Deployment options for Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync with Lync Peer to Peer calling enabled

Transcription

1 White Paper Deployment options for Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync with Lync Peer to Peer calling enabled Abstract This white paper describes the procedure to enable Microsoft peer to peer calling when deploying Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync. It also describes different call scenarios present when this deployment option is enable and the impact on the solution user interface

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 How to enable Lync peer to peer calling... 4 Standard deployment of Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync... 4 TelephonyMode Registry... 4 Turning Lync Peer to Peer calling on when deploying Communicator for Lync for Lync... 4 End user experience Interactions... 5 Calls made from Microsoft Office Applications and Web Browsers... 9 Avaya Collaboration Services... 9 Microsoft Lync Add on... 9

3 Introduction Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync (Communicator for Lync) now has two deployment options with native Lync 2013 Peer to Peer (voice and video): Peer to Peer calling disabled (default) Peer to Peer calling enabled. For most Avaya customers implementing Communicator for Microsoft Lync with the default configuration will still be the best deployment option as It provides the user with the simplest user interface. There are no duplicated call options. However, there are customers who can benefit from deploying Communicator for Lync with native Lync audio and video calling enabled where users Wish to place Lync Video calls to other associate who does not have an Avaya extension Users needing to escalate a federated Lync IM session to a video call Users who want to use MS Lync for multi party video conferencing Many customers ask if Communicator for Lync can be deployed with just Avaya voice calling (Avaya video disabled) and Lync video (Lync voice calls disabled). This is not possible, with a Lync deployment once you enable video calling on Microsoft Lync you also enable Lync voice calling. Although Communicator for Microsoft Lync can be deployed with any Lync CAL, it is highly unlikely that it would be deployed on Lync clients with Lync Enterprise Voice (Lync Plus CAL) enabled. The paper will not cover this use case but focus exclusively on implementations with only Lync on net calling is enabled. This include peer to peer calling and multiparty calls leveraging Lync ad hoc and meet me conferencing.

4 How to enable Lync peer to peer calling Standard deployment of Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync and Collaboration Services software are delivered as part of a configurator tool which is deployed on the PC administrator. This provides the administrator with a wizard tool allowing them to create the Microsoft Installation files (.msi). This tool also allows the administrator to specify the configuration settings required for this deployment. These files can then be pushed to the user by standard software distribution methods such as Microsoft System Central Configuration Manager. TelephonyMode Registry The mechanism for determining whether Lync peer to peer calling is enabled or not is through the setting of the TelephonyMode registry located at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync A TelephonyMode value of 5 turns off Lync Peer to peer calling while a value of 0 turns it on. By default Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync sets TelephonyMode to 5. Turning Lync Peer to Peer calling on when deploying Communicator for Lync When customers are using software distribution software such as Microsoft System Central Configuration Manager they create a script which executes a command line instruction to install, modify or uninstall the software on the end users PC. Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync can utilize the msiexec command to execute the msi install. This msiexec command can be extended to provide additional deployment options as part of installation. Customers can use this mechanism to set the Lync 2013 registry to enable Lync Peer to Peer calling. msiexec /i <AvayaCommunicatorForMicrosoftLync release#.msi> LYNCTELEPHONYMODE=? The? indicates the Microsoft UC Telephony setting. 0 = Lync Peer to Peer on 5 = Lync Peer to Peer off Replace <Lync2013Integration release#.msi> with the actual MSI file name generated from the Communicator for Lync configurator tool. See Administering Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync on Avaya Aura which can be found on for product Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync for further details. This provides details of other extensions which can be used to install the Application.

5 End user experience Interactions This deployment option provides users with a very similar experience to that of provided with remote call control (RCC) integration which customers have been using for years. It offers the user two click tocall options when attempting to make a voice/video call: Lync Call or Avaya Call. The experience will vary slightly depending on which call option is selected. By hovering a mouse pointer over a call button, it is easy for users to identify which call button is for Lync calls ( displays Lync call ) and which is for Avaya calls (displays E.164 number).

6 By right clicking on a contact they will be presented with a menu where they can choose between Microsoft Lync and Avaya Aura Voice and Video Call Options. It is also very easy to identify inbound calls based on the toast popup window. The MS Lync call option will support peer to peer audio and video on net calling to other Lync users who are logged in to their Lync client, audio/video calls to federated Lync users, and calls into a conferences hosted on a Lync Server. There will be no ability for the Lync call (a Peer to Peer call) option to make calls to the PSTN or on net call to an existing Avaya or legacy PBX extension. The Lync call option will not support any call coverage paths or features including team buttons/response groups, calling from dial pad, boss admin, voice mail, call forwarding and simultaneous ring etc. A separate gateway would be required for Lync video calls to a legacy video room system or MCU. The Avaya call option will support audio and video on net calling, PSTN calling with full call coverage support. Video calls can be made directly to existing legacy room systems or MCUs. It will be up to the users to select the best call option for that particular call. Example; If a user wants to call a colleague, who s presence status shows off Line it would be best to use the Avaya call options so

7 it could also simultaneously ring that party s mobile device and cover to voic if the call is not answered. Both call options will update a user s presence status to in a call. And all users who are logged in to Lync can see the In a call status. The client may exhibit some unexpected behavior when managing multiple active calls or line appearances. If a user is on a call managed by Avaya and a second call comes in to their Avaya extension or the user is on a Lync call and a second Lync call comes in; the client will behave in a manner that users would expect. If they answer the second call, the first call is automatically put on hold and they can easily move between the two calls. In addition the calls can be merged in to a single ad hoc conference. This will not be the case if one of the calls is managed by Avaya and the other call is managed by Lync. Answering the second call will not automatically put the first call on hold. The two calls cannot be merged in to a conference. Users will need to manually put the first call on hold prior to answering the second call. Otherwise the user will be heard by both parties when speaking. Additional care will need to be used if Avaya Communicator for Microsoft Lync is in computer mode as both the Lync media engine and the Avaya media engine will typically access the same headset device. Depending on the headset used, when you put a Lync call on hold it switches off the headset s microphone and speaker. Users will have to manual enable the headset microphone and speaker when moving from a Lync call to an Avaya call. It is important that users put the Lync call on hold verses mute when moving to an Avaya call. The Lync mute button actually mutes the headset microphone and it cannot be used on the Avaya call until it is unmuted in the Lync call.

8 It is possible to configure the Avaya and Lync media engines to access separate devices if a user wants to avoid some of the headset conflicts listed above. Video can only be supported by one system at a time. If an Avaya call is using the video camera, then a Lync call cannot access the camera until the Avaya call is terminated and vice versa. If a user has a Lync chat session to 3 or more users and escalates this to a Lync voice or video conference call they will be presented in Avaya Control bar a message stating that Call to multiple users not supported. This message should be ignored by the user.

9 Calls made from Microsoft Office Applications and Web Browsers When enabling Lync Peer to Peer calling, the customer should also consider the desired call path for calls made from Microsoft Office Applications, SharePoint, Internet Explorer and other web browser such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Avaya Collaboration Services Collaboration Services are Avaya add on for Microsoft desktop applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and for web browsers Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. It provides click to call capabilities, click to create and join/host a conference call and see Lync Presence status for users. Collaboration Services is supplied with Avaya Communicator from Microsoft Lync. When Collaboration Services are deployed, all calls from these applications and browsers are routed to Avaya Communicator from Microsoft Lync and made through the customers Aura infrastructure. The Lync Meeting outlook add on and Collaboration Services can co exist. This will allow users to use this Lync Meeting add on to join Lync meetings. Lync Peer to Peer calling will be used to access the Lync Meeting. To create/host Lync Meetings with more than 2 parties, the user requires the Lync Enterprise Cal. The Lync Browser Add on should be disabled, when Collaboration Services is deployed, as it will cause conflicts with number recognition, on web pages, with Collaboration Services Web browser functionality. Microsoft Lync Add on Microsoft also provides calling capabilities from Microsoft desktop applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Internet Explorer. It does not support calling from Firefox and Chrome. If the customer does not deploy Collaboration services and Lync Peer to Peer calling is enabled, then peer to peer calls originated from these applications is possible. Calling outside of the Lync environment (includes federated Skype and Lync) is not possible without Lync Voice CAL licensing.