The SMART Room System for Microsoft Lync is SMART’s solution for Microsoft’s Lync Room System (https://blogs.technet.com/b/lync/archive/2013/02/19/the-lync-room-system-lrs.aspx). As any other Lync 2013 client, it consumes bandwidth that can be controlled, managed and administered by the Lync 2013 infrastructure.

Lync Room System is very similar to the regular Lync 2013 desktop client, except for the following caveats:

• Audio Codec: G.722 stereo
• Lync P2P video calls to/from LRS start in full screen mode on LRS screen (UI suppression), which kicks 720p or 1080p (default) from the very start of the meeting
• Dual screen LRS might go for even higher resolutions since video tiles are distributed on both screens (gallery view). LRS could be receiving a real estate of 240p per Lync 2013 client being displayed.

Keeping in mind the guidance of Lync Media Traffic (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj688118.aspx) and Lync 2013 Networking Guide (https://blogs.technet.com/b/nexthop/archive/2013/06/04/lync-server-2013-networking-guide-network-planning-monitoring-and-troubleshooting-with-microsoft-lync-server.aspx) , we can estimate the approximate bandwidth usage of the SRS:

Media	Scenario	Codec	Typical bandwidth + RTCP
Audio	P2P, Conferencing	G.722 Stereo	73.1 kbps + 5 kbps
Video	1920x1080 (16:9)	H.264	3,200 kbps + 10 kbps

Now this is only taking into account audio and video feeds, but we also need to add content sharing or application sharing if it’s being used (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg425781%28v=ocs.14%29.aspx):

Media	Typical
Application sharing using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)	434 kbps sent per sharer
Application Sharing Capacity Planning for Persistent Shared Object Model (PSOM) Applications	Sent per sharer: 713.57 kbps Received per viewer: 552.92 kbps

Sample Typical Scenario of SRS presenting Whiteboard

Important note:

This is a sample scenario and depicts these specific assumptions:

• All are Lync 2013 clients
• 5 Lync 2013 clients in meeting, plus the SRS
• All Lync 2013 desktop clients are sending typical H.264 1080p video (3,200 kbps) and G.722 (46.1 kbps) to the server
• We won’t take into account the bandwidth consumption upload and download of the Whiteboard at the beginning of the meeting, but only when the meeting has already started and participants are fully engaged.

These are sample values, your own scenarios will vary depending on how your Lync conferencing policies and Call Admission Control is set up, therefore you should consider the following to have a great meeting room experience:

• Microsoft uses Quality of Experience for all Lync video/audio/web calls, therefore the bandwidth consumption in all calls is dynamic. (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=6412). That means that a call that started consuming x kbps may consume less or more (adjusting dynamically) during the meeting without the end users knowing it’s being adjusted. Lync client doesn’t go below the minimum and doesn’t go beyond the maximum thresholds depicted in the Networking Guide and Media Traffic guide (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj688118.aspx)
• The only way to “control the dynamism” of Lync QoE is to establish conferencing policies and CAC (Call Admission Control) in Lync Server to audio and video, which would enable you to “cap” the max used for audio and video. Lync conferencing policies can be applied to any Lync client, including the LRS client. Note that Lync Conferencing Policies in Lync Server can be complemented with QoS policies as well.

Guidance and resources on how to do this can be found here:

• Configuring video bandwidth in Lync: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj204842.aspx
• Video sample scenarios: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj205297.aspx
• Controlling video bandwidth: https://masteringlync.com/2013/02/05/controlling_video_bandwidth/
• Overview of CAC (Call Admission Control): https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398529.aspx
• Managing QoS in Lync Server 2013: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg405409.aspx 

• Enabling external users to download meeting content for your meetings.
• Enabling external users to expand distribution groups.
• Enabling remote users to download files from the Address Book service.
• Accessing the Lync Web App client.
• Accessing the Dial-in Conferencing Settings webpage.
• Accessing the Location Information service.
• Enabling external devices to connect to Device Update web service and obtain updates.
• Enabling mobile applications to automatically discover and use the mobility (Mcx) URLs from the Internet.
• Enabling the Lync 2013 client, Lync Windows Store app and Lync 2013 Mobile client to locate the Lync Discover (autodiscover) URLs and use Unified Communications Web API (UCWA).

On Sept. 12, 2012, Microsoft announced changes to the roadmaps of several Forefront products, including the discontinuation of Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) 2010.  Microsoft will continue to provide maintenance and support for Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) 2010 through Dec.31, 2015. This announcement of course, has spanned off 3rd parties to step in, even Microsoft with a plain Windows 2008 R2 SP1 box to address the gap.

With this announcement, there are several changes that have been taken into consideration:

• A “Reverse Proxy” section in the Infrastructure qualified for Microsoft Lync has been included. The following solutions are listed:
• Internet Information Services Application Request Routing  (IIS ARR), more info here.
• Even though becoming a dead end, Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) 2010, more info here.
• F5 has posted a solution, more info here.
• Kemp has a solution, great article here.

From the inception of the “Plus CAL” in Lync 2010, there has been another radical change in Lync licensing now that 2013 is out:

There is no distinction for server licensing now, in other words, no more Standard or Enterprise version of the server, it’s now a single server license.  Still you have to buy a server license for every front-end only.

For Client Access Licenses, the same are still valid:

Enterprise and Plus CALs are additive to the Standard CAL. The Standard CAL can also be obtained from buying an EA Core CAL. You still need the client license (Lync bits/software) which can be bought either standalone or in Office Professional Plus.

There are many considerations that come around if Wi-Fi should be used for real-time communications. I’ve always been very skeptical and haven’t had a “seamless” experience unless I’m the only one using the access point.

Microsoft has taken the time to drill-down into extending customers certain guidelines such as deployment considerations, what issues affect Wi-Fi, among other subjects that can be addressed. The whitepaper can be downloaded from here, and you can find a summary of what it’s about in the NextHop blog.

Also, Aruba has been recently certified for delivering a Wi-Fi solution for Microsoft UC. You can find more information here.

I recently became certified as a Lync 2010 Microsoft Certified Master, certification that encompasses a very in-depth and challenging training that I would say in a few words: has humbled me in the Microsoft UC world.

You can find more information on the web regarding the program here.

I will be posting experiences, tips, tricks, and stuff that my team of consultants and myself find useful and that hope will give you guys a hand in making the most out of the tool.

Regards,

Ramon

My virtual card.

Describe el análisis de Gartner acerca de cómo se sitúan ciertas empresas respecto de unos criterios de mercado previamente definidos por Gartner.

Cabe recalcar que Gartner no apoya a ninguna empresa, producto o servicio que figura en el Cuadrante Mágico y no aconseja a los usuarios elegir sólo entre aquellas empresas situadas en el cuadrante de “Líderes”, tan solo pretende ser una herramienta de investigación y en ningún caso una guía que lleve a la acción.

El último publicado por Gartner es el de septiembre del 2009:

Los pueden encontrar en el sitio de Gartner.com, en este link.

• Protección
• Archivación de correo
• Acceso desde cualquier lado
• Nuevo voice mail
• Sobrecarga en el buzón
• Disponibilidad

la cual pueden bajar desde Scribd, haciendo clic en la imagen siguiente:

Información acerca de proyectos de migración, me pueden contactar por el blog.

Para finalizar los invito a que visiten el sitio de la empresa para la cual laboro, Integration Technologies Corp., Voice Partner de Microsoft, haciendo clic en:

Ventajas nuevas de Exchage 2010:

• Incremento en el tamaño de los buzones
• Facilidad para hacer movimiento de buzones entre servidores, para lo que son migraciones o actualizaciones
• Se mejora la búsqueda entre múltiples buzones y la parte de descubrimiento
• Al fin: se puede tener alta disponibilidad real en solo 2 servidores con todos los roles!
• Acceso por medio de roles para los administradores

Link para bajar Exchange 2010, aquí.

Conéctate el sitio de Technet para ver el asistente de implementación:

Este asistente te guía para implementar Exchange 2010 en tu organización. El asistente lo puedes encontrar aquí.

Más información en: https://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010

Para finalizar los invito a que visiten el sitio de la empresa para la cual laboro, Integration Technologies Corp., Voice Partner de Microsoft, haciendo clic en:

Ahora se introduce el concepto de Database Availability Group, lo cual es:

• Nueva plataforma unificada para alta disponibilidad, recuperación de desastres y respaldos
• Evolución de tecnología de replicación continua
• Brinda redundancia completa de los roles de Exchange en tan pocos como dos servidores
• Permite que cada base de datos tenga hasta 16 copias

Se pueden tener replicadas las bases de datos en múltiples servidores, y los servidores de Acceso al Cliente se encargan de dirigir al usuario final.

Además:

• Es fácil agregar alta disponibilidad a una implementación existente
• La configuración de disponibilidad es posterior a la implementación
• Los servidores de buzones de alta disponibilidad pueden albergar otros roles de servidor

Ahora se puede tener un par de servidores con todos los roles, pues ya no se tiene el concepto de cluster en los servidores de buzones, lo cual nos obligaba en Exchange 2007 a sacar los roles de Hub, CAS y UM fuera del cluster.

Esto nos permite:

• Los usuarios se mantienen en línea mientras sus buzones de correo son movidos entre servidores.
• Envío de mensajes
• Recepción de mensajes
• Acceso completo al buzón
• Los administradores pueden ejecutar migraciones y mantenimiento durante horas regulares.

Más información en: https://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010

Para finalizar los invito a que visiten el sitio de la empresa para la cual laboro, Integration Technologies Corp., Voice Partner de Microsoft, haciendo clic en:

El concepto de “conectar” OCS y las nubes de mensajería instantánea se le denomina Federación. En pocas palabras, yo puedo agregar contactos de Windows Live, Yahoo! y AOL en mi cliente Office Communicator, cuando tengo federada mi organización de OCS 2007. Además para obtener esta funcionalidad se debía pagar una tarifa plana por usuario de $1 por mes, licencia conocida como PIC (Public IM Connectivity).

A partir del 1ero de julio del 2009:

- La licencia LCS PIC (Live Communications Server PIC) se renombra a Office Communications Server PIC (OCS PIC).

- Clientes con el OCS 2007 R2 Standard CAL u Office Communications Server 2007/Live Communications Server 2005 SP1 Standard CAL con Software Assurance no necesitarán una licencia adicional para poder federarse con Windows Live.

- Siempre se necesitará una licencia para la federación con AOL y Yahoo!

- Al tener federación con Windows Live, los clientes podrán agregar contactos de Windows Live a su lista de contactos en Office Communicator, ver el estado presencia y enviar/recibir mensajes instantáneos.

Más información en:

https://www.microsoft.com/communicationsserver/en/us/public-im-connectivity.aspx

Para finalizar los invito a que visiten el sitio de la empresa para la cual laboro, Integration Technologies Corp., Voice Partner de Microsoft, haciendo clic en: