newer Polycom VVX and Snom firmware files, they download in different formats. The Snom firmware just comes as the .cab file, while the Polycom VVX comes as a .zip file containing several .cab files. Nothing to do once you download the Snom file, but you do need to unzip the Polycom file.

Next, run the script using

.\New-CsFirmware.ps1

If the script was launched from a plain PowerShell console, the Lync module will be loaded automatically.

Next, you’ll be prompted for the parent folder.

Select the parent folder and click ok. The script will look through the parent folder and all child folders for update files called ucupdates.cab, and will upload them to all pools that it can find.

That’s all there is to it. You will still need to follow the rest of the upgrading process such as configuring test devices, testing, and then approving. Fellow MVP Jeff Schertz has a fabulous blog post, Updating Lync Phone Edition Devices that details the entire process.

You can also include the path to the parent folder when you run the script, such as

.\New-CsFirmware.ps1 -FilesPath "c:\users\lyncent.administrator\desktop\cu6-june 2012"

and the script will skip prompting for the folder.

.\New-CsFirmware.ps1 -Download

Will download the firmware for LPE devices, and automatically import them. It does NOT download firmware for SNOM or Polycom VVX devices (yet).

A special shout-out to fellow MVP and Lync MCM Kevin Peters, who gave me the idea to script it out and include all of the child folders and all of the pools.

If you’d like to target just a specific pool for the updated firmware, using the -PoolFqdn parameter with the desired pool FQDN.

Once you’ve deployed the firmware, you can easily see the firmware versions connecting to Lync by using my Get-CsConnections script and specifying the -ClientVersion parameter with a value of “CPE”.

.\Get-CsConnections.ps1 -PoolFqdn mypool.fabrikam.local -ClientVersion CPE

And look at the first table:

Installation

Execution Policy: Third-party PowerShell scripts may require that the PowerShell Execution Policy be set to either AllSigned, RemoteSigned, or Unrestricted. The default is Restricted, which prevents scripts – even code signed scripts – from running. For more information about setting your Execution Policy, see Using the Set-ExecutionPolicy Cmdlet.

No real installation required. The script can be run from any machine that has the Lync Core Components installed. As usual, you do need to set your Execution Policy to RemoteSigned or Unrestricted in order to run PowerShell scripts. The script will create a folder called .\Logs, and it will create the transcript file in there for future reference.

Donations

I’ve never been one to really solicit donations for my work. My offerings are created because *I* need to solve a problem, and once I do, it makes sense to offer the results of my work to the public. I mean, let’s face it: I can’t be the only one with that particular issue, right? Quite often, to my surprise, I’m asked why I don’t have a “donate” button so people can donate a few bucks. I’ve never really put much thought into it. But those inquiries are coming more often now, so I’m yielding to them. If you’d like to donate, you can send a few bucks via PayPal at https://www.paypal.me/PatRichard. Money collected from that will go to the costs of my website (hosting and domain names), as well as to my home lab.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Will this update Roundtable devices?

Answer: No, but fortunately, fellow Lync MVP Jeff Schertz has an excellent article on how to upgrade those devices at http://blog.schertz.name/2012/02/update-cx5000-rt-firmware/.

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Question: My test phones aren’t downloading the right firmware?

Answer: Could be this quirky issue. http://uclobby.com/2013/11/06/lync-phone-edition-test-device-wont-update-to-unapproved-version/

Download

v2.1 – 02-08-2017 – New-CsFirmware.v2.1.zip

v1.9 – 03-31-2015 – New-CsFirmware.v1.9.zip

v1.8 – 02-08-2015 – New-CsFirmware.v1.8.zip

v1.7 – 05-20-2014 – New-CsFirmware.v1.7.zip

v1.6 – 02-08-2014 – New-CsFirmware.v1.6.zip

v1.5 – 09-09-2013 – New-CsFirmware.v1.5.zip

v1.4 – 05-10-2013 – New-CsFirmware.v1.4.zip

v1.3 – 10-17-2012 – New-CsFirmware.v1.3.zip

v1.2 – 08-17-2012 – New-CsFirmware.v1.2.zip

v1.1 – 07-10-2012 – New-CsFirmware.v1.1.zip

v1.0 – 06-30-2012 – New-CsFirmware.v1.0.zip

Changelog

See the changelog for this script for a list of what’s changed in each version

The Lync team has released the June 2012 updates for Lync Server 2010 and related products. Here are some of the details:

2493736 Cumulative Updates for Lync Server 2010 – June 2012

Highlights

1. 2703311 The Activity Feeds tab or the Phone tab is displayed unexpectedly in Lync 2010
2. 2703316 Incorrect data is displayed in the Response Group Call List report in Lync Server 2010
3. 2703318 Lync 2010 is in an unmuted state when the meeting organizer tries to join an online meeting
4. 2703320 You cannot paste text enclosed in <fieldset> HTML tags from a web browser to a Lync 2010 conversation window

KBs

Lync Server 2010

1. 2701663 Core Components
2. 2701659 Conferencing Attendant
3. 2710559 Web Components Server
4. 2701585 Standard/Enterprise Edition Server
5. 2708616 Web Conferencing Server
6. 2708617 Mobility Service

Use the cumulative update installer, called LyncServerUpdateInstaller.exe to view and install the needed updates. That update can be downloaded here

Clients

1. 2701664 Lync 2010 (32-bit)
2. 2701664 Lync 2010 (64-bit)
3. 2496326 Attendant Console
4. 2709412 iPad
5. 2721062 iPhone
6. 2716895 Android

Phone Edition

1. 2701671 Polycom CX500, CX600, CX3000
2. 2724545 Polycom CX700, LG-Nortel 8540
3. 2701667 Aastra 6721ip, 6725ip
4. 2701670 HP 4110, 4120

For information on updating Lync Phone Edition devices, see Jeff Schertz’s article Updating Lync Phone Edition Devices

Group Chat

1. 2701665 Client
2. 2707265 Administration Tool

Installation

Note: Pay close attention to the installation notes listed on the summary page. They include manual tasks that must be followed after installing the updates on Lync servers.