Automatic Device Updates

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 will reach end of support on January 9, 2018. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Topic Last Modified: 2013-06-26

Maintaining client-side hardware with the latest software updates can be a challenge to organizations. Although there are a variety of update solutions, such as Windows Update, for client personal computers, other devices need to be kept up to date as well. In general, hardware manufacturers are a good source of information and assistance with updates.

If your organization deploys Microsoft Communicator 2007 R2 Phone Edition and the Microsoft RoundTable conferencing device, the unified communications devices supported by Office Communications Server 2007 R2, these devices will require regular maintenance, which includes providing software updates, by your IT department. A software update might consist of the latest enhancements or it can fix an issue in the version currently deployed on the device. An update can also deliver a new version of the device operating system. It is important that your organization’s unified communications devices receive these updates on a regular basis to maintain security and proper functioning.

You can automate the update process for Communicator 2007 R2 Phone Edition and RoundTable devices by using Device Update Service. Office Communications Server 2007 R2 provides significant enhancements to the previous version of Device Update Service (previously called Software Update Service), including simplified deployment and management.

As software updates become available for either of these unified communications devices, administrators download the updates from the Microsoft Web site. Administrators can then test the updates and decide whether to approve them for their organization’s unified communications devices. The unified communications devices are programmed to check Device Update Service for approved updates periodically, every 24 hours or whenever the device starts up. When an approved update is available, it is automatically installed while the device is not in use. If necessary, administrators can also roll back updates that have been installed to devices, restoring them to previous versions. Device Update Service stores device logs and update logs that administrators can use to track updates and devices and troubleshoot any problems.

For details about Communicator Phone Edition and the RoundTable device, see Conferencing Devices and Telephony Devices. For details about deploying Device Update Service, see Device Update Service.