The Polycom CX700 phone ships with version 7577.4100 of the Lync Phone Edition operating system. It’s an older version, from OCS days.

You can still use this phone with Lync Server 2010 and 2013, by installing the latest version of Lync Phone Edition.

However, attempting to upgrade it via the direct route fails. Turns out there’s an error in its upgrade path.

We encountered this error, and after some online research plus talking to Microsoft, came to the solution. Here it is, for your future reference!

The Problem: CX700 Won’t Allow Upgrades OR Login

Like all Polycom phones, the CX700′s OS is upgradeable. We found out about the latest version of Lync Phone Edition, Cumulative Update 7 (CU7). Hey, new version! Let’s upgrade!

Except we couldn’t. We tried logging into the phone for upgrading…and failed. The phone stalled, eventually giving us a Certificate Authentication Error.

Why would the phone resist upgrading? Were we missing a setting? Did we have the wrong process?

Time to find out. To the Internet!

The Solution: CX700 Requires CU5 Before CU7

Thanks to a call to Microsoft and one of Jeff Schertz’s excellent blog posts, we discovered the problem. It’s an error between version upgrades of Lync Phone Edition. Microsoft has not listed this error on their websites, but they will confirm the error exists if asked.

In order to upgrade to CU7, you must first install a prior update, Cumulative Update (CU5). Once CU5 is installed, the CX700 will recognize CU7 as a valid upgrade path for its OS, and the install will go through.

Jeff Schertz, a Lync Server MVP and blogger at http://Blog.Schertz.Name, has posted an explanation and workaround for the CU5-to-CU7 upgrade issue:
Lync Phone Edition CU6 Upgrade Issues – Jeff Schertz’s Blog

(His post discusses upgrading to CU6. The same process can be used for CU7.)

You must manually install CU5 to the phone, and verify its certificate, before attempting to install CU7. The steps for doing are listed in “Workaround” on the above-linked blog post.

(Using this process, you can even skip upgrading to CU6 and use CU7 instead.)

CU5 Not Available for Download at Microsoft; Download the Update File Below

Lync Phone Edition CU7 is available from Microsoft Support. However, Microsoft does not have CU5 posted on their Downloads site anymore! If you search for it, you will find a CU5 KB page. But clicking Download will give you a copy of CU7 instead.

Unfortunately, this is standard Microsoft practice. But it leaves all of us in the lurch on these phones!

Jeff Schertz again came to the rescue. He posted the CU5 download file (in .cab format) on his blog. In order to continue the goodwill, we’re offering the same file for download here:
UCUpdates_tanjay_CU5.cab

So there you have it. Download Lync Phone Edition CU5, install it on your CX700s following the Schertz procedure, and THEN you can upgrade the phones to CU7. It’s a workaround, yes. But for now, it does accomplish the goal.

Have you upgraded your Lync-enabled phones? How’d it go?

Cisco and Avaya, two major VoIP system providers (among other things) are criticizing Lync Server 2010/2013. And not just for missing one thing – it’s an outright attack.

They’re saying Lync is not suitable for full-time use. Microsoft doesn’t supply all the infrastructure elements needed to run it, causing too much complexity and producing an unreliable product.

The objections are documented in a NetworkWorld article titled, Unified communications Battle Royale: Cisco, Avaya feel the heat from Microsoft Lync. I think “feeling the heat” is apt – because it sounds like Cisco and Avaya are suffering from a serious case of sour grapes.

I’m a bit late to the party here – the smear campaign began in late February – but examination of these criticisms is still fair game. Let’s go through the issues Cisco and Avaya are jabbing at Lync with.

The Strategy: Tear Down Instead of Innovate

The attack takes the form of an online campaign + a white paper from Cisco, with Avaya chiming in. They’re attacking several points about Lync Server, from voice & video reliability to total deployment cost.

The white paper is available at Cisco.com: Key Considerations when Evaluating an Enterprise Collaboration Solution
Links to other campaign efforts are in the NetworkWorld article above.

The white paper is even in tone. But it’s definitely more of a push against Microsoft’s Lync than neutral advisory on Unified Communications.

The entire issue with this campaign is: They’re attacking competition, instead of examining your own product for improvements you can make.

When was the last time we heard of Cisco innovating? I don’t know of anything really impressive lately.

This is an old, old tactic. And one that has a terrible track record. Yet it’s pulled out almost every time companies want a competitor to go away.

Now Avaya, I kind of like their VoIP. They have a good-quality product. We actually haven’t replaced many Avaya systems with Lync yet…their customers like what they have. Great. No problem here.

So I don’t quite understand why Avaya’s jumping on Cisco’s bandwagon. If your product IS solid and well-supported, then it’s just a competition in the marketplace. Something we ALL have to do.

“Limitations” of Lync, and Why The Objections are Hollow

Let me address a few of the points Cisco and Avaya make in their campaign. From one perspective, they might be considered negatives.

Of course, they might be applied to Cisco and Avaya too. Or maybe they’re just options made available to customers. We’ll see.

Cisco (from the article): “Microsoft doesn’t provide phones, video endpoints, voice and video gateways, networking and cloud PSTN connections – leaving customers to find them elsewhere, increasing cost and complexity to implement, manage and troubleshoot Lync installations.”

Maybe this is intentional? Microsoft doesn’t try to take on all of that, leaving the choice up to service partners and clients? They get to choose which providers for things like SIP and cloud hosting, maybe saving money in the process?

(Full disclosure: PlanetMagpie is one of those service partners. We make several provider options available to Lync Server clients. We tested all of them ourselves, so we could recommend appropriate providers to the right size companies. This way smaller firms only pay for the bandwidth they need.)

Cisco (from the white paper): In attacking what it sees as Microsoft’s strategy for Skype, Cisco says that Skype will evolve to run better on Microsoft’s own software than on others. They point to a statement from Steve Ballmer: “We always want Skype to be first and best on Windows.”

One could easily interpret this line to also mean that they want Skype to remain in its dominant position for Windows voice communications. The position it gained over years of great functionality, on its own before the acquisition. Maybe Microsoft just wants to keep that ball rolling? Who wouldn’t?

Avaya (from the article): “[Avaya] questions whether Lync is resilient enough to provide 99.999% uptime for telephony services, long the industry standard among telecom carriers, says Vincenzo Signore, vice president of marketing.”

This is a dodge. The Lync Server software IS perfectly capable of 99.999% uptime. However, because Lync’s setup brings in other elements such as networking and gateways, Lync cannot be expected to muscle each of these into 99.999% uptime all day every day. It’s perfectly reasonable to want full uptime from VoIP hardware – and we take every step in deployment to assure it.

But let’s face it. Glitches happen. A line goes down now & then. This happens in ALL voice & video networking…even Cisco’s and Avaya’s.

What’s this attack really about? Market Share, and they’re losing it

The NetworkWorld article is well worth a read. It has a lot to say, and more to link to.

My impression of Cisco and Avaya’s campaign? They’re scared, and they’re trying to discredit Lync before it eats into more of their market share. Lync is doing great–but rather than improve their own products to continue competition, they’re resorting to attack ads and mudslinging.

Problem is, when you sling mud, a lot of it ends up on you too.

Is Lync Server perfect? No. It’s still a younger piece of software, bound to have a few kinks and support issues. That’s okay. It gives us a HUGE assortment of communications tools in exchange.

I’ll end this post by paraphrasing a military saying: “If you’re catching flak, you’re over the target.”
Looks like Lync Server is definitely over the target!

Do you currently use Cisco or Avaya for your communications? What’s your experience been like?

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the Cloud Connect event in Santa Clara. They hold an Expo for 2 days (basic registration is free), workshops & conferences.

Now wait a second. Why would a Lync expert go to a Cloud Computing expo?

• I like to learn about the latest cloud services. Since Lync can run entirely on virtualized servers, hosting it in the cloud is a great way for companies to start using Lync without paying for lots of on-site hardware. (We’re already doing this via our own Private Cloud Service!) So it makes sense to be aware of the major players (and the upstarts) in the cloud arena. What they’re offering now, and what’s coming.
• Networking. Always good to meet up with fellow IT pros. Hear some stories, discuss trends. Sometimes I meet good partners for us, or I can point people in a useful direction (like here!).
• Prizes! Last year I won an iPad 2 from the OpSource booth (now Dimension Data). I figure that increases my odds of winning something this year too!

Results of Wandering in the Cloud (Connect)

Expos like Cloud Connect are prime example of sharing information via ALL channels. Lot of people are on twitter while moving through the expo (hashtag #cloudconnect). Networking took place in the lobby & the halls as well as the expo hall. There’s printed datasheets and transferred files aplenty.

This year, they had more discussion about PaaS and IaaS. Cloud providers have solidified their offerings in replacing on-site servers. With just a few of the exhibitors’ solutions, you could build an entire business network from email to desktop.

I went in with two main questions to answer:
“Where is Cloud going?” and
“How is the Lync Server awareness among the cloud crowd?”

These are the answers I came away with.

Where is cloud going?
Cloud is expanding its presence like crazy. The number of major players – Rackspace, VMWare, Citrix, OnApp – is only growing. What’s more, cloud providers are sharpening their focus. No longer is it just, “We host a cloud.”

Now it’s, “This is how our clouds are built, with your chosen elements in place. These options are customizable, we can host software in a hybrid deployment, and here’s some examples of how it’s done.”

Some of the exhibits had very specific software: Racemi, for example, offered software to automate migrations of server software into the cloud.

How was the general Lync Server awareness?
Actually quite low. Many of the exhibitors offered solutions for higher (OS, network routing) or lower (data storage) IT systems. Many of the solutions will accommodate Lync Server nicely – smart infrastructure management hardware from OpenGear, carrier-neutral data centers run by TelecityGroup in Europe.

The biggest issue was that many of these cloud providers didn’t support the necessary Microsoft software to host Lync!

In a way, I like that. It means many of these big cloud players are catering to one area of demand – non-Microsoft systems. Less competition for us! And there’s still plenty of solid development for cloud overall.

Big thanks to all the exhibitors with whom I spoke, and to Cloud Connect for putting this event on! Hmmm, wonder what I’ll win this year…
That’s all for this week, folks! Check back next time for more Lync how-to. I have a few write-ups in the works on issues with VoIP phones and Web App Server.

Did you go to Cloud Connect? What did you want to see there?

While updating our monthly newsletter, I came across a blog post that told me the release date for Exchange Server 2013 CU1. Finally!

If you’re a server administrator, chances are you’ve been waiting too. Good news – you only have to wait one more week.

What is CU1, and why are we waiting?

Short version is, CU1 enables coexistence with older versions of Exchange.

Microsoft released Exchange Server 2013 for new installations already. But in order for administrators to migrate user accounts from, let’s say Exchange 2010, you’d need two additional pieces of software:

• Exchange 2010 Service Pack 3 (SP3), and
• Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 1 (CU1).

The two pieces interlock, letting both Exchange Servers communicate back & forth.

We have 2010′s Service Pack 3 already. We’re waiting on 2013′s CU1.

When was CU1 expected?

Microsoft said they’d release in Q1 of this year. No specific date, just “1st Quarter”.

Since we’re at the end of March, Q1 is passing by. People have clamored for CU1, waiting patiently (and some not-so-patiently) for the update that will let them finally upgrade to Exchange Server 2013.

CU1′s Current Status: Release Planned for April 2

According to the Exchange Team Blog…
Exchange 2013 RTM CU1 Status – Exchange Team Blog
CU1 will release April 2nd. Next week.

They found an issue, and chose to delay release so they could fix it. Their reasoning is sound; if you find an error, fix it before releasing the product. That way you’re only burdening customers with a slight delay, not a configuration headache.

One of the post’s comments says that documentation for upgrading & coexistence with Exchange 2010 will be released the day after, April 3rd.

You’ll find both Cumulative Update 1 and its documentation (the next day) at the Microsoft Downloads Center.

We’re cautiously optimistic that we will indeed see CU1 RTM on the 2nd. If so, great–we have a few Exchange migrations waiting on it! I’m sure many of you are eagerly awaiting the release too. Let’s all hang on just a little bit longer.

If you’re preparing to install Exchange 2013, use this:
Now Available: Exchange Server 2013 Deployment Assistant – Exchange Team Blog
The Deployment Assistant will help you plot out instructions for deploying Exchange in your organization.

Please note, it’s limited in its current options to new installations. Right now, the deployment scenarios “Upgrade from Exchange 2007″ and “Upgrade from Exchange 2010″ are listed as Coming Soon. Hopefully they’ll arrive in time with CU1.

EDIT:  Exchange Server 2013 Cumulative Update 1 has been released, as of April 2nd. Released: Exchange Server 2013 RTM CU1 – Exchange Team Blog
However, the Exchange 2013 Deployment Assistant has not been updated as of today. Upgrade scenarios are not available (yet).

Next week I’ll have my annual field report from the Cloud Connect Expo in Santa Clara. Dozens of major vendors with new cloud services and products.  Are you attending? If so, look for me in a PlanetMagpie polo. I’d love to chat!

The other day, Larry and I sat down to install Lync Server 2013. Like all major server installs, complications arose during the process. We documented them, found solutions (either online, or through testing), and completed the setup. Lync Server 2013 now runs in our datacenter (yay!).

This post contains a full reference to the install process. Each post I wrote over the past few weeks, in sequence. Use these to guide your own Lync Server 2013 install.

I’ve included some comments below each link, so you’ll know what to expect.

How to Move to Lync Server 2013

Moving to Lync Server 2013: A Guide to the Installation Process
Before starting on a Lync Server 2013, prep your server hardware. Temporarily increasing RAM and disk space to the virtual servers (if you’re using Hyper-V) speeds up the install process.

Moving to Lync Server 2013: Starting the Install
Gather reference material before you start! These posts will help, as will a couple more links included here. First step, prepare Active Directory (and don’t rush).

Moving to Lync Server 2013: Creating a Lync Server Topology
We imported our existing Lync Server 2010 environment to speed up future migration. Next, setting feature options and server FQDNs in Topology Builder. Make sure you have proper file permissions set.

Moving to Lync Server 2013: Setup Lync Core Components
With a published topology, you can switch to the physical (or virtual) servers and install Lync’s core components. Then you’ll need to address certificate requests, which can get complicated.

Moving to Lync Server 2013: Build Out Mediation, Monitoring, Archiving and Edge
With core components in place, installing additional servers like Monitoring, Archiving, & Mediation are up. Pay special attention to Edge Server setup & configuration; you’ll need to address certificates for internal and external Edge.

Moving to Lync Server 2013: Error on the Front End
We encountered a major error with setting Edge certificates. But the problem didn’t reside in the Certificate Wizard…it was somewhere else. Thanks to a fix posted on Microsoft’s forums, we resolved the error and completed Edge setup.

Moving to Lync Server 2013: Adding Mobility and App Presentation
The last step for us? Installing Mobility Services and Web Apps Server. These are add-on capabilities for mobile Lync and presentations during conferences. Not required, but useful. And after a successful test, Lync Server 2013 is up and running!

Send Us Your Lync 2013 Stories!

Have you encountered issues with installing Lync Server 2013? Did you go about the install a different way? Send your stories in!

I’d love to share different Lync 2013 accounts. Or address quirks you’ve come across. Or both! Email me at chris.williams@planetmagpie.com, or leave a comment below.

We interrupt the “Moving to Lync Server 2013″ series for a special post!

At the end of last year, we were approached by a Microsoft vendor in Washington State. The vendor was contacting Lync subject matter experts (SMEs) to assist in developing the next Lync certification exam: Exam 74-338—Lync 2013 Depth Support Engineer.

Would we be interested in participating in this process? Well…sure!

I’m reporting on this now, because Robert, head of PlanetMagpie, is in Washington State this week, helping to create this Lync certification exam.

From what I understand, the exam will be given to individuals who support troubleshooting of Lync Server 2013 environments. Candidates are IT support consultants or telecommunications support pros, who provide support services for Unified Communications (UC) solutions.

Robert is drawing on expertise gained from years of working with Microsoft’s OCS/Lync software and on our latest Lync Server 2013 installs. The goal: Exam questions that have real-world applicability, and direct relevance to actual IT server environments.

Everyone taking this Lync exam in the future will need to study up. Robert’s scrutiny won’t make it any easier!

Thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys this blog. And a big thank you to the vendor who asked us to participate in creating the next Microsoft Lync certification exam!

I’ll try to post Part 4 of “Moving to Lync Server 2013″ later this week.

Starting this week, I’m participating in a Lync Server 2013 install. I’m doing some of the install work, and recording the details step-by-step. I’ll blog about the entire process.

This post and the next few will form a guide, to help others see what’s involved in a Lync setup, so you can prepare for your own!

What to Expect: Reference Guide for Your Own Lync 2013 Install

I’m documenting each step in the setup process. Including the errors we encountered, why they occurred & how we fixed them.

This series is much like the “Path to Lync Server” posts I wrote in 2011.  With more screenshots!

Initial Prep: Server Hardware is Prepared

I’ll start with some talk about our preparations made before beginning Setup.
The office already has Lync Server 2010 running. It’s a 2010 Standard Edition, with Mediation Server (not collocated) and a PSTN gateway from Dialogic. Archiving and Monitoring were not enabled. Federation is active.

We’re installing Lync Server 2013 while 2010 is still active. On a fresh (virtualized) server, under the same domain. Once install is complete, we’ll migrate users over.

For Lync Server 2013, we’re expanding the available feature set. Archiving and Monitoring will be added, as will Web Apps Server and XMPP Federation. We’ll redirect the PSTN Gateway to the 2013 servers once the backend is fully in place.

We added 4 cores, and 32GB more RAM to the server. This is listed in the TechNet documentation, as the optimum values for a clean install. (We did it mostly because it speeds up the process.)

Coming Soon: The Install Path to Lync Server 2013!

So far, we’re still in the process. Next post will contain the reference links we consulted, and the beginning steps.

I may move to 2 posts a week for this series…so be sure to check back soon!

In the meantime, a question for my readers: Are you preparing for a Lync Server 2013 install or upgrade soon? If so, what obstacles (if any) are you encountering?

My first reader email of 2013 contained a question about receiving Instant Messages. Specifically, he asked if he could use Lync IM on his iPhone and his laptop at the same time.

He was asking if multiple simultaneous logins are possible for Lync – signing in with your account on more than 1 computer. And receiving IMs to both locations.

I told him that Lync Server 2010 does not support multiple logins. But I would check to see if Lync Server 2013 can support this. Here’s what I found.

Why would you want multiple logins in Lync?

Unless you have a mysterious power to be in two places at once, multiple logins for communications software like Lync Server seems unnecessary. Lync treats your latest login as the ‘active’ one, whether that’s on your phone on your desktop. Since, presumably, that’s where you are!

However, I can think of one *good* reason to want multiple logins:  Conversation History. In case one client isn’t recording IM conversations properly, or you want multiple copies of a conversation.

(If one of your devices isn’t recording your IM conversations properly, this is a setup issue. Tell your systems administrator.)

Multiple Login Workarounds for Lync Server 2010

Sadly, I must repeat: Lync Server 2010 does NOT support multiple logins for one user. The reason is simple: each user can only have a single SIP address.

However, some workarounds DO exist to facilitate multiple connections.

While looking for reference links to show my reader, I came across this TechNet Forum thread: Lync Multiple & Simultaneous Account Login

Here we find a response from Matt Landis (if you’ve been reading Lync Insider, you know I’ve pointed Matt out as an excellent Lync specialist in the past!). He lists out some workaround solutions–and cautions that not all of them are supported by Microsoft!

What about multiple logins in Lync Server 2013?

We still have to wonder if Lync Server 2013 would support multiple logins. Many aspects of user management were updated in this version. Maybe an improvement to SIP addressing allows for multiple simultaneous logins?

After checking in TechNet and reviewing some fellow Microsoft bloggers, I have to say…no. Multiple logins is still a no-go for Lync 2013.

However, many of the workarounds Matt listed on the forum thread will work for 2013 as well. Personally, I think the best choice would be: Run a virtualized (second) copy of Lync on your desktop.
This would let you use a mobile client at the same time. And still be on Lync at your desktop. In terms of capabilities available, this seems the most promising.

Lync User QuickTip #4: Running Lync Twice on the Same PC – Matt Landis

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a supported solution by Microsoft! You take your chances. (And do a backup first!)

Lync knows where you are…in one spot

I always hate giving readers bad news…especially when they take the time to email in! But, “one login at a time” is just how Lync was made. It does make sense, considering Presence is intended to track where you are and what you’re doing.

We’ll just have to see what updates & modifications 2013 will bring.

Would you like to modify how Lync handles user access? In what way?

EDIT:  Please read the comments below if you’re confused.  I referred to simultaneous login activity with this post, not just signing in on more than one client!

Like many of you, I received an announcement from Microsoft yesterday. They’re shuttering Messenger and moving accounts to Skype by March 15.

A few people on Twitter this morning asked the same question I had: “Does this mean Skype will replace Lync?”

First off, no. I don’t think it does. Lync isn’t going anywhere – we have a brand-new version to play with right now! So don’t worry too much. Instead, let’s consider where this move leads.

Merging Messenger’s contacts & functions into Skype suggests finality. It suggests that that’s what they plan to use for consumer-level IM from now on. Which is an overall good thing – easier to support one app across platforms. Especially one like Skype, with its huge user base and wide feature set.

But where does that leave Lync users? Is their app under threat?

Again, not really. If Microsoft follows the streamlining pattern, there are 4 possible courses they could take with Lync and Skype:

1. Skype replaces Lync.

Dumb move. Microsoft won’t do this. It would ruin their Lync base among larger businesses.

2. Lync absorbs Skype.

Possible, but unlikely. And that’s because of the move from Messenger to Skype. It would mean users have to move apps twice!
Microsoft is already having trouble with migrating contacts on THIS move. The comments on this Engadget article testify to it: Microsoft retiring Messenger on March 15th, wants you to use Skype instead – Engadget

3. A new Lync-Skype hybrid app replaces both platforms.

Ideally, a hybrid app would adapt itself to the user (Lync or Skype) and the platform (desktop, mobile, tablet). Technically, this is possible…but in terms of user base, it’s only possible way down the line, around 2016 or later. Right now, the business of streamlining user bases and application platforms won’t allow it.

4. Lync and Skype stay separate, but interoperate.

The most likely course. MS has too much invested in building Lync Server as a business communications platform to abandon its desktop app. This approach also allows Skype to keep growing among consumer-level platforms.
I’m supported here by “Lync Bridge“, my name for the coming Lync app for Windows 8 and Windows RT.
It will federate with Skype…but it’s still Lync. And both will work on mobile.

Merging Messenger users into Skype makes more sense than the other way around. Plus it means that Skype will continue to evolve as part of the Microsoft software family.

In the meantime, Lync users have Lync 2013 to play with. And Lync Bridge (Lync for Windows 8/RT) to look forward to.  So let’s not worry ourselves.

Do any of our readers use Skype AND Lync? Please leave a comment or email me. I’d like to ask a couple questions.

2 weeks ago, I mentioned a training session I gave for a client. They had me back for another session late last week, this one focused on conferencing.

All went smoothly at first. People were able to join a Lync Online Meeting I set up, enable video, talk to each other…

…Except for one person.

When she tried to join the meeting via her Outlook invitation, she received a DNS lookup error. Each time. Naturally I went to her computer to see what the problem was.

Turns out the problem wasn’t with Lync.
It was with Google Chrome.

Chrome Browser And Lync Helper Don’t Speak to One Another

What had happened? Well, this particular person had Google Chrome set as her default browser. Now, that’s not a bad decision. I like Chrome myself; it’s great for testing, and works very fast.

However, the Lync Browser Helper is not configured to play nice with Chrome. And Chrome doesn’t like it anyway.

The Browser Helper add-in connects Lync Online Meeting commands with the Lync client on your computer. For example, when I joined the meeting (though I was only a federated partner & not part of their Lync Server network), my Lync Attendee client opened up. Lync 2010 or Lync Attendee opened for all the others. This is because the Browser Helper auto-loaded once the Outlook meeting link was clicked, and called up Lync.

But when the Chrome user clicked the meeting link in Outlook, Browser Helper didn’t recognize it. The command failed, and she ended up with a DNS lookup error.

At first I thought there was a missing DNS setting in the external certificates. But according to this Microsoft Support page:
External users can’t join Lync Online conferences anonymously or as guests – Microsoft Support

“The user is using Google Chrome as their default browser. The Lync Browser Helper add-in isn’t configured for Google Chrome when the Lync 2010 Attendee client is installed.”

And this discussion:
Starting Lync Meeting with Google Chrome as default browser – Office 364 Community

“Chrome does not like to interact with other programs. So when you attempt to join a meeting with the Join Meeting link, it loads an aspx which attempts to search for the client outside of the browser. Since the aspx runs into this roadblock it fails the search and falls back to the webapp.”
———
Clearly I’m not the only one who’s encountered the issue!

Want to Run Lync Online Meetings? Use IE

The solution to this little conundrum is simple. We switched the Chrome user’s default browser to Internet Explorer, clicked the Online Meeting link again…and she connected in a flash.

That’s all you need to do. Set Internet Explorer as your default browser before you run a meeting. (You can even switch it back afterward!)

To set IE 10 as default in Windows 8, go here: Make Internet Explorer you default browser – Microsoft Windows 8 Support

For IE 9, click the Settings icon at top right (the gear). Click “Internet Options.” In the Settings window, click the “Programs” tab. At the top you’ll see the “Default web browser” field. Click the Make Default button. Then click OK. You’re done.

And with that, The Lync Insider is off for the holidays. We at PlanetMagpie hope all of you enjoy your Christmas, and we’ll see you all in 2013!