How to handle Lync 2010 Clients updates
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Thursday, June 09, 2011 11:39 AM
We have in a quite large Organization Lync 2010 deployed. Also we use for software and updates distribution System Center Configuration Manager.
Our problem we face is that, if we distribute the Lync 2010 client updates through SCCM’s update service, and the update gets applied the Lync 2010 client silently quits. Whatever someone for example is in a Call, IM, Conference … Of course you can think this not so good if the Manager is in an important call and suddenly the Lync client quits.
We surely could distribute the update late at night or in the night, but then we have the problem that not all client are power up since most users shut down their PC after they leave the office, and let me say "Wake On Lan" isn’t really an options there.
So I’m curios how others handle Lync Client Updates in their organization? Or what are the best practices in distributing them...
Thanks.
Martin.
All Replies
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Thursday, June 09, 2011 11:41 PM
Martin
The Client Version Policy controls this behavior. Under a client version policy you can specify what action to take for each different version of the various Lync clients. For instance you can specify the following actions
- To allow the client to log on, click Allow.
- To allow the client to log on and receive updates from Windows Server Update Service or Microsoft Update, click Allow and Upgrade. This action is available only when Microsoft Lync 2010 is selected.
- To allow the client to log on and display a message about where to download another client version, click Allow with URL. You specify the URL later in this procedure.
- To prevent the client from logging on, click Block.
- To prevent the client from logging on and allow the client to receive updates from Windows Server Update Service or Microsoft Update, click Block and Upgrade. This action is available only when the Lync 2010 application is selected.
- To prevent the client from logging on and display a message about where to download another client version, click Block with URL. You specify the URL later in this procedure.
Full details are available in the Technet documentation
Mike
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MCITP: Lync, Exchange 2010 & Server Administrator
Blog- Proposed As Answer by Sharon.ShenMicrosoft Contingent Staff, Moderator Friday, June 10, 2011 1:03 AM
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Friday, June 10, 2011 8:30 AM
Hi Mike,
yes I know that on the Lync Server we can define these Client Version Policies.
Problem is that our user don't have admin rights. Also they aren't allowed to manuel do Windows Updates. It is all handled by our Sysadmins or by SCCM. If we for example actived the Policy "receive updates from Windows Server Update Service or Microsoft Update, click Allow and Upgrade" the user sees the notification in the client but when he clicks on it windows update says there are no updates, since they are not allowed to apply them.
Martin.
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Saturday, June 11, 2011 10:58 PMYou can updtae the client with the WSUS Server, sinc May the updates are available over WSUS
regards Holger Technical Specialist UC -
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 12:39 PM
Yes I know, but we already distribute windows updates throught SCCM and not WSUS.
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Tuesday, June 14, 2011 4:52 PM
Martin
The issue is how to roll out updates to a real time application like Lync. Microsoft have provided a method to do it, which is to give the user the option at startup. If you could use this then it would get over the issue you hightlight, which is an asynchronous update could kill a call in progress. Since you can't use this method because of restrictions in your policy, the only option for you is to try the update overnight and hope you get through all the clients quickly enough.
Mike
If a post is helpful, please take a second to hit the green arrow on the left, or mark as answer, thanks
MCITP: Lync, Exchange 2010 & Server Administrator
Blog -
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 6:16 AMModerator
Hi,Martin,
I think you can try Group Policy in Active Directory to publish or assign the client updates,the client will detect whether there is any changes of Group Policy when they login their computers and the new policy will take effect then the .msi package will automatically install during the login process.
However,you should extract Windows Installer (.msi) files from the executable programs and use the Group Policy setting UseMSIForLyncInstallation to allow the .msi to run on client computers. More details please check http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg425733.aspx
If you have more questions about group policy I suggest you post your question on Windows Server forum and you will get more useful information and advices there.
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverGP/threads
Regards,
Sharon
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- Proposed As Answer by Sharon.ShenMicrosoft Contingent Staff, Moderator Monday, June 20, 2011 12:30 PM
- Marked As Answer by Sharon.ShenMicrosoft Contingent Staff, Moderator Friday, June 24, 2011 8:57 AM
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Friday, June 24, 2011 9:03 AM
Hi Sharon,
I did not know that this is possible. I will give it a try, even if the domain admin if the organisation isn't so happy about it. :-)
Bye,
Martin
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Friday, June 24, 2011 12:23 PM
Ok, the domain admin told me that he had bad expiriences with such an approach of distributing software and therfore he doesn't want to do updates with this solution.
Is there no way to configure SCCM so that if it distributes Lync updates it waits until the user is logged out and then applies the update?
Bye,
Martin
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