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Enhanced features of Lync SDN Interface 2.1.1

Applies to: Lync 2010 | Lync 2013 | Lync Server 2010 | Lync Server 2013

The Lync SDN Interface 2.1.1 updates features that are specific to certain configuration settings. These updates:

  • Enable the network to identify the media streams.
  • Communicate updates of the call state and quality data of the media streams as well as endpoints.
  • Provide information about correlations among calls and external users.
  • Optionally, add more insight about SDP content provision, early forewarning with Invites, and errors at the SIP signaling level.

Note

For clarity, the "new" features discussed in this article reflect from version 2.0 and 2.1 and 2.1.1; they are not new in the interval between versions 2.1 and 2.1.1.

New and updated setting-specific behaviors

Feature Name

Description

Bandwidth

The Bandwidth block provides a rough upper and average estimate on the bandwidth this stream might use. This is a weighted calculation from the codecs used. Most importantly, Bandwidth is set to 0 if the stream is on hold. Furthermore, an attribute in this tag will indicate whether this stream (in this case rather a channel) contains in fact several multiplexed streams showing multiple participants in a video conference scenario.

IncallEnabled

This field indicates whether the Lync client should be sending In-call QoE reports. This field is derived from the UserAgent and currently the Lync Server as well as the Lync SDN components have no way to find out whether a Lync client actually has it activated.

StreamQuality

Summarizes the quality of the stream based on other factors than MOS. This field can have three values, which describe the quality level: Good, Poor, and Bad. The particular level of a stream is determined from various sources:

  • The Media Stack on the Lync client. The Lync client uses a sophisticated algorithm taking particular metrics, thresholds, and the healer component (which attempts to overcome issues introduced by the network) into account and reports this quality level in most InCallQuality reports.

  • The LSM uses thresholds defined by the QoE determination and maintained in the QoEMetrics Lync Back-end database to calculate the StreamQuality. These thresholds are configuration settings for the LSM (see Configuring LSM using the configuration file) and might be updated from a QoEMetrics database by using the SDNManager.exe command line options (see Configuring LSM using command prompt).

EPType (Endpoint Type)

If set to "LRS", it indicates that an end-point is a Lync Room System. As video conference rooms are usually considered higher priority this flag enables a special characterization of such stream. (This information is determined from the UserAgent.)

SourcePool

As connection information this field describes the Lync/Skype pool on which the call is handled and originated these messages. This info should enable network controllers to locate the Lync pool as well as identify a back-end and access the Lync Server QoEMetrics database for additional details.

DSCPInbound/DSCPOutbound

These fields describe for an endpoint the DSCP (WMM) value used for outgoing streams as well as the DSCP value received on inbound streams.

Other

Miscellaneous fields related to the end points to describe the capturing device (usually a microphone), rendering device (usually a speaker), Wifi device, OS and CPU as well as additional network related info such as the MAC address.

New and updated behaviors for version 2.1.1

Following are features and behaviors that have been added or updated in the Lync SDN Interface between versions 2.1 and 2.1.1

  • Disaster failover configuration for LSM pools
  • Reporting on mediabypass PSTN calls that were ignored before
  • Support for Skype for Business vNext and automatic activation of IncallQuality messages in vNext
  • For additional updates, please see the Release Notes.

See also