Lync 2010 Integration
Topic Last Modified: 2012-10-14
This topic details how Microsoft Lync 2010 integrates with the following versions of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Exchange Server:
Microsoft Office 2010 suites
Microsoft Office 2007 suites
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Note
Microsoft Outlook 2003 with the latest service pack and earlier versions of Exchange are compatible with Lync 2010 but do not support the full degree of integration described in this topic. For details, see Lync 2010 Compatibility.
Integrating Lync and Office provides users with in-context access to the instant messaging (IM), enhanced presence, telephony, and conferencing capabilities of Lync.
Office users can access Lync features from within the Microsoft Outlook messaging and collaboration client and other Office programs or from a SharePoint Server page. Users can also view a record of Lync conversations in the Outlook Conversation History folder.
This topic provides details about:
Planning for integration between Lync, Outlook, and other Office programs.
Exchange Server interfaces that are used by Lync and Outlook to access and update shared information.
In-band provisioning settings that you can use to control the level of Lync integration with Outlook.
Lync integration with other Office programs.
Suggestions for avoiding common Lync integration issues.
Planning for Lync 2010 Integration
Review the following configuration issues to ensure that you have everything required for integration between Lync and other Office programs:
Configure integration between Microsoft Lync Server 2010 and Exchange Server.
Review the integration features that can be configured during Lync deployment by using in-band server settings. For details, see the "Controlling Outlook and Exchange Integration" section later in this topic.
Note that you don’t have to do a separate installation of the Online Meeting Add-in for Microsoft Lync 2010. It is installed automatically at the same time as Lync.
In organizations that have more than one version of Communicator or Office installed, review the compatibility tables in Lync 2010 Compatibility.
Review the list of suggestions for preventing common integration errors in the "Common Lync 2010 and Outlook Integration Issues" section later in this topic.
For integration with Office 2007 to work correctly, you might need to install an update to Outlook 2007. For details about the Outlook update, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 936864, "Description of the 2007 Office hotfix package" at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=3052&kbid=936864.
Integration and Exchange Server
To support Lync integration, both Lync and Outlook read and write information directly to Exchange Server. This section discusses the Exchange Server interfaces used by Lync and Outlook.
To display information about a contact in an email message, Outlook first looks for the contact’s SIP address locally and then makes a remote procedure call (RPC) to Exchange Server if required. During a single Outlook session, the number of RPC calls decreases as more SIP addresses are cached.
In Lync, the integration features that use either MAPI or Exchange Web Services (EWS) to make calls directly to the Exchange Server are as follows:
Access conversation history and voice mail
Play back voice mail message
Display free/busy information and working hours
Display meeting subject, time, and location
Display Out of Office status and note
Exchange contact sync
Search Outlook personal contacts
Note
Outlook 2007 makes RPC calls to resolve SIP addresses only if the Display online status next to a person name option is selected. To view this option in Outlook 2007, on the Tools menu, click Options, click Other, and then look under Person Names.
In Outlook 2010, on the File tab, click Options, click Contacts, and then look under Online status and photographs.
Exchange Server Communication Interfaces
The following table describes the communication interfaces that Lync uses to access and update features shared with Outlook. Exchange Server calls are made either directly, through EWS or MAPI, or indirectly, through the Outlook Object Model.
Exchange Server Communication Interfaces Used by Lync 2010
| Communication interface | Function |
|---|---|
Outlook Object Model |
Send email message Schedule a meeting Open voice mail folder Open the Conversation History folder |
MAPI only |
Communicate with Exchange delegates |
EWS (persistent subscription) if available, otherwise MAPI |
Create the Conversation History folder Handle voice mail notifications Handle missed Conversation notifications Read Contacts folder Find related conversations Open contact card Create a personal Outlook contact Open voice mail Write contacts (on demand) (EWS and Exchange Server 2010 SP1 only) Write Conversation History items (on demand) |
EWS only (persistent subscription) |
Read or delete Conversation History items Read or delete voice mail items |
EWS (polling) if available, otherwise MAPI |
Read free/busy times Read Out of Office message |
EWS only (polling) |
Read working hours information Handle Exchange contact sync |
Publishing Free Busy Information
A Lync user cannot access another user’s availability and schedule directly, so free/busy and Out of Office details are published as part of a contact’s extended presence information. This works as follows:
On User A’s computer, Lync uses EWS calls to determine the user’s own free/busy and Out of Office status.
Lync then updates User A’s enhanced presence data with this information.
Other Lync and Office users can now view User A’s schedule details and Out of Office status, if applicable.
The availability of free/busy and Out of Office information about a contact is also controlled by a user’s privacy relationship settings. For details, see Lync 2010 New Features in the Getting Started documentation.
Note
If EWS is not available, Lync 2010 uses MAPI to obtain free/busy information.
Controlling Outlook and Exchange Integration
All the Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2007 integration features are enabled by default but can be controlled individually from within Lync or through Lync Server 2010 in-band policies.
The following table lists the in-band server policies that you can use to enable or disable individual integration features either during deployment or later, as part of a maintenance or upgrade cycle.
For details about configuring Lync users and settings, see Overview of Client Policies and Settings. For details about the policies described in the following table, see New-CsClientPolicy or Set-CsClientPolicy in the Operations documentation.
Outlook and Exchange Integration Policies
| Policy | Description |
|---|---|
CalendarStatePublicationInterval |
Specifies the amount of time, in seconds, that Lync waits before retrieving calendar information from Outlook and adding this data to your presence information. |
DisableCalendarPresence |
Disables the loading of free or busy data from Outlook. |
DisableFreeBusyInfo |
Prevents Lync from displaying Outlook information about free/busy states to other contacts. |
DisableMeetingSubjectAndLocation |
Prevents Lync from publishing the subject and location information of a meeting. This value is not used if DisableCalendarPresence is set or if the Update my status based on calendar data option is not set. |
DisableOnlineContextualSearch |
When set to True, disables the Find Previous Conversations menu option that appears when you right-click a user in your Contacts list. |
DisablePresenceNote |
Prevents users from selecting or clearing of the corresponding user setting, and disables retrieval of the Outlook Out of Office message. |
EnableCallLogAutoArciving |
Controls the automatic saving of information about incoming and outgoing phone calls. When set to False, the corresponding user dialog box setting is unavailable. |
EnableExchangeContactSync |
When set to True (the default value), Lync creates a corresponding personal contact in Outlook for each person on a user’s Lync Contacts list. |
EnableExchangeDelegateSync |
When set to True, enables delegates that a user has configured in Exchange to schedule meetings for that user. |
EnableIMAutoArchiving |
Controls automatic archiving of instant messages to the Outlook Conversation History folder. When set to False, the corresponding user setting is unavailable, but users can still manually save individual conversations. |
ExcludedContactFolders |
Indicates which Outlook contact folders (if any) should not be searched any time Lync searches for new contacts. |
MAPIPollInterval |
For users of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, specifies how often Lync retrieves calendar data from the Exchange public folders. |
WebServicePollInterval |
For users of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and later versions of the product, specifies how often Lync retrieves calendar data from EWS. |
Many aspects of Lync and Outlook integration are controlled by Outlook and not by Lync Server. The following new Outlook 2010 integration features, which appear when Lync is present, are examples of this:
New contact card with expanded options, such as video call and desktop sharing
Quick search from the Find a Contact field in Outlook
Reply with an instant message or call from the Outlook Home ribbon in the Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks folders
Lync Contacts list in the Outlook To-Do Bar
Some Office-based integration features can be controlled by using Office Group Policy objects (GPOs). For details, see “Determine which features to enable or customize in Outlook 2010” at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=201591 or “Office Customization Tool in the 2007 Office system” at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=201599.
Integration with Office Programs
The Office Sharing Add-in for Lync adds collaboration and sharing features to Microsoft Word word-processing program, Microsoft PowerPoint presentation graphics program presentation graphics program, and Microsoft Excel. The add-in is installed automatically on computers where Office 2010 or Office 2007 is also installed. The add-in is not compatible with Microsoft Office 2003.
The sharing add-in allows Office 2010 or Office 2007 users to initiate a Lync collaboration or IM session from within an Office file. The table describes the added options.
Lync 2010 Collaboration Features in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
In Office 2010, click the File tab, and then click Send by Instant Message. In Office 2007 and Office 2010, click the Review tab, and then click Send by IM. |
Initiates an IM session with the contacts the user chooses. The document the user is working on is included as an attachment, and changes or feedback must be incorporated manually. |
In Office 2010, click the File tab, and then click Share Document Window. In Office 2007 and Office 2010, click Share Now. |
Initiates a program sharing session with the contacts the user chooses. Others can view the document the user is working on (but not your desktop) and request permission to make changes. |
Two additional Lync integration features are specific to Office 2010:
File tab presence (click Info, and then look under Related People)
Availability menu in Microsoft Office SharePoint Workspace 2010 (formerly Microsoft Office Groove 2007)
Integration with SharePoint Server
With Lync and Microsoft SharePoint Server integration, Lync users can do the following:
Use the Skill view, in Lync search results, to search Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 My Site pages for people with specific skills or expertise
Access their SharePoint Server 2010 My Site profile page from the Lync - Options dialog box
On a SharePoint Server page, view a user’s Lync presence indicator and its associated menu or contact card
Configuring Lync 2010 Skill Search
When you configure Lync Skill Search, users can search SharePoint Server 2010 My Site pages for names, keywords, or specific skills. You can also add a link at the bottom of the Lync search results window that opens the search results in SharePoint.
To configure Lync 2010 Skill Search
Use the cmdlet New-CsClientPolicy or Set-CsClientPolicy with the SPSearchExternalURL and SPSearchInternalURL parameters.
Use Grant-CsClientPolicy to assign the new policy or policies to users.
When you define at least one of the parameters, the Skill button appears in the Lync main window as soon as a user begins typing in the search box.
Note
For a consistent user experience, users outside the firewall see the Skill button even if you defined only an internal SharePoint URL. If the SharePoint Server cannot be accessed, an appropriate error message appears.
To add or remove a SharePoint link in the Skill Search results
Use the cmdlet New-CsClientPolicy or Set-CsClientPolicy with the SPSearchCenterExternalURL and SPSearchCenterInternalURL parameters.
Use Grant-CsClientPolicy to assign the new policy or policies to users.
Depending on the user’s location, SPSearchCenterExternalURL and SPSearchCenterInternalURL add a link to the bottom of the Skill Search results that says, “View results in SharePoint…” Users can click the link and then refine their search results by using the advanced search capabilities of SharePoint Server.
For details about configuring Skill Search and adding a SharePoint Server link to the search results, see New-CsClientPolicy, Set-CsClientPolicy, and Grant-CsClientPolicy in the Operations documentation.
Adding a My Site Link to the Lync - Options Dialog Box
If your organization supports pictures in Lync, you can provide users with a link that allows them to change their default corporate picture on SharePoint Server 2010 My Site. The link appears in Lync, in the My Picture options.
To add or remove the My Site link
Use the cmdlet New-CsClientPolicy or Set-CsClientPolicy with the ShowSharepointPhotoEditLink parameter.
Use Grant-CsClientPolicy to assign the policy to users.
For details about adding a My Site link to the My Picture options, see New-CsClientPolicy, Set-CsClientPolicy, and Grant-CsClientPolicy in the Operations documentation.
Viewing Lync 2010 Presence in SharePoint
Users must have Office 2010, Office 2007, or Microsoft Office 2003 with the latest service pack installed to view extended presence information on a SharePoint Server page.
To display the presence indicator and its associated contact card (in Office 2010) or menu (in Office 2007 and Office 2003), SharePoint uses the Microsoft ActiveX control name.dll. The ActiveX control makes calls directly to the Microsoft Lync 2010 API, and then Lync makes MAPI or Exchange calls to supply the requested information.
For details about how presence is displayed on a SharePoint Server page, see "How to add presence/pawn to SharePoint contacts list" on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=147181.
Smart Tags in Office 2007 and Office 2003
For the presence button and menu to appear next to (or above) a contacts name in Microsoft Office Word 2007, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, or Microsoft Office Excel 2003, smart tags must be enabled.
For details about how to enable smart tags from within Word or Excel, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 300950, "How to troubleshoot custom Smart Tags in Office," at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?linkid=3052&kbid=300950.
For details about how to do large-scale customization of end-user settings in your organization by using Office 2007 Group Policy settings, see "Group Policy overview (2007 Office system)" at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=147185.
Note
Smart tags are supported in Microsoft Word 2010 but do not appear with the dotted purple underline present in previous versions of Word. Microsoft Excel 2010 does not support smart tags.
Common Lync 2010 and Outlook Integration Issues
This section lists some common configuration issues that might prevent Lync integration with Outlook from working as expected.
In organizations that have Office 2010, Office 2007 or Office 2003 installed, verify that you have deployed the most current version of the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formats. You can download "Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats” from the Microsoft Download Center at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=147186.
Check that end-user integration settings in both Outlook and Lync, which are generally enabled by default when Lync is installed, are set correctly:
In Outlook, verify that the Display online status next to a name option is selected by doing one of the following:
-To view this option in Outlook 2007, on the Tools menu, click Options, click Other, and then look under Person Names.
-To view this option in Outlook 2010, click the File tab, click Options, click Contacts, and then look under Online status and photographs.
In Lync, verify that Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Outlook is selected as the user’s personal information manager.