Lync Server Networking Guide v2.1

Lync Server Networking Guide
Networking Guide
Network Planning, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting with Lync Server
Update Published: January 2014 Updated queries Included a KHI spreadsheet for Lync 2013 Update uthors: Brandon Bernier, Kent il!er, "ndre# $nider%an and Jens rier &as%ussen
!riginally Published: 'ay 2013
uthors: Ji!ar (ani, )rai! Hill, Jac* +i!ht, +ei ,hon!
"ontributors: Brandon Bernier, &o-ert Burnett, Jason )ollier, .aul )ulli%ore, (aniel Hernande/, Ja%es Horn-y, (a0e Jennin!s, Jonathan Le#is, Jens rier &as%ussen, Juha $aarinen, 'arc $anders, Joel $is*o, 1ic* $%ith, "ndre# $nider%an, Ja%ie $tar*, "aron $teele, )onnie +elsh, Kent il!er
#ditor: &andall (uBois
bstract: 'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2013 co%%unications soft#are is a real2ti%e unified co%%unications application that ena-les peer2to2peer audio and 0ideo 3"456 callin!, conferencin!, and colla-oration and relies on an opti%i/ed, relia-le net#or* infrastructure to deli0er hi!h2quality %edia sessions -et#een clients7 his !uide pro0ides a %odel for %ana!in! the net#or* infrastructure for Lync $er0er 2013, consistin! of three phases8plannin!, %onitorin!, and trou-leshootin!7 hese phases can apply to ne# Lync $er0er deploy%ents or to e9istin! deploy%ents7 In ne# Lync $er0er deploy%ents, your or!ani/ation %ust -e!in fro% the plannin! phase7 In e9istin! deploy%ents, your or!ani/ation can start at the plannin! phase for %a:or up!rades or for inte!ratin! ne# sites into the Lync $er0er ecosyste%7 ;r!ani/ations #ith e9istin! deploy%ents can also -e!in fro% the %onitorin! or trou-leshootin! phases, if you are tryin! to achie0e a healthy state7
his docu%ent is pro0ided <as2is=7 Infor%ation and 0ie#s e9pressed in this docu%ent, includin! U&L and other Internet +e- site references, %ay chan!e #ithout notice7 $o%e e9a%ples depicted herein are pro0ided for illustration only and are fictitious7 1o real association or connection is intended or should -e inferred7 his docu%ent does not pro0ide you #ith any le!al ri!hts to any intellectual property in any 'icrosoft product7 >ou %ay copy and use this docu%ent for your internal, reference purposes7 )opyri!ht ? 2013 'icrosoft )orporation7 "ll ri!hts reser0ed7
"ontents
$% &ntroduction
'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2013 co%%unications soft#are is a real2ti%e unified co%%unications application that ena-les peer2to2peer audio and 0ideo 3"456 callin!, conferencin!, and colla-oration and relies on an opti%i/ed, relia-le net#or* infrastructure to deli0er hi!h2quality %edia sessions -et#een clients7 his paper pro0ides a %odel for %ana!in! the net#or* infrastructure for Lync $er0er 2013, consistin! of three phases@ .lannin! 'onitorin! rou-leshootin! hese phases can apply to ne# Lync $er0er deploy%ents or to e9istin! deploy%ents7 In ne# Lync $er0er deploy%ents, your or!ani/ation %ust -e!in fro% the planning phase7 In e9istin! deploy%ents, your or!ani/ation can start at the planning phase for %a:or up!rades or for inte!ratin! ne# sites into the Lync 2013 ecosyste%7 ;r!ani/ations #ith e9istin! deploy%ents can also -e!in fro% the monitoring or troubleshooting phases, if you are tryin! to achie0e a healthy state7
$%$
Support Materials
In addition to this +ord docu%ent, the 7/ip file you do#nloaded also contains the support files referred to #ithin this docu%ent, includin! te9t files #ith the sa%ple queries, a spreadsheet #ith KHI infor%ation that is referred to in section )727171 "ssert Auality, and a +indo#s .o#er$hell script 3)reateBKHIB)ollection7ps16 to collect .erf'on infor%ation7 The 'ollowing 'iles are included in the %(ip 'ile: LyncB$er0erB1et#or*in!BCuideB027doc9 3this docu%ent6 )*&s Lync $er0er 2010 )reateBKHIB)ollection7ps1 LyncB$er0erB2010BKeyBHealthBIndicators79ls9 Lync $er0er 2013 )reateBKHIB)ollection7ps1 LyncB$er0erB2013BKeyBHealthBIndicators79ls9 +ueries &D"('D 0137t9t Lync ,-$DndpointB0B(e0iceB2010 0117t9t DndpointB1Bsyste%B2010 0117t9t DndpointB2B&elayB2010 0117t9t DndpointB2B5.1B2010 0117t9t DndpointB3B ransportB2010 0117t9t Last'ileB0B+iredB2010 0117t9t 4
Last'ileB1B+irelessB2010 0117t9t .lantB1B"5')UB'ediationB2010 0107t9t .lantB2B'ediationBCate#ayB2010 0137t9t rendB1B"5')UB'ediationB2010 0107t9t rendB2B'ediationBCate#ayB2010 0137t9t rendB3B+iredB2010 0117t9t rendB4B+iredB.2.B2010 0107t9t rendBEB;therB+iredB2010 0127t9t rendBFB;therB+irelessB2010 0107t9t rendBGB5.1B2010 0117t9t rendBHBD9ternalB2010 0107t9t rendBIB+irelessB2010 0117t9t rendB10B+irelessB.2.B2010 0107t9t rendB11B otalB2010 0107t9t Lync ,-$. DndpointB0B(e0ice 0117t9t DndpointB1Bsyste% 0117t9t DndpointB2B&elay 0117t9t DndpointB2B5.1 0117t9t DndpointB3B ransport 0117t9t Last'ileB0B+ired 0117t9t Last'ileB1B+ireless 0117t9t .lantB1B"5')UB'ediation 0107t9t .lantB2B'ediationBCate#ay 0137t9t rendB1B"5')UB'ediation 0107t9t rendB2B'ediationBCate#ay 0137t9t rendB3B+ired 0117t9t rendB4B+iredB.2. 0107t9t rendBEB;therB+ired 0127t9t rendBFB;therB+ireless 0107t9t rendBGB5.1 0117t9t rendBHBD9ternal 0107t9t rendBIB+ireless 0117t9t rendB10B+irelessB.2. 0107t9t rendB11B otal 0107t9t E
$%, Phase !verview

(urin! the planning phase, your or!ani/ation %ust deter%ine the require%ents of deploy%ent either for the entire or!ani/ation, or for specific sites #hen they are added7 his !uide assu%es that little or no Lync $er0er infrastructure e9ists to !enerate the data for pro:ections and for health and capacity assess%ents7 herefore, this phase !enerally in0ol0es %odelin! the user require%ents and usin! tools to assess capacity and health7 Jor e9a%ple, your or!ani/ation %ay decide that a site requires a certain a%ount of -and#idth for Lync $er0er 0oice and 0ideo traffic7 >ou %ay then choose to use Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$6 data to help ensure adequate priority for this traffic7 (urin! the monitoring phase, your or!ani/ation %aintains the health of the deploy%ent, uses e9istin! Lync $er0er tele%etry #here possi-le, and fills the !aps -y usin! third2party tools7 he process in0ol0es identifyin! the ele%ents that need %onitorin!, and creatin! action plans for reactin! to alerts -ased on *ey health indicators 3KHIs6 and net#or* quality 0ie#s7 If you find issues, the or!ani/ation enters the troubleshooting phase7 Jollo#in! the earlier e9a%ple fro% the plannin! phase, your or!ani/ation %ay decide to use Lync $er0er Auality of D9perience 3AoD6 data to help ensure that a siteKs net#or* health is #ithin desi!nated tar!ets7 >ou %ay also decide to use third2party net#or* %ana!e%ent tools to help ensure that Ao$ settin!s are continuously confi!ured to specification7 (urin! the troubleshooting phase, your or!ani/ation deter%ines the root causes of any issues arisin! fro% %onitored entities or fro% end2user support escalations7 If appropriate %onitorin! solutions are in place, your trou-leshootin! efforts #ill -e si!nificantly reduced7 )ontinuin! #ith the earlier e9a%ple, if %ost of the core Lync $er0er and net#or* infrastructure is correctly pro0isioned and %onitored, you can start trou-leshootin! at the point closest to #here the issue is occurrin!, rather than fro% the core infrastructure7 Jor e9a%ple, if a user co%plains a-out a poor audio e9perience, the trou-leshootin! #ill start fro% the userKs endpoint7 "s these scenarios sho#, the plannin!, %onitorin!, and trou-leshootin! phases are strate!ies to deal #ith the sa%e set of issues -y usin! the tools and data a0aila-le at each respecti0e phase7 he infor%ation contained in this !uide #ill apply to an or!ani/ation in any phase or scope of a Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 Jinally, this !uide descri-es the pri%ary concept of -rea*in! do#n the Lync $er0er deploy%ent and net#or* infrastructure into managed and unmanaged spaces7 he %ana!ed space includes your entire inside #ired net#or* and ser0er infrastructure7 he un%ana!ed space is the #ireless infrastructure and the outside net#or* infrastructure7 (i0idin! the deploy%ent and infrastructure into these t#o spaces si!nificantly increases the clarity of your data and helps your or!ani/ation focus on #or*loads that #ill ha0e a %easura-le i%pact on your usersK 0oice and 0ideo quality7 his is -ecause your users ha0e a different e9pectation of quality if the call is placed on infrastructure that you o#n 3%ana!ed6 0ersus infrastructure that is partly under the control of so%e other entity 3un%ana!ed67 his is not to say that #ireless users are left to their o#n de0ices to ha0e e9cellent Lync $er0er e9periences7 "s #ith the dependency -et#een the plannin!, %onitorin!, and trou-leshootin! phases, i%pro0in! 0oice quality in the un%ana!ed space requires you to ha0e hi!h quality in the %ana!ed space7 +hether #ireless 3+i2Ji6 is considered %ana!ed or un%ana!ed space is up to your or!ani/ation7 he techniques to achie0e a healthy en0iron%ent are different in the t#o spaces, as are the solutions7 his paper includes e9a%ples of %ana!in! un%ana!ed call quality7 he follo#in! ta-le sho#s e9a%ples of Lync $er0er call scenarios and their classification into the %ana!ed and un%ana!ed spaces7
Lync Server "all Scenarios in Managed and Un/anaged Spaces
Scenario
User calls fro% a hotel +i2Ji connection
"lassi'ication
Un%ana!ed
Lync Server Networking Guide #o users call each other fro% their #ired des*top .)s inside the corporate fire#all User %a*es a .$ 1 call fro% his #ired des*top .) inside the corporate fire#all User :oins a conference fro% her #ired des*top .) inside the corporate fire#all User on +i2Ji calls another user User fro% ho%e :oins a conference 'ana!ed 'ana!ed 'ana!ed Un%ana!ed Un%ana!ed
,% Planning
In e9plorin! topics related to net#or* plannin!, t#o pri%ary questions #ill -e addressed@ Ho# does Lync $er0er affect %y net#or*L Ho# does %y net#or* affect Lync $er0erL
he !oal of this net#or*in! !uide is not to teach you to -eco%e a Lync $er0er e9pert, nor to teach you ho# to -eco%e a net#or*in! e9pert7 &ather, this !uide descri-es areas related to enterprise data net#or*in! that you should consider durin! the predeploy%ent plannin! phase of your Lync $er0er adoption7 "s a *ey area in any net#or*in! plannin! acti0ity related to -and#idth plannin!, #e in0esti!ate the e9ploratory questions that you should -e as*in! your or!ani/ation in order to %odel user -eha0ior7 +e also direct you to the pu-lic -and#idth calculator as a tool a0aila-le for use, and to the default usa!e %odels, defined in the -and#idth calculator, as startin! points7 In addition, #e descri-e ho# your e9istin! en0iron%ent can affect the -eha0ior of Lync $er0er7 Jor e9a%ple, topolo!y choices, %ultiple 'ultiprotocol La-el $#itchin! 3'.L$6 suppliers, or infrastructure such as +"1 opti%i/ation de0ices, particularly if o0erloo*ed durin! the plannin! process, can -eco%e real challen!es as your deploy%ent e0ol0es7 +e also discuss ho# to %a*e use of the 'icrosoft .artner )o%%unity in order to deli0er the Lync $er0er 1et#or* &eadiness assess%ent %ethodolo!y in your en0iron%ent7 his %ethodolo!y quantitati0ely assesses your or!ani/ationKs a-ility to use Lync $er0er -y #al*in! you throu!h the net#or* disco0ery, usa!e %odelin!, traffic si%ulation, and analysis phases, durin! your en!a!e%ent7 1et#or* plannin! for Lync $er0er consists of the follo#in! areas@ 1et#or* assess%ent %ethodolo!y o o o o 1et#or* disco0ery 'odelin!4personas Band#idth esti%ation raffic si%ulation
)all "d%ission )ontrol 3)")6 Auality of D9perience 3AoD6 Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$6 1et#or* port usa!e +i2Ji scenarios ;perations 'iscellaneous plannin! questions +e hi!hly reco%%end a net#or* assess%ent as a first step -efore deployin! Lync $er0er7 " net#or* assess%ent pro0ides you #ith insi!ht into the readiness of your net#or* infrastructure for supportin! an e9cellent user e9perience, #hile usin! Lync $er0er for real2ti%e co%%unications7 ;ur custo%ers often as*, MIs %y net#or* infrastructure ready to support Lync $er0erL= ;ur approach helps to ans#er this critical predeploy%ent question7 he net#or* assess%ent uses a pro0en %ethodolo!y to@ 0iscover your en0iron%ent7 Model your usa!e patterns and usa!e scenarios -y usin! infor%ation collected durin! disco0ery, #ith the help of the Lync Band#idth )alculator7 H
Si/ulate the anticipated Lync $er0er traffic 0olu%es -y usin! real %edia strea%s for a full se0en days7 naly(e the underlyin! net#or* infrastructure perfor%ance characteristics to deter%ine your readiness in deployin! Lync $er0er7 he outco%e of the net#or* assess%ent ans#ers the question, <Is %y net#or* infrastructure ready to support Lync $er0erL= -y pro0idin! a quantitati0e analysis of your net#or* infrastructureKs perfor%ance7
,%$
Network 0iscovery
he o-:ecti0e of net#or* disco0ery is to ascertain, discuss, and docu%ent the current state of your corporate net#or*7 +ith disco0ery, the !oals are to re0eal potential sources of net#or* i%pair%ents, raise a#areness of Lync $er0er traffic flo#s, and offer !uidelines for net#or* de0ices7
2.1.1 Historical Metrics

Before you can understand the i%pact that additional Lync $er0er traffic #ill ha0e on your net#or*, you need to deter%ine your -aseline 0alues7 Ho# %uch traffic is already on your net#or*L "re your fi9ed2si/e priority queues fully used, -ut your o0erall lin*s are notL )ollectin! historical usa!e data for each +"1 lin* is 0ery i%portant7 Jor each +"1 lin*, you should collect@ Lin* speed and type Band#idth %onitorin! per +"1 lin* 1u%-er of traffic queues, and queue si/es 1u%-er of users per net#or* site Historical data pro0ides 0alua-le infor%ation for usa!e le0els and re0eals potentially o0ersu-scri-ed lin*s7 his *ind of infor%ation acts as a #arnin! for serious net#or* con!estion and dropped calls, -oth of #hich can ha0e a direct i%pact on Lync $er0er as a real2ti%e traffic application7 +hen !atherin! historical %easure%ents for a +"1 lin*, %a*e sure that youKre a-le to collect data fro% each Ao$ queue on that +"1 lin*7 >ou %ay find that your +"1 lin* o0erall usa!e is satisfactory, -ut that your fi9ed2si/e priority queue doesnKt ha0e enou!h additional capacity to acco%%odate the additional proposed Lync $er0er traffic 0olu%es7 >ou should also collect the follo#in! %onitorin! data for analysis@ Band#idth usa!e o0er the past three %onths o o "0era!e -usy hour traffic .ea* -and#idth usa!e
1et#or* issues o0er the past 12 %onths
2.1.2 Network Impairments

he follo#in! topics descri-e different net#or* conditions that can affect Lync $er0er traffic7
,%$%,%$ 1 N !pti/i(ers
+"1 opti%i/ers 3or packet shapers6 are typically used for %iti!atin! issues caused -y hi!h delays or lo# net#or* -and#idth7 +"1 opti%i/ation is a ter% !enerally used for de0ices that e%ploy different techniques to enhance data transfer efficiency across +"1s7 raditionally used opti%i/ation %ethods include cachin!, co%pression, protocol su-stitution, different for%s of -and#idth throttlin!, and for#ard error correction 3JD)67 ItKs critical for Lync $er0er %edia traffic that all +"1 opti%i/ers are -ypassed, and that any outside atte%pt to control Lync $er0er %edia traffic is disa-led7 ItKs also i%portant to note that #eK0e seen +"1 I
opti%i/ation de0ices #ith outdated fir%#are4soft#are cause pac*et loss in one2direction traffic, due to hi!h ).U usa!e7 +hen esta-lishin! a %edia session, Lync $er0er uses $ession (escription .rotocol 3$(.6 for settin! up the initial codec -et#een endpoints7 (urin! the %edia session -et#een endpoints, real2ti%e transport protocol 3& .6 is used for transferrin! the %edia strea%, and real2ti%e transport control protocol 3& ).6 is used for controllin! %edia flo#7 he & ). %onitors & . traffic7 his infor%ation is used, a%on! other thin!s, to ne!otiate possi-le codec chan!es durin! the session7 Lync $er0er includes a -and#idth %ana!e%ent %echanis%8call ad%ission control 3)")68that deter%ines #hether to ena-le audio40ideo sessions, -ased on a0aila-le net#or* capacity7 )") is a-le to reroute call flo#s -y usin! the Internet or the .u-lic $#itched elephone 1et#or* 3.$ 16, if a0aila-le7 In addition, +"1 opti%i/ers can cause net#or* delays -y inspectin!, queuin!, and -ufferin! pac*ets at net#or* in!ress points7
,%$%,%, 2irtual Private Network 32PN4

5irtual pri0ate net#or*s 35.1s6, specifically, split2tunnel 5.1s, are co%%only used for securin! e9ternal connections #hen users are outside the corporate net#or*7 5.1s technically e9tend an or!ani/ationKs pri0ate net#or* -y transferrin! encrypted traffic #ith tunnelin! protocols7 +hen users initiate a 5.1 connection, the traffic is sent throu!h the 5.1 tunnel7 his additional tunnelin! layer affects Lync $er0er traffic -y increasin! net#or* latency and :itter7 Dncryptin! and decryptin! Lync $er0er traffic can potentially de!rade a 5.1 concentrator, and can also affect the user e9perience7 "ll Lync $er0er traffic is encrypted7 $I. si!nalin! uses ransport Layer $ecurity 3 L$6 for client2ser0er connections and all %edia traffic is encrypted -y usin! secure real2ti%e transfer protocol 3$& .67 Lync traffic does not need an e9tra encryption layer throu!h a 5.1 tunnel, unless there is a specific need for dual2layer security7 Lync $er0er uses the Interacti0e )onnecti0ity Dsta-lish%ent 3I)D6 protocol to pro0ide different %edia paths -et#een Lync $er0er endpoints and ser0ers7 Because an endpoint2initiated %edia session is not a#are of the recei0in! endpointKs location, I)D protocol helps -y pro0idin! a list of candidates -ased on I. addresses and %edia ports and atte%ptin! to create %edia sessions -et#een the%7 here is a specific candidate order, as follo#s, in #hich an I)D protocol tries to 0alidate the %edia path7 If a connection is 0alidated, I)D protocol stops chec*in!, and the %edia session is opened@ 17 User (ata!ra% .rotocol 3U(.6 local or host I. address7 27 U(. net#or* address translation 31" 6 pu-lic I. address7 37 U(. relay throu!h pu-lic I. of Lync audio40isual 3"456 Dd!e7 47 ransport )ontrol .rotocol 3 ).6 relay throu!h pu-lic I. of Lync "45 Dd!e, if U(. is not a0aila-le7
)onsider the scenario #here -oth Lync users are located outside the corporate net#or*7 hey each ha0e their o#n indi0idual 5.1 tunnels, and so Lync $er0er %edia traffic is affected t#ice -y the 5.1 o0erhead7
10

User A Client VPN S olution
Client VPN S olution User B Internal Lync S ervers External Firewall Edge S erver Pool
Lync Users #5ternal to "orporate Network and 2PN !verhead
he solution is to use a split2tunnel 5.1 #ith Lync $er0er7 In a split2tunnel 5.1 confi!uration, all I. addresses that are used -y the Lync $er0er en0iron%ent are e9cluded, so that traffic to and fro% those addresses is not included in the 5.1 tunnel7 >ou should also chec* the confi!uration for your 5.1 solution a!ainst 0endor docu%entation7
,%$%,%. 6irewall Policies

Lync $er0er uses a 0ariety of #or*loads8presence, instant %essa!in!, audio, 0ideo, application sharin!, #e- conferencin!, and persistent chat7 hese #or*loads use %ultiple protocols 3$I., $(., $& ., $& .), .ersistent $hared ;-:ect 'odel 3.$;'6, I)D, and H .$67 'odern corporate net#or*s are e9tensi0ely secured and se!%ented -y usin! fire#alls7 o %ini%i/e the i%pact of fire#alls on Lync $er0er traffic, %a*e sure that the perfor%ance of your de0ices and the protocol support of your fir%#are and soft#are are at the required le0els7 Handlin! fire#all confi!uration for Lync $er0er can -e challen!in!, and %isconfi!uration can cause issues #ith Lync $er0er traffic flo#s7 >ou can %ini%i/e this ris* -y properly plannin! port confi!uration and -y docu%entin! it in detail7 Jor se0eral useful tools that can help #ith fire#all confi!uration, see M(eter%ine D9ternal "45 Jire#all and .ort &equire%entsM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3FH7
,%$%,%7 Sy//etric versus sy//etric Links

In a sy%%etric lin*, net#or* traffic is trans%itted out-ound and in-ound #ith an equal -and#idth rate7 )on0ersely, an asy%%etric lin* uses different -and#idth rates upstrea% and do#nstrea%7 he %ost co%%on scenario for an asy%%etric di!ital su-scri-er line 3"($L6 is a hi!her -and#idth in-ound as co%pared to out-ound7 "($L connections are not suita-le for a corporate net#or*, particularly #hen real2ti%e applications are used7 If an "($L connection is the only option, re%e%-er that asy%%etric lin*s force Lync $er0er endpoints to use lo#er quality codecs, lo#er 0ideo resolution, and slo#er fra%e rates upstrea% than do#nstrea%7 "lso, a Lync $er0er deploy%ent that uses )") %ust ad:ust policies accordin! to the slo#er lin* speed7
,%$%,%8 Network Topology

Understandin! your net#or* topolo!y is essential #hen plannin! for Lync $er0er7 Lync $er0er uses the follo#in! specific traffic call flo#s@
11
Peer8 his traffic flo# uses a site2to2site connection in scenarios #here -oth participants are internal Lync users7 If e9ternal or federated users are in0ol0ed, peer2to2peer connections are routed throu!h the Internet connection7 "on'erencing8 his traffic flo# is created -et#een the net#or*Ks site to a data center7 PSTN8 his traffic flo# initiates fro% a Lync client to the .$ 17 he topolo!y of your corporate net#or* deter%ines ho# Lync $er0er traffic flo#s influence -and#idth require%ents7 he t#o topolo!ies that follo# are e9a%ples of ho# different topolo!ies are affected -y Lync $er0er traffic flo#s7 he follo#in! fi!ure sho#s a corporate net#or* #ith t#o '.L$ carriers and a sin!le interconnection in one !eo!raphy7 D0ery ti%e corporate users open a peer2to2peer %edia session o0er to another '.L$, a net#or* interconnection is used7 here is a potential for net#or* delay or :itter #ith peer2to2 peer traffic7
MPLSA
MPLS B
"orporate Network with Two MPLS "arriers and a Single &nterconnection in !ne Geography
he follo#in! fi!ure sho#s a corporate net#or* #ith a hu-2spo*e %i9ed #ith an '.L$ topolo!y7 Dsti%atin! Lync $er0er -and#idth is difficult -ecause hu- sites handle a lar!e part of traffic for spo*e sites, -ut not all of it7
MPLS
"orporate Network with *ub9Spoke Mi5ed with MPLS Topology
12
2.1.3 Lync Devices

Lync $er0er includes 'icrosoft Lync .hone Ddition co%%unications soft#are, #hich runs on qualified de0ices and pro0ides traditional and ad0anced telephony features, inte!rated security, and %ana!ea-ility7 Lync $er0er supports the follo#in! type of unified co%%unication 3U)6 phones@ (es* phones that are handset I., or U$B de0ices that are desi!ned to -e used -y e%ployees at their des*s7 )onferencin! de0ices that are hands2free I., or U$B phones that are desi!ned to -e used in %eetin! roo%s7 )o%%on area phones that are handset I. phones, desi!ned to -e used in shared areas7
,%$%.%$ Power over #thernet 3Po#4

I. phones runnin! Lync .hone Ddition support .o#er o0er Dthernet 3.oD67 o ta*e ad0anta!e of .oD, the s#itch %ust support .oDH0273af or H0273at7 )onsider Lync 0oice resiliency carefully durin! net#or* plannin!7 If your deploy%ent includes I. phones, donKt o0erloo* the possi-ility of a po#er failure7 It is crucial that your .oD infrastructure %aintains uninterrupted po#er7
,%$%.%, 2irtual L N 32L N4

5irtual L"1s 35L"1s6 #or* as -roadcast do%ains created -y s#itches7 5L"1s are 0ery effecti0e for addressin! space %ana!e%ent, particularly #hen you are deployin! a lar!e nu%-er of I. phones7 here are t#o %ethods to deli0er 5L"1 infor%ation for I. phones@ Lin* Layer (isco0ery .rotocol 3LL(.6 (yna%ic Host )onfi!uration .rotocol 3(H).6 "ll Lync2certified I. phones support Lin* Layer (isco0ery .rotocol2'edia Dndpoint (isco0ery 3LL(.2 'D(67 o use LL(.2'D(, the s#itch %ust support IDDDH0271"B and "1$I4 I"210EG7 Jor e9a%ple, the LL(.2'D( deli0ers 5L"1 I(, s#itch, and port infor%ation to I. phones7 In addition, the LL(.2 'D( can -e deployed for location loo*ups used -y D7I117 he Lync .hone Ddition de0ices can also use (H). to o-tain a 5L"1 identifier7
2.1.4 Qualifie Network Devices

Jor a list of Lync qualified net#or* de0ices, see MInfrastructure qualified for 'icrosoft LyncM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3FF7
,%,
Modeling:Personas
he definition of a persona is the process of analy/in! e9istin! usa!e data, and then usin! this data to calculate the potential load on a ne# syste%7 o fully e9plain the process, #e need to introduce so%e ter%inolo!y that youKll see in the Lync Band#idth )alculator7 Jor details, see MLync 2010 and 2013 Band#idth )alculatorM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN3013I17 Usage scenarios descri-e different #ays that users co%%unicate -y usin! Lync7 Jor instance, a peer2to2 peer audio call or a 0ideo conference are e9a%ples of usa!e scenarios7 " usage model represents a collection of data associated #ith specific users, #hich can help you custo%i/e and adapt a ne# syste% to your usersK specific needs7 Jor e9a%ple, the usa!e %odel that is associated #ith pu-lic s#itched telephone net#or* 3.$ 16 callin! defines M'ediu%M users, or users in the %ediu% usa!e cate!ory, as ha0in! a %a9i%u% of 10 percent concurrent calls to .$ 1 at your or!ani/ationKs -usiest ti%e7
13
" persona is a lo!ical !roupin! of users -ased on the -eha0ior that they e9hi-it #hen usin! a specific functionality7 Jor e9a%ple, a !roup of users %ay ha0e M'ediu%M .$ 1 callin! patterns, -ut <Hi!h= 0ideo conference usa!e7 "nother !roup of users %ay ha0e no 0ideo usa!e scenarios at all7 In the Lync $er0er Band#idth )alculator, you can define up to 10 personas for your or!ani/ation7 In practice, ho#e0er, #e typically see four to fi0e unique personas7 o -e!in the process of usa!e %odelin!, you should as* a nu%-er of !eneral questions@ Ho# %any site locations are thereL Ho# %any users are at each site locationL Ho# %any users #ill al#ays -e re%oteL +hat are the future !ro#th esti%atesL +hat sort of +"1 technolo!y4topolo!y is deployedL +hat is your o0erall +"1 lin* speedL +hat is the %a9i%u%4current a0aila-le -and#idth for Lync traffic per +"1 lin*L Usin! predefined usa!e %odels is a !ood startin! point, and the Lync Band#idth )alculator pro0ides useful -aselines, -ased on data fro% real custo%ers7 he challen!e #ith a co%%on usa!e %odel is that no t#o co%panies 3or users6 use co%%unications the sa%e #ay7 'odifyin! your usa!e %odels and personas -ased on real usa!e data fro% e9istin! syste%s is a critical step to#ards helpin! to ensure the accuracy of your plannin! acti0ities7 " *ey in!redient in definin! personas is to re0ie# the e9istin! pri0ate -ranch e9chan!es 3.BOs6 or real2 ti%e co%%unications syste% infrastructure capacity7 his data helps to 0alidate any personas and usa!e %odels that you create7 It also helps to indicate any future capacity plannin! require%ents for Lync ser0ers, and other ad:unct syste%s required7 D0aluate the follo#in! infor%ation, if a0aila-le, for usa!e %odelin!@ 1u%-er of .BOs i%ple%ented7 1u%-er of pu-lic s#itched telephone net#or* 3.$ 16 channels pro0isioned7 1u%-er of any intersite tie connections -et#een .BOs, or #hether intersite calls are %ade throu!h the .$ 17 1u%-er of users at each location7 )all data records 3)(&s6 for .$ 1 traffic usa!e7 Usa!e statistics, such as the %a9i%u% nu%-er of concurrent calls durin! the -usy hour@ o o otal nu%-er and usa!e of .$ 1 channels at each site run* usa!e for intersite connections
he collected infor%ation helps you 0alidate the %odels that youKll use for esti%atin! t#o of the three %a:or call flo#s8concurrent .$ 1 calls and peer2to2peer calls7
0ata "ollection to 2alidate Models 'or #sti/ating "all 6lows
14
"dditionally, if an e9istin! dial2in conferencin! pro0ider pro0ides audio2conferencin! ser0ices, you can pro-a-ly access detailed usa!e reports used as part of the -illin! process7 his usa!e data is 0alua-le as a tool to help you ad:ust personas and usa!e %odels for actual historical usa!e statistics re!ardin! !eneral conferencin! -eha0ior7 )ollect the follo#in! infor%ation@ )urrent location of the conference -rid!e in use7 "lthou!h this is not directly rele0ant for the usa!e %odelin!, youKll need to *no# #hether the conferencin! %edia flo# patterns #ill -e chan!in! on the net#or*7 Because conference traffic 0olu%es are si!nificant, chan!in! the location of the conference -rid!e can affect net#or* plannin! and desi!n7 'a9i%u% nu%-er of conferencin! ports used7 .ea* conferencin! usa!e in the last 12 %onths7 "0era!e %a9i%u% nu%-er of concurrent conferences, includin! the nu%-er of participants #hen that %a9i%u% occurs7 "0era!e %eetin! si/e7 "0era!e %eetin! duration7 otal %inutes of conferencin! used per day and per %onth7 If a0aila-le, ho# %any internal users 0ersus e9ternal users :oined the conference -rid!e7 >ouKll need si%ilar infor%ation for any 0ideo conferencin! syste%s in the infrastructure7 .ay specific attention to the des*top 0ideo endpoints and codecs in use, and -e sure to as* these questions@ +hat is the %a9i%u% 0ideo resolution for e9ecuti0e 0ideo conferences@ H( or 5C"L +hat is the -ase 0ideo quality to -e used@ 5C" or )IJL (o you plan to inte!rate #ith LyncL +hen definin! personas, the fe#er assu%ptions that you %a*e a-out the potential usa!e of the ne# syste%, the %ore accurate your -and#idth and capacity calculations #ill -e7 he default persona definition should assu%e that users #ill use all Lync $er0er %odalities #ith a 'ediu% usa!e %odel7 Usin! this approach helps to ensure that you can turn off %odalities in your %odelin! to reduce traffic 0olu%es, rather than -ein! surprised -y an o%ission later in the process7 +e pre0iously descri-ed a persona as a lo!ical !roup of users #ho -eha0e in a si%ilar %anner #hen usin! a specific functionality7 he Lync Band#idth )alculator includes usa!e %odels for each of the follo#in! usa!e scenarios@ 'a9i%u% concurrency of xP of the user -ase usin! instant %essa!in! and presence 'a9i%u% concurrency of xP of the user -ase usin! peer2to2peer audio 'a9i%u% concurrency of xP of the user -ase usin! peer2to2peer 0ideo 'a9i%u% concurrency of xP of the user -ase usin! audio conferencin! 'a9i%u% concurrency of xP of the user -ase usin! 0ideo conferencin! 'a9i%u% concurrency of xP of the user -ase usin! des*top sharin! 'a9i%u% concurrency of xP of the user -ase usin! .$ 1 audio 'a9i%u% concurrency of xP of the user -ase #or*in! re%otely his usa!e %odel can then -e ad:usted, -ased on ho# you anticipate your users -eha0in!, and on historical usa!e statistics fro% e9istin! syste%s7
1E
>ou can use o0erall usa!e %odelin! and user personas for future capacity plannin! in Lync $er0er and other infrastructures7 "fter youKre in production, the data on syste% usa!e -eco%es a0aila-le throu!h the Lync $er0er 'onitorin! and &eportin! feature7 >ou can then use this data to 0alidate the accuracy of your ori!inal personas and -and#idth esti%ations, and to predict future require%ents7
,%.
;andwidth #sti/ation
+hat is the potential i%pact of Lync $er0er on your net#or*L Band#idth esti%ation is the *ey consideration #hen deployin! Lync $er0er7 "ctually, net#or* esti%ation #ould -e a %ore apt ter%, -ecause the co%%unication strea%s #ithin Lync $er0er rely %ore on latency and pac*et loss than they do on ra# a0aila-le net#or* -and#idth7 o understand the role of net#or* esti%ation, you %ust also reco!ni/e the 0arious co%%unication flo#s #ithin Lync $er0er7 )oupled #ith the user personas, you can then use this infor%ation #ithin the Lync Band#idth )alculator to understand, per %odality, the 0olu%e of traffic that usin! Lync $er0er #ill li*ely !enerate7 he Lync Band#idth )alculator is continuously updated to reflect feed-ac* fro% internal testin! and also fro% actual custo%er2deployed Lync pro:ects7 herefore, the latest 0ersion of this spreadsheet can -e considered the %ost accurate 0ie# of net#or* -and#idth usa!e7 Jor details, see MLync 2010 and 2013 Band#idth )alculatorM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN3013I17 Jor a !raphical o0er0ie# of all the protocols in use #ithin Lync $er0er, see@ M'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2010 .rotocol +or*loads .osterM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN2II3F07 M'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2013 .rotocol +or*loads .osterM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN32GII47
2.3.1 !all "lows

+ithin any I.2-ased unified co%%unications 3U)6 solution, there are certain characteristic call2flo# scenarios that affect traffic %odelin! results and traffic si%ulation7 $cenarios include peer2to2peer calls, conference calls, and .$ 14.BO calls7 Dach scenario has different %edia paths, and %ust -e %odeled and or si%ulated to deter%ine future load require%ents7 here are other call2flo# scenarios #ithin the U) solution8specifically, those of re%ote users or federated co%%unications7 he follo#in! scenarios focus on plannin! for enterprise en0iron%ents and %ana!ed net#or*s7 Jor details a-out these scenarios, see MLync 2010 and 2013 Band#idth )alculatorM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN3013I17
,%.%$%$ Peer9to9Peer Session

" peer2to2peer call is any co%%unication session -et#een t#o U) endpoints, usin! any %odality7 hese calls ori!inate and ter%inate on U) endpoints #ithin the corporate net#or*7 " peer2to2peer session is characteri/ed -y call control si!nalin! that is relayed centrally throu!h the U) infrastructure, and the real2ti%e %edia is e9chan!ed directly -et#een the t#o endpoints7
,%.%$%, "on'erence Session

" conference call is a co%%unication session that ori!inates on a U) endpoint, and ter%inates on the Lync $er0er .ool 3-y default6 that hosts the audio40ideo 3"456 conferencin! ser0ice7 (urin! a conference, %ultiple sessions #ill ter%inate on the "45 conferencin! ser0ice7 he characteristic of a conference call consists of the %edia -ein! e9chan!ed -et#een the U) endpoint and the "45 conferencin! ser0ice7 1F
,%.%$%. PSTN:Mediation Server Session

+ithin the conte9t of a 'icrosoft U) syste%, a .$ 1 call is any co%%unication session that ori!inates on a U) endpoint and ter%inates on a Lync ser0er role called a 'ediation $er0er for on#ard relay to a .$ 1 !ate#ay or a qualified I. .BO7 Jor net#or* plannin! purposes, you need to understand the physical location of these Lync 'ediation $er0ers and !ate#ays7 In Lync $er0er 2010, a ne# feature8media bypass8#as introduced that ena-les the Lync client endpoint to -ypass a Lync 'ediation $er0er7 his #ay, %edia traffic is sent directly to a qualified .$ 1 !ate#ay or I. .BO7
,%.%$%7 "ontent Sharing

(urin! Lync peer2to2peer and conference sessions, it is possi-le to share the entire des*top, or, %ore efficiently, the indi0idual application -ein! referenced7 +hen des*top or application sharin! is initiated, Lync #ill use the &e%ote (es*top .rotocol 3&(.6 protocol -uilt into the host operatin! syste%7 his is a ). connection2-ased protocol that resends pac*ets that are lost7 It is 0ery difficult to predict the effect of &(. on the net#or* -ecause, -y nature, it is a protocol characteri/ed -y frequent -ursts, and it depends hea0ily on ho# often the shared des*top or application i%a!e is updated7 $ee the follo#in! ta-le to esti%ate the ran!e of fi!ures for e9pected -and#idths7
<0P ;andwidth #sti/ations
Screen Si(e
12H09H00 14409I00 1FH0910E0 1I2091200
cceptable
3H4 K-ps E12 K-ps GFH K-ps 1 '-ps
!pti/al
17E '-ps 2 '-ps 27GE '-ps 37E '-ps
Note Sharing in the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation graphics program is accomplished by using a different method for desktop sharing !lder versions of Lync use a built"in PowerPoint file viewer# or# for web presentations# the file is converted into a dynamic $%ML stream that re&uires the Microsoft Silverlight browser plug"in %o improve this experience for Lync Server '()*# an !ffice +eb ,pplication Server handles PowerPoint presentations by using dynamic $%ML and -avaScript
2.3.2 #an wi t$ %a&les

he follo#in! ta-les descri-e the -and#idth used -y the Lync $er0er 2013 %edia stac*7 Jor a full list of these ta-les for Lync $er0er 2013, see M1et#or* Band#idth &equire%ents for 'edia rafficM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3F17 "t the %ost !eneral le0el, the nu%-ers are as follo#s@
Network ;andwidth <e=uire/ents 'or Lync ,-$.
Modality
I', presence, and si!nalin! 5oice )onference 0oice 5ideo 2 s%all 5ideo 2 %ediu% 5ideo 2 hi!h
0escription
1on%edia ele%ents (efault N & "udio +ide-and (efault N C7G22 Uses H72F4 at 32091H0 Uses H72F4 at F4094H0 Uses H72F4 at 12H0910H0
Ma5i/u/ bandwidth
2 K-ps F2 K-ps 1007F K-ps 2E0 K-ps H00 K-ps 4 '-ps
Typical bandwidth
17F K-ps 3I K-ps 4F71 K-ps 200 K-ps F40 K-ps 372 '-ps
Ceneral notes@
1G
"ll fi!ures are -ased around the industry standard of 20%s pac*eti/ation for U) applications, #hich is E0 pac*ets per seconds7 Band#idth fi!ures include the protocol o0erheads for I., U(., & ., and $& .7 his is #hy the 'icrosoft -and#idth fi!ures for standard codecs are different fro% those quoted -y other 5oI. suppliers, #ho only state the ra# codec fi!ure, and not the entire pac*et o0erhead7 Jor 'icrosoft, this fi!ure includes encryptin! all co%%unications7 Ji!ures in the follo#in! ta-le for audio -and#idths do not include a Jor#ard Drror )orrection 3JD)6 o0erhead7 JD) is a %iti!ation technique that is ena-led #hen the net#or* suffers unusually hi!h pac*et loss7 he assu%ption is that, for plannin!, the net#or* ad%inistrator #ill esti%ate traffic use #ithout %iti!ations7 Jor 0ideo, the default codec is the H72F44'.DC24 .art 10 "d0anced 5ideo )odin! standard, coupled #ith its scala-le 0ideo codin! e9tensions for te%poral scala-ility7 o %aintain interopera-ility #ith Lync 2010 or ;ffice )o%%unicator 200G &2 clients, the & 5ideo codec is still used for peer2to2peer calls -et#een Lync $er0er 2013 and le!acy clients7 In conference sessions #ith -oth Lync $er0er 2013 and le!acy clients, the Lync $er0er 2013 endpoint %ay encode the 0ideo -y usin! -oth 0ideo codecs, and %ay send the H72F4 -it strea% to the Lync $er0er 2013, and send the & 5ideo -it strea% to Lync 2010 or to ;ffice )o%%unicator 200G &2 clients7 (efault aspect ratio for Lync $er0er 2013 has -een chan!ed to 1F@I7 he 4@3 aspect ratio is still supported for #e-ca%s that donKt allo# capture in 1F@I aspect ratio7
udio "odec ;andwidth
udio codec
& "udio +ide-and & "udio 1arro#-and C7G22 C7G22 $tereo C7G11 $iren
Scenarios
.eer2to2peer, default codec .eer2to2peer, .$ 1 (efault conferencin! codec .eer2to2peer, )onferencin! .$ 1 )onferencin!
Ma5i/u/ bandwidth 3)bps4

F2 447H 1007F 1EI IG E27F
Typical bandwidth 3)bps4

3I7H 307I 4F71 G371 F47H 2E7E
Band#idth includes I. header, U(. header, & . header, and $& . headers7 he stereo 0ersion of the C7G22 codec is used -y syste%s that are -ased on the Lync $er0er 2013 'eetin! &oo% Ddition, #hich ena-les stereo %icrophone capture so that listeners to can %ore easily distin!uish -et#een %ultiple tal*ers in the %eetin! roo%7
,%.%,%$ 2ideo "odec ;andwidth

he required -and#idth depends on the resolution, quality, and fra%e rate7 Jor each resolution, there are three -it rates@ Ma5i/u/ payload bit rate8Bit rate that a Lync $er0er endpoint uses for resolution at the %a9i%u% fra%e rate supported for this resolution7 his 0alue ena-les the hi!hest quality and fra%e rate for 0ideo7 Mini/u/ payload bit rate8Bit rate -elo# #hich a Lync $er0er endpoint s#itches to the ne9t lo#er resolution7 o !uarantee a certain le0el of resolution, the a0aila-le 0ideo payload -it rate %ust not fall -elo# this %ini%u% -it rate for that resolution7 his 0alue ena-les you to deter%ine the lo#est 0alue possi-le in cases #here the %a9i%u% -it rate is not a0aila-le or practical7 Jor so%e users, a lo# -it2 rate 0ideo %i!ht -e considered an unaccepta-le 0ideo e9perience, so -e careful #hen you consider 1H
applyin! these %ini%u% 0ideo payload -it rates7 Jor 0ideo scenes #ith little or no user %o0e%ent, the actual -it rate %ay also te%porarily fall -elo# the %ini%u% -it rate7 Typical bit rate8Used #ith %ore than 100 users at site, as a %ore accurate #ay of %odellin! -and#idth than #ith usin! the %a9i%u% 0ideo -it rates7
,%.%,%, 2ideo <esolution ;andwidth

he follo#in! ta-le sho#s 0ideo resolution -and#idth 0alues7
2ideo <esolution ;andwidth
2ideo codec
<esolution and aspect ratio

32091H0 31F@I6 21291F0 34@36 4249240 31F@I66 3209240 34@3 4H092G0 31F@I6 4249320 34@36 F4093F0 31F@I6 F4094H0 34@36 H4H94H0 31F@I6 IF09E40 31F@I6 12H09G20 31F@I6 1I20910H0 31F@I6 IF09144 320@36 12H091I2 320@36 1I2092HH 320@36
Ma5i/u/ video payload bit rate 3)bps4

2E0 3E0 4E0 H00 1E00 2000 2E00 4000 E00 1000 2000
Mini/u/ video payload bit rate 3)bps4

1E 100 200 300 400 E00 G00 E00 1E 2E0 E00
Typical bit rate 3)bps4

200 2H0 3E0 F40 1200 1F00 2000 3200 400
H72F4 H72F44& 5ideo H72F4 H72F44& 5ideo H72F4 H72F4 H72F44& 5ideo H72F4 H72F44& 5ideo H72F4 H72F4
5ideo for#ard error correction 3JD)6 is included in the 0ideo payload -it rate7 Dndpoints do not strea% audio or 0ideo pac*ets continuously7 (ependin! on the scenario, there are different le0els of strea% acti0ity that indicate ho# often pac*ets are sent for a strea%7 he acti0ity le0el of a strea% depends on the %edia and the scenario, and does not depend on the codec that is used7 In a peer2to2peer scenario@ Dndpoints send audio strea%s only #hen the users spea*7 Both participants recei0e audio strea%s7 If 0ideo is used, -oth endpoints send and recei0e 0ideo strea%s durin! the entire call7 Jor 0ideo scenes #ith little or no %o0e%ent, the actual -it rate %ay te%porarily -e 0ery lo#, -ecause the 0ideo codec s*ips encodin! re!ions of the 0ideo #ith no chan!es7 In a conferencin! scenario@ Dndpoints send audio strea%s only #hen the users spea*7 "ll participants recei0e audio strea%s7 If 0ideo is used, all participants can recei0e up to fi0e recei0e 0ideo strea%s and one panora%ic 3for e9a%ple, aspect ratio 20@36 0ideo strea%7 By default, the fi0e recei0e 0ideo strea%s are -ased on acti0e spea*er history, -ut users can also %anually select the participants fro% #hich they #ant to recei0e a 0ideo strea%7
1I
he typical strea% -and#idth for panora%ic 0ideo is -ased on currently a0aila-le de0ices that strea% only up to IF09144 panora%ic 0ideo7 "fter de0ices #ith 1I207972HH panora%ic 0ideo -eco%e a0aila-le, the typical strea% -and#idth is e9pected to increase7
,%.%,%. &/pact o' Multiple 2ideo Strea/s in Lync Server ,-$.

" feature in Lync $er0er 2013 conferences displays up to fi0e si%ultaneous 0ideo strea%s, and potentially a si9th, if the .anora%ic 0ideo option is used7 By default, the 0ideo strea%s sho# the current and past four acti0e spea*ers, -ut this can -e chan!ed -y the user to select any fi0e feeds fro% #ithin the !allery 0ie#, as sho#n in the follo#in! fi!ure7
Lync Server ,-$. "on'erence Gallery 2iew with 6ive Si/ultaneous 2ideo Strea/s
he fi0e lar!er #indo#s sho# the li0e 0ideo feeds7 he %ediu% #indo# is a 0ideo pre0ie# of the user, and the pictures underneath are static i%a!es of other %eetin! attendees that can -e selected to -e one of the fi0e 0ideo feeds7
2.3.2.3.1
Lync 'erver #an wi t$
here is a 0alue in Lync $er0er called the otal&ecei0e5ideoBit&ateK-, #hich, -y default, is set to E0,000K-4s 3or F72E'B4s67 +e reco%%end lo#erin! this 0alue to H,000K-4s, #hich essentially li%its the 0ideo traffic to a sin!le H( 0ideo strea%7 Jor details, see M)onfi!urin! 5ideo D9a%ple $cenariosM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3F27
20
,%.%,%7
udio "apacity Planning 'or PSTN
he follo#in! ta-le sho#s the net#or* -and#idth nu%-ers that indicate audio capacity plannin! for a pu-lic s#itched telephone net#or* 3.$ 167
;andwidth 2alues 'or udio "apacity Planning 'or PSTN
Media codec
C7G11 & "udio 1arro#-and
Typical strea/ bandwidth 3)bps4

F47H 307I
Ma5i/u/ strea/ bandwidth

IG 447H
he net#or* -and#idth nu%-ers in all precedin! ta-les represent one2#ay traffic only, and include E K-ps for & ). traffic o0erhead for each strea%7 Jor all -and#idth ta-les, the %a9i%u% -and#idth fi!ures should !enerally -e used in net#or* plannin!7 Lync $er0er depends entirely on the underlyin! net#or* for the user2percei0ed quality of its co%%unications, particularly 0oice7 In addition, sites #ith fe#er than 100 users should al#ays use the %a9i%u% fi!ures -ecause, statistically, the net#or* pea*s for Lync $er0er occur %ore frequently7 Jor sites #ith %ore than 100 users, the typical fi!ures can -e used7
2.3.3 #an wi t$ (stimation for )e un ant Links

+e offer the follo#in! reco%%endations at a technical le0el for esti%atin! -and#idth for redundant lin*s7 he econo%ics of your -usiness #ill typically deter%ine the le0els of redundant lin*s that are required for indi0idual #or*loads #ithin the or!ani/ation7 .ro:ect #or* #ith custo%ers typically in0ol0es the follo#in! considerations@ 'any custo%ers ha0e outsourced all their +"1 connections to a sin!le pro0ider 3or a s%all !roup for internationals6 that offers a ser0ice le0el a!ree%ent 3$L"6 for lin*s that %atch or e9ceed the -usiness require%ent for Lync $er0er 3and 0oice6 ser0ice a0aila-ility7 Bac*up lin*s do e9ist, -ut #ith stricter call ad%ission control 3)")6 to reduce the nu%-er of si%ultaneous connections that occur8for e9a%ple, a reduced ser0ice7 he -ac*up lin*s also do not usually support any Ao$ settin!s, #hich are al%ost al#ays a cost option on +"1 connections7 'any co%panies issue %o-ile phones or e0en s%artphones to their core *no#led!e #or*ers 3or rely on M-rin! your o#n de0ices= 3B>;(s66, and also use these de0ices as -ac*up %echanis%s for Lync $er0er 3and 0oice6 ser0ices7 his -eco%es %ore rele0ant #ith Lync $er0er 2013, #hich has fully featured clients, includin! 5oI. and 0ideo that can run on %o-ile de0ices and operate across %o-ile phone style data net#or*s 3for e9a%ple, 3C and 4C 3L D62-ased ser0ices67
,%7
Tra''ic Si/ulation
Understandin! ho# your net#or* perfor%s under real2#orld traffic patterns is essential7 >our si%ulation testin! should use fi0e -aseline net#or* characteristics that #ill quantify your net#or*Ks perfor%ance under the anticipated traffic 0olu%e that your users #ill !enerate -y usin! Lync $er0er7 >ouK0e already used the Lync Band#idth )alculator to esti%ate traffic 0olu%es -ased on usa!e %odels, and to create personas that you %odified -y usin! real2#orld data collected in your disco0ery con0ersations7 1o# youKre ready to !enerate the 0olu%e of traffic in those si!nature %edia flo# scenarios8peer, conference, and .$ 17 " si%ulation tool %ust -e a-le to !enerate traffic 3real & .4& ). traffic6, collect, and then !raph the 0ariation in the fi0e -aseline net#or* characteristics for each call@ ;ne2#ay net#or* delay "0era!e :itter 21
'a9i%u% :itter "0era!e pac*et loss Burst pac*et loss 3pea* consecuti0e pac*ets lost6 +hen si%ulatin! traffic, %a*e sure that you ha0e@ 'odeled the a%ount of -and#idth required7 Identified sites for Lync $er0er traffic si%ulation7 )ollected Lync $er0er real2ti%e scenarios to -e si%ulated7
2.4.1 'imulatin* (stimate +mount of #an wi t$ )e,uire

"s you prepare to introduce Lync $er0er real2ti%e ser0ices to your or!ani/ationKs net#or* infrastructure, it is crucial to accurately si%ulate and e0aluate the anticipated load and the i%pact that Lync $er0er ser0ices %ay ha0e in a !i0en site or -et#een sites7 D0en if youK0e already docu%ented and planned anticipated usa!e %odels and the associated a%ount of -and#idth, unless your or!ani/ation can apply and si%ulate the anticipated load of Lync $er0er real2ti%e traffic on its net#or*, you #onKt -e a-le to fully e0aluate and 0erify the net#or*Ks a-ility to respond at pea* ti%es of Lync $er0er ser0ices usa!e7 +hen perfor%in! a traffic si%ulation for 0alidatin! Lync $er0er supporta-ility, the si%ulation itself needs to -e focused on the anticipated a%ount of -and#idth required in support of Lync $er0er %odalities to -e used, local to a !i0en site7 his is i%portant -ecause, althou!h you %ust consider the potential -and#idth associated #ith a particular codec fro% a capacity plannin! perspecti0e, itKs %ore i%portant to esti%ate the a%ount of -and#idth required in total, !i0en the potential %a9i%u% concurrent Lync $er0er %odalities and scenarios7 hese scenarios are discussed in the follo#in! sections7
,%7%$%$ P,P Scenarios

.eer2to2peer 3.2.6 scenarios consist of@ "udio 5ideo (es*top sharin! +e- colla-oration
,%7%$%, "on'erencing Scenarios

)onferencin! scenarios consist of@ "udio 5ideo +e"nother *ey factor to identify #hen desi!nin! or perfor%in! traffic si%ulation scenarios is %odelin! anticipated usa!e, alon! #ith the associated -and#idth i%pact on a local site or -et#een sites7 Jor details, see 'odelin!4.ersonas and Band#idth Dsti%ation7 In so%e cases, %odelin! can -e -ased on esti%ated !uesses for the e9pected usa!e le0el or scenario for a particular site7 "dditionally, -y usin! usa!e %odels as part of the actual traffic si%ulation process, you can incorporate additional anticipated assu%ptions to deter%ine potential !aps7
22
he ne9t consideration@ #hat is the -est approach for properly assessin! and si%ulatin! Lync $er0er traffic, alon! #ith its potential i%pact in a !i0en net#or* en0iron%entL o deter%ine this, thin* a-out ho# the anticipated Lync $er0er traffic should -e si%ulated7 Be sure to include the e0aluation and sa%plin! periods required for representin! ho# the net#or* is a-le to respond and perfor%7 "s a -est practice, Lync $er0er traffic si%ulation scenarios for a specific site should include@ &unnin! for a %ini%u% of one #ee*7 &unnin! 24 hours a day7 "s an additional part of this reco%%ended test profile, consider factorin! in the %a9i%u% anticipated sessions, follo#in! the -and#idth calculator si/in! e9a%ple in the Matri5 0istribution ta-, as follo#s@
Matri5 0istribution Tab in ;andwidth "alculator
" #ell2desi!ned traffic si%ulation sa%plin! scenario ena-les you to@ (eter%ine if any con!estion patterns de0elop #ithin the net#or* after Lync $er0er real2ti%e ser0ices are introduced7 (eter%ine if the Ao$ policies in place are effecti0e and -ein! correctly applied7 Cau!e the net#or* response durin! certain periods of con!estion 3for e9a%ple, dropped pac*ets, delay and :itter effects, and so on67
2.4.2 I entifyin* 'ites for Lync 'erver %raffic 'imulation

"fter you identify the scenarios to si%ulate traffic, coupled #ith the anticipated total -and#idth required, youKll need to deter%ine #hich sites or locations to use for a!ent place%ent to si%ulate Lync $er0er traffic7 >ou should al#ays place a si%ulation pro-e at the location #here your Lync )onferencin! ser0ices reside7 1e9t, youKll need to decide #hich re%ote locations 3+"1 sites6 youKre !oin! to test7 >ou should cate!ori/e your locations, usually -ased on +"1 lin* speed4type, nu%-er of users in the site, and !eo!raphic location7 D0en enterprise custo%ers !enerally ha0e fe#er than F210 cate!ories of sites7 23
In practice, choose up to 20 sites to test, e0enly distri-uted -et#een !eo!raphic re!ions7 Be sure to choose a sa%ple fro% each cate!ory in each re!ion7 Jor e9a%ple, letKs assu%e that your or!ani/ation spans three re!ions 3"%ericas, Durope, the 'iddle Dast and "frica 3D'D"6 and "sia .acific 3".")667 +eKll also assu%e that your enterprise has si9 cate!ories of sites7 >ou #ould end up testin! #ith 1H re%ote locations -ecause youKd !et a sa%plin! of 3 sites fro% each cate!ory split -et#een the re!ions7 Jinally, -e sure to ta*e a loo* at locations4re!ions #ith pre0ious connecti0ity issues, or #here users ha0e raised concerns a-out %edia quality issues7
2.4.3 Lync 'erver )eal-%ime 'cenarios to #e 'imulate

Up to this point, youK0e identified the usa!e scenarios, test cases, -and#idth esti%ation, and site locations to -e e0aluated7 >our final step is to deter%ine #hich Lync $er0er real2ti%e scenarios should -e considered as part of your traffic si%ulation testin! criteria7 Jor this effort, you should use the output of the Lync Band#idth )alculator7 he Band#idth )alculatorKs output identifies the follo#in! traffic 0olu%es on a site2-y2site -asis@ .eer 3traffic should -e e0enly distri-uted -et#een other re%ote location pro-es6 o o "udio traffic 0olu%e 5ideo traffic 0olu%e
)onference 3traffic should -e -et#een the re%ote pro-e and the data center pro-e6 o o "udio traffic 0olu%e 5ideo traffic 0olu%e
.$ 1 3traffic should -e -et#een the re%ote pro-e and the data center pro-e6 o "udio traffic 0olu%e
Jor details, see MLync 2010 and 2013 Band#idth )alculatorM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN3013I17 Cenerally, #e donKt reco%%end si%ulatin! app2sharin! traffic -ecause itKs ).2-ased, typically un%ar*ed for Ao$, and characteri/ed -y frequent -ursts7 he theoretical %odelin! acti0ities youK0e already co%pleted, co%-ined #ith your historical %etrics, #ill help you deter%ine any potential ris*s7 If you feel stron!ly a-out si%ulatin! app2sharin! traffic, #e reco%%end usin! a ).2-ased traffic si%ulation pac*a!e7
2.4.4 )ecommen e %ools for Lync 'erver %raffic 'imulation

here are %any tools a0aila-le today on the %ar*et, and any of these tools can -e used #ith this %ethodolo!y7 'a*e sure that the tool includes the follo#in! critical ele%ents@ "-ility to !enerate real & .4& ). traffic, for audio and 0ideo7 "-ility to centrally %ana!e the pro-es7 "-ility to %ar* traffic #ith Ao$ %ar*in!s7 "-ility to collect and !raphically present the fi0e -aseline net#or* characteristics %apped o0er ti%e7
Important. Look for variations in those baseline characteristics over time# not simply a threshold number that.s good or bad
$upport for all fi0e -aseline characteristics@ 24
o o o o o
;ne2#ay net#or* delay "0era!e :itter 'a9i%u% :itter "0era!e pac*et loss Burst pac*et loss 3pea* consecuti0e pac*ets lost6
"dditional features in 0arious tools include the a-ility to !enerate auto%ated reports -ased on the collection data, the a-ility to schedule tests, and the a-ility to fla! #hen Ao$ %ar*in!s are -ein! stripped7
2.4./ %raffic 'imulation #est 0ractices

In su%%ary, as you prepare to e0aluate your net#or*s a!ainst pri%ary Lync $er0er traffic si%ulation scenarios, itKs i%portant to@ 5erify site selection -ased on #here you anticipate Lync $er0er real2ti%e ser0ices to -e used7 (ecide on the le0el of traffic distri-ution and allocation required 3for e9a%ple, flo#s and a%ount of traffic to si%ulate67 Kno# the *ey sites, and -and#idth in -et#een the%, for ho# Lync $er0er traffic scenarios should -e -est si%ulated7 Keep the list of sites to e0aluate to 20 sites or fe#er7 est representati0e sites that #ill use Lync $er0er real2ti%e co%%unication ser0ices7 Jocus on potential #ea* points #ithin the net#or* 3for e9a%ple, areas #here -and#idth %ay -e thin67 (eter%ine potential pac*et loss and delay for connections that tra0el in -et#een continents7 Inquire a-out e9istin! or!ani/ational *no#led!e re!ardin! -ad quality, to deter%ine #here to perfor% traffic si%ulation scenarios7 )onsider site selection input other than technical factors 3for e9a%ple, the location of the )hief Infor%ation ;fficerKs office67 )onsider traffic distri-ution and allocation -et#een sites7 .erfor% initial %odelin! #ith the MLync 2010 and 2013 Band#idth )alculatorM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN3013I1 at the site le0el 3for e9a%ple, in traffic fro% and to the site6 to use as input for finali/in! the anticipated traffic si%ulation criteria7
,%8
"all d/ission "ontrol 3" "4
)all ad%ission control 3)")6 is an application layer %echanis% that deter%ines #hether there is sufficient net#or* -and#idth to pro0ide a hi!h2quality e9perience for users #hen they place an audio call or a 0ideo call throu!h the net#or*7 )") is solely confi!ured #ithin Lync $er0er and does not *no# enou!h a-out the underlyin! net#or* infrastructure to reser0e -and#idth, or to help ensure that -and#idth is actually a0aila-le outside of its o#n confi!ured 0alues7 Ho#e0er, )") can ena-le you, as a syste% ad%inistrator, to define potential net#or* capacity li%itations -et#een sites7 "dditionally, fro% a user perspecti0e, )") pro0ides a -etter e9perience -y re:ectin! or reroutin! a call and 0isually indicatin! the reason, rather than allo#in! a call to !o ahead #ith poor quality on the defined net#or* path7 In Lync $er0er, call ad%ission control can -e confi!ured to define the %a9i%u% concurrent -and#idth to -e used for real2ti%e audio and 0ideo %odalities7 )") can also -e confi!ured to define the %a9i%u% -and#idth for a sin!le call of each %odality7 )") does not li%it the -and#idth of other traffic7 It canKt pre0ent other data traffic, such as a lar!e file transfer or %usic strea%in!, fro% usin! all the net#or* -and#idth7 )") also canKt -e used to define the codec used -y a call7 Ho#e0er, )") can -e confi!ured to li%it the option of hi!her -and#idth for the call7 2E
"s an additional %easure to protect the necessary -and#idth, deploy Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$67 "s a -est practice confi!uration, -e sure to coordinate )") -and#idth policies #ith Ao$ settin!s deployed to the physical net#or*7 )all ad%ission control policies can -e defined -y usin! either the Lync $er0er )ontrol .anel or the Lync 'ana!e%ent $hell7 he Lync $er0er 'ana!e%ent $hell ena-les scriptin! of the confi!urations, #hich #e reco%%end #ith %ultiple site specifications7 'onitorin! the usa!e of )") is a0aila-le throu!h call detail recordin! 3)(&6 data and Auality of D9perience 3AoD6 data in the 'onitorin! reports7 Be sure to use %onitorin! functions to help ensure that )") polices are neither underpro0isioned nor o0erpro0isioned for specific sites7 )onfi!urin! )") alone does not pro0ide opti%al -and#idth usa!e for site2to2site lin*sQ it :ust protects real ti%e traffic fro% itself7 o confi!ure )") #ithin Lync $er0er, it is 0ery i%portant to identify the I. su-nets that are assi!ned to each site7 he I. su-nets specified durin! net#or* confi!uration on the ser0er %ust %atch the for%at pro0ided -y client co%puters to -e usa-le for the %edia -ypass feature of Lync $er0er7 In other #ords, the I. su-nets confi!ured in )") should %atch the su-nets pro0ided -y (yna%ic Host )onfi!uration .rotocol 3(H).6 ser0ers or statically assi!ned to clients, rather than created for su%%ary purposes7 If the or!ani/ation pro0ides %edia throu!h a 0irtual pri0ate net#or* 35.16 connection, then the %edia strea% and the si!nalin! strea% !o throu!h the 5.1, or -oth are routed throu!h the Internet7 Ho#e0er, call ad%ission control is not enforced for re%ote users #here the net#or* traffic flo#s throu!h the Internet7 Because the %edia traffic is tra0ersin! the Internet, #hich is not %ana!ed -y Lync $er0er, )") cannot -e applied7 )") chec*s are perfor%ed on the portion of the call le! that flo#s throu!h the or!ani/ationKs net#or*7
2./.1 Multiple !all + mission !ontrol 'ystems

Because real2ti%e co%%unications syste% lifecycles 0ary, itKs li*ely that %ultiple real2ti%e co%%unications syste%s #ill -e operatin! at the sa%e ti%e on the enterprise net#or*7 his could -e due to specific %odalities -ein! controlled -y one co%%unications syste%, or -y other specific islands of technolo!y -ein! a0aila-le in certain re!ions, or throu!h coe9istence or %i!ration7 "t these ti%es, %ultiple )") %echanis%s are a0aila-le throu!h the indi0idual syste%s7 hese %echanis%s are separate fro% each other, so itKs i%portant to 0alidate %odelin! profiles and -and#idth esti%ation for potential use7 $pecifically, for )"), youKll need to %a*e allo#ances for traffic fro% %ultiple syste%s across +"1 lin*s, and youKll need to use consistent, re!ular %onitorin! to facilitate necessary ad:ust%ents in any specified 0alues7 In this scenario, call ad%ission control is used to protect Lync $er0er real2ti%e traffic and other syste%sK real2ti%e traffic fro% interferin! #ith each other in the conte9t of the underlyin! net#or* topolo!y, and Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$6 %ar*in!7 o illustrate the point, i%a!ine your 0oice Ao$ queue as a lar!e pipe, #ith t#o s%aller pipes #ithin the lar!er pipe7 he Lync $er0er )")8one of the s%all pipes8#ould li%it the 0olu%e of the Lync $er0er traffic in the 0oice queue, and the other syste%Ks )")8the other s%all pipe8#ould need to li%it the 0olu%e of its traffic in the 0oice queue7 o help ensure that -oth syste%s coe9ist #ithout affectin! each other , deter%ine the appropriate si/e of )") li%its and of queues -efore deploy%ent, and 0alidate these data re!ularly as part of operational e9cellence
,%>
+uality o' Service 3+oS4
Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$6 is the %echanis% that ena-les classification, %ar*in!, and prioriti/ation of traffic on the net#or*7 Ao$ helps to !uarantee the -and#idth a0aila-le for confi!ured traffic flo#s7 "s a -est practice, youKll need to coordinate )") -and#idth policies #ith Ao$ settin!s deployed to the physical net#or*7
2F
Ao$ classification enco%passes %any different types of net#or* traffic, #ith port2-ased and protocol2 -ased traffic as the %ost co%%on classification %ethods7 >ou can also confi!ure your net#or* infrastructure to trust ($). %ar*in!s on net#or* traffic that it recei0es fro% the endpoint7 Lync $er0er 2013 ena-les -oth defined port ran!es and ($). %ar*in!7 o help ensure the -est user e9perience, you should confi!ure Lync $er0er 2013 to %ar* all traffic for trans%ission onto the net#or*7 " !ood startin! point #ould -e to confi!ure all 0oice real2ti%e traffic to use (iff$er0er )ode .oint 4F, #ith 0ideo confi!ured for 347 )onfi!ure $I. $i!nallin! traffic to use 247 'ar* other %odalities accordin! to -usiness require%ents7 Because these are only reco%%endations, %a*e sure that youKre usin! the %ar*in!s that ha0e -een a!reed upon as part of your enterpriseKs e9istin! Ao$ strate!y7 .ay attention to the Ao$ policies i%ple%ented on e9istin! s#itch infrastructures to help ensure that client ($). %ar*in!s are not stripped, or reset7 )onfi!ure Ao$ end2to2end, and 0erify that the Ao$ %ar*in!s in place throu!hout the net#or* are le!iti%ate to a0oid any confi!uration issues on the s#itch infrastructure7 ;ther#ise, this %is%atch could cause re%ar*in! of pac*ets to a less than opti%al 0alue, #hich could cause the% to %iss priority queuin! confi!ured on the net#or*7
,%?
Network Port Usage
+hen usin! net#or* ports, -e sure that youK0e co%pleted the follo#in! plannin! require%ents@ )onfi!urin! %anual port scenarios7 Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$67 'ana!in! -and#idth7 .lace%ent of internal fire#alls7 'ini%u% nu%-er of ports for #or*loads at scale7 Dffect of %anual port ran!e assi!n%ent on $& . co%%unications7 )onfi!urin! %anual ports for the Lync client7 )onfi!urin! port ran!es for your )onferencin! $er0er, "pplication $er0er, and 'ediation $er0er7 5erifyin! %anual port confi!uration on the client side7 5erifyin! a unified co%%unications 3U)6 port ran!e that is ena-led for Lync clients7 5erifyin! %anual port confi!uration on the ser0er side7 .rioriti/in! traffic for real2ti%e co%%unications7
2.1.1 Manual 0ort !onfi*uration 'cenarios

+ith enterprise deploy%ents for Lync $er0er 2013, one of the %ost co%%on questions fro% custo%ers is@ MIs it possi-le to assi!n a dedicated nu%-er and ran!e of ports per Lync $er0er %odalityL= and <+hat are so%e of scenarios in #hich youKd reco%%end thisLM It is indeed possi-le to assi!n a dedicated nu%-er and ran!e of ports per Lync $er0er %odality, -ut, as #ith other net#or* plannin! considerations supportin! Lync $er0er 2013, itKs i%portant to understand the scenarios and the potential i%pact of these confi!urations7 hese scenarios, detailed in the follo#in! sections, typically include@ Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$6 Band#idth %ana!e%ent 2G
Internal fire#all place%ent
2.1.2 Quality of 'ervice 2Qo'3 for Mo ality %ypes

o support an or!ani/ation Ao$ policy that can differentiate -et#een real2ti%e co%%unication %odality types, #e reco%%end that you allocate a separate and dedicated ran!e for each Lync $er0er %odality 3for e9a%ple, 0oice, 0ideo, or application sharin!67 (ependin! on the port ran!e assi!ned, the Ao$ policy in place inspects the traffic and desi!nates priority, -ased on the processin! prioriti/ation classifications in place for a particular net#or* de0ice7
2.1.3 #an wi t$ Mana*ement

"s a co%ple%ent to a Ao$ policy already in place, so%e or!ani/ations %ay #ant to add traffic %ana!e%ent policies for allocatin! a %a9i%u% a%ount of -and#idth per Lync $er0er %odality type7 In this case, the policy is confi!ured to allocate -and#idth -ased on ho# the affected net#or* de0ice is confi!ured7
2.1.4 Internal "irewall 0lacement

$ecurity2conscious or!ani/ations often ha0e a re!ulatory or co%pliance require%ent that %andates placin! an internal fire#all -et#een client2to2client and client2to2ser0er co%%unications, for %ana!e%ent and %onitorin! capa-ilities7 In %any cases, -ecause a fire#all is li%ited -y the I. address assi!ned to the interfacesK routin! traffic, the list of ports a0aila-le to support a ran!e of co%%unication scenarios is fro% 1024 to FEE3E7 "s a result, so%e or!ani/ations %ay need to allocate the %ini%u% nu%-er of ports required, due to the ).4I. port allocation li%itations for routin! Lync $er0er 2013 client2to2client and client2to2ser0er traffic7
Note /ecause this scenario is not officially supported by Lync Server '()* deployment# the capabilities of Microsoft for providing assistance# if re&uired# will be best"effort 0f the issues can.t be resolved# you may be asked to temporarily remove the firewall# in order to move to a supported scenario to find a solution
2.1./ Minimum Num&er of 0orts for 4orkloa s at 'cale

o support a dedicated nu%-er of port ran!es per Lync $er0er %odality so that you can pro0ide the %ini%u% nu%-er of ports needed per ser0er and per client to ena-le all #or*loads at scale, you %ust first allocate a ran!e of ports to -e unique per %odality, as sho#n in the follo#in! ta-le7
llocation o' Port <ange
Lync Modality Type

"udio 5ideo "pplication sharin! Jile transfer
Port Start
E0020 EH000 42000 42020
<ange o' Ports <e=uired

20 20 20 20
Note /y configuring a minimum of '( ports per modality type# you enable the Lync client to evaluate the candidate transport addresses that it can use to stream audio# video# and desktop sharing to another client# as described in the 0nternet 1ngineering %ask 2orce 301%24 0nteractive 5onnectivity 1stablishment 30514 protocol at http677go microsoft com7fwlink7p78Link09:'';<=> %he candidate addresses include a local address and an address on the ,7? ,ccess 1dge Server , minimum of '( ports per modality type also accommodates any escalations from a peer"to"peer call to a conference
"nother point to consider #hen definin! %anual Lync $er0er %odality port confi!urations@ a ran!e of ports assi!ned to client ports can -e different fro% the ran!e of ports confi!ured on Lync $er0er7 Jor e9a%ple, 2H
in ter%s of the precedin! ta-le, you could ha0e Lync clients confi!ured to use ports 42000 throu!h 4201I 3for application sharin! scenarios67 ;r you could ha0e Lync $er0er confi!ured, -y default, to the follo#in! set of ports instead@ 40H03 throu!h 4I1E1 3for application sharin! scenarios67 he ran!e of client ports assi!ned does not need to represent a su-set of the ports used -y Lync $er0er itself7 he %ain difference is that Lync $er0er needs a -roader ran!e or ports a0aila-le to -est support the ran!e of clients required at scale7
Note +e recommend that you make your client port ranges a subset of your server port ranges
o assi!n the port ran!es sho#n in the precedin! ta-le to your !lo-al collection of conferencin! confi!uration settin!s, use the follo#in! Lync $er0er 'ana!e%ent $hell c%dlet@ Set-CsConferencingConfiguration -Identity global -ClientAudioPort 50020 -ClientAudioPortRange 20 -ClientVideoPort 58000 -ClientVideoPortRange 20 -ClientAppSharingPort 2000 -ClientAppSharingPortRange 20 Client!ile"ransferPort 2020 -Client!ile"ransferPortRange 20
2.1.5 !onfi*urin* Manual 0orts for t$e Lync !lient

By default, the Lync client applications #ill use any port -et#een 1024 and FEE3E #hen i%ple%entin! the follo#in! real2ti%e co%%unication %odalities@ 5oice 5ideo "pplication 3%edia6 sharin! +e- colla-oration Jile transfer If you %ust %anually assi!n and specify a ran!e of ports8#hich #e reco%%end, if you plan on i%ple%entin! Ao$8you %ust first ena-le client %edia port ran!es7 (o this -y runnin! the follo#in! +indo#s .o#er$hell c%dlet@ Set-CsConferencingConfiguration -Client#ediaPortRange$nabled %"rue o %anually assi!n dedicated port ran!es for the 0arious traffic types 3audio, 0ideo, %edia, application sharin!, and file transfer6 to a series of unique port ran!es, run the follo#in! +indo#s .o#er$hell c%dlet@ Set-CsConferencingConfiguration
Note %he preceding cmdlet enables client media port ranges for the global collection of conferencing configuration settings $owever# these settings can also be applied at a Lync site scope and7or the service scope 3for the 5onferencing Server service only4 levels %o enable client media port ranges for a specific site or server# specify the identity of that site or server when running the 'et-!s!onferencin*!onfi*uration cmdlet6
Set-CsConferencingConfiguration -Identity &site'CentralSite(& -Client#ediaPortRange$nabled %"rue By default, if no %anual %edia port ran!e 3throu!h conference confi!uration settin!s6 has -een defined, define the follo#in! property 0alues@
Media Port <ange Property 2alue 0e'initions )lient'edia.ort&an!eDna-led )lient"udio.ort )lient"udio.ort&an!e )lient5ideo.ort Jalse E3E0 40 E3E0
2I
Lync Server Networking Guide )lient5ideo.ort&an!e )lient"pp$harin!.ort )lient"pp$harin!.ort&an!e )lientJile ransfer.ort )lient ransfer.ort&an!e 40 E3E0 40 E3E0 40
Jro% the pre0ious results, the follo#in! property set is confi!ured as Jalse -y default@ Client#ediaPortRange$nabled +hen this property is set to Jalse, Lync clients can use any ran!e of User (ata!ra% .rotocol 3U(.6 or ). ports a0aila-le fro% a ran!e of 1024 throu!h FEE3E #hen esta-lishin! Lync %edia co%%unications7
2.1.1 !onfi*urin* 0ort )an*es for +pplication6 !onferencin*6 an Me iation 'ervers

By default, the Lync 2013 "pplication, )onferencin!, and 'ediation $er0ers use any port -et#een 1024 and FEE3E #hen i%ple%entin! the follo#in! real2ti%e co%%unication %odalities@ 5oice 5ideo "pplication 3%edia6 sharin! +e- colla-oration o 0erify that the e9istin! port ran!es for your )onferencin!, "pplication, and 'ediation ser0ers are confi!ured as e9pected, run the follo#in! Lync $er0er 'ana!e%ent $hell c%dlets@ )et-CsSer*ice -ConferencingSer*er + Select-,b-ect Identity. AudioPortStart. AudioPortCount. VideoPortStart. VideoPortCount. AppSharingPortStart. AppSharingPortCount )et-CsSer*ice -ApplicationSer*er + Select-,b-ect Identity. AudioPortStart. AudioPortCount )et-CsSer*ice -#ediationSer*er + Select-,b-ect Identity. AudioPortStart. AudioPortCount he follo#in! ta-le lists the default port ran!es assi!ned to Lync $er0er 2013@
0e'ault Port <anges 'or Lync Server ,-$.
Property
"udio.ort$tart "udio.ort)ount 5ideo.ort$tart 5ideo.ort)ount "pplication$harin!.ort$tart "pplication$harin!.ort)ount
"on'erencing Server
4I1E2 H34H EGE01 H034 4I1E2 1F3H3
pplication Server
4I1E2 H34H 22 22 22 22
Mediation Server
4I1E2 H34H 22 22 22 22
30
"s the precedin! ta-le sho#s, for each %odality listed8audio, 0ideo, and application sharin!8t#o separate property 0alues are assi!ned@ the port start and the port count7 he port start 0alue indicates the first port fro% the ran!e assi!ned that should -e used for that specific %odality7 Jor e9a%ple, #hen you are usin! an audio port co%%unication scenario, if the defined audio port start is equal to E0,000, this %eans that the first port that is used for audio traffic #ill -e port E0,0007 If the audio port count is set to 20, this %eans that only 20 ports #ill -e allocated as audio call scenarios7
Note /ecause ports from an assigned range are used for a specific modality# the range of ports used for a specific modality scenario will be contiguous 2or example# >(#(((# >(#(() through >(#()< indicates up to '( continuous audio sessions that the Lync client will be able to participate in and support
+hen confi!urin! %anual port ran!es for Lync $er0er roles, %a*e sure that@ "udio port settin!s are identical across your )onferencin!, "pplication, and 'ediation $er0ers7 .ort ran!es assi!ned per %odality do not o0erlap7 Jor e9a%ple, in reference to the precedin! ta-le, port ran!es assi!ned are identical across all ser0er types7 "dditionally, fro% the default confi!uration@ he startin! audio port is set to port 4I,1E2 for each ser0er type, and the total nu%-er of ports reser0ed for audio in each ser0er is also an identical nu%-er@ H,34H7 he ports set aside for application sharin! start at port 4I, 1E27 o pre0ent port ran!es fro% o0erlappin!, you can confi!ure application sharin! to start at port 40,H03 and still ha0e a port count of H,34H ports assi!ned7 "s a result, Lync ser0ers #ill use ports 40,H03 throu!h port 4I,1E1 #ith no o0erlap in the ran!e of ports assi!ned to audio scenarios, and #ith audio port co%%unications startin! on port 4I,1E27 o %odify the port 0alues for application sharin! on a sin!le )onferencin! $er0er, run a Lync $er0er 'ana!e%ent $hell c%dlet si%ilar to this@ Set-CsConferenceSer*er -Identity ConferencingSer*er'ste(-ls-00(/contoso/co0 -AppSharingPortStart 0801 -AppSharingPortCount 81 8 If you #ant to %a*e these chan!es on all your )onferencin! $er0ers, run this c%dlet instead@ )et-CsSer*ice -ConferencingSer*er + !or$ach-,b-ect 2Set-CsConferencingSer*er -Identity %3/Identity -AppSharingPortStart 0801 -AppSharingPortCount 81 84 "fter chan!in! port settin!s, stop and then restart each ser0ice that is affected -y the chan!es7 It is not %andatory that your )onferencin!, "pplication, and 'ediation $er0ers share the sa%e port ran!e7 he only require%ent is that you set aside unique port ran!es on all your ser0ers7 Ho#e0er, ad%inistration is typically easier if you use the sa%e set of ports on all your ser0ers7
2.1.7 !onfi*urin* De icate 0ort )an*es for ( *e 'ervers

By default, a Lync 2013 Dd!e $er0er is confi!ured #ith the follo#in! port ran!e assi!n%ents in the correspondin! real2ti%e co%%unication %odalities7
Lync Server ,-$. Port <ange ssign/ents in <eal9Ti/e "o//unication Modalities
Packet Type
"pplication sharin! "udio 5ideo
Starting Port
40H03 4I1E2 EGE01
Nu/ber o' Ports <eserved

H34H H34H H034
31
o confi!ure an Dd!e $er0er to use these ran!e of port 0alues per %odality as sho#n in the precedin! ta-le, run the follo#in! c%dlet in Lync $er0er 'ana!e%ent $hell@ Set-Cs$dgeSer*er -Identity $dgeSer*er'st(-edge-00(/contoso/co0 -#ediaCo00unicationPortStart 0801 -#ediaCo00unicationPortCount 2 510 If itKs required to si%ultaneously confi!ure all the Dd!e $er0ers in your or!ani/ation, you can run the follo#in! Lync $er0er 'ana!e%ent $hell c%dlet 3this is an e9a%ple6@ )et-CsSer*ice -$dgeSer*er + !or$ach-,b-ect 2Set-Cs$dgeSer*er -Identity %3/Identity -#ediaCo00unicationPortStart 0801 -#ediaCo00unicationPortCount 2 5104 "fter you set %edia port ran!es, you can 0erify the current port settin!s for your Dd!e $er0ers -y runnin! the follo#in! Lync $er0er 'ana!e%ent $hell c%dlet@ )et-CsSer*ice -$dgeSer*er + Select-,b-ect Identity. #ediaCo00unicationPortStart. #ediaCo00unicationPortCount
2.1.8 9erifyin* Manual 0ort !onfi*uration : !lient 'i e

"fter you set the ran!e of %edia ports fro% a Lync client policy perspecti0e, you can 0erify that the allocated %edia port ran!es defined are -ein! used -y the Lync client per %odality, as e9pected7 (o this -y first e9itin! 'icrosoft ;ffice )o%%unicator, and then re2launchin! it, to %a*e sure that the update %edia port confi!uration assi!ned is pro0isioned and recei0ed -y the Lync client, accordin!ly7 "fter successfully lo!!in! in to the Lync 2010 client, open the Lync client trace lo!s 3Lync2Ucc"pi2 07Ucc"pilo!6, #hich are !enerally located in the follo#in! path@ )@RUsersRSPUserna%ePTR"pp(ataRLocalR'icrosoftR;fficeR1E70RLyncR racin!RLync2Ucc"pi2 07Ucc"pilo!
2.1.1;
9erifyin* t$e <! 0ort )an*e Is (na&le for Lync !lients
Jirst, open the Lync2Ucc"pi207Ucc"pilo! file in either 1otepad or $nooper7 3$nooper is a lo!20ie#in! utility7 Jor details, see M'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2013 (e-u!!in! oolsM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN3013I376 $earch for the indicated settin!s 3as illustrated in this e9a%ple6 to help ensure that youK0e set the appropriate port ran!es per %odality, as part of the client lo!in and in2-and policy pro0ision process7
2.1.11!onfi*ure <! 0ort )an*e (=ample 2from a 'ample Lync-<cc+pi;.<cc+pilo*3

"s in the follo#in! e9a%ple, 0erify that uc.ort&an!eDna-led is set to rue7 his indicates that a custo% port ran!e policy at a -ase le0el has -een defined@ Suc.ort&an!eDna-ledTtrueS4uc.ort&an!eDna-ledT 1e9t, 0erify that the proper %ini%u% and %a9i%u% ran!e or ports allocated are accurately set, as follo#s@ Suc'in'edia.ortT8----S4uc'in'edia.ortT Suc'a9'edia.ortT8--8@S4uc'a9'edia.ortT "fter 0erification, %a*e sure that youK0e correctly defined and confi!ured the appropriate nu%-er and ran!e of ports per %odality accordin!ly7 In the follo#in! e9a%ple, the port ran!es ha0e -een assi!ned@ 32
.orts E0,000 thru E0,01I U "ssi!ned to 0oice scenarios@ o o Suc'in"udio.ortT8----S4uc'in"udio.ortT Suc'a9"udio.ortT8--$@S4uc'a9"udio.ortT
.orts E0,020 thru E0,03I U "ssi!ned to 0ideo scenarios@ o o Suc'in5ideo.ortT8--,-S4uc'in5ideo.ortT Suc'a95ideo.ortT8--.@S4uc'a95ideo.ortT
.orts E0,040 thru E0,0EI U "ssi!ned to application sharin! scenarios@ o o Suc'in"pp$harin!.ortT8--7-S4uc'in"pp$harin!.ortT Suc'a9"pp$harin!.ortT8--8@S4uc'a9"pp$harin!.ortT
.orts E0,040 thru E0,0EI U "ssi!ned to file transfer scenarios@ o o Suc'inJile ransfer.ortT8--7-S4uc'inJile ransfer.ortT Suc'a9Jile ransfer.ortT8--8@S4uc'a9Jile ransfer.ortT
2.1.12
9erifyin* Manual 0ort !onfi*uration : 'erver 'i e
he ne9t step, fro% a ser0er perspecti0e, is to %a*e sure that the appropriate port nu%-er and %edia ran!e per %odality are confi!ured, -ased on runnin! the follo#in! +indo#s .o#er$hell c%dlets, and dependin! on the Lync $er0er 2013 role type@ Lync $er0er 2013 "pplication $er0er@ )et-CsSer*ice -ApplicationSer*er + Select-,b-ect Identity. AudioPortStart. AudioPortCount Lync $er0er 2013 )onferencin! $er0er@ )et-CsSer*ice -ConferencingSer*er + Select-,b-ect Identity. AudioPortStart. AudioPortCount. VideoPortStart. VideoPortCount. AppSharingPortStart. AppSharingPortCount Lync $er0er 2013 'ediation $er0er@ )et-CsSer*ice -#ediationSer*er + Select-,b-ect Identity. AudioPortStart. AudioPortCount Lync $er0er 2013 Dd!e $er0er@ )et-CsSer*ice -$dgeSer*er + Select-,b-ect Identity. #ediaCo00unicationPortStart. #ediaCo00unicationPortCount
2.1.13
%raffic 0rioriti>ation for )eal-%ime !ommunications
By default, #hene0er the follo#in! co%%unication scenarios are initiated, the Lync client atte%pts to esta-lish real2ti%e co%%unications 3& )6 throu!h the follo#in! lo!ic@ If no %edia port ran!e confi!uration is ena-led 3default confi!uration6@ o o o Use a U(. dyna%ic ran!e of ports fro% 10242FEE3E Use a ). dyna%ic ran!e of ports fro% 10242FEE3E ). 443
If a %anual %edia port ran!e confi!uration is ena-led@ 33
o o o
Use a U(. dyna%ic ran!e of ports fro% 10242FEE3E Use a ). dyna%ic ran!e of ports fro% 10242FEE3E ). 443
Note ,n escalation of a peer"to"peer call to a conference triggers a temporary doubling of the ports in use
o su%%ari/e the pre0ious t#o scenarios@ By default, the client atte%pts to esta-lish a set of U(. ports for %edia co%%unications7 If connecti0ity throu!h U(. is not possi-le, the client atte%pts to esta-lish co%%unication throu!h a set of ). ports7 If neither U(. nor ). co%%unications are possi-le throu!h a set of allocated ports, the client #ill retreat to :ust ). 443, as a less opti%al scenario7
,%A
1i96i Scenarios
Lync $er0er 2013 is the only 0ersion that has -een fully tested in +i2Ji en0iron%ents, and therefore is the only 0ersion that is fully supported for +i2Ji7 his does not %ean that older 0ersions #ill not #or*, -ut that Lync $er0er 2013 is the only released 0ersion that has -een fully tested7
2.7.1 #ack*roun
he nu%-er of de0ices used -y *no#led!e #or*ers is !ro#in!7 In the past, a *no#led!e #or*er #ould ha0e #or*ed on a des*top co%puter, or perhaps a laptop7 In al%ost all cases, this #ould ha0e -een throu!h #ired net#or* connections7 oday at 'icrosoft, for e9a%ple, %any offices ha0e no structured net#or* ca-lin! to des* areas7 he a0era!e 'icrosoft e%ployee has at least three unified co%%unications 3U)6 de0ices, #ith at least t#o of the% 3+indo#s .hone H and +indo#s & U ta-let6 ha0in! no &J4E soc*et, as required for -ein! #ired into the net#or*7 $i%ilarly, the %a:ority of custo%ers #ith #ho% 'icrosoft #or*s no# require a scala-le and sta-le +i2Ji platfor% for their #or* and personal li0es7 Jro% the perspecti0e of require%ents, runnin! real2ti%e co%%unications 3& )6 %edia o0er +i2Ji is no different fro% runnin! & ) o0er a #ired connection7 In !eneral, any net#or* infrastructure, includin! +i2 Ji, %ust -e a-le to %eet the *ey perfor%ance indicators re!ardin! net#or* characteristics7 hese indicators, or 0alues, are rele0ant e0en #hen %o-ile +i2Ji connections roa% -et#een #ireless access points 3+".s6 durin! periods of #ireless interference7
2.7.2 4$at Is 4i-"i?

here are three types of +i2Ji en0iron%ents@ #nterprise 1i96i8'ultiple -ase stations that are essentially du%- and controlled -y central +i2Ji controllers7 *o/e 1i96i8;ften only a sin!le -ase station, occasionally #ith repeaters7 Public 1i96i8;ften sin!le access points #ith a 0ariety of authentication %echanis%s7 Dnterprise +i2Ji runs in three %odes@ $tandard data transfer o0er +i2Ji7 &eal2ti%e co%%unications 3& )6 traffic fro% a static endpoint o0er +i2Ji7 & ) traffic fro% a roa%in! endpoint o0er +i2Ji, traffic :u%ps -et#een +".s7 he follo#in! sections focus on the net#or* i%pact of enterprise +i2Ji net#or*s #ith & ) traffic, includin! specific factors that co%prise the enterprise +i2Ji infrastructure7 Jor details a-out +i2Ji #ith Lync $er0er 2010 or Lync $er0er 2013, includin! reco%%endations for ho%e and pu-lic +i2Ji scenarios, see MLync $er0er 2010@ (eli0erin! Lync &eal2 i%e )o%%unications o0er +i2JiM at 34
http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3G0 and MLync 2013@ (eli0erin! Lync 2013 &eal2 i%e )o%%unications o0er +i2JiM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3G17
,%A%,%$ 1ireless Standards

he oldest #ireless standard is H02711a, #hich used the E CH/ -and for trans%issions7 hese days, it is rarely used inside, or e0en outside, an or!ani/ation7 he ne9t standard, H02711-, uses con!ested 274 CH/, and quic*ly -eca%e the default +i2Ji standard7 hese standards #ere -oth launched in 1III7 By 2003, H02711! had appeared, -rin!in! H02711a data rates 3E4 '-ps6 to the 274 CH/ -and, #hich #as pre0iously li%ited to 11'-ps7 In 200I, the current default standard of H02711n -eca%e ratified7 his ena-les data rates of up to F00 '-ps, and increases the ran!e of the #ireless si!nal o0er earlier standards7 H02711n #or*s in -oth the 274 CH/ and E CH/ -ands7 he hi!h speed and co0era!e up!rades #ere possi-le due to the i%ple%entation of %ultiple input4output 3'I';6 antennas that ena-led the sa%e total po#er output to spread across %ultiple antennas, increasin! frequency efficiency, and, therefore, also increasin! -it rate and co0era!e7
,%A%,%, 1i96i Multi/edia 31MM4

+i2Ji 'ulti%edia 3+''6 is a +i2Ji "lliance initiati0e that pro0ides -asic Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$6 features to H01711 net#or*s, in a si%ilar #ay that (ifferentiated $er0ices )ode .oint 3($).6 %ar*in!s #or* #ith #ired net#or*s7 +''2capa-le #ireless access points translate ($). %ar*in!s into the equi0alent +'' ta! 0alue7 Ho#e0er, %any #ireless %anufacturers do not rely on this %ethod7 Instead, they identify the traffic strea%s used -y Lync $er0er and carry out pac*et prioriti/ation -ased on this identification7 Lync $er0er supports four classes of Ao$ 0ia +'' for +i2Ji7 he %ost critical class is audio traffic, #hich has the hi!hest priority7 Jor details a-out all the supported classes, see M(eli0erin! Lync 2013 &eal2 i%e )o%%unications o0er +i2JiM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3G17
,%A%,%. 1 P Planning
he density and trans%ission po#er of the #ireless access points 3+".s6 is crucial to the success of a +i2Ji en0iron%ent supported -y Lync $er0er7 "s pre0iously descri-ed, real2ti%e co%%unications 3& )6 traffic places !reater de%ands on the net#or* co%pared to standard data traffic7 $pecifically, & ) traffic needs a stron!er si!nal than plain data7 " recei0e si!nal stren!th 3&$$6 of less than FE dB% and a si!nal2 to2noise ratio 3$1&6 of under 30 dB is required to help ensure a consistently stron! Lync $er0er e9perience across #ireless net#or*s7 ItKs also i%portant to consider ho# e%ployees use the #ireless net#or*, and in #hat densities7 +hen plannin! +". locations, for e9a%ple, itKs i%portant to not o0erloo* lar!e %eetin! roo%s7 'any %anufacturers also support a de!ree of auto%atic co0era!e and hard#are failure healin!7 hese %ethods are -ased on intelli!ent al!orith%s that detect the presence of nei!h-orin! +".s and local sources of interference7 hey can -oost trans%ission po#er to o0erco%e interference or a local +". failure, or dial -ac* trans%ission po#er to ena-le %ore +".s to co0er a hi!h2density +i2Ji area7
2.7.3 4i-"i !ertification for Lync 'erver

I9ia has -een selected -y 'icrosoft as the official test house to qualify Lync $er0er a!ainst +i2Ji infrastructure ele%ents, such as -ase stations, and also client de0ices7 ;ne of the core areas tested is #hether 'icrosoft partnersK +i2Ji +'' 3Ao$6 settin!s #or* as e9pected8specifically, #ith the encrypted applications flo#s that Lync $er0er uses7 3E
he testin! pro!ra% itself consists of a 200V pa!e docu%ent that descri-es a #ide ran!e of testin! scenarios7 his lar!e test suite helps to ensure that Lync $er0er traffic is treated appropriately -y the #ireless en0iron%ent, #ithout co%pro%isin! perfor%ance or security7 Jor a list of certified +i2Ji equip%ent, see MInfrastructure qualified for 'icrosoft LyncM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3FF7
2.7.4 4i-"i !$allen*es an )ecommen ations

+i2Ji challen!es and reco%%endations include latency, +". confi!uration, and location trac*in!7
,%A%7%$ 1 P "on'iguration
he Lync $er0er #hite papers, MLync $er0er 2010@ (eli0erin! Lync &eal2 i%e )o%%unications o0er +i2 JiM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3G0 and MLync 2013@ (eli0erin! Lync 2013 &eal2 i%e )o%%unications o0er +i2JiM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3G1, address reco%%endations and e9planations re!ardin! +2Ji, #ith hi!hli!hts as follo#s@ 'a*e sure that the density of the +". reflects #here +i2Ji de0ices #ill connect fro%7 .articularly, chec* that thereKs sufficient density for lar!e %eetin! areas7 (isa-le H02711-7 his standard is 14 years old and uses a frequency that H02711n can use %uch %ore effecti0ely7 he %a9i%u% speed that H02711- de0ices reach is 11'-ps7 H02711n can do 300'-ps #ith the sa%e frequency ran!e7 (efault support to H02711n only7 'ore efficient use of the frequencies a0aila-le in -oth radio stac*s 3274 W E CH/6, and -etter co0era!e than older standards7 Dna-le +'' 3Ao$6 on the #ireless and #ired infrastructure -ecause the -ac*haul #ired net#or* %ust also support the Ao$ %ar*in! 3not :ust the +i2Ji +".s67 'a*e sure that the +". supports -oth radio stac*s 3274 W E CH/6, and that clients are steered to#ard a -and#idth of E CH/7 his allo#s for !reater +". density and has less interference fro% other radio de0ices that operate in the 274 CH/ -and8for e9a%ple, (i!ital Dnhanced )ordless eleco%%unications 3(D) 6 phones, %icro#a0es, #ireless *ey-oards, #ireless !a%in! controllers, and Bluetooth de0ices7
2.7./ Ne=t 'teps

here are three options for you, as a net#or* ad%inistrator, to help you understand your or!ani/ationKs #ireless infrastructure and to deter%ine if up!rades are needed7 he options escalate in price@ $i%ple +i2Ji scan $pectru% scan +i2Ji assess%ent
,%A%8%$ Si/ple 1i96i Scan

here are %any tools that analy/e the local #ireless en0iron%ent and pro0ide a list of all the +i2Ji access points and the +i2Ji net#or* types that they support7 ;ne of the -etter e9a%ples@ " free tool, In$$I(er, fro% 'etaCee*7 he follo#in! fi!ure sho#s a si%ple scan #ith the In$$I(er, ta*en fro% a ho%e location8a s%all 0illa!e in the United Kin!do% 3UK67 he scan sho#s a fairly -usy 274 CH/ spectru% #ith nothin! -ein! used in the E CH/ spectru%7 It also sho#s the +i2Ji type, encryption, and %anufacturer, co%plete #ith channel
3F
usa!e, to indicate ho# con!ested the air#a0es are7 his infor%ation helps in plannin! an i%pro0ed +i2Ji ser0ice7 In this e9a%ple, a %o0e to the E CH/ spectru% #ould -rin! o-0ious ad0anta!es7 he fi!ure also sho#s that the +". for the hi!hli!hted +i2Ji net#or* 3)ore6 is usin! H02711n, co%plete #ith 'I';, -ecause t#o +i2Ji channels are -ein! used to !i0e a %a9i%u% connection speed of 300 '-4s7
Si/ple 1i96i Scan Using &nSS&0er Tool 'ro/ MetaGeek
,%A%8%, Spectru/ Scan

1e9t, youKll need to chec* for #ireless interference, includin! non2+i2Ji radio de0ices7 Because specialist hard#are is required to analy/e the spectru%, costs are typically in0ol0ed7 In the follo#in! fi!ure, a spectru% scan that uses the )hanaly/er fro% 'etaCee* sho#s an e9pected spi*e in -and#idth usa!e around channel 1 in the 274 CH/ spectru%, #hich corresponds to the core net#or* in the precedin! fi!ure7 he spi*es in the 10U13 channel ran!e are li*ely fro% cordless phones, #ireless *ey-oards, and %ouse de0ices in the 0icinity7 he use of Bluetooth and cordless headsets can ha0e a si!nificant i%pact on +i2Ji, leadin! to poor audio quality7
3G
Spectru/ Scan Using "hanaly(er 'ro/ MetaGeek
,%A%8%. 1i96i ssess/ent

he third option8a full assess%ent pro0ided -y a #ireless assess%ent professional, includin! a for%al report22requires the lar!est financial in0est%ent, -ut this option is also he %ost co%prehensi0e one, addressin! e0erythin! fro% the client de0ice dri0ers to the +". desi!n, includin! heat %aps for 0oice and 0ideo co0era!e throu!hout custo%ersK offices7 If youKre thin*in! of ha0in! a +i2Ji assess%ent carried out on your #ireless infrastructure, consider the follo#in! areas@ .reassess%ent questionnaire &equire%ents "ssess%ent .resentation of results
2.7./.3.1
0reassessment Questionnaire
" questionnaire is distri-uted, acco%panied -y a conference %eetin!, in #hich the follo#in! infor%ation is o-tained@ " detailed floor plan of all floors for assess%ent7 D9act !oal3s6 of the assess%ent7 +hat do you #ant to achie0eL he type of traffic that you #ant to test8in this case, Lync $er0er traffic7 he nu%-er of de0ices that you #ant tested, the -rand3s6, typical usa!e of those de0ices, and any additional rele0ant infor%ation a-out the de0ices7 (esi!n para%eters of the +i2Ji and the +i2Ji desi!n7 Jor e9a%ple, 274CH/ or ECH/L $pecific desi!n and confi!uration para%eters that the custo%er usesL .lace%ent and -rand of the access points installed7 Is testin! #ith li0e traffic per%ittedL 3H
+ireless controller confi!urations7 "ny traffic shapin!Rfire#all confi!urations that %i!ht affect #ireless traffic7
2.7./.3.2
)e,uirements
Before the actual assess%ent -e!ins, the follo#in! is required@ " patch port into the #ireless controller or the +i2Ji for a 'onitorin! $er0er7 his port %ust -e as close to the controller as possi-le7 "ny fire#all settin!s that the custo%er has ena-led and that the assess%ent tool requires7 " set of custo%er de0ices runnin! the custo%er -uild for the assess%ent7 his is an essential step to help ensure that the co%panyKs standard hard#are #ill -e co%pati-le #ith Lync $er0er traffic flo#s7
2.7./.3.3

+ssessment
(urin! the assess%ent, t#o or %ore assessors !o on2site and perfor% the follo#in! tas*s@ +al* the custo%er throu!h the assess%ent and the potential areas of i%pact7 "ttach the assess%ent %ana!e%ent ser0er 3endpoint for traffic !eneration6 onto the controller or #ireless net#or*7 Install the assess%ent soft#are on the custo%er2pro0ided de0ices7 his can -e a laptop, a 'acBoo*, a phone, or any de0ice that connects o0er +i2Ji7 .lace the de0ices on a cart, and %o0e the cart to predefined places in the -uildin! to perfor% a three2%inute test7 he locations of these tests are noted on the detailed floor plan 3already created, as part of the preassess%ent questionnaire6, and are used for the traffic end results7 (ependin! on the type of assess%ent 3snapshot or continuous assess%ent6, each spot is 0isited once or %ultiple ti%es, o0er a period of ti%e7
2.7./.3.4
0resentin* )esults
" report is prepared, alon! #ith a custo%er2ready presentation that hi!hli!hts ho# the #ireless net#or* fits the custo%erKs stated !oals7 Key %easure%ent ite%s focus on real2ti%e transport protocol 3& .6 traffic and include +". stic*iness, +". co0era!e, +". o0erlap, channel interference, Ao$ confi!uration, and anythin! that could affect the quality of calls o0er the +i2Ji7
,%@
!perations
1et#or* operations consists of the follo#in! plannin! considerations@ 1et#or* chan!e control process 1et#or* incident %ana!e%ent &eal2ti%e applications
2.8.1 Network !$an*e !ontrol 0rocess

.redefined processes pro0ide consistent and effecti0e #ays of handlin! chan!es that affect your or!ani/ationXs net#or* infrastructure7 his is particularly critical #hen #or*in! #ith real2ti%e traffic7 >ou should -e a-le to descri-e the follo#in! chan!e %ana!e%ent2related questions@ Ho# is chan!e %ana!e%ent for net#or* infrastructure handled in your or!ani/ationL +hat is the appro9i%ate lead ti%e for net#or*2related chan!es in your or!ani/ationL he follo#in! sections descri-e the chan!e process in !eneral ter%s7 3I
,%@%$%$ Network <e=uire/ents

1et#or* infrastructure should -e -ased on your or!ani/ationXs -usiness o-:ecti0es7 o achie0e necessary ser0ice quality for net#or* operations, these require%ents should -e clearly descri-ed7 he follo#in! list outlines so%e of the require%ents that could affect net#or* operations@ Business require%ents $ecurity require%ents Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$6 require%ents Auality of D9perience 3AoD6 require%ents echnical require%ents
,%@%$%, "hange Manage/ent <oles

)learly define and co%%unicate roles in the net#or* chan!e process #ithin the or!ani/ation7 his helps to %ini%i/e the ris* of uncontrolled chan!es7 " net#or*2related chan!e process could include the follo#in! roles and responsi-ilities@ )han!e %ana!er U )o%pile chan!e requests, or!ani/e chan!e %ana!e%ent tea% %eetin!s, o#n net#or*2related docu%ents, handle co%%unication related to net#or* chan!es7 )han!e %ana!e%ent tea% U .rioriti/e chan!e requests and e0aluate #hether requests are in line #ith the or!ani/ationKs net#or* require%ents7 1et#or* operational tea% U &esponsi-le for i%ple%entin! net#or* chan!es7
,%@%$%. "hange Manage/ent Process

he chan!e %ana!e%ent process !enerally includes the follo#in! acti0ities@ $tart plannin! for chan!e7 (ocu%ent the request for chan!e 3&J)67 (eli0er the &J) for re0ie#7 5erify the &J)Ks effect on pre0iously i%ple%ented ser0ices7 "ppro0e and prioriti/e the &J) in your queue7 $chedule net#or* chan!e7 I%ple%ent the net#or* chan!e7 &e0ie# and %onitor the chan!e7 " request for chan!e could include, for e9a%ple, the follo#in! infor%ation@ he type of chan!e7 he schedule for i%ple%entation7 he appro0er for the &J)7 " detailed description of the chan!e7
2.8.2 Network Inci ent Mana*ement

&eco!ni/in! the i%portance of a #ell2defined process for handlin! net#or* incidents is crucial in a real2 ti%e application en0iron%ent7 his process is used for identifyin!, containin!, trou-leshootin!, and reco0erin! fro% net#or* outa!es7 +ith a predefined process, you are also a-le to follo# up on incidents in a %ore %ana!ea-le #ay7 ;ne critical aspect of incident %ana!e%ent is %onitorin! and detectin! early si!ns of issues -efore an actual outa!e occurs7 40
$uccessfully i%ple%entin! Lync $er0er and achie0in! the -est possi-le user e9perience are stron!ly related to your net#or* infrastructureKs perfor%ance7 >ou should -e a-le to descri-e the follo#in! questions related to net#or* incident %ana!e%ent@ Ho# %any net#or* outa!es has the or!ani/ation e9perienced in the last 12 %onthsL +hat #ere the consequences of the outa!esL Ho# did the outa!es affect Lync $er0er trafficL "re there plans to %iti!ate ris*s of si%ilar outa!es in futureL
2.8.3 )eal-%ime +pplications

"pplications that depend on real2ti%e traffic are the %ost de%andin! ones for net#or* infrastructure to handle7 ItKs crucial that a net#or* operational tea% is a#are of these applications and the characteristics related to each application7 &eal2ti%e applications share the sa%e net#or* infrastructure resources7 a*e this into consideration #hen desi!nin!, %a*in! chan!es, or addin! ne# applications to the net#or*7
41
.% 0eploy/ent and Monitoring

he deploy%ent and %onitorin! phase of the Lync $er0er lifecycle is #here you, as a Lync $er0er ad%inistrator, *eep the Lync $er0er infrastructure runnin! at opti%al conditions7 If the plannin! phase #as properly handled, you #ill not -e e9pected to fi9 a -ac*lo! of infrastructure issues7 Instead, youKll -e #atchin! for ne# si!ns of ser0ice de!radation and usa!e trends7 Cettin! to a McleanM state is not :ust idealistic, -ut necessary, in order to %onitor de0iations fro% that clean state7 Ho#e0er, due to the realities of -usiness require%ents, an or!ani/ation %ay start assi!nin! resources to %onitor the Lync $er0er deploy%ent after a su-stantial population of users ha0e already -een deployed and the ser0ice is %ission2critical for the or!ani/ation7 In fact, durin! the pilot sta!es of the Lync $er0er deploy%ent, there %ay not ha0e -een sufficient resources to properly assess net#or* infrastructure or e0en accurately si/e the ser0er hard#are7 In these situations, you can e9pect to alternate -et#een %onitorin! and trou-leshootin! tas*s7 Jor e9a%ple, the first ti%e a #ired su-net Auality of D9perience 3AoD6 report is run, there %ay -e sites #ith issues, as #ell as issues in the core net#or* and Lync $er0er infrastructure7 "fter each issue is identified and fi9ed, the report can -e rerun, launchin! the search for the ne9t issue7 his process is si%ilar to the one that the plannin! phase specifies, e9cept that li0e call quality data is used in place of si%ulation data7 >our users #ill e9perience less2than2opti%al perfor%ance #hile the in0esti!ation and fi9 cycles are in pro!ress7 he follo#in! section descri-es@ Dle%ents in the Lync $er0er ser0ice infrastructure that you should %onitor to %aintain opti%al health7 +ays to %onitor for usa!e !ro#th trends7 hese t#o -road cate!ories !enerally co0er all %onitorin! tas*s7 "lso descri-ed are the 0arious Lync $er0er product features and tools that can pro0ide insi!ht into the state of the deploy%ent, and ho# they can contri-ute to %onitorin! infrastructure ele%ents or usa!e trends7
.%$
#le/ents that <e=uire Monitoring
here are specific net#or* entities in the Lync $er0er topolo!y that directly affect Lync $er0er 0oice quality7 Lync $er0er 0oice is carried o0er the I. net#or* -et#een t#o Lync $er0er endpoints7 he endpoints can -e either ser0er or client endpoints7 he I. traffic tra0erses 0arious net#or* de0ices, fire#alls, pro9y ser0ers, and other ele%ents7 Dach entity has its o#n unique criteria that can i%pair the ti%ely or relia-le deli0ery of I. traffic -et#een the Lync $er0er endpoints7 It is 0ital to *no# #hich entities are rele0ant to the 0oice path in any scenario -ecause8-ased on this infor%ation8perfor%ance and *ey health indicators 3KHIs6 can either -e %easured across the entire call path 3end2to2end %etrics6, or %easured fro% the entities the%sel0es7
3.1.1 'erver Healt$

'edia $er0ers include the "udio45ideo 'ultipoint )ontrol Units 3"5')Us6, the 'ediation $er0ers, I.2 .$ 1 Cate#ays, "udio25ideo, D9chan!e Unified 'essa!in! $er0ers, )onference "uto2"ttendant, and )onference "nnounce%ent $er0ers7 here are other ser0er entities that end 0oice, as #ell, such as the est )all $er0ice, the $ynthetic ransaction "!ent, and the &esponse Croup $er0er7 Ho#e0er, al%ost all Lync $er0er traffic ends #ith the first three types of ser0ers7 I.2.$ 1 !ate#ays do not use the Lync $er0er %edia stac*, and therefore do not report the sa%e types of KHIs as the "5')U and the 'ediation $er0er7 Dach !ate#ay 0endor also de0elops their o#n set of KHIs7
42
.%$%$%$ "o//on Server *ealth )*&s

"l%ost all 'edia $er0ers ha0e co%%on health indicators, such as ).U usa!e, *ernel %ode ).U, (eferred .rocedure )all 3(.)6 count, net#or* usa!e, %e%ory usa!e, and so on, #hich need to -e #ithin tolerances for the ser0ers to operate under opti%al conditions7 here are no fir%ly esta-lished rules a-out #hat these thresholds should -e, so the H0 percent rule 3no usa!e counter should -e a-o0e the H0 percent %ar*6 is !enerally used7 )ertain thresholds, such as *ernel ).U rate and (.) percenta!e, %ust -e set lo#er -ecause theyKre su-sets of the o0erall ).U KHI7 ;-0iously, not all ).U can -e ta*en up -y syste% processes7 ;f course, there are e9ceptions, such as #ith the 'edia &elay 3'&6 Dd!e $er0er, #here all I. routin! processin! ta*es place in the *ernel %ode dri0er8and, therefore, the *ernel ).U is e9pected to -e %uch hi!her7 he follo#in! ta-le sho#s the pri%ary KHIs and their %a9i%u% le0el thresholds7
)*&s and Thresholds
)*&
;0erall ).U Kernel ).U (.)P 1et#or* usa!e P 'e%ory usa!e P
Ma5i/u/ Level
H0P 20P EP GEP H0P
.%$%$%, <ole9Speci'ic Server *ealth )*&s

Dach ser0er entity has its o#n %etrics7 he follo#in! ta-le sho#s ho# the "5')U and the 'ediation $er0er share %uch of the sa%e internal %edia processin! code, and therefore ha0e si%ilar note#orthy KHIs7
2 M"U and Mediation Server )*&s
2M"U and Mediation Server

otal acti0e sessions )onference process rate .rocessin! delay "0era!e pac*et loss "0era!e :itter Health state
)*&s
)ount of total acti0e sessions7 ;-0ious outliers, such as M0M or lar!e deltas co%pared to other peers, are si!ns of issues7 M200M is the startin! 0alue and #ill drop if the load starts to affect real2ti%e ser0icin! of %edia7 $i%ilar to the conference process rate, -ut counts ho# %any conferences are actually delayed7 "!!re!ate pac*et loss of all sessions7 Loss does not i%ply loss due to ser0er itself7 "!!re!ate :itter of all sessions7 Jitter does not i%ply :itter caused -y ser0er7 023 0alue that indicates the ser0erKs o#n assess%ent of health7
he 'edia &elay $er0er does not end %edia, so it cannot see the pac*et loss and other %etrics in the real2ti%e transport control protocol 3& ).6 pac*ets -et#een the endpoints7 Ho#e0er, the 'edia &elay $er0er has its o#n pac*et loss counters, -ased on the relay ser0erKs o#n 0ie# of the loss7 "s such, any positi0e si!ns of loss #arrant in0esti!ation7
43
Lync Server Networking Guide Media <elay Server )*&s
Media <elay Server

$yste% is lo# on %e%ory .ac*ets dropped4sec o0er U(. .ac*ets dropped4sec o0er ).
)*&s
Inadequate hard#are or other soft#are process, or too %any sessions7 &eal net#or* issues -et#een 'edia &elay $er0er and destination7 .ac*ets dropped on internal interface need special attention7 &eal net#or* issues -et#een 'edia &elay $er0er and destination7 .ac*ets dropped on internal interface need special attention7
3.1.2 Network Healt$

1et#or* health can -e %onitored in t#o different #ays@ KHIs can -e %onitored on each net#or* de0ice7 hese counters can include queue len!ths, pac*et drop rates, lin* usa!e, and so on7 ools such as H.1", ".C, and H. ;pen0ie# are often used to pro0ide these %etrics7 Loo* at Lync $er0er call %etrics o0er %ana!ed net#or* paths and in0esti!ate si!ns of de!raded perfor%ance7
.%$%,%$ Network 0evice )*&s

).U usa!e .ac*et drops Aueue len!th Drrors
.%$%,%, Lync Server "all Network Metrics

1et#or* %etrics, -y definition, are %etrics captured on a session -et#een t#o endpoints7 .ac*ets are sent fro% one endpoint and recei0ed -y the other7 'ost co%%unications sessions are t#o2#ay, #ith pac*ets sent and recei0ed in -oth directions7 In %ost cases, %etrics for one direction are independent of the other7 herefore, the endpoints of senders and recei0ers are clearly identified7 1et#or* %etrics can -e %easured -y usin! stand2alone tools such as pin!7e9e, or -y usin! ad0anced synthetic a!ent testin! net#or*s such as .o#er'on7 Lync $er0er itself ta*es ad0anta!e of the & .4& ). protocols and ta*es net#or* %easure%ents on the 0oice and 0ideo call data7 )o%-ined #ith Auality of D9perience 3AoD6, Lync $er0er offers a ro-ust source of net#or* %etrics spannin! e0ery net#or* se!%ent that carries Lync $er0er 0oice traffic7 he Lync $er0er net#or* %etrics are also the %ost accurate of their *ind7 'etrics ta*en -y e9ternal tools %ay not correlate #ith Lync $er0er net#or* %etrics -ecause the other tools !enerally do not send %etrics usin! the sa%e ports as Lync $er0er, or do not use the sa%e ($). %ar*in!s7 Jor this reason, the %ar*in!s %ay -e treated #ith lo#er priority, leadin! to hi!h net#or* i%pair%ent readin!s7 'uch of the e9istin! Lync $er0er docu%entation to date has addressed ho# Lync $er0erKs ad0anced codecs and %edia stac* are capa-le of a-sor-in! net#or* i%pair%ent7 hresholds are descri-ed in ter%s of ho# the le0el of 0oice i%pair%ents are associated #ith different le0els of net#or* i%pair%ents7 "lthou!h understandin! 0oice i%pair%ent le0els is i%portant for assessin! the dissatisfaction le0el of the users, fro% the 0ie#points of Lync $er0er and the net#or* ad%inistrator, it is %ore useful to understand #hether the net#or* i%pair%ents are caused -y entities under their care7 Users also ha0e different e9pectations of 0oice quality, dependin! on ho# theyKre connected to the net#or*7 Jor e9a%ple, the %a:ority of user reports a-out poor audio co%e fro% the #ell2connected user co%%unity, #hose e9perience tells the% that the issue lies #ith the %ana!ed infrastructure and not #ith entities or choices under their control7 his is #hy sufficient resources %ust -e spent to *eep the 44
%ana!ed infrastructure in !ood health@ users ha0e %uch hi!her e9pectations for calls that are entirely #ithin the %ana!ed infrastructure -oundaries7 "lso, ha0in! a %ana!ed infrastructure pro0ides a clean -aseline for dia!nosin! e9ternal and #ireless calls7 Jor details a-out ho# to use AoD data to %onitor net#or* se!%ent health, see Lync $er0er AoD &eportin!7 he follo#in! sections descri-e the %ost co%%on net#or* %etrics and ho# different thresholds %a*e sense for different net#or* connections7
3.1.2.2.1
0acket Loss
.ac*et loss is often defined as a percenta!e of pac*ets that are lost in a !i0en #indo#7 Ho#e0er, the %ethods of choosin! the #indo# si/e and co%putin! the a0era!e are actually application2specific7 Jor e9a%ple, the loss could -e a strai!ht ratio of lost pac*ets to total pac*ets, or it could -e a slidin! #indo#, or an a0era!e of distinct #indo#s #ith #ei!hts for the %ost recent sa%ples7 >ou should consider co%parin! pac*et loss nu%-ers across calls #ith 0aryin! call len!ths and -et#een data collected fro% different tools7 .ac*et loss directly affects audio quality8fro% s%all, indi0idual lost pac*ets ha0in! al%ost no i%pact, to -ac*2to2-ac* -urst losses that cause co%plete 0oice cut2out7 .ac*et loss can -e pre0ented, to an e9tent, -y usin! redundancy to %ini%i/e the a%ount of loss7 Ho#e0er, tradin! -and#idth for audio quality has practical li%its7 his is #hy it is i%portant to trac* the ra# pac*et loss nu%-ers, rather than e9clusi0ely relyin! on Lync $er0er to o0erco%e i%pair%ents, or on net#or* %ean opinion score 3';$6 or poor call percenta!es to *eep the net#or* in opti%al condition7 If the net#or* ad%inistrator is not a#are of the i%pair%ents, it is not possi-le to li%it the a%ount of defects7 ;n any %ana!ed #ired net#or* lin*, a pac*et loss threshold of 1 percent is a !ood 0alue to use to find infrastructure issues7 his %eans that the Lync $er0er ad%inistrator %ust first create data queries that sho# loss patterns on locali/ed net#or* paths #ith controlled endpoints7 Instead of co%putin! the a0era!e pac*et loss 0alue for all calls on that se!%ent, it %i!ht -e %ore useful to count the nu%-er of calls #ith a0era!e pac*et loss T 1 percent7 ;ther#ise, it #ill -e hard to deter%ine #hat 07I percent a0era!e pac*et loss %eans #hen the a0era!e is ta*en o0er thousands of calls7 Jor a full e9planation of custo%er AoD reports that do :ust that, see Lync $er0er AoD &eportin!7 ;ne %i!ht as*, <+hy not 0 percentL= he ans#er is that there are no 3in6correct thresholds as lon! as the data produced fits the intended purpose7 If youKre countin! calls for each site -ased on the nu%-er of calls #ith 1 percent or hi!her pac*et loss, you %ay disco0er a list of sites that you #ant to prioriti/e to help focus your in0esti!ations7 "d:ustin! the pac*et loss threshold is si%ply another #ay to prioriti/e7 " parallel ans#er is that pac*et loss can occur due to a 0ariety of *no#n causes8such as %aintenance duties that re-oot routers, or other transient e0ents that cause pac*et loss at so%e point8-ut the issue has resol0ed -y the ti%e your in0esti!ation re0eals it7
3.1.2.2.2
@itter
Interpac*et arri0al :itter, or si%ply :itter, is the a0era!e chan!e in delay -et#een successi0e pac*ets in a 5oice o0er Internet .rotocol 35oI.6 call7 3Jor a full e9planation of ho# 5oI. pac*ets are for%ed, see Lync "udio Auality 'odel76 hresholds for%ed around :itter 0alues to deter%ine #hether audio is !ood or poor can -e 0ery %isleadin!7 his is -ecause %ost %odern 5oI. soft#are can adapt to hi!h le0els of :itter throu!h -ufferin!7 ItKs only #hen the :itter e9ceeds the -ufferin! that you notice the effects of :itter7 If the 5oI. stac* acti0ely tri%s the :itter -uffer to reduce latency, the ne9t :itter spi*e #ill -e questiona-le7 his could -e a E0%s spi*e fro% a sustained :itter le0el of 30%s, or a 200%s spi*e fro% a sustained :itter le0el of 1H0%s7 4E
Jro% a Lync $er0er ad%inistratorKs 0ie#, ra# :itter le0els should -e %onitored si%ilarly to :itter7 ;n a %ana!ed #ired lin*, you should in0esti!ate :itter a-o0e 3%s7 "s pre0iously descri-ed, the pin!7e9e tool can pro0ide net#or* %etrics7 he pin! tool sho#s :itter 0alues in the output7 ;n %ost short hops, pin! #ill sho# 021%s :itter7 " 3%s threshold lea0es a lot of roo% for un*no#n sources of :itter that are not #orth in0esti!atin!7
3.1.2.2.3
Latency
Latency, in the conte9t of 5oI., often refers to stac* latency 3latency fro% #hen the 0oice is captured -y the %icrophone to #hen it is sent o0er the net#or*6 and net#or* propa!ation delay7 he su% of the t#o latencies is called the mouth"to"ear latency7 Ho#e0er, %uch of the e9istin! docu%entation a-out latency thresholds descri-es the 1E0%s threshold that the International eleco%%unication Union 2 eleco%%unication $tandardi/ation $ector 3I U2 6 defines as accepta-le for 5oI.7 "lthou!h this is accurate, a su-stantial part of the latency in a %odern 5oI. stac* is due to the stac*, and not really under the control of the Lync $er0er ad%inistrator7 5arious 5oI. i%ple%entations %a*e different trade2offs that in0ol0e stac* latency, so itKs -est to lea0e it to the de0elopers to deli0er the -est trade2off7 "s descri-ed earlier, -ufferin! al!orith%s can -e used to a-sor- :itter, -ecause e0ery %illisecond of additional -ufferin! translates to a %illisecond of stac* latency7 1et#or* propa!ation delay is essentially tied to the speed of li!ht, includin! additional o0erhead ta*en -y the 0arious routers in -et#een7 hat %eans an upper -ound 3speed of li!ht ti%es distance6 can -e placed on the net#or* propa!ation delay, and thresholds can -e set up around it7 Jor net#or* paths of short distances that are entirely under the I tea%Ks control, 0ery lo# le0els of delay are e9pected7 Cenerally, 1%s is a%ple ti%e for traffic -et#een any t#o points #ithin a city7 If carriers are in0ol0ed, the latency depends entirely on the%7 he speed of li!ht %ultiplied -y distance is a !ood esti%ate of latencies that you can e9pect fro% carriers7 $o%e carriers %ay route traffic -et#een t#o locations in a country throu!h another continent7 his is an i%portant additional consideration #hen assessin! the quality of your Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 Latency is also %easured as one2#ay and round2trip ti%e 3& 67 & is %uch easier to %easure -ecause it doesnKt require ti!ht ti%e cali-rations -et#een the t#o endpoints7 Latencies can -e different in the t#o directions7 Lastly, latency issues can -e in the pu-lic s#itched telephone net#or* 3.$ 16 call le! in addition to the I. le!7 'easurin! latency #hen .$ 1 endpoints are in the %i9 requires additional equip%ent or %ethodolo!y7 he %ost econo%ical #ay to perfor% this %easure%ent is -y usin! an audio recorder to record the sound fro% a pen tappin! the %icrophone of one endpoint #ith the recei0er of the other endpoint placed ne9t to the audio recorder7 he resultin! recordin! should ha0e t#o noise spi*es, #ith the distance -et#een the% 3as sho#n in any +"5 analy/er pro!ra%6 -ein! the one2#ay %outh2to2ear delay7 his technique #or*s only if -oth endpoints can -e physically located near the sa%e sound recorder7
3.1.3 !lient Healt$

)lient heath %onitorin! is feasi-le only for 0ery li%ited scenarios -ecause client confi!uration and runti%e -eha0ior are #ithin the un%ana!ed space7 +hile Auality of D9perience 3AoD6 offers tele%etry on certain aspects of client runti%e perfor%ance, such as ).U load, it is often neither feasi-le or nor necessary to ta*e direct action -ased on the data7 Ho#e0er, the Lync $er0er ad%inistration tea% can use client data, such as de0ice perfor%ance reports or +i2Ji call quality reports, to !uide users to#ards %a*in! -etter choices that i%pro0e call quality7 Jor details, see the de0ice quality reports and +i2Ji su-net quality reports7
4F
.%,
"on'iguration udit
)onfi!uration audits pro0ide another #ay to help ensure the health of a Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 hese audits can unco0er issues that %ay not appear in the a!!re!ate KHI and %etrics reports7 >ou can perfor% audits %anually, -y rando% sa%plin! or syste%atically, or -y usin! auto%ated tools7 Listin! all of the confi!uration para%eters that can !o #ron! is -eyond the scope of this !uide7 Instead, this section offers real2#orld e9a%ples of confi!uration issues that #ere disco0ered throu!h audits or throu!h in0esti!ations escalated -y users7
3.2.1 I0-0'%N Aateway !onfi*uration Drift

I.2.$ 1 !ate#ays often require %anual audit processes -ecause these ser0er entities frequently ha0e %anufacturer2specific %ana!e%ent interfaces7 he types of confi!ura-le para%eters include -oth telephony2centric concepts, such as 5oice "cti0ity (etection 35"(6, )o%fort 1oise !eneration 3)16 and $ilence $uppression 3$$6, as #ell as net#or*in!2related settin!s, addin! additional layers of co%ple9ity that %a*e it challen!in! for any one !roup of ad%inistrators to understand their interactions7 #5a/ple: Gateway "on'iguration "hanges a'ter 6ir/ware Update $o%eti%es, audits can turn up %ysterious confi!uration para%eter chan!es7 ;ne theory is that fir%#are updates can reset certain 0alues to their default states7
3.2.2 Lync 'erver !onfi*uration Drift

In Lync $er0er confi!uration drift, deploy%ent chan!es that are i%ple%ented -y e9pansion processes affect the e9istin! deploy%ent ne!ati0ely7 D9istin! %onitorin! safe!uards %ay -e turned off in anticipation of alert tri!!ers, and unintended confi!uration settin!s could creep into the syste%7 #5a/ple: "all ad/ission control settings )all ad%ission control 3)")6 is desi!ned to pre0ent 0oice traffic fro% e9ceedin! a certain preset threshold and routin! additional calls to local I.2.$ 1 !ate#ays7 )"), li*e any feature that is desi!ned to put li%its on the nor%al operations of a feature, can cause ser0ice issues if it is deployed incorrectly or inad0ertently7 Jor e9a%ple, if the su-nets specified in the )") list do not contain the e9pected set of users, issues %ay occur7 #5a/ple: <ogue servers It is co%%on practice to add ne# ser0ers of a particular role to a pool and then %a*e the% operational at a later ti%e7 ;ccasionally, ho#e0er, ser0ers %ay -eco%e operational ri!ht a#ay -ecause the settin!s to control their statuses are not understood7 he ser0ers %ay not -e fully confi!ured, #hich can ne!ati0ely affect the deploy%ent7 In one e9a%ple, ne# Dd!e $er0ers #ere routed requests e0en thou!h they #erenKt confi!ured #ith the proper net#or* policies to route pac*ets correctly7 #5a/ple: #5pired certi'icates &ene#in! certificates -efore their e9piration can see% li*e a tri0ial tas*7 Ho#e0er, the issue of e9pired certificates typically causes se0eral failures in an or!ani/ation each year7 $uch failures can result in total or partial loss of functionality in indi0idual Lync $er0er features, or can e0en %a*e it i%possi-le to si!n into the ser0ice7 Jor e9a%ple, if the certificates are not rene#ed on the 'edia &elay $er0ers, e9ternal clients cannot %a*e calls or connect to conferences7
3.2.3 Network !onfi*uration Drift

In net#or* confi!uration drift, net#or* de0ice para%eters de0iate fro% the intended 0alues and de!rade the perfor%ance of Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 1et#or* de0ice KHIs #ill not catch these issues -ecause the 4G
de0ices #ill still -e operatin! under nor%al conditions, in ter%s of the de0ice itself7 Lync $er0er call %etrics, as captured -y AoD, %ay detect issues, -ut only if there are calls, and enou!h calls to dra# the attention of the ad%inistrators7 1et#or* confi!uration audits, ho#e0er, can find out2of2place settin!s quic*ly7 ;f course, not all net#or* i%pair%ent issues are caused -y %isconfi!uration7 Jor this reason, end2to2end %etrics %onitorin! is necessary7 he types of para%eters that are often found to affect Lync $er0er perfor%ance include@ (ifferentiated $er0ices )ode .oint 3($).6 &ate li%itin! $peed sensin! %is%atch 3Jull4"uto6 1a!le 3 ). only6 Load -alancer confi!uration H . pro9ies Band#idth Jor details a-out ho# each of these settin!s can affect Lync $er0er perfor%ance, see rou-leshootin! a 1et#or* $e!%ent7
.%.
Usage Trend <eporting
;0erall usa!e $cenarios2-ased usa!e )onferencin! .eer2to2peer 3.2.6 .$ 1 5ideo ;thers 3for e9a%ple, 'icrosoft D9chan!e Unified 'essa!in!6 Location2-ased usa!e Band#idth usa!e +ired 0ersus +ireless Internal 0ersus D9ternal 5.1 Jederation
.%7
Product 6eatures that Provide Monitoring 0ata
$yste% )enter ;perations 'ana!er 3$);'6 alerts D0ent lo!s $ynthetic transactions .erfor%ance counters )all detail recordin! 3)(&6
.%8
"pneta
Third9Party Solutions that Provide Monitoring
4H
H.1" ".C $'"& 1etIA
4I
7%
Troubleshooting
his section is di0ided into t#o core parts@ trou-leshootin! scenarios that offer !uidance a-out ho# to trou-leshoot each end2to2end user scenario, %ost of it deri0ed fro% real2life e9periences, and trou-leshootin! %ethodolo!ies that offer in2depth in0esti!ation into so%e of the %ost technically challen!in! net#or* issues7 +e assu%e that you ha0e follo#ed the -est practices ad0isories in the pre0ious topics7
7%$
Troubleshooting Scenarios
he follo#in! trou-leshootin! scenarios are descri-ed in detail@ a site2#ide issue of Lync 0oice quality 3a site suddenly reports poor audio quality6, and an indi0idual Lync 0oice quality issue7
4.1.1 %rou&les$ootin* a 'ite-4i e Issue. Lync 9oice Quality - + 'ite 'u enly )eports 0oor +u io Quality
rou-leshoot a site that suddenly reports poor audio quality -y usin! the follo#in! procedure@ (efine the pro-le% report scenario7 .ro0ide an initial assess%ent7 )ollect data7 Isolate the pro-le% and analy/e the root cause7
7%$%$%$ Proble/ <eport Scenario

his scenario specifically tar!ets the case #here a site or a !roup of users is e9periencin! audio quality issues7
7%$%$%, &nitial ssess/ent

he first step is to assess the issue fro% the initial report7 If all you ha0e in ter%s of a description of the issue is <audio is poor at a site,= you can still use the process of eli%ination to try to isolate the issue7 Lync "udio Auality 'odel descri-es the different types of audio quality issues and their causes, such as en0iron%ental, de0ice, codec, and net#or*2related causes7 "ssu%in! that the audio quality pro-le% is locali/ed to a site, you can pro-a-ly eli%inate all potential causes, e9cept net#or* issues7 hereKs al#ays the sli!ht possi-ility of a non2net#or* issue8for e9a%ple a soft#are update8-ut the li*elihood is lo#7 he %ost efficient approach is to start your in0esti!ation #ith the hi!hest pro-a-le potential cause7 Lync "udio Auality 'odel descri-es ho# net#or* issues include not only actual net#or* issues, -ut also client endpoint and ser0er perfor%ance issues7
7%$%$%. 0ata "ollection

he ne9t step is to collect the data needed to confir% net#or* issues as the li*ely cause7 $pecifically, chec* to see if user reports a-out specific issues are a0aila-le fro% the help des*7 Lync "udio Auality 'odel descri-es ho# audio quality issues can -e classified into ri!orous cate!ories, #hich helps the trou-leshootin! process7 "ssu%in! that the help des* tea% follo#s the ta9ono%y descri-ed in Lync "udio Auality 'odel, you can re0ie# the user reports to deter%ine if there are net#or* issues7 Loo* for reports of distortions, fast or slo# speech, or audio cutouts7 If users report noise, echo, lo# quality audio, or other issues, consult these articles for trou-leshootin! !uidance@ MLync rou-leshootin!@ >our audio de0ice %ay cause an echoM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN3014E2 and MLync rou-leshootin!@ >our 'icrophone Is )apturin! oo 'uch 1oiseM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN3014EF7 E0
If users co%plain a-out call setup failures or call drops, thereKs still a chance that net#or* issues are present7 Ho#e0er, you should e9pect distortion issues, as #ell7 1e9t, re0ie# specific scenarios fro% user reports7 Jor e9a%ple, did the poor quality occur in peer2to2peer 3.2.6 calls, conference calls, .)2to2phone 3.)2.hone6 calls, or in all of these call typesL his in0esti!ati0e inquiry can help you deter%ine if there are specific entities that need in0esti!ation7 Lastly, -e sure to chec* the #hen the issue occurred8:ust recently, or o0er a period ti%e7 his #ill clue you in to #hether youKre loo*in! for a sudden chan!e in the syste% or a !radual de!radation7 $tudyin! the user reports #ill help you deter%ine if youKre on the ri!ht trac* in chasin! do#n your initial assess%ent7 "ssu%in! that you follo#ed the !uidelines in the MLync 2013 echnical (ocu%entationM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*I(N2E4H0F, includin! the (eploy%ent Cuide and ;perations Cuide, youKll -e a-le to !ather additional e%pirical data, as #ell7 If the audio quality issue is locali/ed to a site, re0ie# the +ired and +ireless $u-nets &eport in $u-net &eports, #hich can -e 0ery useful7 If trendin! reports are a0aila-le, you %ay see an increase in the nu%-er of poor calls for the site7 he issue %ay -e in the #ired or #ireless net#or*s, so chec* -oth sets of reports7 If a 'ediation $er0er is deployed to the site, chec* the call quality -et#een the 'ediation $er0er and the "5')U7 Because these are -oth %ana!ed ser0er endpoints, there should -e little, if any, pac*et loss and :itter7 If you find a sharp inflection in any of these reports, you %ay disco0er corro-orati0e data %atchin! the user reports7 If users co%plain a-out .)2.hone quality, youKll need to chec* the '$2C+ &eports for any sudden chan!es in pac*et loss and :itter7 If the trend reports donKt sho# anythin! out of the ordinary, youKll need to find the ri!ht si!nature for the issue7 Jor e9a%ple, if the report site does not %atch the user report site, youKll need additional filterin!7 "cquirin! indi0idual user aliases is i%portant, so that you can co%pare the usersK AoD %etrics to those of the rest of the population7 In one case study, a -u!!y net#or* adapter dri0er in a certain %odel of laptops caused net#or* issues for laptop users7 Because the sa%e %odel of laptop #as ordered for a !roup of users, the issue initially appeared to -e a site2-ased issue7
7%$%$%7 Proble/ &solation and <oot "ause nalysis

If AoD &eports are a-le to capture the inflection in the quality %etrics fro% a -efore2the2issue to an after2 issue2resolution period, the su-net I. can -e passed to the net#or*in! tea% to in0esti!ate further7 Jor details a-out ho# to fi9 co%%on net#or* issues that affect Lync audio quality, see rou-leshootin! a 1et#or* $e!%ent7
4.1.2 %rou&les$ootin* an In ivi ual Lync 9oice Quality Issue

rou-leshoot an indi0idual Lync 0oice quality issue -y usin! the follo#in! procedure@ (efine the pro-le% report scenario7 .ro0ide an initial assess%ent7 )ollect data7 &eproduce the scenario and analy/e the root cause7
7%$%,%$ Proble/ <eport Scenario

In the typical help des* scenario, a user reports an audio quality issue that they recently e9perienced7 If the user %entions that se0eral indi0iduals are e9periencin! si%ilar issues at a certain location, see rou-leshootin! a $ite#ide Issue@ Lync 5oice Auality 2 " $ite $uddenly &eports .oor "udio Auality for useful !uidance7
E1
7%$%,%, &nitial ssess/ent

Because %ost users donKt *no# the cause of their audio quality issue, itKs !enerally up to the frontline support en!ineer at the help des* to as* clarifyin! questions to classify the type of issue7 ;ften, carefully directed questionin! is all thatKs required to deter%ine the type of issue7 "fter youK0e deter%ined the type of issue, you can apply the appropriate trou-leshootin! %ethodolo!y7 "ll Lync audio quality issues fall into the follo#in! cate!ories@ 0istortion 3/etallic9sounding, 'ast speech, slow speech4 )ertain types of distortions, such as those that are descri-ed M%etallic2soundin!,M contain Mt#an!s,M8speech that accelerates and4or slo#s do#n8that are caused -y net#or* i%pair%ent7 If the net#or* de!rades -eyond a certain threshold, the audio healer operates at e9tre%e reco0ery %odes and creates certain types of distortions in the process7 If you deter%ine that the user is e9periencin! these distortions, the ne9t step is to collect infor%ation a-out the call scenario and the appropriate net#or* %etrics7 0istortion 3other4 hese distortions can include M%etallic2soundin! audio,M Mlo# quality 0oice,M Mfu//y soundin! speech,M or so%e si%ilar 0ariation7 Cenerally, these distortions are caused -y poor quality audio at -y the source8that is, the audio quality is already poor -efore it is trans%itted o0er 5oI.7 In these cases, the causes can -e de0ice2related 3a lo#2quality and4or inappropriate de0ice for the situation8unidirectional %icrophone used as a conferencin! de0ice, -ad de0ice dri0ers, or ($. soft#are6, en0iron%ental 3noisy location6, or .$ 1 3poor cell phone reception or I.2.$ 1 C+ %isconfi!uration67 By reproducin! the scenario and patterns, and as*in! clarifyin! questions, youKll !et closer to the cause7 Speech cut9out $peech cut2outs can -e caused -y se0ere net#or* i%pair%ent, de0ices, or en0iron%ental causes7 o deter%ine if net#or* issues are the cause, as* if the distortions are of the %etallic2 soundin! type or the fast speech and4or slo# speech type7 "lso find out if a ne# de0ice has recently -een added7 Lastly, inquire a-out en0iron%ental or user error issues8for e9a%ple, noise, or poor place%ent of a %icrophone7 Glitch 3pops, clicks4 Clitches8-rief, %inor %alfunctions, so%eti%es #ith noise effects8are al%ost al#ays due to de0ice issues7 (e0ice issues can also include host .), issues -ecause ).U processin! delays can cause pops and clic*s7 Noise 1oise issues can -e caused -y de0ice issues or en0iron%ental conditions7 he Lync client contains noise suppression features, and can re%o0e a si!nificant a%ount of -ac*!round noise7 Ho#e0er, e9cessi0e noise can lead to distortion and so%e noise lea*s7 )ertain types of artificial noise, such as clic*s or unusual %achine noise, are not filtered7 .$ 1 endpoints do not ha0e the Lync noise re%o0al processes in place and can send noisy audio into a Lync con0ersation7 2olu/e issues 3low or varying4 Lo# 0olu%e audio or 0aryin! 0olu%e le0els are caused -y the sender side of the con0ersation7 If the sender is usin! Lync, e9a%ine the de0ice7 U$B audio de0ices desi!ned for 5oI. are typically precali-rated7 Built2in sound de0ices or sound cards %ay require additional confi!uration chan!es to -e suita-le for 5oI.7 Loud -ursts of audio sent -y the
E2
sender or .$ 1 caller, follo#ed -y lo#20olu%e speech, can cause the recei0in! Lync client to lo#er the 0olu%e for a short duration7 #cho Dcho issues are typically caused -y -ad de0ices and4or .) hard#are or dri0ers, or can ori!inate fro% e9ternal sources, such as .$ 1 endpoints7 Dchoes can also -e caused -y a user %o0in! a spea*erphone, or -y %ultiple users #ith spea*erphones :oined into the sa%e conference fro% the sa%e roo%7 In0esti!atin! the call scenario can help you deter%ine the cause7 No audio or one9way audio 1et#or* issues can cause an audio -lac*out or one2#ay audio, if an inter%ediate net#or* de0ice, such as a pro9y ser0er or fire#all, -loc*s pac*ets7 his %ay occur after the initial connection is set up7 (e0ice issues and de0ice %isconfi!uration issues are also co%%on causes7 Jor e9a%ple, the user %ay thin* they are usin! a particular de0ice, -ut another de0ice %ay -e the acti0ely confi!ured one7 he follo#in! ta-le su%%ari/es the issue types and potential causes7 Be a#are that %ultiple causes can e9ist7 Be sure to chec* all potential causes7
Lync udio &ssue Types and Potential "auses
&ssue Type
(istortion 3%etallic2soundin!, fast speech, slo# speech6 (istortion 3other6 $peech cut2out Clitch 3pops, clic*s6 1oise 5olu%e issues 3lo# or 0aryin!6 Dcho 1o audio or one2#ay audio
Network
>
0evice
#nviron/ental
PSTN
User #rror
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > > > >
7%$%,%. 0ata "ollection

Jor each potential cause, use its unique o#n set of lo!s, %etrics, or line of questionin! to collect data7 he specific data ite%s can include@ Network o AoD %etrics fro% the )all (etails &eport 17 1';$ de!radation, pac*et loss, :itter, and -urst loss %etrics for the direction of interest o o o 5A&eport O'L -inary lar!e o-:ect 3-lo-6 fro% U))".I lo!s .recall dia!nostics tool %etrics lo! $cenario questions@ 27 +ere you callin! fro% a +i2Ji net#or*L 37 +ere you callin! fro% outside the corporate net#or*L 47 +ere you callin! fro% a 5.1L E7 If it #as a .2. call, #hat #as the other personKs net#or* connectionL E3
0evice o AoD %etrics fro% the )all (etails &eport F7 $endListen';$ for send2side de0ice %etrics G7 1oise le0el and $1& %etrics for send and recei0e side o o o 5A&eport O'L -lo- fro% U))".I lo!s, if the de0ice in question is fro% the local user ;-tain a recordin! of the audio that sho#s the type of distortion or noise e9perienced -y the user $cenario questions@ H7 (oes it only reproduce #ith this de0ice if you #ere the one causin! the issueL I7 (oes it only reproduce #ith a specific caller if you #ere the one hearin! the issueL #nviron/ental o AoD %etrics fro% the )all (etails &eport 107 1oise le0el and $1& %etrics o $cenario questions@ 117 +as it noisy #hen you %ade the callL 127 +hat de0ice #as used for the conference roo%L 137 Ho# far a#ay #ere you fro% the %icrophoneL 147 +ere there %ultiple calls usin! spea*erphone de0ices fro% the sa%e roo% :oined in the sa%e conferenceL
7%$%,%7 Proble/ &solation and <oot "ause nalysis

Use the collected data to eli%inate as %any potential causes as possi-le7 "fter a potential cause has -een deter%ined, the ne9t step is to find the root cause7 .otential causes are !rouped into the cate!ories of net#or*, de0ice, and en0iron%ental7 +ithin each cate!ory, there can -e %ultiple issues that qualify as root causes7 $ee the follo#in! topics for trou-leshootin! steps for each cate!ory@ Network rou-leshootin! a 1et#or* $e!%ent or rou-leshootin! D9ternal 1et#or* Issues, dependin! on #hether the issue is internal or e9ternal to the corporate fire#all7 0evice rou-leshootin! (e0ice Issues #nviron/ental rou-leshootin! Dn0iron%ental Issues
7%,
Troubleshooting Methodologies
rou-leshootin! %ethodolo!ies are co%%on procedures used to find the root cause of sy%pto%s disco0ered -y any of the frequently used %ethods8help des* user reports, %onitorin! alerts, or other ad hoc sources7 he follo#in! %ethodolo!ies are scoped so that they apply to %any escalation paths, yet contain enou!h details to help disco0er the root cause7 Jor e9a%ple, the rou-leshootin! a 1et#or* $e!%ent helps you trou-leshoot net#or* i%pair%ent issues in a specific se!%ent of the net#or*, rather in than the entire net#or*7 If this %ethodolo!y atte%pted to co0er all net#or* issues, there #ould -e too %any startin! points, %a*in! the su-:ect un#ieldy7 If it only co0ered specific entities in the net#or*, youKd need to *no# in ad0ance #hich entities #ere rele0ant to your in0esti!ation7 E4
4.2.1 %rou&les$ootin* a Network 'e*ment

Because all 0oice quality trou-leshootin! cases can -e associated #ith the net#or* path in0ol0ed, the net#or* path is the opti%al le0el at #hich to -e!in trou-leshootin!7 Jor e9a%ple, if the case in0ol0es a user report of a sin!le call, you can find the call path in AoD -y e9a%inin! the caller and callee endpoint infor%ation, such as the I. addresses and su-net I.s, to deter%ine the net#or* path7 If the case ori!inates fro% a $u-net &eport alert, the su-net I. is *no#n, and you can loo* at the call paths fro% the su-net to *no#n !ood ser0ers, as #ell as calls #ithin the su-net itself7 "t this point, you should already ha0e AoD, .I1C protocol, and other net#or* %easure%ents that indicate either pac*et loss or :itter e9ist on the net#or* se!%ent of interest7 If not, refer to $u-net &eports or rou-leshootin! a $ite#ide Issue@ Lync 5oice Auality 2 " $ite suddenly &eports .oor "udio Auality, dependin! on ho# you encountered the ori!inal issue escalation7 Be!in your in0esti!ation fro% the net#or* se!%ent in0ol0in! t#o Lync endpoints7 his %eans that you %ay -e loo*in! at t#o client endpoints, t#o ser0er endpoints, or one client endpoint and one ser0er endpoint7 he follo#in! ta-le sho#s #hat types of issue cate!ories can e9ist, dependin! on the %i9 of endpoints straddlin! the net#or* se!%ent7
Network &ssue "ategory Mi5
Network &ssue "ategories

1et#or* router confi!uration 1et#or* hard#are Issues +i2Ji quality ;ther client net#or* quality )lient endpoint perfor%ance $er0er endpoint perfor%ance
"lient9"lient
>es >es >es >es >es
"lient9Server
>es >es >es >es >es >es
Server9Server
>es >es
>es
1et#or* issues %ay not -e e9clusi0ely net#or*2related7 Dndpoint perfor%ance can also -e a factor, -ecause any process that delays a pac*et or causes a pac*et to drop #ill appear as a net#or* issue in the AoD &eports7 ;ne #ay to isolate the net#or* issue cate!ories is to use AoD to reduce the len!th of the net#or* se!%ent7 Jor e9a%ple, if you see poor2quality calls -et#een a client +i2Ji su-net and a ser0er su-net, you should !et a AoD &eport for call quality fro% the client2#ired su-net to the sa%e ser0er su-net7 "dditionally, !et a AoD &eport that sho#s call quality -et#een ser0ers in the sa%e ser0er su-net7 he s%aller the net#or* se!%ent into #hich you can isolate the issue, the fe#er de0ices youKll need to chec*7 he follo#in! sections descri-e so%e of the root causes that cause net#or* issues for Lync $er0er7
7%,%$%$ Network <outer "on'iguration

1et#or* router confi!uration issues can consist of@ Use of (ifferentiated $er0ices )ode .oint 3($).6 &ate li%itin! $peed sensin! %is%atch 3Jull4"uto6 1a!le al!orith% 3 ). only6 Load -alancer confi!uration H . pro9ies Band#idth +"14I$. EE
4.2.1.1.1
Quality of 'ervice 2Qo'3
Lync $er0er supports Auality of $er0ice 3Ao$6 -y %ar*in! traffic at each endpoint that ter%inates %edia, #ith the e9ception of the 'edia &elay Dd!e $er0ers7 he Lync $er0er deploy%ent %ust first -e confi!ured to ena-le ($). %ar*in!, and the net#or* de0ices and s#itches %ust also trust the %ar*ed pac*ets sent -y the Lync $er0er endpoints, and %ust propa!ate the pac*ets #ith the %ar*in!s intact7 Dach net#or* de0ice can ha0e its o#n confi!uration settin! to ena-le4disa-le ()$.7 here can also -e access control lists 3")Ls6 in place that affect the final effecti0e settin!7 Incorrect ($). settin!s are often the -i!!est source of pac*et loss or :itter that affects Lync $er0er %edia traffic7 he follo#in! ta-les sho# e9a%ples of Ao$ co%%ands that can ena-le Ao$ for 5L"12-ased and port2 -ased %ethods7
2L N9based +oS
Task
Dna-le Ao$ )reate access list to %atch pac*ets )reate class %ap
"o//and
%ls qos ip access2list e9tended 5;I)D per%it I. any class2%ap %atch2all 5;I)D %atch access2!roup na%e 5;I)D policy2%ap 5;I)D class 5;I)D trust dscp interface ran!e CO4124H %ls qos 0lan2-ased int 0lan O ser0ice2policy input 5;I)D
)reate policy %ap Dna-le 5L"12-ased Ao$ on the interface "pply $er0ice .olicy to all 5L"1s Port9based +oS
Task
Dna-le Ao$ "pply port2-ased Ao$ to the interface
"o//and
%ls qos %ls qos trust dscp
+ith the 5L"12-ased %ethod, there are %ultiple settin!s to ena-le Ao$7 )onfi!uration drift issues are %ore li*ely to occur -ecause of the lar!er scope of potential %isconfi!urations, as co%pared to the port2 -ased %ethod7 Jor instructions a-out ho# to detect if ()$. traffic is -ein! recei0ed, see M5oice &9@ 5alidatin! Ao$ on Lync DndpointsM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN3014F0 he follo#in! ta-les sho# issues that can cause Ao$ settin!s to fail, and su!!ested solutions7
Potential +oS Settings 6ailures
&ssue
" #ireless router fir%#are -u! caused ($). -its on pac*ets to -e re%ar*ed fro% 4F to 3H, effecti0ely erasin! the e9pedited fla!s7 )'.L$ carrier pro0idin! +"1 -ac*-one is re%ar*in! pac*ets and erasin! D9pedited Jor#ardin! 3DJ6 fla!7 5L"12-ased Ao$ policy prone to errors, due to the require%ent of %ultiple disparate settin!s to ali!n, #hich affects ($).7 Jor e9a%ple, the net#or* interface on the
<esolution
"pply the fir%#are fi97 Infor% carrier of issue and request policy chan!e7 $#itch to port2-ased Ao$ policy7
EF
&ssue
%edia ser0er %ust ha0e the correct 5L"1 I( set, and the ne9t hop s#itch needs to associate the 5L"1 I( #ith the e9pedited ()$. policy7 " chan!e in either settin! can cause ($). to 3silently6 not !et applied7
<esolution
4.2.1.1.2
)ate Limitin*
&ate li%itin! is the specification of an upper -ound of the net#or* pipe for a specific )lass of $er0ice traffic7 It is often used to pre0ent prioriti/ed traffic fro% -loc*in! unprioriti/ed traffic7 Jor e9a%ple, if 0oice is prioriti/ed at D9pedited Jor#ardin! 3DJ6, itKs possi-le that no other traffic #ill !et throu!h, if the a%ount of 0oice traffic is hi!h7 1et#or* ad%inistrators %ay set rate li%itin! policies to cap the a%ount of DJ traffic at a fi9ed a%ount8for e9a%ple, 20 percent of the total -and#idth7 If the DJ traffic e9ceeds the 20 percent li%it, you can instruct the router to discard the additional pac*ets, or for#ard the% at the nor%al priority7 If 0oice pac*ets are discarded, 0oice quality #ill -e ne!ati0ely affected7 In practice, -loc*in! rarely occurs in deploy%ents #ith no rate li%itin! at all7 If you #ant rate li%itin! as a for% of protection a!ainst -loc*in! nor%al traffic, you should confi!ure it so that any pac*ets a-o0e the rate li%it cap are for#arded at the nor%al priority le0el, rather than -ein! dropped -y the router7
4.2.1.1.3
'pee 'ensin* Mismatc$ 2"ullB+uto3
1et#or* adapter speed and duple9 %is%atch is another issue that can cause pac*et loss and :itter on a net#or* se!%ent7 It can see% counterintuiti0e that the "uto settin! on a net#or* adapter dri0er or s#itch port does not #or* a!ainst another interface set to Jull7 Both interfaces %ust -e set to the sa%e settin! in order for pac*ets to flo# relia-ly7 In %any cases, net#or* perfor%ance de!radation caused -y %is%atched settin!s !o unnoticed until real2ti%e %edia is carried o0er this lin*7 $o far, this issue is *no#n to affect only 100 '-ps net#or* lin*s7
4.2.1.1.4
Na*le +l*orit$m 2%!0 only3
"lthou!h Lync $er0er supports trans%ittin! audio40ideo 3"456 o0er the ). transport, ha0in! the 1a!le al!orith% ena-led in net#or* !ear can introduce :itter7 he 1a!le al!orith% is desi!ned to opti%i/e the net#or* for throu!hput7 It -uffers ). se!%ents until a certain a%ount of data is accu%ulated, and sends the se!%ents in a -atch7 Because ). is a strea% protocol, %er!in! the ). fra%es results in less o0erhead, -ecause it has headers at each protocol layer7 &eal2ti%e "45 #or*s -est if the pac*ets are sent as soon as they arri0e on the net#or*7 he 1a!le al!orith% can cause choppy "45, or e0en dropouts7 If your or!ani/ation #ants to use the 1a!le al!orith% to -oost ). throu!hput of other ser0ices, you should confi!ure it so that Lync $er0er "45 traffic is not affected7 >ou can do this -y separatin! the traffic paths of the Lync $er0er "45 traffic fro% the rest of your or!ani/ationKs traffic7
4.2.1.1./
Loa #alancer !onfi*uration
)ertain Lync $er0er co%ponents, such as the 'edia &elay Dd!e 3'&D6 ser0ers, require hard#are load -alancers 3HLBs6 to distri-ute loads across %ultiple instances of the ser0er7 here are a nu%-er of #ays that the HLBs can -e %isconfi!ured, includin!@ Load directed une0enly across the '&D ser0ers7 Load directed une0enly on a particular interface that is not %onitored 3internal 0ersus e9ternal67 'edia &elay I. addresses 3'&D6 directly reacha-le -y e9ternal clients7 '&D e9ternal I. addresses directly reacha-le -y internal clients7 HLB confi!ured to route traffic to an '&D that is not in ser0ice or is under!oin! %aintenance7 EG
Load -alancin! al!orith%s U round ro-in 0ersus least connections7 )onnection stic*iness and affinity7
4.2.1.1.5
H%%0 0ro=ies
H . pro9ies can affect Lync $er0er audio40isual 3"456 traffic carried o0er ).4 L$7 Lync $er0er uses <pseudo2tls= #here the L$ encryption *ey is null7 $o%e H . pro9y ser0ers8specifically, those of the deep2pac*et2inspectin! or stateful 0ariants8atte%pt to analy/e L$ traffic patterns in order to pur!e tunneled traffic or traffic #ith #ea* encryption *eys7 $o%e 0ariants e0en ser0e as ar-iters to e9a%ine e0ery step of the L$ handsha*in! protocol and -loc* any ano%alies7 "ll of these security features can ad0ersely affect Lync $er0er "45 traffic -ecause, after all, Lync $er0er "45 is desi!ned to tunnel throu!h traditional H . pro9y ser0ers7 ;ccasionally, the deep2pac*et2inspectin! pro9y ser0er can pre0ent the L$ connection fro% co%pletin!7 "t other ti%es, the connection %ay -e set up, and then dis%antled -y the pro9y ser0er8a fe# seconds, or e0en a fe# %inutes, later7 ;ne popular -rand of an H . pro9y ser0er *no#n to cause issues is Blue )oat $yste%s Inc7 It is a free#are ser0er and is therefore #idely used -y %any or!ani/ations7 If you deter%ine the H . pro9y ser0er to -e the cause of the issue, turn off all deep pac*et inspection features, or e9e%pt Lync 'edia $er0ers fro% inspection -y specifyin! the %edia ser0ersK ". addresses in the e9e%ption list7
4.2.1.1.1
#an wi t$
+hen I ad%inistrators dia!nose net#or* issues that can affect audio40isual 3"456 traffic, -and#idth is often a pri%ary consideration7 Jortunately, confir%in! that sufficient -and#idth is a0aila-le for Lync $er0er is a strai!htfor#ard process7 he total concurrent "45 -and#idth usa!e across the day can -e calculated -y usin! AoD data7 he Lync Band#idth )alculator can present the pro:ected -and#idth usa!e, -ased on user %odels7 Jor details, see MLync 2010 and 2013 Band#idth )alculatorM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN3013I17 here are also 0arious third2party solutions for %onitorin! traffic usa!e -y #or*load across a particular lin*7
4.2.1.1.7
4+NBI'0
If Lync $er0er "45 traffic is carried o0er a leased net#or* se!%ent, the physical %ediu% #ill -e under the control of a third party7 Isolatin! net#or* perfor%ance issues requires the cooperation of the net#or* pro0ider7
7%,%$%, Network *ardware &ssues

1et#or* hard#are issues consist of@ Bad patch ca-le )a-le loop4-rid!e protocol data unit 3B.(U6 !uard feature &outer ).U spi*es
4.2.1.2.1
#a 0atc$ !a&le
.hysical defects in the net#or* ca-lin! infrastructure can cause net#or* perfor%ance de!radation7 $i%ply pullin! out the ca-le and replacin! it can disrupt e9istin! traffic7
4.2.1.2.2
!a&le LoopB#0D< Auar 0rotection
" physical ca-lin! loop can cause routin! loops7 +hen a s#itch detects such loops, it can either shut do#n the port or issue a de0ice2#ide reset7 $huttin! do#n the port pro0ides i%%ediate feed-ac* to the user, -ut can also cause net#or* outa!e7 If your or!ani/ation decides a!ainst shuttin! do#n the port, the EH
de0ice then atte%pts a de0ice2#ide reset to try to resol0e the issue7 he reset is 0ery fast, -ut it can cause pac*et drops on all traffic across the de0ice7 Because hard#are resets canKt correct physical issues, the de0ice #ill continue to rest one e0ery fe# %inutes, causin! pac*et loss each ti%e7 $o%e net#or* de0ices report this condition -y fla!!in! it throu!h the B.(U !uard feature7
4.2.1.2.3
)outer !0< 'pikes
1et#or* router de0ices can e9perience dyna%ic load factors, such as ).U spi*es, that cause pac*et loss or :itter7 Jindin! the root cause of this depends on the specific de0ice7
7%,%$%. 1i96i +uality

+i2Ji quality issues consist of@ Interference ". density &oa%in! +i2Ji net#or* adapter and dri0er Jor a co%plete e9planation of the issues and !uidelines for deployin! +i2Ji in an or!ani/ation, see M(eli0erin! Lync 2013 &eal2 i%e )o%%unications o0er +i2JiM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN2II3G17
4.2.1.3.1
Interference
&adio interference is pro-a-ly the -i!!est source of net#or* perfor%ance de!radation in +i2Ji net#or*s7 Interference can co%e fro% a 0ariety of sources, includin!@ $tatic structures, such as #alls, pillars, and furniture Hu%an %o0e%ent ;ther radio frequency sources .oor antenna place%ent4desi!n
4.2.1.3.2
+ccess 0oint Density
&adio #a0e si!nal stren!th is in0ersely proportional to the distance -et#een the trans%itter and the recei0er7 o o0erco%e any interference, the +i2Ji access point should -e as close to the Lync $er0er endpoint as possi-le7 Increasin! access point density helps to shorten the distance -et#een the Lync $er0er endpoint and the nearest access point7
4.2.1.3.3
)oamin*
'o-ile Lync clients can also e9perience net#or* perfor%ance de!radation #hen a user %o0es around and the +i2Ji connection is handed off fro% one ". to another7 "t this point, all traffic can -e dropped7
4.2.1.3.4
4i-"i Network + apter an Driver
Bu!!y net#or* adapters and dri0ers can de!rade net#or* perfor%ance7 $o%e net#or* adapters and dri0ers also perfor% scannin! periodically to update the +i2Ji access point list7 his scannin! can interrupt other on!oin! traffic, such as a Lync $er0er call7
7%,%$%7 !ther "lient Network +uality &ssues

;ther client net#or* quality issues include@ 'o-ile Broad-and EI
I.$ec 5.1 Jorced ). connection I$.4Internet
4.2.1.4.1
Mo&ile #roa &an
'any of the issues affectin! +i2Ji connections also affect %o-ile -road-and connections7
4.2.1.4.2
I0'ec
I.$ec requires *ey e9chan!es -et#een the t#o endpoints at either end of the I. con0ersation7 Usually, the *ey e9chan!e occurs -et#een t#o endpoints co%%unicatin! for the first ti%e7 $u-sequently, the *eys are cached and reused if traffic -et#een the t#o endpoints *eeps the I.$ec tunnel acti0e7 If the *eys e9pire, a ne# round of *ey e9chan!es %ust occur7 $o%e i%ple%entations of I.$ec can let a fe# unencrypted pac*ets !o throu!h, -ut none durin! the *ey e9chan!e phase7 "fter the *ey e9chan!e phase, pac*ets are allo#ed to flo# a!ain7 Ho#e0er, so%e pac*ets could -e lost7 his loss can cause call failures or audio dropouts7
4.2.1.4.3
9irtual 0rivate Network 290N3
" %a:or aspect of 0irtual pri0ate net#or*s 35.1s6 are that they are equated #ith any pri0ate pac*et encapsulation technolo!y7 'ost 5.1 solutions are desi!ned for ). and opti%i/ed for throu!hput, rather than for real2ti%e deli0ery of %edia traffic7 "s such, rate li%its or ser0er perfor%ance can affect Lync $er0er perfor%ance7
4.2.1.4.4
"orce %!0 !onnection
"lthou!h Lync $er0er supports sendin! %edia o0er rans%ission )ontrol .rotocol 3 ).6 connections, it is not an opti%al solution7 $%all net#or* perfor%ance de!radations can cause noticea-le issues for real2 ti%e traffic carried o0er ).7 ;ne %a:or reason is that the ). protocol is lossless, %eanin! the ). stac* #ill retrans%it the %issin! se!%ents7 (urin! the retrans%ission, all su-sequent data is queued7 "fter the retrans%ission, the recei0in! endpoint #ill ha0e e9perienced se0eral ti%es the & of delay7 Bufferin! is often used to co%-at this issue, -ut it co%es at the e9pense of pro0idin! a t#o2#ay, full duple9 e9perience7
4.2.1.4./
I'0BInternet
&esidential Internet connections often ha0e %ini%al ser0ice le0el a!ree%ents 3$L"s6 and support to trou-leshoot user net#or* issues7 ypically, al%ost all Lync $er0er audio40isual 3"456 perfor%ance de!radation is caused -y e9ternal Internet users7 Because these connections are un%ana!ed, the -est %iti!ation is to offer the users tools such as the ransport &elia-ility I. .ro-e 3 &I..6 and 'icrosoft .re )all (ia!nostic ool to test their <last hop= connection quality7 Jor details, see MLync ;nline 2 ransport &elia-ility I. .ro-e 3 &I.. ool6M at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN304032, and M'icrosoft .re )all (ia!nostic oolM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN30403E7
7%,%$%8 "lient #ndpoint Per'or/ance

.ac*et loss and :itter are not al#ays caused -y net#or* entities -eyond the client and ser0er endpoints7 $o%eti%es, the client endpoint itself is the source of the net#or* i%pair%ent7 .ac*ets are trans%itted -y the client endpoint -ased on a ti%er and pic*ed fro% the recei0e queue -y li0e threads7 If the sender or recei0er process is -loc*ed, the pac*et loss and :itter #ill -e :ust as real7 Because Lync $er0er runs at the hi!hest2priority thread le0el, only dri0er issues or other hi!h2priority processes can interfere #ith nor%al processin! functions in Lync $er0er7 F0
)lient endpoint perfor%ance issues consist of@ .o#er2sa0in! %ode U$B hu-4ca-le (ri0ers4deferred procedure calls 3(.)6 stor%
4.2.1./.1
0ower-'avin* Mo e
If the client endpoint is on -attery po#er, the operatin! syste% can throttle the ).U share for Lync $er0er processin! functions and affect its a-ility to send or recei0e pac*ets in a ti%ely %anner7
4.2.1./.2
<'# Hu&B!a&le
Lo#2quality U$B hu-s or ca-les can tri!!er deferred procedure calls 3(.)6 stor%s that pree%pt Lync $er0er processes fro% operatin! s%oothly7 .oorly shielded U$B ca-les 3e0en if the ca-les are inside a laptop or a .) case6 can cause U$B dri0ers to require %ore frequent ser0icin! than usual7
4.2.1./.3
DriversBD0! 'torm
"s pre0iously descri-ed, lo#2quality dri0ers can pree%pt Lync $er0er processes, due to their pri0ile!ed e9ecution status in the operatin! syste%7 he pri0ile!ed code e9ecution can co%e in the for% of deferred procedure calls 3(.)s67 ;n client operatin! syste%s, use the (.)4second counters in the tas* %ana!er to see if poor audio is associated #ith an increase in (.)s7
7%,%$%> Server #ndpoint Per'or/ance

$er0er endpoint perfor%ance issues include@ "nti0irus4port scannin! soft#are .erfor%ance counter collection and lo!!in! 1et#or* adapter confi!uration )oncurrent call load 5irtuali/ation
4.2.1.5.1
+ntivirusB0ort 'cannin* 'oftware
$o%e corporate security policies require the installation of client endpoint security soft#are on all corporate .)s, includin! those runnin! Lync $er0er applications7 his endpoint security soft#are %ay ha0e net#or* fire#all co%ponents that also acti0ely scan traffic7 Because Lync 'edia $er0ers, such as the "5')U, and Dd!e $er0ers, such as the 'edia &elay Dd!e $er0ers, can process lar!e 0olu%es of pac*et traffic to support "454"pp$harin! %odalities, any additional processin! of net#or* pac*ets -y port scannin! soft#are processes can affect the perfor%ance of the host co%puters, and therefore affect Lync $er0er perfor%ance7 he perfor%ance i%pact occurs in the for% of pac*et loss or hi!her :itter7
4.2.1.5.2
0erformance !ounter !ollection an Lo**in*
.erfor%ance counter collection is an i%portant part of %onitorin! the health and state of Lync ser0ers7 )ollectin! too %any counters and collectin! the% at hi!h frequencies can displace Lync $er0er processes fro% their ).U access, due to the hi!h thread priority of the perfor%ance counter collection process7 Because se0eral Lync $er0er ser0ices can run on the sa%e host co%puter and so%e counters run per ).U instance, the co%-ination of application2specific counters and ).U cores can create lar!e nu%-ers of unique counters that need collection7
4.2.1.5.3
Network + apter !onfi*uration

F1
1et#or* adapter confi!uration issues include@
1et#or* adapter tea%in!4dri0er ). offloadin! ).U affinity Network dapter Tea/ing:0river "lthou!h Lync $er0er deploy%ent !uidelines reco%%end a!ainst the use of net#or* adapter tea%in!, so%e or!ani/ations %ay choose to follo# their o#n !uidelines around hi!h2a0aila-ility7 1et#or* adapter tea%in! -u!s ha0e -een found in a fe# occasions7 hese -u!s %ay affect only real2ti%e traffic, such as audio40ideo4application sharin!7 Because %ost or!ani/ations do not run the host and net#or* hard#are throu!h any -ench%ar*s, latent issues in the hard#are and dri0ers can re%ain undetected until the syste% is put into full production and real load is placed on the syste%7 T"P !''loading ). offloadin! is another feature that can affect real2ti%e traffic under load7 "PU ''inity $o%e net#or* adapter dri0ers use only one ).U core on a %ulticore ser0er to process net#or* traffic7 his can cause perfor%ance de!radations if Lync $er0er uses the core to process %edia7
4.2.1.5.4
!oncurrent !all Loa
'ost Lync $er0er 2013 'edia Auality (ia!nostic &eports at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN30402G 3or Lync $er0er 2010 'edia Auality (ia!nostic &eports at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN30402I6 sho# the nu%-er of calls per day or %ay-e per hour7 If there are too %any concurrent calls at any one ti%e, the ser0er perfor%ance %ay -e i%paired to the point of de!radin! pac*et perfor%ance7 here are perfor%ance counters and $);' alerts to #arn of this scenario7 Ho#e0er, %onitorin! pea* concurrent call load at the %ost detailed, custo%i/ed le0el can pro0ide early alerts on usa!e trends7 AoD can pro0ide this data throu!h custo% reports7
4.2.1.5./
9irtuali>ation
+hile Lync $er0er supports 0irtuali/ation technolo!ies, pac*et perfor%ance should -e %onitored to a0oid any issues #ith untested hard#are and soft#are interaction7
4.2.2 %rou&les$ootin* Device Issues

Cettin! an issue state%ent fro% the user is the -est #ay to start trou-leshootin! a de0ice issue7 Jor e9a%ple, *no#in! that the user is e9periencin! distortion can help isolate your search for the root cause7 Learnin! the trou-leshootin! steps that the user has already ta*en can also help you find the root cause7 Jor e9a%ple, if the user tried s#appin! one U$B headset for another and the sa%e issue persists, the issue is pro-a-ly #ith the .) U$B su-syste% or the BI;$ fir%#are7 he follo#in! sections descri-e the *no#n causes of de0ice issues and re%edies7
7%,%,%$ ;uilt9in Sound "ards

Built2in sound de0ices in laptops and sound cards in .)s e9ist #ithin a -road cate!ory of hard#are7 heyKre often desi!ned for !eneral %ulti%edia use, #hich %ay conflict #ith 5oI. co%%unication use scenarios7 Laptop de0ices also ha0e particular physical constraints, #hich %a*es the% a poor su-stitute for open2air spea*er phones or conferencin! de0ices7 "nalo! spea*ers and headsets can -e used #ith sound cards to i%pro0e audio capture fidelity7 Ho#e0er, the user %ust -e a#are of ho# the 0olu%e settin!s #or* to help ensure the -est audio e9perience7
F2
4.2.2.1.1
Microp$one #oost
'any sounds cards ha0e a separate %icrophone -oost settin! that you %ust %odify fro% the default settin! to help ensure that hu%an speech 0olu%es are captured7 oo lo# a settin! for the %icrophone -oost can %a*e speech unintelli!i-le, e0en if the 0olu%e settin!s are at the %a9i%u% le0el7 oo hi!h a settin! can cause clippin! 3a sound distortion !enerated #hen the audio si!nal is too lar!e to -e represented6, #hich can lead to echo issues7 By usin! the tunin! #i/ard in the Lync client, you can %onitor %icrophone le0els #hile %odifyin! the -oost settin!7 he follo#in! fi!ure sho#s an e9a%ple of the %icrophone -oost settin! fro% the Microphone Properties dialo! -o9 in the Sound 0evice settin!s7
Lync Microphone Properties 0ialog ;o5
4.2.2.1.2
Di*ital 'i*nal 0rocessin* 2D'03
$o%e sound cards offer di!ital si!nal processin! 3($.6 features to i%pro0e %usic or !a%e audio sound7 hese features alter the audio si!nal played -y Lync and can cause echo issues7 (isa-lin! these features fi9es the issue7
4.2.2.2.3
Noise
In %any laptops, -uilt2in sound de0ices are often the least opti%i/ed co%ponents7 $o%e sound de0ices are found to ha0e o-0ious issues #hen %ar*eted7 he follo#in! fi!ure sho#s noise in the left channel of the sound de0ice, -ut not in the ri!ht channel7 Usin! noise re%o0al processes after the audio is captured can help, to so%e de!ree, -ut there still %ay -e distortion7
F3
Noise in Sound 0evice: Le't "hannel versus <ight "hannel
7%,%,%, US; 0evices

U$B de0ices co%-ine the sound card, %icrophone, and spea*ers into one de0ice7 his !i0es the %anufacturer %ore control o0er the de0iceKs functionality, and tailors it for specific scenarios, such as co%%unications or conferencin!7 Ho#e0er, U$B de0ices can ha0e electrical or U$B host issues7 In addition to requirin! !litch2free and noise2free play-ac* and capture perfor%ance fro% the U$B su-syste%, Lync $er0er requires the su-syste% to pro0ide accurate ti%in! for the audio sa%ples7 he )all (etails &eport contains %icrophone and spea*er !litch rates7 If rates are in the thousands ran!e, there is an issue in the U$B su-syste%7 (eter%inin! #hich co%ponent in the U$B su-syste% is causin! issues requires a scientific %ethod of in0esti!ation, and different co%ponents to s#ap and test7 Issues can affect entire classes of de0ices or laptops, or indi0idual de0ices and laptops7
4.2.2.2.1
<'# Host Device Driver
he U$B host de0ice dri0er is one co%ponent of the U$B su-syste% that can cause poor capture or render su-opti%al perfor%ance7 Jor this reason, #e reco%%end updatin! to the latest dri0er 0ersion as a trou-leshootin! step7 "t this le0el of trou-leshootin!, you can only deter%ine the root cause if a chan!e eli%inates the pro-le% so itKs easier to try %any chan!es to see if any of the% #or*7
4.2.2.2.2
<'# Hu&s an !a&lin*
Ine9pensi0e, lo#2quality U$B hu-s and ca-les can cause %any U$B de0ice2related issues7 &e%o0in! hu-s, includin! laptop doc*in! stations and s#appin! ca-les, are useful trou-leshootin! steps7 Internal ca-lin! in .)s can also -e defecti0e7
4.2.2.2.3
0! #IC'
.) BI;$ settin!s and fir%#are ha0e -een *no#n to cause issues #ith U$B audio de0ices7 rou-leshootin! the issue to this co%ponent le0el often occurs in lar!e or!ani/ations #ith %any %odels of si%ilar laptops, #here patterns e%er!e o0er %any occurrences and user reports7
7%,%,%. !ther 0evice &ssues

.hysical characteristics of audio de0ices can also affect 0oice quality7 hese characteristics include the de0icesK physical and electrical properties, and desi!n features7 Because the characteristics are often
F4
associated #ith a specific %a*e and %odel of a particular de0ice, fro% a trou-leshootin! perspecti0e, s#appin! de0ices can eli%inate issues or rule the% out7
4.2.2.3.1
Harmonics
"ll %aterials ha0e natural har%onic resonance frequencies7 If the frequency is #ithin nor%al speech frequencies, the de0ice can 0i-rate and !enerate distortions7 If the issue is inherent in the de0ice, replace the de0ice7
4.2.2.3.2
+coustic Isolation
"coustic isolation %ini%i/es the a%ount of feed-ac* -et#een the spea*er or earpiece and the %icrophone7 .oor isolation results in !reater quantities of echo lea*in! into the %icrophone7 +hile Lync has -uilt2in soft#are echo cancellation, requirin! the soft#are to re%o0e the echo al#ays results in distortion7 he a%ount of distortion is proportional to the a%ount of echo that needs to -e cancelled7 "lso, lea*ed acoustic si!nal can -e -and2li%ited -ecause of har%onics, and can cause the echo canceller to lea* the echo in its entirety7
4.2.2.3.3
(lectrical Isolation
'any de0ices ha0e co%%on electrical connections -et#een the %icrophone and spea*er7 $olid2state co%ponents separate the inco%in! and out!oin! si!nals7 Ho#e0er, stron! si!nals in the inco%in! si!nals can lead to si!nal lea*a!e in the out!oin! si!nals 3and 0ice 0ersa6, causin! echo and distortion7
4.2.3 %rou&les$ootin* (nvironmental Issues

Dn0iron%ental issues can affect ho# the audio is captured at the source7 Jor e9a%ple, si%ply ha0in! the user %o0e to a quieter location %ay resol0e poor audio quality7 his section e9a%ines so%e of the en0iron%ental causes of lo#2quality audio7
7%,%.%$ Noise
Lync has a noise canceller that re%o0es co%%on -ac*!round noise, #hich !oes unnoticed -y the recei0er7 Ho#e0er, %oderate a%ounts of noise can lead to distortion, and e9cessi0e noise can lead to distortion, audio cutouts, and 0olu%e fluctuations7 "dditionally, artificial sources of noise, such as co%puter2!enerated sounds can e0ade the noise canceller profiles7
4.2.3.1.1
Heatin*6 9entilatin*6 an +ir !on itionin* 2H9+!3 Noise
Heatin!, 0entilatin!, and air2conditionin! 3H5")6 noise is often cancelled7 Ho#e0er, this is also the type of noise that users donKt !enerally notice, and so they %ay not %ention it #hen as*ed if there #ere noise sources in the roo%7
4.2.3.1.2
Laptop "anBHar Drive
Laptops often pac* %icrophones close to other %echanical co%ponents that !enerate noise, such as fans and hard dri0es7 hese sounds often donKt fit the noise profile in the noise canceller and %ay -e e9cessi0ely loud to the recei0er7 Usin! headsets #ith -uilt2in sound cards on laptops can eli%inate this issue7
4.2.3.1.3
%ypin*
ypin! sounds are also cancelled -y the noise canceller7 Ho#e0er, if the user #ho is typin! is also tal*in!, the noise canceller #ill not suppress the audio7 ypin! sounds are often reco!ni/ed -y the recei0er as such, and so this issue is often not often reported to help des*7 FE
7%,%.%, Microphone Positioning and udio 0evice Selection

'icrophone positionin! and the appropriate choice of an audio de0ice is often o0erloo*ed as a cause of audio quality issues7 Jor e9a%ple, a unidirectional %icrophone should -e ai%ed to#ard the spea*erKs %outh, and is therefore not suita-le for %ultiple spea*ers in a conference settin!7 ;%nidirectional %icrophones %ust ha0e adequate noise cancellation and echo re%o0al features7 ypically, -uilt2in sound de0ices do not perfor% #ell as conference de0ices7 he "udio est ser0ice feature in the Lync client is a po#erful tool, ena-lin! users to test ho# their audio sounds to re%ote participants -efore the actual call is %ade7 his helps to ensure that there arenXt any %a:or net#or* issues or other issues that could affect call quality7
4.2.4 %rou&les$ootin* I0-0'%N Aateways

7%,%7%$ "o/'ort Noise
)o%fort noise is artificial noise played -y an audio de0ice in a call7 It fills in the !aps #hen the other party in the call is not sendin! pac*ets due to silence suppression7 o enhance the co%fort noise !eneration, endpoints support sendin! a co%fort noise pac*et at the end of a tal* spurt7 he pac*et %ar*s the start of silence suppression, and it pro0ides infor%ation a-out the type of co%fort noise to -e !enerated7 his enhance%ent helps ensure that co%fort noise is !enerated at the appropriate 0olu%e le0el, and it re%o0es distortions caused -y transitions -et#een speech and co%fort noise7 he co%fort noise pac*et is descri-ed in detail in ID J &J) 33HI7 'a*e sure that the confi!uration of )o%fort 1oise is the sa%e across all de0ices in the en0iron%ent7 'isconfi!uration can lead to incorrect reportin! of pac*et loss7
7%,%7%,% 2oice ctivity 0etection:Silence Suppression 32 0:SS4

5oice "cti0ity (etection4$ilence $uppression detects the presence or a-sence of speech fro% the userKs %icrophone, and stops pac*ets fro% -ein! sent o0er the net#or* if the user is not tal*in! 3in tande% #ith the "C) #hich ensures there is no clippin! of the audio67 5"(4$$ #or*s to ensure no <e%pty= pac*et is sent, #hich reduces the total nu%-er of pac*ets sent durin! a call and opti%i/es trans%ission -and#idth, %a*in! it is a0aila-le for other calls7 he pri%ary function of the 5oice "cti0ity (etection co%ponent is to cate!ori/e the captured audio as speech content or not7 he $ilence $uppression %odule uses this infor%ation to filter the silence pac*ets out7 'a*e sure that the confi!urations of 5oice "cti0ity (etection and $ilence $uppression are the sa%e across all de0ices in the en0iron%ent7 'isconfi!uration can lead to incorrect reportin! of pac*et loss7
FF
ppendi5 % Lync udio +uality Model

Understandin! the Lync "udio Auality 'odel #ill help anyone in0ol0ed in deployin!, %onitorin!, or trou-leshootin! Lync $er0er7 "n "udio Auality %odel can e9plain #hat factors can %odify audio and in #hat #ays, and, %ore i%portantly, #hat factors cannot %odify audio7 he follo#in! sections descri-e the -asics of sound, di!ital representation and trans%ission of 0oice, the 0arious si!nal processin! sta!es, and finally, the issues that can occur in each sta!e7
%$
Lync udio Pipeline
he audio pipeline consists of discrete sta!es fro% #hich audio si!nals are captured and trans%itted fro% one Lync $er0er endpoint to another, #here the audio is recei0ed and rendered7 he pipeline consists of the follo#in! sta!es@ "nalo! audio source "nalo! audio capture "nalo!2to2di!ital con0ersion 3"()6 (i!ital si!nal pac*et capture (i!ital si!nal preprocessin! Dncodin! .rotocol encapsulation Dncryption rans%ission &eception (ecryption (ecodin! &easse%-ly and -ufferin! Healin! .ost processin! .lay-ac* (i!ital2to2analo! con0ersion "nalo! audio render "s the audio si!nal !ets transfor%ed and %o0ed alon! the audio pipeline, the si!nal can -e su-:ected to certain for%s of distortion or attenuation, -ut can also -e i%%une to others7 Understandin! #hich types of distortions are possi-le at each sta!e can !reatly i%pro0e the speed -y #hich issues are isolated and dia!nosed7 he follo#in! topics descri-e each of these sta!es, ho# the audio can -e %odified, and #hat effects the 0arious sta!es ha0e on the su-:ecti0e quality of audio7
+.1.1 +nalo* +u io 'ource

"nalo! audio, or sound, is a series of sound pressure #a0es7 In a telephony call scenario, sound is !enerated -y the spea*er as #ell as -y sources, such as other spea*ers in the roo%, air conditionin! FG
units, ).U fans, cars rollin! -y, and so on7 he ter% signal refers to the desired audio in any !i0en conte9t, and the ter% noise refers to e0erythin! else that coe9ists #ith the si!nal7 Cenerally, unless the spea*er is in a sound cha%-er, sounds in typical en0iron%ents are often a %i9 of si!nal and noise7 he ter% signal"to"noise# or $1&, refers to the a%ount of desired sound relati0e to un#anted noise7 If the $1& is lo#, itKs hard to distin!uish the preferred audio fro% the noise7 Jor e9a%ple, if a person is callin! fro% a cro#ded tradin! floor #ith %any other people tal*in! at the sa%e ti%e in close pro9i%ity, itKs hard to distin!uish and co%prehend the spea*erKs #ords7 Ho#e0er, if the spea*er is in a noisy ser0er roo% #ith loud fan noise, the speech %ay -e deciphera-le, and si!nal processin! ele%ents %ay -e a-le to clean up the si!nal to a certain de!ree7 Basically, the source audio should ha0e as hi!h an $1& as possi-le to help ensure !ood con0ersation quality7
+.1.2 +nalo* +u io !apture

$ound #a0es are captured #hen they stri*e the surface of the %icrophone %e%-rane, #hich, in turn, 0i-rates #ith the pressure of the indi0idual #a0es7 he 0i-ration is pic*ed up -y an electric coil that con0erts the #a0es to an analo! 0olta!e7 he 0olta!e is then trans%itted to the analo!2to2di!ital con0ersion 3"()6 descri-ed in the ne9t sta!e7 (urin! this sta!e, the desi!n and place%ent of the capture de0ice, usually a %icrophone, can affect the quality of the captured audio7 he follo#in! characteristics can influence the captured audio@ 'icrophone type@ ;%nidirectional 0s7 unidirectional 'icrophone place%ent relati0e to noise sources 'icrophone place%ent and orientation relati0e to the spea*er 'icrophone frequency response +ind or -reath shieldin! 'icrophone and surroundin! %aterial har%onics "coustic si!nal isolation -et#een the %icrophone and spea*er Dlectrical noise shieldin! Dlectrical si!nal isolation -et#een %icrophone and spea*er he audio tunin! #i/ard in the Lync client ena-les users to test their audio de0ice, and it can also -e used to dia!nose %icrophone and source issues7
+.1.3 +nalo*-to-Di*ital !onversion 2+D!3

he analo!2to2di!ital con0ersion 3"()6 process, also called sampling, con0erts the analo! 0olta!e fro% the %icrophone to a di!ital or -inary representation of the #a0efor%7 here are t#o para%eters in the "() process that affect the quality of the di!iti/ed si!nal8sa%plin! rate and -it depth7 he sa%plin! rate should -e t#ice that of the hi!hest frequency that needs to -e preser0ed7 Jor hu%an speech, that sound frequency is 4 *H/, so an H *H/ sa%plin! rate is sufficient7 his is the rate that traditional telephony has used for decades7 Lync $er0er pro0ides wideband audio and sa%ples at 1F *H/, and therefore can capture e0en %ore frequencies, resultin! in a %ore natural soundin! con0ersation7 he second para%eter is the -it depth7 Cenerally, 1F -its is enou!h to adequately represent each sa%pled 0alue7 D0en )( audio uses only 1F -its per sa%ple7 If the sa%plin! rate or -it depth is too lo#, the speech quality is si!nificantly i%paired7 he audio sounds li*e itKs co%in! throu!h a #al*ie2tal*ie or a )B radio7 "dditionally, after the audio has -een di!iti/ed, %any distortions that can affect the si!nal in the analo! for% ha0e no effect on the di!ital for%7 Jor e9a%ple, you #onKt hear any other noise, such as car noise, introduced into the si!nal after this point7 FH
+.1.4 Di*ital 'i*nal 0acket !apture

"fter the audio is di!iti/ed, it %ust still -e copied into the Lync clientKs %e%ory -uffers7 Lync %ust deter%ine ho# often to read the data fro% the sound de0ice, and ho# %uch of the data to read at one ti%e7 &eadin! too frequently results in e9cess ).U usa!e, -ut lo#er latencyQ readin! not often enou!h results in hi!h latency7 he delay fro% #hich an audio sa%ple is a0aila-le to -e read to #hen it is actually read is called the framing delay7 Cenerally, this delay is 10220%s, -ecause %ost codecs operate at 20%s fra%e si/es7 If, for so%e reason, the data is not a0aila-le #hen Lync $er0er atte%pts to read it, a !litch %i!ht occur7 " !litch occurs #hen Lync $er0er presents a fra%e of /eros to the ne9t sta!e in the pipeline, and the /eros cause a discontinuity in the audio #a0efor%7 .hysically, the renderin! de0ice %ay -e pulled hard fro% its last location to the center and a sharp sound, or a clic* or a pop, is heard7
+.1./ Di*ital 'i*nal 0reprocessin* 2D'03

(i!ital $i!nal .re2processin! 3($.6 can -e applied to the audio #a0efor% -efore encodin!7 )ertain processin! is %ost opti%al at the sender side -ecause other %etadata is a0aila-le to help in the processin!7 hese processes can include@ 1oise reduction ypin! suppression "coustic echo cancellation "uto%atic !ain control $ilence suppression $o%e of these processes can introduce distortions if the source audio requires si!nificant correction7 Jor e9a%ple, in the earlier scenario #here a spea*er is in a noisy ser0er roo%, the noise reduction process %ay re%o0e %uch of the noise -ut cause so%e distortion in return7 )o%pared to the noisy audio, al%ost all users prefer the cleaned -ut distorted audio7 Ho#e0er, the listener in a call %ay not -e a#are of #hat the alternati0e unprocessed audio #ould sound li*e had a noise suppression al!orith% not -een run7 herefore the listener %ay :ud!e the call -ased on the distortion and not the underlyin! conditions of the call7 Lync $er0er addresses this a#areness issue -y lettin! the spea*er *no# that they are in a noisy en0iron%ent7 he spea*er %ust still 0olunteer that -it of infor%ation to the caller at the other end7 rou-leshootin! distortion issues !enerally in0ol0e loo*in! at the call %etrics in the Auality of D9perience 3AoD6, or listenin! to sa%ples of source audio, if a0aila-le7
+.1.5 (nco in*

Dncodin! the audio -efore sendin! it is done only for conser0in! -and#idth7 Unco%pressed audio sa%pled at 1F *H/ #ith 1F -its per sa%ple has a -it rate of 2EF*-ps7 hat can -e co%pressed to a-out 14H of si/e -y usin! a !ood encoder7 he choice of the encoder depends on the a0aila-le -and#idth, a0aila-le ).U, and capa-ilities of recei0in! endpoint7 here are a fe# thin!s to *eep in %ind in deter%inin! if codecs are causin! 0oice quality escalations7 Users %a*in! calls #ith one codec and then another %ay e9perience a difference in quality and thin* that the syste% is unsta-le7 In fact, the specific call scenarios dictate the codec choice7 )all ad%ission control 3)")6 %ay -e in effect, so that e0en Lync2Lync calls !et routed throu!h the pu-lic s#itched telephone net#or* 3.$ 16 #ithout #arnin! to the user, and so the user e9periences the lo#er quality C+ );(D) une9pectedly7 )o%ple9 call routes result in transcodin! or %ultiple encodin! sta!es #ith losses at each sta!e7 Une9pected lo# -and#idth situations #here a lo#er -it rate codec is selected7
FI
+.1.1 (ncryption
he encoded audio pac*et is encoded for pri0acy reasons7 Lync $er0er uses secure real2ti%e transport protocol 3$& .6, an encryption sche%e that helps to ensure a!ainst pac*et loss7 here should -e no quality de!radation associated #ith $& ., other than pac*ets that can -e discarded if the sender and recei0er ha0e -u!s in their i%ple%entation of the encryption process7
+.1.7 0rotocol (ncapsulation

Lastly, the encrypted audio is placed in a protocol suita-le for real2ti%e trans%ission7 Lync $er0er uses real2ti%e transport protocol 3& .6 and real2ti%e transport control protocol 3& ).6 to fra%e the pac*ets7 he & . protocol contains se0eral ad0anced features to facilitate the trans%ission and reco0ery of audio and 0ideo7 Jirst, the sequence nu%-er in each pac*et helps the recei0er *no# i%%ediately if a pac*et is recei0ed out of order, or lost7 he %ar*er -it tells the recei0er #hen a talkspurt8a continuous se!%ent of speech -et#een silent inter0als #here only -ac*!round noise can -e heard8starts7 he & ). channel trans%its %etrics a-out the call, and this channel the -asis for %uch of the net#or*2 related %etrics seen on AoD reports7
+.1.8 %ransmission
he trans%ission sta!e in0ol0es %any de0ices and indi0idual steps7 It is also the %ost si!nificant sta!e for this !uideKs intended audience, the net#or* ad%inistrator7 'ost of this !uide focuses on #ays to pre0ent issues in the trans%ission of audio and 0ideo, so the issues that can affect pac*ets in transit are not descri-ed here7 &ather, this section addresses the three #ays in #hich pac*et transit perfor%ance can -e de!raded8:itter, loss, and delay7
%$%@%$ Bitter
Jitter is the chan!e in delay fro% pac*et to pac*et7 he e9pected delay is equal to the pac*eti/ation ti%e, or p"time7 Jor e9a%ple, if 20%s of data is sent at a ti%e, a pac*et of data is sent e0ery 20%s7 "ny de0iation fro% the 20%s %ar* is considered :itter7 " :itter 0alue of E%s %eans, on a0era!e, that the pac*et #as early or late E%s fro% the e9pected arri0al ti%e7 Jitter can cause poor audio perfor%ance -ecause the recei0in! endpoint atte%pts to %ini%i/e delay -y playin! the audio as soon as it is recei0ed7 If a pac*et is delayed, the endpoint can either play a fra%e of /eros and !litch, or stretch out the pre0ious fra%e to -uy %ore ti%e7 $%art endpoints li*e Lync $er0er #ill also use an adapti0e :itter -uffer so that the first ti%e a lar!e !litch is e9perienced, the -uffer !ro#s to acco%%odate any additional :itter7 If no :itter is e9perienced for so%e ti%e, the -uffer slo#ly shrin*s7 his %eans sustained hi!h :itter is -etter than sporadic hi!h :itter7 Jor rans%ission )ontrol .rotocol 3 ).62-ased audio sessions, :itter is also the only i%pair%ent -ecause losses are re%o0ed -y retrans%ission7
%$%@%, Loss
.ac*et loss results directly in the recei0er atte%ptin! to reco0er fro% the loss -y usin! ad0anced correcti0e, or healing, al!orith%s7 $in!le pac*et losses can -e healed #ith %ini%al distortion7 Bac*2to2 -ac* pac*et losses %ay cause distortion7 Lar!er -ursts of loss result in speech cutout7 ;f course, the actual speech content plays a -i! role in ho# the listener percei0es the healed audio7 Jor e9a%ple, lost pac*ets containin! silence #ill not -e %issed, -ut lost pac*ets containin! i%portant sylla-les #ill -e %issed %uch %ore7 Jor#ard error correction al!orith%s pro0ide redundancy to help reco0er the lost pac*ets7 Ho#e0er, redundancy co%es at the e9pense of added -and#idth7 Jor#ard error correction 3JD)6 distance G0
!enerally does not !o !reater than one, so -ac*2to2-ac* pac*et losses are still hard to reco0er fro%7 >ouKll ha0e a hi!h pac*et loss rate and 0ery little noticea-le call quality de!radation if the losses are unifor%, or if JD) is ena-led7 In practice, losses are not unifor%, so a hi!h loss rate !enerally translates to poor audio e9perience7 In this !uide, #e discuss t#o different thresholds that are used in AoD reports7 " loss threshold of 10 percent is at a hi!h enou!h %ar* so that, %ost li*ely, the callers ha0e a poor e9perience7 his type of reportin! is used for !au!in! the a%ount of user listenin! dissatisfaction7 " threshold of 1 percent pac*et loss, on the other hand, is used to disco0er infrastructure issues -et#een #ell2connected endpoints on %ana!ed net#or*s7
%$%@%. 0elay
(elay is often %easured -y usin! the round2trip delay calculation 0ia the & ). channel7 (elay should -e directly correlated to the distance -et#een the callersQ therefore, a-solute thresholds are not useful for deter%inin! #hether an issue e9ists7 "lthou!h delay fi!ures in the usersK perception of o0erall quality, issues caused -y loss and :itter !enerally supersede those caused -y delay7 In so%e cases, lon! delays can cause Line Dcho )ancellers to fail #hen .$ 1 endpoints are in0ol0ed in calls7
+.1.1;
)eception
"s pac*ets arri0e on the recei0in! endpoint, they %ust -e read -y the Lync client or ser0er process in a ti%ely %anner7 If the Lync $er0er transport threads that are runnin! in user conte9t 3as opposed to *ernel6 are -loc*ed or delayed, the appearance of :itter, loss, or delay %ay e9ist in the end2to2end %etrics, such as AoD net#or* %etrics7
+.1.11
Decryption
(ecryptin! the pac*ets is the counterpart of encryptin! the%7 he only issue that can occur at this sta!e is the syste% fails to decrypt the pac*ets, #hich results in pac*ets -ein! discarded7 he result is no audio or audio loss %id#ay throu!h the call7
+.1.12
Deco in*
he decodin! sta!e is the counterpart of the encodin! sta!e7 $i%ilar to the decryption sta!e, if the #ron! codec is in use, it can result in audio loss7 In addition, -u!s in the encoder or decoder can cause %ath errors, #hich sound li*e !litches or other unnatural, %achine2%ade noises7 Jor e9a%ple, the C7G11 -it flip is a co%%on codin! %ista*e in C7G11 i%ple%entations, #hich produces a distincti0e distortion7
+.1.13
)eassem&ly6 #ufferin*6 an Healin*
"fter decodin!, the audio is in unco%pressed di!ital for%7 he audio is stored in a lar!e -uffer and %ay contain spaces for %issin! pac*ets7 If the %issin! pac*ets arri0e in ti%e, they can -e inserted into the holes #ith no detri%ental effect on quality7 If they arri0e too late, the al!orith%ic healer e9trapolates the %issin! data -y usin! the surroundin! data7 he healin! process can produce %etallic soundin! artifacts, if pushed to e9tre%es7 $uch artifacts are sure indications that net#or* i%pair%ents e9ist7 hese are also the only types of artifacts introduced -y this processin! sta!e7
+.1.1/
0ost processin*
Before sendin! the healed audio to the sound de0ice to play -ac*, the audio is run throu!h di!ital si!nal processin! 3($.6 a!ain to i%pro0e the audio one last ti%e7 Cenerally, this in0ol0es applyin! !ain G1
al!orith%s -ecause the audio could ha0e co%e fro% non2Lync sources that donKt ha0e the -enefit of auto%atic !ain control 3"C)6 at the source7
+.1.15
0lay&ack
Lastly, the audio sa%ples are #ritten to the sound de0iceKs render -uffer at prescri-ed inter0als7 here is a chance that the Lync client can -e interrupted -y syste% e0ents or -ad dri0ers so that !litches are created7 Clitches on the render side can -e dia!nosed -y e9a%inin! a 'icrosoft 1et#or* 'onitor or +ireshar* capture to deter%ine if the audio arri0in! on the local endpoint is !litch2free7 here are also spea*er !litch counters in AoD for each client endpoint7
+.1.11
Di*ital-to-+nalo* !onversion 2D+!3
he di!ital2to2analo! con0ersion 3(")6 sta!e is strai!htfor#ard and does not ha0e any potential to de!rade the audio7 +e %ention it here for co%plete co0era!e of the sta!es7
+.1.17
+nalo* +u io )en er
he render sta!e can distort the audio if the spea*er de0ice is lo# quality7 Ho#e0er, %ost of these issues can -e easily disco0ered -y the user -ecause they affect all audio co%in! out of the de0ice7 he audio tunin! #i/ard in the Lync client ena-les users to test their audio de0ice, and can -e used to dia!nose spea*er issues7
G2
ppendi5 ;% Lync Server +o# <eporting

Lync $er0er ships #ith a 'onitorin! $er0er that includes se0eral reports for %onitorin! the usa!e and health of the Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 he reports ran!e fro% e9a%inin! indi0idual usersK call details to 0ie#in! a!!re!ate call quality across 0arious para%eters and date ran!es7 he 'onitorin! $er0er pro0ides t#o types of data@ )all (etail &ecord 3)(&6 and Auality of D9perience 3AoD67 )(& pro0ides I', 5oice40ideo, and app2sharin! records and associated dia!nostic codecsQ AoD pro0ides call quality %etrics7 )(& and AoD data are collected differently -ut the 'onitorin! $er0er offers %ethods to correlate data -et#een the )(& and AoD data-ases7 <'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2010@ +or* $%art Cuide for 'onitorin! $er0er &eports= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN301442 is an e9cellent source of infor%ation a-out usin! the AoD and )(& &eports that ship #ith Lync $er0er7 ;ccasionally, you %ay #ant to create custo% reports a!ainst the 'onitorin! $er0er for the follo#in! reasons@ )reatin! data 0ie#s not co0ered -y the shippin! reports7 'er!in! Lync $er0er data #ith e9ternal data sources7 )ontrollin! the para%eters of the reports in #ays not offered -y the shippin! reportin! UI7 Incorporatin! the Lync $er0er data into custo% #or*flo#s7 )reatin! archi0es of the Lync $er0er data for lon!er retention ti%es7 he follo#in! topics re0ie# the data sche%a of the AoD data-ase and also construct custo% queries usin! the 2$AL lan!ua!e7 " conceptual %odel also e9ists for %onitorin! the health of your Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 (ata presentation tas*s are not co0ered, althou!h so%e e9a%ples of Lync $er0er data 0isuali/ation are included7
;%$
Lync ,-$- +o# 0atabase Sche/a
he Lync 2010 AoD data-ase is a relational data-ase that opti%i/es the a%ount of stora!e needed to house the call details7 "s such, there is usually one #ay to :oin the indi0idual ta-les -ac* to!ether to for% a full 0ie#7 he Lync 'onitorin! $er0er ships #ith se0eral 0ie#s created for the -undled reports7 hese 0ie#s can -e readily used for custo% queries7 he follo#in! dia!ra% sho#s sa%ple 2$AL code :oinin! so%e of the *ey ta-les to!ether into a flat 0ie#7
G3
Sa/ple T9S+L code Coins key tables
;%,
+o# Table Boin 2iew #5a/ple
he follo#in! query de%onstrates ho# the $ession, 'ediaLine, and User"!ent ta-les can -e :oined to!ether7 he :oin is ta!!ed #ith a na%e so that it can -e reused in the rest of the query7 6S$ 7o$#etrics8 9$C:AR$ ;begin"i0e 9ate"i0e < =20(1-(-( =8 9$C:AR$ ;end"i0e 9ate"i0e < =20(1-(-(5=8 >I"? #y:ync@oinVieA AS G4
B S$:$C" s/Conference9ate"i0e as Conference9ate"i0e .s/Start"i0e as Start"i0e .s/SessionSeC as SessionSeC .a/Strea0I9 as Strea0I9 .Caller6A/6A"ype AS Caller6A"ype .Callee6A/6A"ype AS Callee6A"ype .dbo/pIPInt"oStringB0/CallerSubnetD AS CallerSubnet .dbo/pIPInt"oStringB0/CalleeSubnetD AS CalleeSubnet !R,# ESessionF s >I"? BG,:,CHD IGG$R @,IG E#edia:ineF AS 0 >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G 0/Conference9ate"i0e < s/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 0/SessionSeC < s/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG EAudioStrea0F AS a >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G a/#edia:ine:abel < 0/#edia:ine:abel and a/Conference9ate"i0e < 0/Conference9ate"i0e and a/SessionSeC < 0/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG E6serAgentF AS Caller6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Caller6A/6serAgentHey < s/Caller6serAgent IGG$R @,IG E6serAgentF AS Callee6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Callee6A/6serAgentHey < s/Callee6serAgent >?$R$ s/Start"i0e I< B;begin"i0eD and s/Start"i0e J B;end"i0eD D S$:$C" K !R,# #y:ync@oinVieA
Note , best practice is highlighted in this &uery6 the use of the @+0%$ 3N!L!5A4B clause in the table -!0N statements /ecause most reports are run against the production Monitoring Server# using the @+0%$ 3N!L!5A4B clause prevents any unnecessary performance degradations on the server %here is no reason to expect updates to the records needed# so locking the tables should be avoided
;%.
+o# Metrics <eview
M'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2010@ +or* $%art Cuide for 'onitorin! $er0er &eportsM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN301442 descri-es four cate!ories of infor%ation collected -y AoD@ end2to2end %etrics, endpoint %etrics, confi!uration para%eters, and e0ent ratios7 hese are functional cate!ories, %eanin! that they or!ani/e the %etrics into !roups -ased on ho# they can -e used for 0arious %onitorin! and reportin! #or*flo#s7
#.3.1 (n -to-(n Metrics

Dnd2to2end %etrics are na%ed this -ecause they are %easured -y the net#or* fro% Lync $er0er endpoints, #hether ser0er or client endpoints7 hey are co%prised of pac*et loss, net#or* :itter, and delay, and 0arious statistical and deri0ati0e %etrics7 )o%-ined #ith confi!uration %etrics, a 0ariety of %onitorin! scenarios can -e created -ased on these end2to2end %etrics7
#.3.2 (n point Metrics

Dndpoint %etrics are collected solely -y the client endpoint7 "s such, these are %ainly co%prised of de0ice, en0iron%ental, and payload %etrics7 (e0ice %etrics are separated into capture and render su-types, and payload %etrics are often split into sender and recei0er su-types7 GE
#.3.3 !onfi*uration 0arameters

)onfi!uration para%eters are co%prised of endpoint net#or*, user a!ent, user, conference, and de0ice infor%ation7 5irtually all of the infor%ation a-out a call can -e deri0ed fro% the confi!uration %etrics of -oth endpoints in any call or conference le!7
;%.%.%$ User gent 6ield

he )allerUser"!ent and )alleeUser"!ent fields and their associated User"!ent ype fields are often the only #ay to deri0e the call scenario, such as peer2to2peer, conferencin!, .$ 1, 0oice %ail, and so on7 his is -ecause the User"!ent ype %aps directly to the endpoint roles, such as client, conferencin! ser0er, %ediation ser0er, I.2.$ 1 Cate#ay, D9chan!e Unified 'essa!in! $er0er, and %any others7 he call scenario, then, is :ust the specific co%-ination of User "!ent ypes in0ol0ed in the call7 Jor e9a%ple, a conference call session is a session #ith the audio40ideo %ultipoint conferencin! unit 3"5')U6 as one endpoint and a client as the other endpoint7 It is up to the reportKs author to deter%ine #hich client endpoints should -e counted as conferencin! sessions7
#.3.4 (vent )atios

D0ent ratio %etrics record the percenta!e of ti%e that user2facin! dia!nostic #arnin!s 3UJ(s6, appear on the Lync client7 Because all dia!nostic data are deri0ed fro% the net#or* or endpoint %etrics for net#or* issues or endpoint issues, respecti0ely, these %etrics should correlate to the underlyin! %etrics in the call record7
;%7
Managing Lync Server +uality
he follo#in! conceptual %odel descri-es ho# to %onitor the quality of a Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 $ee Lync "udio Auality 'odel for descriptions of %any of the Lync audio quality %onitorin! concepts that follo#7
#.4.1 !orporate +vera*e +u io Quality

$i%ilar to #hat the auto%o-ile industry uses to re!ister fuel consu%ption8the )orporate "0era!e Juel Dcono%y 3)"JD6 8Lync $er0er ad%inistrators ha0e relied on their )orporate "0era!e "udio Auality 3)""A6 %etrics pro0ided -y the 'onitorin! $er0er to !au!e the health of their Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 If the or!ani/ation does not ha0e +i2Ji or users callin! fro% outside the corporation, then the )""A -eco%es a !ood %easure of the infrastructure health7 Ho#e0er, -ecause %ost or!ani/ations ha0e +i2Ji and outside calls, the )""A is not a !ood indicator of infrastructure health7 he )""A is still accurate in reportin! a!!re!ate call quality, -ut the a0era!e quality can rise and fall due to a 0ariety of e9pected and une9pected factors7 Bein! a-le to separate the %ana!ed infrastructure health fro% the un%ana!ed infrastructure call quality 0olatility is useful for net#or* ad%inistrators #ho are responsi-le for %ana!in! Lync audio quality health7
#.4.2 !lassifie 0oor!all

)""A &eports rely on the AoD %etric, )lassified.oor)all7 5lassified poor call is a -inary fla! that is set to 1 if any of the follo#in! conditions are %et@ &atio)oncealed$a%ples"0! T GP .ac*etLoss&ate T 10P JitterInter"rri0al T 30%s &ound rip T E00%s (e!radation"0! T 170 GF
he concept is that if any of these conditions are %et, the user is 0ery li*ely to e9perience poor audio7 "lthou!h such si%plification is useful for reportin! )""A, it is not helpful for reportin! infrastructure health7
#.4.3 Me ia Quality 'ummary )eport

he 'edia Auality $u%%ary &eport pro0ides a typical e9a%ple of a report that presents )""A %etrics7 he report -rea*s do#n calls -y scenario 3peer2to2peer 3.2.6 conferencin!, .$ 1 conferencin!, and so on67 he report also esti%ates the a%ount of types of calls o0er 0irtual pri0ate net#or* 35.16 and +i2Ji7 "ny first2ti%e 0ie#ers of this report %i!ht -e shoc*ed -y the nu%-er of poor calls7 hey #ould -e li*ely to as*, <+hy are there so %any poor callsL= he follo#in! fi!ure sho#s an e9a%ple of a 'edia Auality $u%%ary &eport7
#5a/ple o' a Media +uality Su//ary <eport
o ans#er the pre0ious question of #hy there are so %any poor calls, youKll need to syste%atically define the poor call nu%-ers into different su-cate!ories, sho#in! -oth the quantity and percenta!e of poor calls7 )ertain distinct patterns e%er!e that can either reinforce your assu%ptions a-out audio quality or cause you to further refine the%7 " si%ple custo% query can shed %ore li!ht on the co%position of the )""A poor call nu%-er7 he follo#in! query e9a%ple defines poor calls -y cate!ory for .2. calls7
#5a/ple o' a custo/ =uery 'or poor calls by category o' P,P calls
6S$ 7oe#etrics 9$C:AR$ 9$C:AR$ ;S"AR"39A"$ 9A"$"I#$ < =(L2(L20(1 (('2('0M P#= ;$G939A"$ 9A"$"I#$ < =(L28L20(1 (('2('0M P#=8
>I"? P2P3Audio3!ull@oin AS GG
B S$:$C" CallerInside. CalleeInside. CallerGetAorNConnection"ype. CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype. CAS$ >?$G BCallerInside < ( AG9 CalleeInside < (D "?$G =OothInside= >?$G BCallerInside < 0 AG9 CalleeInside < 0D "?$G =Ooth,utside= $:S$ =Inside-,utside= $G9 AS :ocation. CAS$ >?$G BCallerGetAorNConnection"ype < 0 AG9 CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype < 0D "?$G =Ooth>ired= >?$G BCallerGetAorNConnection"ype < ( AG9 CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype < (D "?$G =Ooth>ireless= $:S$ =>ired->ireless= $G9 AS Connection"ype. CAS$ >?$G BSession/ClassifiedPoorCall < (D "?$G ( $:S$ G6:: $G9 AS IsPoorCall. Session/ClassifiedPoorCall !R,# Session IGG$R @,IG 6serAgent AS Caller6A >I"?BG,:,CHD ,G Session/Caller6serAgent < Caller6A/6serAgentHey IGG$R @,IG 6serAgent AS Callee6A >I"?BG,:,CHD ,G Session/Callee6serAgent < Callee6A/6serAgentHey IGG$R @,IG 6serAgent9ef AS Caller6A9ef >I"?BG,:,CHD ,G Caller6A9ef/6A"ype < Caller6A/6A"ype IGG$R @,IG 6serAgent9ef AS Callee6A9ef >I"?BG,:,CHD ,G Callee6A9ef/6A"ype < Callee6A/6A"ype IGG$R @,IG #edia:ine AS Audio:ine >I"?BG,:,CHD ,G Audio:ine/Conference9ate"i0e < Session/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 Audio:ine/SessionSeC < Session/SessionSeC AG9 Audio:ine/#edia:ine:abel < 0 >?$R$ Session/Start"i0e I< ;S"AR"39A"$ AG9 Session/$nd"i0e J ;$G939A"$ AG9 B Caller6A/6A"ype < ,R --,C Caller6A/6A"ype < 8 ,R --,CPhone Caller6A/6A"ype < (M ,R --:#C Caller6A/6A"ype < M ,R --#ac #essenger Caller6A/6A"ype < (28 ,R --Attendant Caller6A/6A"ype < 5(2 ,R --CAA Caller6A/6A"ype < (02 ,R --R)S Caller6A/6A"ype < (M18M ,R --Co0o Caller6A/6A"ype <(M185 --C>A D AG9 B Callee6A/6A"ype < ,R --,C Callee6A/6A"ype < 8 ,R --,CPhone Callee6A/6A"ype < (M ,R --:#C Callee6A/6A"ype < M ,R --#ac #essenger Callee6A/6A"ype < (28 ,R --Attendant GH
Callee6A/6A"ype Callee6A/6A"ype Callee6A/6A"ype Callee6A/6A"ype D
< 5(2 ,R < (02 ,R < (M18M ,R <(M185
--CAA --R)S --Co0o --C>A
D D. "otals as B S$:$C" C,6G"BKD AS Gu0Sessions !R,# P2P3Audio3!ull@oin D S$:$C" 9IS"IGC" :ocation. Connection"ype. C,6G"BKD AS Gu0Sessions. C,6G"BIsPoorCallD AS PoorSessions !R,# P2P3Audio3!ull@oin )R,6P OP :ocation. Connection"ype ,R9$R OP :ocation. Connection"ype he sa%ple output is displayed in the follo#in! ta-le7
Sa/ple output o' a custo/ =uery 'or poor calls by category o' P,P calls
Location
BothInside BothInside BothInside Both;utside Both;utside Both;utside Inside2;utside Inside2;utside Inside2;utside Total Sessions
"onnectionType
Both+ired Both+ireless +ired2+ireless Both+ired Both+ireless +ired2+ireless Both+ired Both+ireless +ired2+ireless
Nu/Sessions
G4FH2 G0G2 230H0 4EG2 I2E4 I42I 1432I 103EF G023F ,,.,-$-
PoorSession s
442 43G 1202 FHG 1440 1330 1FE2 1330 EI12 $77.,
D poor
07FP F72P E72P 1E70P 1E7FP 1471P 117EP 127HP H74P
D poor o' total

072P 072P 07EP 073P 07FP 07FP 07GP 07FP 27GP >%7?D
Jro% this query output, al%ost all the poor calls #ere due to at least one outside caller or one +i2Ji caller7 Jor quality reportin!, it is useful to include this le0el of detail in any report that contains quality %etrics, so that the <#hy= query can -e ans#ered i%%ediately7 he data also su!!ests that trac*in! )""A as a quality %etric %ay not -e appropriate for the net#or* operations tea% -ecause they %a*e not -e a-le to fi9 poor calls caused -y e9ternal net#or* i%pair%ents7 Ho#e0er, the su-set of calls that are BothInside and Both+ired do tra0erse infrastructure that is %ana!ed -y the net#or* operations tea%7 his query is desi!ned to ta*e an e9istin! report fro% Lync $er0er and further analy/e its co%ponents7 Jor trou-leshootin! #or*flo#s, you %ust further custo%i/e the report7 Jor e9a%ple, you need to start -y e9a%inin! the user2a!ent types that are included in the .2. scenario7 )urrently, -oth client and ser0er endpoints are in the %i97 " poor call, e0en on a #ired net#or*, can -e caused -y the client, or the ser0er, or -oth7 he clients are also spread !lo-ally in a lar!e Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 If there are issues #ith GI
the corporate infrastructure, the net#or* ad%inistrators #ill #ant to *no# #hat they are, and #here7 he follo#in! topic e9a%ines so%e syste%atic approaches to reportin!, analy/in!, and %ana!in! net#or* health7
#.4.4 Mana*e versus <nmana*e Infrastructure )eportin*

he ter%, Managed, refers to the infrastructure co%ponents under the control and responsi-ility of the Lync $er0er ad%inistrators7 hese co%ponents include Lync %edia ser0ers, such as the "5')U and the 'ediation $er0er, net#or*in! !ear, any corporate L"1 and +"1 se!%ents, net#or* pro0iders, and their co%prehensi0e confi!uration7 $i%ply put, if any of these co%ponents are found to de!rade Lync audio quality, there is !ood reason to fi9 the%7 )on0ersely, the ter%, Unmanaged, refers to the net#or* infrastructure not under the care and responsi-ility of the Lync $er0er ad%inistrators7 hese include ho%e -road-and connections, +i2Ji hotspots, 3C44C, and hotel Internet7 )orporate +i2Ji connections %ay -e considered %ana!ed or un%ana!ed, dependin! on the policy of the Lync $er0er ad%inistrators7 By reportin! %ana!ed and un%ana!ed audio quality separately, it is entirely feasi-le to create #or*flo#s around the data7 Lync $er0er ad%inistrators #ill no lon!er ha0e to #onder #hether a sharp do#nturn in their )""A is due to failures in the %ana!ed net#or* or if itKs si%ply due to the flu season, #hen %ost calls are placed fro% ho%e7 here are only a couple of filter conditions that can turn a )""A &eport into a relia-le report on %ana!ed infrastructure health7 Jirst, the confi!uration para%eters in AoD can -e used to distill the calls -et#een Lync %edia ser0ers or -et#een Lync %edia ser0ers and Lync clients7 he $er0er2$er0er &eports, discussed in $er0er2$er0er &eports, can confir% ser0er health7= Jor details, see rou-leshootin! a 1et#or* $e!%ent7 he $er0er2)lient &eports can then confir% client su-net health -ecause the ser0ers #ill -e assu%ed to ha0e no de!radations7 he $er0er2)lient &eports are often scoped to client su-nets, and therefore, are referred to as $u-net &eports7 )lient2)lient &eports, #here -oth clients are on the %ana!ed infrastructure, are useful for findin! peerin! issues, -ut si%ply acquirin! the $er0er2$er0er and $er0er2)lient &eports co0ers the %ost co%%on causes of audio quality issues7 "fter the filters are set, the ne9t tas* is to lo#er the %etrics thresholds to appropriate le0els for confir%in! %ana!ed infrastructure health7 >ouKll need a %uch ti!hter %etrics threshold for deter%inin! #hen a call is considered poorK he )lassified.oor)all fla! is too loose for your require%ents7 $tart #ith statin! so%e assu%ptions a-out the capa-ility of the net#or* infrastructure -et#een t#o %ana!ed endpoints7 ItKs quite reasona-le to confir% that there should -e al%ost /ero pac*et loss and 0ery lo# :itter on %ana!ed net#or*s under ideal conditions7 hrou!h trial and error, -y usin! %uch lo#er pac*et loss thresholds, real hard#are, soft#are, load, and confi!urations issues can -e detected7 Under %ost conditions, Lync $er0er ad%inistrators should -e a-le to confir% that pac*et loss -et#een t#o ser0ers, or -et#een a ser0er and a client on a #ired corporate net#or* should -e less than 1 percent on a0era!e and less than E percent %a9i%u%7 he !oal #ith usin! such ti!ht thresholds is to detect infrastructure issues and not to report user e9perience7 'ost calls #ith 1 percent pac*et loss do not contain any noticea-le de!radation7 Ho#e0er, the e9istence of such calls is a !ood indicator that there is a latent issue that is either causin! issues or #ill cause issues in the future7 "s a -onus, the sa%e report that re0eals the poor calls can also point to the net#or* se!%ent #ith the issue7
;%8
Server9Server <eports
$er0er2$er0er &eports present the net#or* health of net#or* paths -et#een 0arious types of Lync %edia ser0ers7 ;nly certain Lync $er0er roles can ter%inate %edia7 hey include the "5')U, 'ediation $er0er, I.2.$ 1 Cate#ay, D9chan!e Unified 'essa!in! $er0er, )onference "uto "ttendant, )onference "nnounce%ent $er0ice, "udio est $er0ice, and others7 he %ost #idely used ser0ers that ter%inate %edia in a typical Lync $er0er deploy%ent are the "5')U, 'ediation $er0er, and I.2.$ 1 Cate#ay7 hese ser0ers also conduct %edia sessions #ith each other so theyKre perfect endpoints for $er0er2 H0
$er0er &eports7 "dditionally, these ser0er roles are usually not collocated on the sa%e physical -o9es, so the %edia traffic %ust tra0erse so%e part of the net#or* infrastructure7 he follo#in! topics descri-e the characteristics of each of the three ser0er roles and ho# they can -e used for %onitorin! your %ana!ed infrastructure health7
#./.1 +9 M!<
he "5')U is the heart of the audio20ideo conferencin! infrastructure7 he ser0er is desi!ned to hold thousands of si%ultaneous audio and 0ideo sessions, so any perfor%ance de!radation in the soft#are, hard#are, and associated net#or* infrastructure affects %any users7 he "5')U is !enerally the focus of capacity plannin! efforts in the predeploy%ent sta!es, and runs on so%e of the -est hard#are in a Lync $er0er deploy%ent7 he "5')U is inte!rated #ith $yste% )enter ;perations 'ana!er 3$);'6 alertin!, so certain issues that are not net#or*2related #ill -e disco0ered and resol0ed7 his is #hy net#or* perfor%ance can -e confir%ed #ith $er0er2$er0er and )lient2$er0er &eports #here the "5')U is one of the endpoints7 In lar!e enterprises, "5')Us are typically located centrally in data centers7 If the 'ediation $er0ers are located in the data center as #ell, the "5')U2'ediation $er0er 3'$6 3or "5')U2 '$6 &eports can confir% the path #ithin the data center7 If the 'ediation $er0ers are located at re%ote sites, you can o-tain a -roader 0ie# of the net#or* quality7
#./.2 Me iation 'erver

he 'ediation $er0er strea%s audio to the I.2.$ 1 !ate#ay on one side, and to Lync clients or "5')U ser0ers on the other7 he 'ediation $er0er is usually deployed in a location close to the I.2.$ 1 !ate#ay to pro0ide the %a9i%u% -enefit of healin! poor audio for the !ate#ay2-ound strea%s7 "s such, in lar!e Dnterprise 5oice deploy%ents, 'ediation $er0ers are deployed to the indi0idual sites7 his %a*es the "5')U2'$ &eports particularly 0alua-le for sho#in! the quality of the %ana!ed +"1 lin*s7 Barrin! any net#or* defects, /ero or lo#2le0el pac*et loss on such lin*s can still -e confir%ed7 If the 'ediation $er0ers are located centrally in data centers, such as those ser0in! the needs of the corporate headquarters, they are still 0alua-le in assertin! intra2data center net#or* quality7
#./.3 I0-0'%N Aateway

he I.2.$ 1 !ate#ays ha0e only one 5oI. connection in the Lync $er0er deploy%ent, and that is to the 'ediation $er0er7 he !ate#ays are useful for assertin! the net#or* path to the 'ediation $er0er7 If the 'ediation $er0ers are located in the data center and their paired !ate#ays are in the site offices, the +"1 lin* can -e asserted #ith the '$2C+ &eports7
#./.4 +9 M!<-Me iation 'erver )eport (=ample

he follo#in! e9a%ple sho#s an "5')U2'$ &eport7
#5a/ple o' an 2M"U9MS report
6S$ 7o$#etrics8 9$C:AR$ ;begin"i0e 9ate"i0e < =20(1-(-( =8 9$C:AR$ ;end"i0e 9ate"i0e < =20(1-(-(5=8 >I"? !ull:ync@oinVieA AS B S$:$C" s/Conference9ate"i0e AS Conference9ate"i0e .s/Start"i0e AS Start"i0e .s/SessionSeC AS SessionSeC H1
.a/Strea0I9 AS Strea0I9 .Caller6A/6A"ype AS Caller6A"ype .Callee6A/6A"ype AS Callee6A"ype .Caller$P/Ga0e AS Caller$ndpoint .Callee$P/Ga0e AS Callee$ndpoint .Bcase Ahen BPacNet:ossRate I /0( ,R PacNet:ossRate#aQ I /05D then ( else null endD AS IsOadStrea0 !R,# ESessionF s >I"? BG,:,CHD IGG$R @,IG E#edia:ineF AS 0 >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G 0/Conference9ate"i0e < s/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 0/SessionSeC < s/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG EAudioStrea0F AS a >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G a/#edia:ine:abel < 0/#edia:ine:abel and a/Conference9ate"i0e < 0/Conference9ate"i0e and a/SessionSeC < 0/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG E6serAgentF AS Caller6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Caller6A/6serAgentHey < s/Caller6serAgent IGG$R @,IG E6serAgentF AS Callee6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Callee6A/6serAgentHey < s/Callee6serAgent IGG$R @,IG E$ndpointF AS Caller$P >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Caller$P/$ndpointHey < s/Caller$ndpoint IGG$R @,IG E$ndpointF AS Callee$P >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Callee$P/$ndpointHey < s/Callee$ndpoint >?$R$ AG9 s/Start"i0e I< B;begin"i0eD AG9 s/Start"i0e J B;end"i0eD and Caller6A/6A"ype in B(. 2D and Callee6A/6A"ype in B(. 2D D .AllV,IPStrea0s AS B S$:$C" Caller$ndpoint AS AV#C63$ndpoint .Callee$ndpoint AS #S3$ndpoint .Conference9ate"i0e .SessionSeC .Strea0I9 .IsOadStrea0 !R,# !ull:ync@oinVieA >?$R$ Caller6A"ype in B2D AG9 Callee6A"ype in B(D 6GI,G A:: S$:$C" Callee$ndpoint AS AV#C63$ndpoint .Caller$ndpoint as #S3$ndpoint .Conference9ate"i0e .SessionSeC .Strea0I9 .IsOadStrea0 !R,# H2
!ull:ync@oinVieA >?$R$ Callee6A"ype in B2D AG9 Caller6A"ype in B(D D .PoorStrea0sSu00ary AS B S$:$C" 9IS"IGC" AV#C63$ndpoint .#S3$ndpoint .countBKD as AllStrea0s .countBIsOadStrea0D as OadStrea0s .castB(00/0 K castBcountBIsOadStrea0D as floatD L castBcountBKD floatD as deci0alB . (DD as OadStrea0sRatio !R,# AllV,IPStrea0s )R,6P OP AV#C63$ndpoint .#S3$ndpoint D S$:$C" K !R,# PoorStrea0sSu00ary ,R9$R OP AV#C63$ndpoint. #S3$ndpoint he reportKs e9a%ple output is displayed in the follo#in! ta-le7
Sa/ple output o' 2M"U9Mediation Server report
as
<eport0ate
14142013 14142013 14242013 14242013 " " " "
2M"UE#ndpoint
L>1)"51 L>1)"52 L>1)"51 L>1)"52
MSE#ndpoint
" " " " L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2
llStrea/s
3,21E 3,004 3,3I0 2,IF0
;adStrea/s
F 13 F 10
;adStrea/s<atio
0700 0700 0700 0700
(escriptions of the 0arious ele%ents of this query follo#7 he ele%ents are co%%on to all the $er0er2to2 $er0er queries and $u-net queries in this section7
;%8%7%$ Te/porary 2iews

Before you proceed to the ne9t query, e9a%ine so%e of the codin! styles used in the "5')U2'$ query7 here are t#o additional 0ie#s, ,ll?!0PStreams and PoorStreamsSummary, as #ell7 he 0ie#s are actually su-2queries and e9ist only durin! the lifeti%e of the queryKs e9ecution7 he 0ie#s help you %anipulate the data in a linear and lo!ical %anner, and they %a*e de-u!!in! and 0alidatin! the queries %uch easier7 he first 0ie#, 2ullLync-oin?iew, is partially a %isno%erQ the 0ie# is full only in the sense that only those ta-les that are needed for the query are included7 ;ther than that, the 0ie# does #hat the na%e i%plies8it presents a fully :oined 0ie# of the data7 he second 0ie#, ,ll?!0PStreams, unites the caller and callee records, and nor%ali/es the data -y role 3"5')U or '$6, rather than -y the endpoint that initiated the call7 his is -ecause the call initiation direction does not affect call qualityQ rather, the role does7 Jor e9a%ple, if one "5')U is -eha0in! poorly and causin! poor calls #ith all 'ediation $er0ers it shares sessions #ith, youKll #ant to see all calls to and H3
fro% that "5')U, -ut it #onKt %atter #hether the call ori!inated fro% the "5')U7 Jor certain scenarios, call initiation direction does %atterQ for this report, it does not7 Lastly, the last 0ie#, PoorStreamsSummary, si%ply filters for those strea%s fro% the "ll5;I.$trea%s 0ie# that are poor7 his lets you co%pute the poor strea%s ratio -y :oinin! the t#o 0ie#s to!ether in the final query7
;%8%7%, "ounting Poor "alls

"nother characteristic of the "5')U2'$ query is that instead of a0era!in! pac*et loss or other %etrics, it defines a threshold, and counts the nu%-er of calls that e9ceed that threshold7 his is -ecause it is loo*in! for 0ery s%all i%pair%ents in a fe# calls out of hundreds, or e0en thousands, of !ood calls7 If the query si%ply a0era!ed the pac*et loss across all calls per "5')U2'$ pair, it could %iss any su-tle i%pair%ents that e9ist in the net#or*7 Jalse positi0es are also a0oided, #here one or a fe# calls #ith hi!h pac*et loss can artificially raise an a0era!e %etric7 Usin! the count of poor calls and the ratio of poor calls to total calls, you can find se0eral real2#orld net#or* i%pair%ents7
;%8%7%. "aller:"allee *andling

"s descri-ed in e%porary 5ie#s, you can re%o0e )aller4)allee prefi9es in the ta-le colu%ns -y %appin! the% to roles7 Because the )aller and )allee prefi9es e9ist for Dndpoint 1a%es, User "!ents and User "!ent ypes, as #ell as for I. and su-net addresses, you can re%ap the% to any of these confi!uration para%eters, as needed7 he $u-net &eports 3query6 does e9actly that8calls are nor%ali/ed to the su-net -y location7 In fact, the other endpoint is not e0en e9posed, -ecause you only need to focus on the su-net in question7
;%8%8 Mediation Server9&P PSTN Gateway <eport #5a/ple

he follo#in! e9a%ple sho#s a 'ediation $er0er2I. .$ 1 Cate#ay &eport7
#5a/ple o' a Mediation Server9&P PSTN Gateway report
6S$ 7o$#etrics8 9$C:AR$ ;begin"i0e 9ate"i0e < R(-(-20(1=8 9$C:AR$ ;end"i0e 9ate"i0e < =2-(-20(1=8 >I"? !ull:ync@oinVieA AS B S$:$C" s/Conference9ate"i0e AS Conference9ate"i0e .s/Start"i0e AS Start"i0e .s/SessionSeC AS SessionSeC .a/Strea0I9 AS Strea0I9 .Caller6A/6A"ype AS Caller6A"ype .Callee6A/6A"ype AS Callee6A"ype .Caller$P/Ga0e AS Caller$ndpoint .Callee$P/Ga0e AS Callee$ndpoint .Bcase Ahen BPacNet:ossRate I /0( ,R PacNet:ossRate#aQ I /05D then ( else null endD AS IsOadStrea0 !R,# ESessionF s >I"? BG,:,CHD IGG$R @,IG E#edia:ineF AS 0 >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G 0/Conference9ate"i0e < s/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 0/SessionSeC < s/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG EAudioStrea0F AS a >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G H4
IGG$R IGG$R IGG$R IGG$R
a/#edia:ine:abel < 0/#edia:ine:abel and a/Conference9ate"i0e < 0/Conference9ate"i0e and a/SessionSeC < 0/SessionSeC @,IG E6serAgentF AS Caller6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Caller6A/6serAgentHey < s/Caller6serAgent @,IG E6serAgentF AS Callee6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Callee6A/6serAgentHey < s/Callee6serAgent @,IG E$ndpointF AS Caller$P >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Caller$P/$ndpointHey < s/Caller$ndpoint @,IG E$ndpointF AS Callee$P >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Callee$P/$ndpointHey < s/Callee$ndpoint
>?$R$ AG9 s/Start"i0e I< B;begin"i0eD AG9 s/Start"i0e J B;end"i0eD and Caller6A/6A"ype in B(. 125MSD and Callee6A/6A"ype in B(. 125MSD D .AllV,IPStrea0s AS B S$:$C" Caller$ndpoint AS #S3$ndpoint .Callee$ndpoint AS )>3$ndpoint .Conference9ate"i0e .SessionSeC .Strea0I9 .IsOadStrea0 !R,# !ull:ync@oinVieA >?$R$ Caller6A"ype in B(D AG9 Callee6A"ype in B125MSD 6GI,G A:: S$:$C" Callee$ndpoint AS #S3$ndpoint .Caller$ndpoint as )>3$ndpoint .Conference9ate"i0e .SessionSeC .Strea0I9 .IsOadStrea0 !R,# !ull:ync@oinVieA >?$R$ Callee6A"ype in B(D AG9 Caller6A"ype in B125MSD D .PoorStrea0sSu00ary AS B S$:$C" 9IS"IGC" #S3$ndpoint .)>3$ndpoint .countBKD as AllStrea0s .countBIsOadStrea0D as OadStrea0s HE
.castB(00/0 K castBcountBIsOadStrea0D as floatD L castBcountBKD floatD as deci0alB . (DD as OadStrea0sRatio !R,# AllV,IPStrea0s )R,6P OP #S3$ndpoint .)>3$ndpoint D S$:$C" K !R,# PoorStrea0sSu00ary ,R9$R OP #S3$ndpoint. )>3$ndpoint he reportKs e9a%ple output is displayed in the follo#in! ta-le7
Sa/ple output o' Mediation Server9 &P PSTN Gateway report
as
<eport0ate
14142013 14142013 14242013 14242013
MSE#ndpoint
" " " " L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2
G1E#ndpoin t
" " " " L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2 L>1)'$2
llStrea/s
1,2GI 1,04F 1,340 1,IF3
;adStrea/s
F 13 F 10
;adStrea/s<atio
0700 0701 0700 0701
;%>
Subnet <eports
"fter the net#or* and infrastructure health of the ser0ers in a Lync $er0er data center has -een confir%ed, you can %onitor the health of indi0idual user corporate su-nets that ter%inate Lync "45 traffic7 Loo* only at calls -et#een endpoints in a user su-net and a Lync %edia ser0er7 In other #ords, e9a%ine only the conference calls and .$ 1 call lo!s -et#een the client and the 'ediation $er0er7 "ny de!raded net#or* %etrics can -e attri-uted to the su-net or inter%ediaries in the path fro% the su-net to the Lync %edia ser0er7 he user su-nets can -e further di0ided into t#o types@ #ired su-nets and #ireless su-nets7 he di0ision is necessary -ecause -undlin! #ireless call %etrics #ith #ired call %etrics creates too %uch noise7 ItKs easy to assert that pac*et loss and :itter should -e lo# fro% a #ired client endpoint to a Lync $er0er endpoint7 "fter youK0e asserted #ired su-net health, you can %onitor any de!raded net#or* %etrics in #ireless calls fro% the su-net that can -e attri-uted to the #ireless infrastructure of the site7 his syste%atic approach can produce stron!, action2oriented trou-leshootin! #or*flo#s7
#.5.1 4ire 'u&net )eport (=ample

he follo#in! e9a%ple sho#s a +ired $u-net &eport7
#5a/ple o' a 1ired Subnet report
6S$ 7o$#etrics8 declare ;begin"i0e dateti0e < =2L(L20(1=8 declare ;end"i0e dateti0e < =(L(L20(1=8 >I"? !ull:ync@oinVieA AS HF
B S$:$C" s/Conference9ate"i0e as Conference9ate"i0e .s/Start"i0e as Start"i0e .s/SessionSeC as SessionSeC .a/Strea0I9 as Strea0I9 .Caller6A/6A"ype AS Caller6A"ype .Callee6A/6A"ype AS Callee6A"ype .0/CallerGetAorNConnection"ype AS CallerGetAorNConnection"ype .0/CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype AS CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype .dbo/pIPInt"oStringB0/CallerSubnetD AS CallerSubnet .dbo/pIPInt"oStringB0/CalleeSubnetD AS CalleeSubnet .Bcase Ahen BPacNet:ossRate I /0( ,R PacNet:ossRate#aQ I /05D then ( else null endD AS IsOadStrea0 !R,# Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/ESessionF s >I"? BG,:,CHD IGG$R @,IG Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/E#edia:ineF AS 0 >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G 0/Conference9ate"i0e < s/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 0/SessionSeC < s/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/EAudioStrea0F AS A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G a/#edia:ine:abel < 0/#edia:ine:abel and a/Conference9ate"i0e < 0/Conference9ate"i0e and a/SessionSeC < 0/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/6serAgent AS Caller6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Caller6A/6serAgentHey < s/Caller6serAgent IGG$R @,IG Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/6serAgent AS Callee6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Callee6A/6serAgentHey < s/Callee6serAgent >?$R$ s/Start"i0e I< B;begin"i0eD and s/Start"i0e J B;end"i0eD and 0/CallerInside < ( and 0/CalleeInside < ( D .AllV,IPStrea0s as B S$:$C" C,GV$R"B9A"$"I#$. C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"B#,G"?. Start"i0eDD T =L= T C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"B9AP. Start"i0eDD T =L= T C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"BP$AR. Start"i0eDDD AS Report9ate .CallerSubnet As Subnet .Conference9ate"i0e .SessionSeC .Strea0I9 .IsOadStrea0 .Caller6A"ype as 6A( --for testing .Callee6A"ype as 6A2 !R,# !ull:ync@oinVieA >?$R$ Caller6A"ype < --,C AG9 Callee6A"ype in B(.2D --#S. AV#C6 HG
AG9 CallerGetAorNConnection"ype < 0 -->ired 6GI,G A:: S$:$C" C,GV$R"B9A"$"I#$. C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"B#,G"?. Start"i0eDD T =L= T C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"B9AP. Start"i0eDD T =L= T C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"BP$AR. Start"i0eDDD AS Report9ate .CalleeSubnet as Subnet .Conference9ate"i0e .SessionSeC .Strea0I9 .IsOadStrea0 .Callee6A"ype as 6A( --for testing .Caller6A"ype as 6A2 !R,# !ull:ync@oinVieA >?$R$ Callee6A"ype < --,C AG9 Caller6A"ype in B(.2D --#S. AV#C6 AG9 CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype < 0 D .PoorStrea0sSu00ary AS B S$:$C" 9IS"IGC" Report9ate .Subnet .countBKD as AllStrea0s .countBIsOadStrea0D as OadStrea0s .castB(00/0 K castBcountBIsOadStrea0D as floatD L castBcountBKD as floatD as deci0alB . (DD as OadStrea0sRatio !R,# AllV,IPStrea0s )R,6P OP Report9ate .Subnet D S$:$C" Report9ate. PoorStrea0sSu00ary/Subnet. AllStrea0s. OadStrea0s. OadStrea0sRatio !R,# PoorStrea0sSu00ary )R,6P OP Report9ate. PoorStrea0sSu00ary/Subnet. AllStrea0s. OadStrea0s. OadStrea0sRatio ,R9$R OP HH
Report9ate. Subnet he reportKs e9a%ple output is displayed in the follo#in! ta-le7

Sa/ple output o' 1ired Subnet report
<eport0ate 14142013 14142013 14242013 14242013
Subnet 1EG7EI7F371 1EG7EI7I072 1EG7EI7F371 1EG7EI7I072
llStrea/s 1,4EF 322 1,3I0 2E0
;adStrea/s F 13 F 10
;adStrea/s<atio 0700 0704 0700 0704
#.5.2 4ireless 'u&net )eport (=ample

he +ireless $u-net &eport #ill -e e9actly identical to the +ired $u-net &eport, e9cept that the )aller and )allee 1et#or*)onnection ype are set to 17 AG9 CallerGetAorNConnection"ype < ( U>ireless It %ay -e necessary to ad:ust the pac*et loss thresholds fro% 1 percent to so%ethin! hi!her7 ;ther#ise, the data %i!ht indicate hi!h nu%-ers of poor calls e0ery#here, and reduce the 0alue of the report7 "d:ust the threshold so that only a fe# sites sho# up as poor7 In0esti!ate those sites to find capacity or %isconfi!uration issues7 If you disco0er real issues, you #ill *no# that the threshold did a !ood :o- in separatin! the healthy and poor sites7 "d:ust the threshold until your in0esti!ations no lon!er unco0er any issues7
;%?
Linking to #5ternal 0ata Sources
;ccasionally, the $er0er2to2$er0er &eports and $u-net &eports are used -y %ore than :ust the net#or* en!ineerin! tea%7 he dotted2deci%al su-net I. addresses and ser0er na%es %ay -e cryptic for Lync ad%inistrators and pro:ect %ana!ers7 >ou can au!%ent the $er0er2to2$er0er &eports and $u-net &eports -y referencin! other corporate I assets, such as the location data of Lync ser0ers, and si%ple na%es of corporate su-nets7 >ou should construct a ta-le of su-nets2to2net#or* na%es or ser0er na%es2to2location na%es, as sho#n in the follo#in! ta-les7
Subnets9to9Network Na/es <e'erence
Subnet
1EG7EI7F371 1EG7EI7I072 1G27E7F3722
Network Na/e
"tlanta site 1 Houston sales flr2 &ed%ond &W(
Server Na/e
" L>1)"51 " L>1)'$2
Location
"tlanta, C" "tlanta, C"
his data can su-sequently -e co%-ined #ith the Lync $er0er AoD data to create a reada-le report7
he follo#in! ta-le sho#s a $u-net &eport e9a%pleKs output #ith si%ple net#or* na%es7 HI
Lync Server Networking Guide Sa/ple output o' Subnets9to9Network Na/es report
<eport0ate
14142013 14142013 14242013 14242013
SubnetNa/e
"tlanta site 1 Houston sales "tlanta site 1 Houston sales
llStrea/s
1,4EF 322 1,3I0 2E0
;adStrea/s
F 13 F 10
;adStrea/s<atio
0700 0704 0700 0704
;%A
Trending and 0ata <etention
he $er0er2to2$er0er &eports and $u-net &eports, sho#n in pre0ious sections, contain date infor%ation7 his infor%ation ena-les you to plot the data across se0eral days7 +hen youKre e9a%inin! the data for stran!e patterns, itKs useful to see the data o0er %ultiple days or e0en %onths7 If a spi*e in poor calls is detected, youKd #ant to *no# if the issue occurred :ust recently, or if itKs -een around for a #hile7 ;-0iously, the a%ount of historic quality %etrics that can -e pulled depends on ho# %uch data is a0aila-le on the production AoD ser0er7 ypically, due to the 0olu%e of call data that is !enerated, that a%ount is li%ited to only three %onths7 If lon!er trendin! ran!es are needed, se0eral additional solutions are possi-le7 Jor e9a%ple, rollin! out ne# Lync $er0er co%ponents or up!radin! e9istin! co%ponents can ta*e %onths7 he pro:ect %ana!er %ay #ant to trac* quality %etrics across %a:or infrastructure chan!e e0ents7 ;ne #ay to retain historic data is to si%ply sa0e the quality data on a re!ular -asis7 he pre0iously docu%ented queries produce data that can -e cached7 "s lon! as the queries donKt chan!e, there is no need to rerun the query a!ainst the production AoD ser0er a!ain7 he a%ount of data that needs to -e *ept is s%all, and the li%its to ho# %uch of the report data can -e *ept is li%itless7 If *eepin! :ust the report data is insufficient, a data #arehousin! solution is needed7 here are se0eral #ays of i%ple%entin! a #arehousin! solution, #ith one solution descri-ed later in this topic7
;%@
Using User #5perience Metrics
he AoD data-ase contains se0eral %etrics desi!ned to trac* user e9perience #ith %edia quality7 hese %etrics include audio healer %etrics, such as &atio)oncealed$a%ples, as #ell as 0arious %ean opinion score 3';$6 %etrics, such as ;0erall"0!1et#or*';$ and &ecei0eListen';$7 he follo#in! ta-le lists %ore e9a%ples of these %etrics7
User #5perience Metrics
Metric
&atio)oncealed$a%ples"0! &atio$tretched$a%ples"0! &atio)o%pressed$a%ples"0! ;0erall"0!1et#or*';$ ;0erall'in1et#or*';$ (e!radation"0! (e!radation'a9 (e!radationJitter"0! (e!ration.ac*etLoss"0!
Type
"udio Healer "udio Healer "udio Healer ';$ ';$ ';$ ';$ ';$ ';$
User e9perience %etrics can -e added to the $er0er2$er0er or $u-net rend queries to !i0e an additional 0ie# of the net#or* i%pair%ents7 Kno#in! ho# %uch net#or* i%pair%ent users are e9periencin! %ay help I ad%inistrators !ain additional insi!hts -ehind the ra# pac*et loss %etrics7 he follo#in! su-net trend query has -een %odified to include the 1et#or* 'ean ;pinion score 3';$6 %etric7 he 1et#or* ';$ is a0era!ed per su-net7 ItKs co%pletely feasi-le to loo* at 'ini%u% 1et#or* ';$ or use other a!!re!ation functions such as 'I136, and so on7 I0
Lync Server Networking Guide #5a/ple o' Subnet Trend =uery /odi'ied to include the Network Mean !pinion Score 3M!S4 /etric
6S$ 7o$#etrics8 declare ;begin"i0e dateti0e < =2L(L20(1=8 declare ;end"i0e dateti0e < =(L(L20(1=8 >I"? !ull:ync@oinVieA AS B S$:$C" s/Conference9ate"i0e as Conference9ate"i0e .s/Start"i0e as Start"i0e .s/SessionSeC as SessionSeC .a/Strea0I9 as Strea0I9 .Caller6A/6A"ype AS Caller6A"ype .Callee6A/6A"ype AS Callee6A"ype .0/CallerGetAorNConnection"ype AS CallerGetAorNConnection"ype .0/CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype AS CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype .dbo/pIPInt"oStringB0/CallerSubnetD AS CallerSubnet .dbo/pIPInt"oStringB0/CalleeSubnetD AS CalleeSubnet .Bcase Ahen BPacNet:ossRate I /0( ,R PacNet:ossRate#aQ I /05D then ( else null endD AS IsOadStrea0 .9egradationA*g !R,# Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/ESessionF s >I"? BG,:,CHD IGG$R @,IG Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/E#edia:ineF AS 0 >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G 0/Conference9ate"i0e < s/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 0/SessionSeC < s/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/EAudioStrea0F AS a >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G a/#edia:ine:abel < 0/#edia:ine:abel and a/Conference9ate"i0e < 0/Conference9ate"i0e and a/SessionSeC < 0/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/6serAgent AS Caller6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Caller6A/6serAgentHey < s/Caller6serAgent IGG$R @,IG Eser*erna0eF/E7o$#etricsF/dbo/6serAgent AS Callee6A >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Callee6A/6serAgentHey < s/Callee6serAgent >?$R$ s/Start"i0e I< B;begin"i0eD and s/Start"i0e J B;end"i0eD and 0/CallerInside < ( and 0/CalleeInside < ( D .AllV,IPStrea0s as B S$:$C" C,GV$R"B9A"$"I#$. C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"B#,G"?. Start"i0eDD T =L= T C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"B9AP. Start"i0eDD T =L= T C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"BP$AR. Start"i0eDDD AS Report9ate .CallerSubnet As Subnet .Conference9ate"i0e .SessionSeC I1
.Strea0I9 .IsOadStrea0 .9egradationA*g .Caller6A"ype as 6A( --for testing .Callee6A"ype as 6A2 !R,# !ull:ync@oinVieA >?$R$ Caller6A"ype < --,C AG9 Callee6A"ype in B(.2D --#S. AV#C6 AG9 CallerGetAorNConnection"ype < 0 -->ired 6GI,G A:: S$:$C" C,GV$R"B9A"$"I#$. C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"B#,G"?. Start"i0eDD T =L= T C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"B9AP. Start"i0eDD T =L= T C,GV$R"BVARC?AR.9A"$PAR"BP$AR. Start"i0eDDD AS Report9ate .CalleeSubnet as Subnet .Conference9ate"i0e .SessionSeC .Strea0I9 .IsOadStrea0 .9egradationA*g .Callee6A"ype as 6A( --for testing .Caller6A"ype as 6A2 !R,# !ull:ync@oinVieA >?$R$ Callee6A"ype < --,C AG9 Caller6A"ype in B(.2D --#S. AV#C6 AG9 CalleeGetAorNConnection"ype < 0 D .PoorStrea0sSu00ary AS B S$:$C" 9IS"IGC" Report9ate .Subnet .countBKD as AllStrea0s .countBIsOadStrea0D as OadStrea0s .castB(00/0 K castBcountBIsOadStrea0D as floatD L castBcountBKD as floatD as deci0alB . (DD as OadStrea0sRatio .a*gB9egradationA*gD as A*gG#,S9eg !R,# AllV,IPStrea0s )R,6P OP Report9ate .Subnet D S$:$C" Report9ate. PoorStrea0sSu00ary/Subnet. I2
AllStrea0s. OadStrea0s. OadStrea0sRatio. A*gG#,S9eg !R,# PoorStrea0sSu00ary ,R9$R OP Report9ate. Subnet
#.8.1 Mean Cpinion 'core 2MC'3

'ean ;pinion $core 3';$6 is the %ost co%%only used %etric to %easure 0oice quality7 Because any %easure of quality is su-:ecti0e, includin! ';$, the ';$ %easure%ent %ethodolo!y #as de0eloped to standardi/e the testin! procedures7 &eal ';$ %easure%ent relies on indi0iduals to pro0ide their opinion of quality re!ardin! audio clips of standardi/ed len!ths7 ;0er the years, co%puter al!orith%s and data-ases ha0e -een de0eloped to try to esti%ate ';$ pro!ra%%atically, -ased on payload analysis or net#or* %etrics analysis7 hese %odels are !enerally 0ery accurate if the test audio sa%ples are also of fi9ed len!ths7 ypically, these sa%ples are around ei!ht seconds lon!7 Indi0iduals can !enerally reach a consistent consensus in e0aluatin! audio quality for short audio sa%ples7 Ho#e0er, if the al!orith%s are used to calculate ';$ for entire calls, the %etric starts to de0iate fro% real2#orld opinions of quality7 Jor e9a%ple, users e9periencin! audio distortions in calls %i!ht also consider the con0enience or no0elty of -ein! a-le to place a call fro% their %o-ile application and disre!ard any actual issues7 ;n the other hand, if the distortions interrupted an i%portant con0ersation, e0en for a -rief %o%ent, indi0iduals %i!ht not -e so inclined to dis%iss the%7 In lar!e %etrics data-ase syste%s such as AoD, a!!re!atin! ';$ usin! statistical functions such as "5D&"CD36 or 'I136 can distort the 0ie# e0en further7 "s lon! as the ri!ht e9pectations are set, usin! a!!re!ate ';$ can -e a con0enient, ti%e2sa0in! technique7 Jor e9a%ple, 1et#or* ';$ 31';$6, as i%ple%ented in Lync $er0er, depends #holly on pac*et loss and :itter7 Instead of loo*in! at t#o %etrics, pac*et loss and :itter, to arri0e at a co%-ined esti%ation of quality, 1et#or* ';$ can -e used as an alternati0e7
#.8.2 Network MC' 2NMC'3 versus NMC' De*ra ation

1et#or* ';$ 31';$6 atte%pts to !i0e an ';$ 0alue -ased on net#or* i%pair%ent %etrics7 If there are no i%pair%ents 3for e9a%ple, 0 percent pac*et loss and 0%s :itter6, the 1';$ 0alue #ould -e the %a9i%u% 0alue for that codec7 "ny payload distortions are not accounted for -y 1';$, so a perfect 1';$ 0alue on a speech sa%ple %ay still -e considered distorted -y the listener7 Because 1';$ is codec dependent, the %a9i%u% 0alues for 1';$ is different for each codec7 It is also different for each class of codec, narro#-and, and #ide-and7 his is #hy 1';$ de!radation is often useful to co%pare net#or* de!radation across codecs7 "s the ter% i%plies, de!radation refers to the a%ount of i%pair%ent fro% the %a9i%u% -est quality7 1';$ de!radation, therefore, can -e considered as an in0erse of 1';$7 In AoD parlance, 1';$ de!radation is represented -y the (e!radation"0! %etric7 he "0! suffi9 i%plies that the %etric is an a0era!e of the entire call7
;%$- !ther <eporting #5a/ples

he $er0er2$er0er and $u-net rend queries pre0iously descri-ed can pro0ide 0ie#s o0er the corporate net#or* se!%ents7 his lea0es open other potential issue areas that can cause 0oice quality i%pair%ents,
I3
such as poorly perfor%in! audio de0ices, or co%pro%ised ho%e or pu-lic hotspots7 he follo#in! sections pro0ide e9a%ples of AoD queries that can fill that !ap7
#.1;.1
Device Queries1
he follo#in! query pulls all the de0ices used in calls in a 242hour period7 $i%ilar de0ices are !rouped to!ether, and the nu%-er of ti%es they #ere used is tallied7 he data is sorted -y the $endListen';$ %etric7 $endListen';$ is the payload ';$ of the audio -efore the audio is sent on the net#or*7 his %eans that the only factors that can contri-ute to the de!radation of the audio are en0iron%ental or de0ice issues7 +ith statistically lar!e sa%ples, you can rule out en0iron%ental effects, lea0in! de0ice issues as the %ain contri-utor of the de!radation7
#5a/ple 0evice =uery
9$C:AR$ ;Oegin"i0e as 9ate"i0e2 < =1L(0L20(1=8 9$C:AR$ ;$nd"i0e as 9ate"i0e2 < 9A"$A99B9AP. (. ;Oegin"i0eD8 6S$ 7o$#etrics8 >I"? !ull:ync9e*ice@oinVieA AS B S$:$C" CallerCapture9e*ice/9e*iceGa0e AS CallerCapture9e*iceGa0e. CalleeCapture9e*ice/9e*iceGa0e as CalleeCapture9e*iceGa0e. SendGoise:e*el. SendSignal:e*el. $choReturn. $choPercent#icIn. $choPercentSend. Audio#ic)litchRate. Send:isten#,S. Send:isten#,S#in. SenderIsCallerPAI !R,# ESessionF IGG$R @,IG #edia:ine AS Audio:ine >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G Audio:ine/Conference9ate"i0e < Session/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 Audio:ine/SessionSeC < Session/SessionSeC IGG$R @,IG AudioStrea0 >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G AudioStrea0/Conference9ate"i0e < Audio:ine/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 AudioStrea0/SessionSeC < Audio:ine/SessionSeC AG9 AudioStrea0/#edia:ine:abel < Audio:ine/#edia:ine:abel IGG$R @,IG AudioSignal >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G AudioSignal/Conference9ate"i0e < Session/Conference9ate"i0e AG9 AudioSignal/SessionSeC < Session/SessionSeC AG9 AudioSignal/#edia:ine:abel < Audio:ine/#edia:ine:abel IGG$R @,IG 9e*ice AS CallerCapture9e*ice >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G CallerCapture9e*ice/9e*iceHey < Audio:ine/CallerCapture9e* IGG$R @,IG 9e*ice AS CalleeCapture9e*ice >I"? BG,:,CHD ,G CalleeCapture9e*ice/9e*iceHey < Audio:ine/CalleeCapture9e* >?$R$ Session/Start"i0e I ;Oegin"i0e AG9 Session/Start"i0e J ;$nd"i0e AG9 Send:isten#,S IS G," G6:: 1 Jor a discussion on issues #ith de0ice na%in! and a potential solution please see <+or*in! #ith de0ice na%es in AoD data= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*I(N32GIH27 I4
D. AllV,IPStrea0s as B S$:$C" 9IS"IGC" CallerCapture9e*iceGa0e AS Capture9e*iceGa0e. SendGoise:e*el. SendSignal:e*el. $choReturn. $choPercent#icIn. $choPercentSend. Audio#ic)litchRate. Send:isten#,S. Send:isten#,S#in !R,# !ull:ync9e*ice@oinVieA >?$R$ SenderIsCallerPAI < ( 6GI,G S$:$C" 9IS"IGC" CalleeCapture9e*iceGa0e AS Capture9e*iceGa0e. SendGoise:e*el. SendSignal:e*el. $choReturn. $choPercent#icIn. $choPercentSend. Audio#ic)litchRate. Send:isten#,S. Send:isten#,S#in !R,# !ull:ync9e*ice@oinVieA >?$R$ SenderIsCallerPAI < 0 D S$:$C" 9IS"IGC" Capture9e*iceGa0e. A*gBSendGoise:e*elD AS A*gSendGoise:e*el. AV)BSendSignal:e*elD AS A*gSendSignal:e*el. AV)B$choReturnD AS A*g$choReturn. AV)B$choPercent#icInD AS A*g$choPercent#icIn. AV)B$choPercentSendD AS A*g$choPercentSend. AV)BAudio#ic)litchRateD AS A*gAudio#ic)litchRate. AV)BSend:isten#,SD AS A*gSend:isten#,S. AV)BSend:isten#,S#inD AS A*gSend:isten#,S#in. C,6G"BKD AS Gu0Strea0s !R,# AllV,IPStrea0s )R,6P OP Capture9e*iceGa0e ,R9$R by AV)BSend:isten#,SD he queryKs output is displayed in the follo#in! ta-le7
!utput o' device =uery
"apture0eviceNa/e
vgSendListenM!S
Nu/Strea/s
Internal Micro !one "Conexant #$%&% S'artAudio ()* Micro !one "SoundMA. Integrated )igital () Audio* Internal Micro !one "Conexant #$%2, S'artAudio ()*
#+&& #+/0 -+,%
,-$ ,#1 01
IE
"apture0eviceNa/e
vgSendListenM!S
Nu/Strea/s
Internal Micro !one "Conexant #$20# S'artAudio ()* Integrated Micro !one Array "I)3 (ig! )e4inition Audio C5)EC* Micro !one Array "I)3 (ig! )e4inition Audio C5)EC* Ec!o Cancelling S ea6er !one "7a8ra SPEA9 1,$ USB* Micro !one ":ealte6 (ig! )e4inition Audio* Internal Mic "I)3 (ig! )e4inition Audio C5)EC* Micro !one "(ig! )e4inition Audio )evice* Micro !one "#; (ig! )e4inition Audio )evice* (eadset Micro !one "Microso4t Li4eC!at L.;2$$$* (eadset Micro !one "#; Microso4t Li4eC!at L.;2$$$* (eadset Micro !one "7a8ra UC V5ICE %%$ MS USB* (eadset Micro !one "-; <N #$$$ USB 5C* (eadset Micro !one "<N #$$$ USB 5C* (eadset Micro !one "#; <N #$$$ USB 5C* (eadset Micro !one "1; <N #$$$ USB 5C* (eadset Micro !one "Microso4t Li4eC!at L.;1$$$* (eadset Micro !one "7a8ra BI= 2#$ USB*
-+## -+-% -+%-+2$ -+2-+0$ -+0, -+&2 -+// 1+$1 1+,1+,/ 1+#2 1+-2 1+-& 1+1# 1+1/
,&& 22 12 1& ,%# %2 1## ,21 ##$ ,#1 12 &# 1,2 ,-2 02 1$ -1
he %ost poorly perfor%in! de0ices are -uilt2in sound de0ices on laptops and des*tops7 he -est perfor%in! de0ices are headsets7 his is in line #ith e9pectations7 Ho#e0er, seein! the data firsthand can %oti0ate Lync $er0er ad%inistrators to tell users that their choice of de0ices can !reatly influence call quality7 Lync ad%inistrators should co%%unicate this fact e0en -efore they in0esti!ate net#or* i%pair%ents that could further de!rade the audio7 he data does ha0e so%e issues, such as sho#in! the de0ice ordinals assi!ned -y the operatin! syste%7 'ultiple instances of the sa%e de0ice are scattered -ut in different positions in the operatin! syste% nu%-erin! sche%e, and therefore appear as different de0ices7 his %a*es collatin! %etrics -y the sa%e actual de0ice %ore difficult7 >ou can resol0e this issue #ith so%e cle0er strin! parsin!7
IF
ppendi5 "% "all +uality Methodology F a practical approach

he Lync )all Auality 'ethodolo!y, or )A', is a holistic #ay to syste%atically define and assert call quality -ased upon the %ethods outlined in this docu%ent7 )A' di0ides a Lync i%ple%entation into ten discrete areas that i%pact quality, definin! tar!ets and a re%ediation plan for each one7 )A' is a fra%e#or* to tac*le call quality pro-le%s U you can %odify or e9tend it to address the particular conditions on your net#or*7 +e #ould appreciate your feed-ac* on any aspect of )all Auality 'ethodolo!y and your #or* #ith it7 .lease send it to cq%feed-ac*Y%icrosoft7co%7
"%$ pproach and "oncepts

)A' ta*es an end2to2end 0ie# of Lync 0oice quality, -rea*in! do#n each call into a discrete nu%-er of le!s and strea%s #hile also loo*in! at the call endpoints, includin! de0ices and syste%s7 Dach of these ele%ents can contri-ute to call quality issues7 he dia!ra% -elo# sho#s Lync co%ponents that ori!inate or ter%inate %edia strea%s7 (ifferent call types tra0erse these co%ponents in different #ays7 LetKs loo* at a fe# e9a%ples7
Int ernal
Internal
CAS
AV MC U
CAA
Mediation S erver
PS3N <ateway :e'ote <uest
Call Leg
PSTN call8If an internal Lync user places a call to the .$ 1, there can -e t#o or three call le!s7 If the call is -ein! placed fro% a site to a re%ote Cate#ay, or in a scenario #here %edia -ypass is not possi-le or not ena-led, there #ill -e three call le!s@ one to a %ediation ser0er, a second to the !ate#ay and a third fro% the !ate#ay out to the .$ 17 If the !ate#ay is local and %edia -ypass is ena-led, there #ill -e t#o call le!s@ one fro% the client to the !ate#ay and a second fro% the !ate#ay out to the .$ 17 "on'erence call8Internal participants in a conference call #ill ha0e a sin!le le!@ fro% their client to the )onferencin! $er0er 3"5 ')U67 &e%ote participants #ill si%ilarly ha0e a sin!le le!, ho#e0er, it #ill tra0erse the internet and -e relayed 0ia the Dd!e ser0er7 .$ 1 participants #ill ha0e three call le!s@ one fro% the .$ 1 into a !ate#ay, a second fro% the !ate#ay into a %ediation ser0er and finally fro% the IG
%ediation ser0er into the )onferencin! $er0er 3"5 ')U67 In a conference call, there are other ele%ents that handle %edia includin! the )onferencin! "nnounce%ent $er0er 3)"$6 and the )onferencin! "uto "ttendant 3)""67 In )A' #e refer to audio streams, and, %ore specifically, deter%ine a percenta!e of poor strea%s across a particular call le!7 " stream represents a discrete & . %edia -itstrea% fro% one Lync co%ponent to another7 In the si%plest e9a%ple of a peer2to2peer Lync call there #ill -e t#o strea%s U one fro% the caller to the callee and another -ac* fro% the callee to the caller7 In the %ore in0ol0ed scenarios a-o0e, a call #ill -e co%posed of %ultiple strea%s tra0ersin! each respecti0e call le!7 &ead the article, <Ho# %any sessions and strea%s do #e see in AoD for a conferenceL= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIG1 for %ore detail on ho# #e cate!ori/e and store data a-out strea%s and further !roup the% into sessions@
(etailed quality infor%ation a-out each call le! is stored in the Lync Auality of D9perience 3AoD6 data-ase7 Dach Lync co%ponent that processes %edia #ill create and send a record into the AoD data-ase reportin! on the quality of the call le!7 his includes clients and "5 ')U and 'ediation ser0ers7 his rich set of call quality data in the AoD data-ase is the -asis of )A'7 hrou!hout )A' #e use a set of 2$AL queries to report on call paths and de0ices7 )A' esta-lishes quality tar!ets that are used to dri0e trou-leshootin! and operational procedures7 )A' assu%es you ha0e 0isi-ility into the net#or*, as #ell as the capa-ility to trou-leshoot pro-le%atic %edia strea%s across it7 he query approach is detailed in "ppendi9 B7
Note. %here are two set of &ueries in the C0P file with the &ueries6 one in the Lync '()( folder and one in the Lync '()* folder %he &ueries in the Lync '()( folder have filenames containing D'()( and should be used with a Lync '()( Monitoring 9atabase %he &ueries in the Lync '()* folder should be used with a Lync '()* Monitoring Store
he precedin! call type e9a%ples !i0e you an idea of ho# different call types tra0erse different Lync co%ponents7 )all quality is a co%-ination of all call le!s and de0ices U if any one le! or endpoint is causin! poor quality, the entire call #ill suffer and your users #ill hear it7 +hile the dia!ra% has a nu%-er of arro#s and ele%ents, it is a si%plified representation of a Lync deploy%ent7 D0en in a sin!le pool i%ple%entation, you #ill ha0e %ultiple instances of the )onferencin! $er0er 3"5 ')U6 for e9a%ple, and typically you #ill ha0e %ultiple pools as #ell7 In addition to the Lync ele%ents, the underlyin! net#or* that connects clients and ser0ers to!ether is typically co%ple9 as #ell7 $o%e Lync ser0ers %ay -e in a sin!le datacenter on a #ell2connected L"17 ;thers %ay -e connected across a +"17 Jor e9a%ple, in so%e deploy%ents the %ediation ser0er %ay -e in the sa%e datacenter as the "5 ')U7 Ho#e0er, in others, a %ediation ser0er %ay -e across the +"1 tra0ersin! %any additional net#or* ele%ents7 )A' is desi!ned to !i0e you tele%etry across your net#or*7 he dia!ra% -elo# sho#s an enterprise net#or* #ith Internet, .eri%eter, (atacenter and $ite co%ponents7 "5 ')U to 'ediation $er0er queries pro0ide -road co0era!e across this net#or* as sho#n in the !reen se!%ents in the dia!ra%@
IH
he 'ediation $er0er to Cate#ay queries pro0ide additional co0era!e, a!ain indicated -y the !reen se!%ents@
he )A' $u-net queries e9tend co0era!e to the ed!es of the net#or*@
II
he AoD data-ase doesnKt ha0e infor%ation on your ed!e or peri%eter net#or*7 +eK0e recently released a tool called .re)all (ia!nostics 3.)(6 that #ill help you identify and dia!nose net#or* pro-le%s in your peri%eter net#or* per the dia!ra% -elo#7 >ou can do#nload the .)( tool fro% the follo#in! lin*s@ +indo#s H 'odern "pp@ http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIG2 +indo#s (es*top "pp@ http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GI14
Jor %ore infor%ation a-out the .)(, see <Lync .re)all (ia!nostics ool= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*I(N3241FF7
In this %anner, )A' pro0ides co0era!e across your net#or* and into your endpoints as #ell7 )A' -rea*s do#n call quality into three di%ensions@ Server Plant8usin! the analo!y of a po#er plant, $er0er .lant incorporates all Lync ser0er ele%ents that ter%inate or ori!inate %edia as descri-ed in the dia!ra% a-o0e7 #ndpoints8collection of quality considerations introduced or caused -y the endpoint %a*in! or recei0in! a Lync call7 Last Mile8si%ilar to the .$ 1 challen!e of !ettin! the phone line fro% the central office to distri-uted endpoints, Last 'ile loo*s at ho# each Lync endpoint is connected to the net#or*7 Dach di%ension is co%posed of a nu%-er of discrete ele%ents7 Dach ele%ent is so%ethin! #e can -oth %easure and control7 In %ost cases #e pull fro% the rich data collected in the AoD data-ase to deter%ine a -aseline for each ele%ent, and then trac* it #ith a !oal of reachin! and %aintainin! a stated quality tar!et7 Dach ele%ent in )A' is independent, ho#e0er, there is a natural priority to addressin! each7 Jor e9a%ple, in $er0er .lant, the first thin! you need to loo* at is the health of your Lync $er0ers to ensure they are not the source of poor quality7 It doesnKt %a*e sense to loo* at the net#or* underneath pro-le%atic call le!s until you can assert the health of your ser0ers7 " final )A' tenet@ "s discussed in other areas of this !uide U a *ey concept of quality is your %ana!ed net#or* 0ersus your un%ana!ed net#or*7 Jor e9a%ple, for call le!s that tra0erse the internet it is not possi-le to assert and %aintain a quality $L"7 >ou %ay decide other areas of your net#or*, li*e #ireless, are also currently -est effort or un%ana!ed7 "s you custo%i/e )A' for your uses, focus on the areas you consider %ana!ed U the ones that you control7 $ee $ections 171 and B7474 for additional thou!hts on 'ana!ed 0ersus Un%ana!ed7
!.1.1 'erver 0lant

$er0er .lant is co%posed of four ele%ents@ 100
$% Server *ealth8assurin! your Lync 'edia $er0ers 3"5 ')U and 'ediation6 are healthy and not contri-utin! to conditions that #ill cause poor quality, includin! pac*et loss and :itter7 ,% 2 M"U G9H Mediation Server8loo*in! at strea%s -et#een these t#o ser0er roles ser0icin! dial2in conferencin! users7
.% Mediation Server G9H Gateway8loo*in! at strea%s -et#een 'ediation ser0er and their !ate#ay peers ser0icin! dial2in conferencin! users7 7% Gateway to PSTN8loo*in! at the final le! fro% the !ate#ay out to the .$ 17 1ote that AoD has no tele%etry data into these sessions and you #ill need to #or* #ith your !ate#ay %anufacturer to deri0e a data dri0en approach here7 he follo#in! dia!ra% sho#s these ele%ents as #ell as the ser0ers and strea%s they correspond to7
CAS
AV MC U
CAA
Mediation S erver
PS3N <ateway
!.1.2 (n points
Dndpoints are co%posed of four ele%ents@ 17 0evice8this is the I. or U$B de0ice used to place or recei0e a call7 Unqualified de0ices are often the source of call quality pro-le%s7 27 Syste/8the .) used to place or recei0e a call7 " co%%on syste% pro-le% is !litch !eneration #hich causes quality de!radation7
101
37 Media Path8Ideally peer2to2peer calls !o directly -et#een t#o syste%s7 " co%%on issue is internal fire#alls causin! internal calls to relay across the internal interface of an ed!e ser0er7 his is non2opti%al and can cause quality and capacity issues7 47 Media Transport8U(. is the ideal transport for %edia, ho#e0er, if U(. cannot -e ne!otiated ). is used, #hich results in poor %edia quality7 he follo#in! dia!ra% sho#s these ele%ents, as #ell as the ser0ers and strea%s they correspond to7 "!ain, prioriti/e addressin! the easy issues first U start -y loo*in! at de0ices, and once you ha0e a handle on that #or* your #ay out7
Int ernal
Internal
AV MC U
Mediat ion S erver
PS3N <ateway :e'ote
!.1.3 Last Mile

Last 'ile loo*s at endpoint connecti0ity7 )onsistent #ith our concept of 'ana!ed and Un%ana!ed, #e only loo* at internal connections on the %ana!ed corporate net#or*7 Last 'ile is co%posed of t#o ele%ents@ -% 1ired8-oth ser0er and client #ired connections $% 1ireless8client #ireless connections he follo#in! dia!ra% sho#s these ele%ents as #ell as the ser0ers and strea%s they correspond to7 +ired is the first priority U #ired connections should al#ays pro0ide hi!h quality7 (ependin! on the %aturity of your #ireless deploy%ent, you %ay or %ay not #ant to include #ireless in your quality scope as #ell7
102
!.1.4 'ervice Mana*ement
Internal
Internal
AV MC U
Mediation S erver
PS3N <ateway
Dach of the 10 )A' ele%ents introduced a-o0e are descri-ed in detail in the re%ainder of this section7 +hat is not co0ered is a ser0ice %ana!e%ent approach to i%ple%entin! )A'7 his is critical and #ill 0ary dependin! on your e9istin! operational processes and tools7 he follo#in! ite%s #ill -e *ey to your success should you pursue i%ple%entin! )A' in your en0iron%ent@ 17 0e'ine daily:weekly:/onthly processes8'onitorin! rhyth% for each ne# ele%ent typically starts at a hi!her frequency 3daily6 and e0ol0es to lo#er frequency 3%onthly6 as area is re%ediated7 27 &denti'y tools8-oth to %easure and re%ediate7 +hile )A' is lar!ely dri0en -y data out of the AoD data-ase, it is -ased on custo% queries #hich %ay require tool and process approaches to run7 In addition, re%ediation %ay require additional net#or* le0el tools for e9a%ple to identify net#or* ele%ents causin! loss in a particular set of poor strea%s7 User e5perience8ulti%ately, this is your anchor7 &e%ediation acti0ities are not :ustified unless they sho# a %easura-le increase in user quality and satisfaction "ctiona-le end2user tic*ets4feed-ac* on quality issues .u-lish proacti0e quality %etrics )orrelate user e9perience #ith AoD %etrics Jor infor%ation on ho# 'icrosoft I deli0ers Lync $er0ice 'ana!e%ent, refer to this #hitepaper@ <;pti%i/in! Lync 2010 Dnterprise 5oice .erfor%ance= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIG37
"%, Server Plant ;reakdown

he )A' $er0er .lant di%ension -rea*s do#n into four focus areas -y priority@ $er0er Health, "5 ')U2 to2'ediation strea%s, 'ediation2to2Cate#ay strea%s and Cate#ay2to2.$ 1 strea%s7 )A' uses a three phase approach to re%ediate each quality focus area@ first #e ,ssert quality, second #e ,chieve quality and finally #e Maintain Auality7
103
!.2.1 'erver Healt$

he first thin! to loo* at in )A' is the health of your Lync ser0ers7 'a*e sure@ 17 "ll ser0ers ha0e latest Lync )u%ulati0e Updates and ha0e 'icrosoft Update confi!ured Lync ,-$- U http@44support7%icrosoft7co%4*-424I3G3F Lync ,-$. U http@44support7%icrosoft7co%4*-42H0I243 "ll ser0ers ha0e updated BI;$ and syste% dri0ers 3net#or* dri0ers are critical6 "nti0irus scannin! e9clusions are confi!ured, see the follo#in!@ <'icrosoft "nti25irus D9clusion List= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIGF <"nti0irus $cannin! D9clusions for Lync $er0er 2013= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIGE "ll ser0ers %eet or e9ceed pu-lished hard#are confi!uration -ased on your deploy%ent si/e Lync ,-$- U =$er0er Hard#are .latfor%s= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIGG Lync ,-$. U =$er0er Hard#are .latfor%s= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIGI
"%,%$%$ ssert +uality

Jor Lync $er0er 20102 #e ha0e defined a set of Lync Key Health Indicators 3KHIs67 he KHIs are a ti!htly scoped collection of perfor%ance counters #ith a defined healthy ran!e7 >ou should collect and %onitor these KHIs proacti0ely to insure your Lync ser0ers arenKt e9ceedin! any of the KHIs, and if they are, trou-leshoot and resol0e7 he KHIs are split into t#o tiers U a hi!h le0el to run on all Lync $er0ers 3Z206, and a second co%ponent2specific tier to run on specific roles for 3Z4067 he KHIs are a superset of the ones discussed in section 3717171, all #ith defined thresholds7 he 2010 KHI spreadsheet is included #ith the 1et#or*in! Cuide (o#nload7 " po#ershell script is also pro0ided that #ill setup a KHI perfor%ance %onitor collection7
"%,%$%, chieve +uality

" co%%on pro-le% in $er0er Health is %isconfi!uration7 Jor e9a%ple, dual ho%ed %ediation ser0ers often ha0e their net#or* interfaces confi!ured incorrectly7 " #ay to a0oid confi!uration pro-le%s li*e this 2 -oth in !ettin! the initial ser0er confi!uration ri!ht and %aintainin! it 2 is throu!h a confi!uration %ana!e%ent tool7 ;ne e9a%ple is )onfi!uration 'ana!er in $yste% )enter 2012 3http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIH067 Jor each ser0er type and role you define your opti%al confi!uration, and then use a tool li*e )onfi!uration 'ana!er to ensure this confi!uration is %aintained7
"%,%$%. Maintain +uality

;nce you ha0e achie0ed health across all of your Lync $er0ers, you need an on!oin! 0ie# into your en0iron%ent to %aintain it7 o do this, you #ill need an on!oin! 0ie# into the KHIs, or at least a #ee*ly update7 >ou #ill also need a #ay to %onitor syste% confi!uration, reportin! on and correctin! any de0iations fro% your desired confi!uration7
!.2.2 'erver-to-server reports. +9 M!< to Me iation 'erver an Me iation 'erver to Aateway

;nce you are confident your Lync ser0ers are runnin! #ell, ne9t loo* at ho# %edia strea%s -et#een ser0ers are doin!37 he first place to loo* is at strea%s fro% the "5 ')U to 'ediation $er0ers7 he second place to loo* is at strea%s fro% 'ediation $er0ers to I.2.$ 1 Cate#ays7 "ll .$ 1 attendee # >ill 8e u8lis!ed 4or Lync Server #$,- at a later date 3 Jor additional -ac*!round on the AoD sche%a and ho# #e define -oth sessions and strea%s, ta*e a loo* at this article@ <Ho# %any sessions and strea%s do #e see in AoD for a conferenceL= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIH1 104
strea%s in a conference #ill tra0erse these ser0ers7 he AoD data-ase has call quality infor%ation on e0ery one of these strea%s or!ani/ed -y the endpoints of each one7 +e ha0e de0eloped t#o custo% )A' queries to pull this infor%ation out of the AoD data-ase U PlantD)D,?M5UDMediation W PlantD'DMediationDGateway7 he queries loo* at pac*et loss to deter%ine quality of these strea%s7 In our internal testin!, #e ha0e found loss to -e the %ost co%%on source and o0erall indicator of net#or* pro-le%s leadin! to poor quality7 $pecifically, the follo#in! t#o conditions are used -y all the queries #hen a strea% is fla!!ed as poor 3parenthesis indicate the specific AoD attri-ute #e are chec*in!6@ 17 "0era!e pac*et loss !reater than 1P 3.ac*etLoss&ate T 7016 'a9i%u% pac*et loss !reater than EP 3.ac*etLoss&ate'a9 T 70E6 he ser0er2to2ser0er reports are descri-ed in additional detail in section B7E he query for "5 ')U to 'ediation operates o0er a date ran!e and #ill return infor%ation a-out all internal strea%s -et#een pairs of conferencin! and %ediation ser0ers li*e this 3in this e9a%ple top results are sho#n sorted -y hi!hest .oor$trea%s&atio6@
ReportDate %?&?#$,%?&?#$,%?-?#$,%?-?#$,-
AVMCU MA)L@NAV$, MA)L@NAV$1 MA)L@NAV$MA)L@NAV$%
MS MA)L@NMS$, MA)L@NMS$, MA)L@NMS$, MA)L@NMS$,
AllStreams ,A,$& ,A,-$ ,A/&$ ,A##2
PoorStreams -$& #&& #0, ,-1
PoorStreamsRatio #0+0 #%+1 ,-+2 ,$+/
>ou need to loo* at this initial -aseline and %a*e a deter%ination of the .oor$trea%s&atio you #ould li*e to achie0e in your en0iron%ent7 )onsider esta-lishin! a tar!et of EP or less7 "s you re%ediate top offenders 3for e9a%ple, in the a-o0e, the "5 ')U and 'ediation $er0er strea%s co%in! out of 'adrid ha0e hi!h poor strea%s ratio and need to -e re%ediated6 you #ill !et closer to achie0in! your tar!et7 he query for 'ediation to Cate#ay operates o0er a date ran!e and #ill return infor%ation a-out all internal strea%s -et#een pairs of %ediation ser0ers and .$ 1 !ate#ays li*e this 3in this e9a%ple, top results are sho#n sorted -y hi!hest .oor$trea%s&atio6@
ReportDate %?&?#$,%?&?#$,%?-?#$,%?-?#$,-
MS MA)L@NMS$,
GW
AllStreams PoorStreams &,# 2&/ 2$% 2,,
PoorStreamsRati o #%+# ,/+1 ,%+$ ,-+2
'adgw$,+contoso+co -A#,/ ' 'adgw$,+contoso+co MA)L@NMS$, -A%1& ' MA)L@NMS$, deugw$1+contoso+co' 1A$-MA)L@NMS$, deugw$%+contoso+co' 1A%$,
"!ain, deter%ine a .oor $trea%s &atio tar!et fro% this initial -aseline7 " tar!et of EP or under is opti%al7 he Cate#ay tar!et does not need to -e the sa%e as the "5 ')U tar!et7 Jor e9a%ple, if your 'ediation $er0ers are centrali/ed #hile your Cate#ays are decentrali/ed, you %ay decide to set the tar!et for 'ediation ser0er to Cate#ay strea%s hi!her than "5 ')U to 'ediation ser0er strea%s to account for hi!her loss as strea%s tra0erse +"1 lin*s7
"%,%,%$ ssert +uality

Dsta-lishin! your initial -aseline and su-sequently definin! #hat you #ant your tar!et to -e is the first step to i%pro0in! quality across these ser0er2to2ser0er strea%s7 Jor e9a%ple, say you decide 2P is the 10E
ri!ht achie0a-le tar!et for -oth "5 ')U to 'ediation and 'ediation to Cate#ay strea%s7 >ou #ill achie0e your quality tar!ets #hen@ %he server"to"server &ueries results return PoorStreamsEatio F ' G for all combinations
"%,%,%, chieve +uality

Incorporate on!oin! e9ecution of the ser0er2to2ser0er queries in your operational processes7 >ou #ill -e a-le to see patterns in the results that %ay i%%ediately lead you to so%e conclusions and su-sequent chan!es to re%ediate co%-inations #ith a hi!h nu%-er of poor strea%s7 $tart #ith the #orst offenders and #or* your #ay do#n the list7 ;nce you ha0e a pair or set of pairs to tar!et, you can -e!in -y !ettin! additional details -ehind the strea%s #hich %ay sho# ti%e or other patterns7 >ou %ay also see co%%on net#or* ele%ents -et#een strea%sQ start your in0esti!ation there7 $ee "ppendi9 ( -elo# for additional approaches and tools you can use to re%ediate these poor strea%s7
"%,%,%. Maintain +uality

;nce you ha0e *noc*ed do#n the top offenders and achie0ed or are co%in! close to achie0in! the tar!et you set, !et into a rhyth% of re!ularly runnin! the queries, includin! the su%%ary trend queries, so you can spot trends and proacti0ely identify quality pro-le%s -efore they !et -ad7 &e!ularly pu-lish the poor strea%s reports 0ia e%ail or a #e- pa!e so you can spot #hen a ne# pair of ser0ers surfaces and ha0e an operational processes to address these on!oin!7
!.2.3 I0-0'%N Aateway Healt$

Lync currently does not collect any call quality statistics on strea%s lea0in! a Cate#ay to the .$ 17 Ho#e0er, the !ate#ays and $B)s that ori!inate4ter%inate these strea%s do collect these7 )hec* #ith your 0endor and deter%ine the quality %easures they report on and decide ho# you are !oin! to loo* at these7
"%,%.%$ ssert +uality

(eter%ine the I.2.$ 1 !ate#ay statistics you #ill use to %easure and assert quality7 (eter%ine quality tar!ets accordin!ly7 +hile not specifically a quality issue, itKs also a !ood idea to loo* at #ays to %easure !ate#ay capacity to ensure you are not runnin! out of trun* capacity at -usy hour, resultin! in -loc*ed calls7 By so%e %easures, a -loc*ed call is the #orst quality7 Cate#ay confi!uration is another critical ite% here U quality pro-le%s can -e introduced -y the !ate#ay itself if it has not -een qualified for Lync, is not runnin! the latest fir%#are, or is %isconfi!ured7 )o%%on ite%s to loo* for are ")C or auto%atic !ain control and co%fort noise !eneration7 $tandardi/e on a co%%on !ate#ay platfor% and then deter%ine, pu-lish and enforce the opti%al fir%#are and confi!uration for each %odel7 .ut processes and tools in place to alert on and %ini%i/e !ate#ay confi!uration [drift7K
"%,%.%, chieve +uality

Drlan! -usy hour traffic analysis 3a %easure of traffic throu!h telephony equip%ent6 #ill help you esta-lish capacity !uidelines and deter%ine the nu%-er of accepta-le -loc*ed calls per hour7 Increase capacity accordin!ly7 'a*e sure each !ate#ay has the opti%al confi!uration, includin! fir%#are updates7 Cate#ay statistics and reports #ill !i0e you the quality 0ie#7 If you are not hittin! your tar!et, -uild a re%ediation plan #ith your !ate#ay or support pro0ider and e9ecute a!ainst it7
"%,%.%. Maintain +uality

o %aintain call quality across your !ate#ays, you #ill need an on!oin! 0ie# of call quality %etrics fro% the !ate#ay so you can spot ne# issues as they arise7 >ou #ill also need a process to spot de0iations in 10F
your opti%al or [!oldenK !ate#ay confi!uration and re%ediate the%7 Jinally, %onitor capacity and e9pand it if the nu%-er of -loc*ed .$ 1 calls e9ceeds the threshold you esta-lished7
"%. #ndpoints ;reakdown

he )A' Dndpoint di%ension focusses on four areas -y priority@ (e0ice, $yste%, 'edia .ath and 'edia ransport7 )A' uses a three phase approach to re%ediate each quality focus area@ first #e ,ssert quality, second #e ,chieve quality and finally #e Maintain Auality7
!.3.1 Device
"s you s#itch focus fro% your o0erall Lync .lant to endpoints, U$B de0ices are frequently the source of quality issues and su-sequently are the first place to loo*7 +e use the 'ean ;pinion $core 3';$6 0alues that Lync calculates and stores in the AoD data-ase to identify de0ices that are causin! poor audio quality7 Lync trac*s se0eral different ';$ scoresQ the specific ';$ 0alue #e loo* at for de0ices is the "0!$endListen';$ 0alue7 he )A' (e0ice query U 1ndpointD(D9evice H operates o0er a date ran!e and #ill return a list of de0ices alon! #ith the "0!$endListen';$ and the nu%-er of strea%s that de0ice #as used for7 In the e9a%ple -elo#, top results are sho# sorted -y the lo#est "0!$endListen';$ 0alue@ )apture(e0ice1a%e Internal 'icrophone 3)one9ant 20EHE $%art"udio H(6 'icrophone "rray 3I( Hi!h (efinition "udio );(D)6 Dcho )ancellin! $pea*erphone 3Ja-ra $.D"K 410 U$B6 Headset 'icrophone 3122 C1 2000 U$B ;)6 'icrophone sur casque 3H2 C1 2000 U$B ;)6 "0!$endListen';$ 27HH 37E3 37F0 37F3 37G0 1u%$trea%s 130 4F 32E 1E2 1HH
he first couple of entries a-o0e are usin! -uilt in %icrophones U typically these #ill -e lo#er quality than U$B de0ices -ut not al#ays7 he third entry is the first U$B de0ice 3Ja-ra spea*erphone67 he last t#o entries are actually the sa%e de0ice 3Ja-ra #ired headset6, :ust #ith different display na%es returned in the query7 he display na%e is -ased on the de0ice na%e in the endpoint operatin! syste%, and %ay contain locali/ed lan!ua!e as #ell as different U$B port infor%ation7 &efer to the follo#in! -lo! post for an approach to consolidate duplicate de0ice entries@ <+or*in! #ith de0ice na%es in AoD data= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIH2
"%.%$%$ ssert +uality

(eter%ine the "0!$endListen';$ tar!et you #ould li*e to attain7 ';$ scores ran!e fro% 1 to E, #ith E -ein! the -est7 " score under 3 is undesira-le, #hile scores o0er 4 are !ood quality7 )hoose a reasona-le tar!et -ased on your en0iron%ent and query results7 Jor e9a%ple, -elo# #e are tar!etin! an "0!$endListen';$ score of 37F or -etter for all de0ices #ith o0er 100 strea%s7 >ou #ill achie0e your de0ice quality tar!et #hen@ he de0ice query results return "0!$endListen';$ S 37F for 1u%$trea%s T 100
"%.%$%, chieve +uality

ypically you #ill need to replace poorly perfor%in! de0ices #ith *no#n !ood de0ices7 Co throu!h the list fro% top to -otto% 3#orst or lo#est ';$ scores to -est up to your defined -aseline67 $o%e considerations@ 10G
"re the de0ices certified or *no#n to -e !ood in your en0iron%entL If the sa%e de0ice is returned in the query #ith a hi!her tar!et ';$ score than your -aseline than it %ay -e so%ethin! -esides the de0ice itself7 >ou can find a list of de0ices 'icrosoft has certified for use #ith Lync here@ <U$B "udio and 5ideo (e0ices= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIH3 >ou can identify users of a de0ice throu!h AoD U chec* to %a*e sure they ha0e the latest dri0ers and that the de0ice is not connected throu!h a U$B hu-7 Jinally chec* to see if there is a correlation -et#een -ad de0ices and particular syste% %a*es and %odels7 If so, there %ay -e an inco%pati-ility or dri0er up!rades needed7
"%.%$%. Maintain +uality

;nce you ha0e refined the de0ice results and reached your -aseline, continue re!ularly runnin! the report to spot ne# de0ices in your en0iron%ent #ith su-2par perfor%ance and in0esti!ate7
!.3.2 'ystem
+hen #e loo* at the endpoints cate!ory, syste% %eans the de0ice or .) processin! the audio for a call7 here are t#o thin!s you need to loo* at here@ 17 "on'iguration Manage/ent8si%ilar to your Lync ser0ers, you need to ensure that your clients ha0e the latest dri0ers7 1et#or* card, BI;$, $ound W 5ideo dri0ers are *ey for Lync7 >ou also #ant to ensure that applications are #ell -eha0ed and donKt e9haust syste%s resources li*e %e%ory or processor that Lync needs to process audio7 Jinally ensure the appropriate anti0irus scannin! e9clusions are set@ 17 <'icrosoft "nti25irus D9clusion List= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GIGF 27 <"nti0irus $cannin! D9clusions for Lync $er0er 2013= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN32GIGE Glitch <ate8#e call audio pro-le%s !enerated -y the .) [!litches,K and #e trac* the !litch rates in AoD7 By runnin! the )A' Clitch query you can see users #ith hi!h !litch rates and ta*e a loo* at their .)s to see #hat is causin! this7 he )A' Clitch query, 1ndpointD)DSystem, operates o0er a date ran!e and #ill return a list of strea%s fro% the caller #here the "udio'icClitch&ate is lar!er than 1, as #ell as the callerKs $I. address and the na%e of the de0ice used7 In the e9a%ple -elo#, top results are sho#n sorted -y the hi!hest )aller"udio'icClitch&ate 0alue@
ReportDate CallerAudioMicGlitchRat Caller DeviceName e %?&?#$,/& si Bwalter+!ar Ccontoso+co Micro !one "SoundMA. ' Integrated )igital () Audio* %?&?#$,/$ si Bwalter+!ar Ccontoso+co Micro !one "SoundMA. ' Integrated )igital () Audio* %?-?#$,/$ si B8en+s'it!Ccontoso+co' Internal Micro !one "Conexant #$%&% S'artAudio ()*
.lease note that conference calls donKt report !litch rate fro% the callee, #hich is the conferencin! ser0er or "5 ')U7 >ou should a!!re!ate entries #ith the sa%e )aller U&I as typically these #ill -e placed fro% the sa%e .)7 Be!in your in0esti!ation -y loo*in! at syste%s #ith hi!h caller !litch rates7
10H
"%.%,%$ ssert +uality

By definition, a !litch is an audio discontinuity your users can hear, and as such you should tar!et !ettin! rid of these in your en0iron%ent7 In the e9a%ple -elo# #e are usin! a tar!et of 17 >ou #ill achie0e your syste% quality tar!et #hen@ %he system &uery results return 5aller,udioMicGlitchEate F: )
"%.%,%, chieve +uality

$yste%ic !litch pro-le%s in an en0iron%ent are typically traced to a syste% specific dri0er or application7 Jor %ana!ed .)s, define the opti%al or [!oldenK confi!uration for each .) %a*e and %odel and enforce that 0ia confi!uration %ana!e%ent tools7 $yste%s )enter )onfi!uration 'ana!er 3http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*I(N32GIH06 can help here, and you can also i%ple%ent +indo#s $er0er Update $er0ices for your endpoint syste%s 3http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GII267 ;nce you ha0e identified the cause of syste% !litch issues, consider proacti0e #ays to educate users #ho %ay -e usin! un%ana!ed .)s that you cannot re%ediate7 Dnsure the help des* follo#s an audio quality script that includes identifyin! !litch pro-le%s #ith reco%%ended steps for users7 $ee section 4717272 for script and data to collect for frontline audio quality help des* calls7 'any users #onKt call the help des* U for the%, i%ple%ent proacti0e trainin! and a#areness to address7
"%.%,%. Maintain +uality

;nce you ha0e a syste%s %ana!e%ent approach in place and you ha0e achie0ed your !litch rate tar!ets, continue to run the )A' Clitch query to catch ne# syste%s that are causin! !litchy audio in your i%ple%entation7
!.3.3 Me ia 0at$ : 90N D )elay

he net#or* path an audio strea% ta*es fro% a Lync endpoint can cause poor audio quality in a fe# scenarios@ 17 2PN8audio o0er a 5.1 connection typically causes poor quality7 5.1 solutions are desi!ned for data access scenarios li*e e%ail and #e- sites, -ut they are typically not opti%i/ed a!ainst the net#or* require%ents for real ti%e %edia7 5.1 sessions often route throu!h concentrators, #hich creates a non2opti%al net#or* path for %edia7 5.1 solutions also apply 0arious encryption %ethods #hich add processin! and latency to LyncKs already encrypted & . -itstrea%7 If your or!ani/ation requires 5.1 connections for e9ternal access, consider a split2tunnel confi!uration to di0ert %edia traffic outside of the 5.1 tunnel7 his is the approach 'icrosoft has ta*en in our internal i%ple%entation to insure no %edia sessions tra0erse the 5.17 he follo#in! article contains !uidance on i%ple%entin! this approach@ <Dna-lin! Lync 'edia to Bypass a 5.1 unnel= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*I(N2EFE327 #dge <elay8#hen an internal Lync client cannot esta-lish a direct %edia strea% to another internal Lync client for a t#o2party or peer2to2peer call, it #ill fall -ac* to a path that relays throu!h a Lync Dd!e ser0er7 ypically this happens -ecause of internal fire#alls -loc*in! %edia ports7 he call no# has to tra0erse a lon!er net#or* path to the datacenter to relay across the Dd!e ser0er7 his adds latency to the call, as #ell as increased potential for loss and :itter7 It also adds increased load a!ainst your Dd!e ser0ers, #hich can lead to -oth perfor%ance and capacity issues7 here is a 5.1 fla! in the AoD data-ase -ased on an ;$ net#or* connection settin!7 Ho#e0er, not all 5.1 clients and solutions set this fla!7 If your 5.1 solution does set this, use the )A' 1ndpointD'D?PN query to list all the %edia sessions across 5.1 and their quality7 he query operates #ith a date ran!e and reports on all strea%s #here either caller or callee is on 5.1, and on the poor strea%s on 5.1 !i0en the definition of poor a-o0e7 $a%ple results fro% the 5.1 query@ otal$trea%s otal5.1$trea%s otal.oor5.1$trea%s 10I
II3
I4
44
o deter%ine the internal %edia sessions that relay throu!h an Dd!e ser0er, run the 1ndpointD'DEelay query7 he query operates #ith a date ran!e and reports on all strea%s #here -oth caller and callee are internal and one or -oth of the strea%s are 0ia the relay7 1ote that this query has a dependency on the Lync 2013 AoD sche%a, so it can only -e used in 2013 en0iron%ents7
Sa/ple results 'ro/ the <elay =uery:
&eport (ate E4H42013 E4H42013 E4H42013 E4H42013 E4H42013 E4H42013
;0erall"0 !1et#or* ';$ 27E 471 37F 271 272 273
$trea%(i rection Jro% )allee Jro% )aller Jro% )allee Jro% )aller Jro% )allee Jro% )aller
)allerU&I sip@:eff7harperYc ontoso7co% sip@:eff7harperYc ontoso7co% sip@:eff7harperYc ontoso7co% sip@:eff7harperYc ontoso7co% sip@ted7-re%erY contoso7co% sip@tu2FYcontos o7d*
)alleeU&I sip@:eff7s%ithYco ntoso7co% sip@:eff7s%ithYco ntoso7co% sip@ted7-re%erY contoso7co% sip@ted7-re%erY contoso7co% sip@:eff7harperYc ontoso7co% sip@:eff7harperYc ontoso7co%
)aller)onne cti0ityIce (irect (irect &elay &elay &elay &elay
)allee)onn ecti0ityIce &elay &elay (irect (irect &elay &elay
"%.%.%$ ssert +uality

Ideally, you eli%inate these %edia paths that cause poor audio quality@ e9ternal %edia sessions o0er 5.1 and internal %edia sessions throu!h the Dd!e 3%edia relay67 $o, in this e9a%ple, #e set a tar!et of 07 >ou #ill achie0e your endpoint quality tar!et #hen@ %he number of calls with external participants using ?PN for media : ( ,N9 %he number of internal calls using the media relay : (
"%.%.%, chieve +uality

HereKs an approach you can ta*e to decide ho# to treat 5.1 in your i%ple%entation@ 17 &un the 1ndpointD'D?PNDPoorDMedia query and e0aluate the results to deter%ine the percenta!e of 5.1 strea%s that are poor7 If the percenta!e is EP or hi!her, you should ta*e steps to either@ 1 .re0ent %edia strea%s fro% tra0ersin! your 5.1 U split tunnelin! is the reco%%ended approach as descri-ed a-o0e7 2 I%ple%ent opti%i/ations to i%pro0e %edia quality o0er 5.17 his #ill 0ary and can include chan!es to your i%ple%entation or adoption of an alternate 5.1 solution ;ur reco%%endation is to pre0ent %edia strea%s fro% tra0ersin! 5.17 >ou can use the 1ndpointD'D?PN query to %onitor ho# %any %edia sessions are tra0ersin! 5.1 a!ainst a set tar!et7 If the results of the 1ndpointD'DEelay query sho# you ha0e internal calls !oin! throu!h the Dd!e ser0er, you #ill need to in0esti!ate internal fire#all confi!urations #ith your security tea%s and re#rite fire#all rules to allo# this traffic internally7 >ou should define, confi!ure and enforce opti%al or [!oldenK confi!urations for 5.1 ser0ers and clients to ena-le split tunnelin!7 >ou should do this as #ell for fire#alls and pac*et shapers to eli%inate internal %edia flo#s throu!h Dd!e ser0ers7
110
"%.%.%.% Maintain +uality

;nce you ha0e opti%i/ed your 5.1 and fire#all confi!urations, continue to run the 5.1 and &elay queries to identify reoccurrence of these issues and address the% as they arise7
!.3.4 Me ia 0at$ : %ransport

he final area in the )A' Dndpoints di%ension is the transport protocol that %edia is usin! in your en0iron%ent7 here are t#o transports for I. .ac*ets U rans%ission )ontrol .rotocol 3 ).6 or User (ata!ra% .rotocol 3U(.67 ). is a connection oriented protocol and includes o0erhead for flo# control and error correction7 It is opti%al for data strea%s7 U(. is connectionless and is %ore efficient for %edia since ). reco0ery %echanis%s cannot address loss in real ti%e %edia7 Lync al#ays prefers U(. for %edia, -ut #ill re0ert to ). if a U(. session cannot -e esta-lished7 'edia sessions o0er ). #ill e9hi-it poorer quality than o0er U(.7 he )A' ransport query 31ndpointD*D%ransport6 operates o0er a date ran!e and returns all strea%s in your en0iron%ent that are usin! ). rather than U(., and includes a ';$ score so you can !au!e the i%pact7 In the ta-le -elo#, the top results are sho# -y "udio;0erall"0!1et#or*';$ sorted fro% the lo#est 3#orst6 0alue@ &eport (ate E4H42013 17E E4H42013 17EE E4H42013 17H1 E4H42013 17I3 E4H42013 270G o )aller o )aller o )aller Jro% )alle e Jro% )alle e "udio;0eral l"0!1et#or* ';$ $trea %(ire ction )allerU&I sip@#alter7har pYcontoso7c o% sip@#alter7har pYcontoso7c o% sip@-en7s%ith Ycontoso7co % sip@#alter7har pYcontoso7c o% sip@:eff7s%ith Ycontoso7co % )alleeU&I sip@:eff7s%ith Ycontoso7co % sip@:eff7s%ith Ycontoso7co % sip@ted7-re%e rYcontoso7c o% sip@ted7-re%e rYcontoso7c o% sip@tu34Ycon toso7d* )aller)onnec ti0ityIce (irect (irect &elay &elay &elay )allee)onne cti0ityIce &elay &elay (irect (irect &elay
"%.%7%$ ssert +uality

>ou #ant to eli%inate strea%s usin! ).7 >ou #ill achie0e your endpoint quality tar!et #hen@ %he number of calls with external participants using %5P for media : (
"%.%7%, chieve +uality

If you find a lot of internal calls usin! )., typically it is a fire#all or si%ilar net#or* ele%ent 3for e9a%ple, pac*et shaper6 that is denyin! U(. sessions7 >ou #ill need to #or* #ith your security tea% to identify #here this is happenin! on your net#or* and correct it7 >ou should define, confi!ure and enforce opti%al or [!oldenK confi!urations for fire#alls and pac*et shapers to allo# U(. internally7
111
"%.%7%. Maintain +uality

;nce you ha0e opti%i/ed your fire#all confi!urations for U(., continue to run the transport query to spot reoccurrences of this issue so you can proacti0ely address the%7
"%7 Last Mile ;reakdown

he )A' Last 'ile di%ension focuses on :ust t#o areas@ +ired and +ireless7 &efer to section B7F for a co%prehensi0e discussion of the su-net queries #e use to address quality in this last di%ension7 )A' uses a three phase approach to re%ediate each quality focus area@ first #e ,ssert quality, second #e ,chieve quality and finally #e Maintain Auality7
!.4.1. 4ire
;f the t#o #ays clients connect to the net#or*, #ired is e9pected to deli0er the hi!hest quality, and correspondin!ly this %ust -e your initial focus7 he )A' +ired query 3 LastMileD(D+ired6 operates on a date ran!e and #ill return all internal #ired strea%s in your en0iron%ent fro% Lync clients to or fro% either )onferencin! ser0ers or 'ediation ser0ers7 Lync clients are, in this conte9t, defined as these user a!ent cate!ories@ ;), ;).H;1D, L'), 'ac 'essen!er, " D1("1 , L>1)I'', L+" and U)+"47 1ote that this query has a dependency on the Lync 2013 AoD sche%a, so can only -e used in Lync 2013 en0iron%ents7 he follo#in! sa%ple sho#s the top results sorted -y the ratio of poor to !ood strea%s@
Report Date %?&?#$,%?&?#$,%?&?#$,%?&?#$,-
CallerSubnet AllStreams ,%0+%/+2-+, ,%0+%/+/$+# ,%0+%/+21+, ,%0+%/+/,+# 202 1,$ 1$1 -11
PoorStreams #% ,,, /
PoorStreamsRati o -+0 -+# #+0 #+2
Jor this data to -e %eanin!ful, you #ill need to %ap userKs corporate su-nets to your office locations7 ypically, your net#or* tea% #ill ha0e a data-ase you can cross reference and identify the locations #ith a hi!h percenta!e of poor strea%s7
"%7%$%$ ssert +uality

Dsta-lish your initial -aseline and prioriti/e su-nets #ith a lot of strea%s7 Jor e9a%ple, tar!etin! S EP poor strea%s at sites #ith o0er 300 strea%s, you #ill achie0e your quality tar!ets #hen@ %he wired &uery results return PoorStreamsEatio F > G for sites with I *(( streams
"%7%$%, chieve +uality

Initially, loo*in! across all your #ired su-nets can see% a dauntin! tas*7 'a*e sure you define your initial tar!ets so you ha0e a li%ited nu%-er of initial sites to loo* at7 Cet the su-net definitions fro% your net#or* tea% so you can tar!et discrete locations7 >ouKll need to loo* at routers and other net#or* ele%ents in these net#or* paths to identify the root cause7 Dnsure Ao$ is i%ple%ented end2to2end on each su-net7
4 Jor %ore infor%ation a-out the different client types used in the queries, see <5ie#in! net#or* health trends usin! AoD data= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN32GII37 112
"%7%$%. Maintain +uality

(efine a process to tria!e and re%ediate su-net issues as they arise7 &e!ularly run the +ired query and in0esti!ate ne# su-nets that sho# up7 &efer to "ppendi9 ( -elo# for so%e approaches7
!.4.2 4ireless
;nce you nor%ali/e the quality of your #ired client connections, #ireless -eco%es easier as the #ireless infrastructure sits atop the #ired core at each location7 .oor #ireless strea%s in a site #ith !ood #ired quality %ust -e attri-uted to the specific #ireless co%ponents7 he )A' +ireless query 3LastMileD)D+ireless6 operates on a date ran!e and #ill return all internal #ireless strea%s in your en0iron%ent fro% Lync clients to or fro% either conferencin! ser0ers or %ediation ser0ers7 Lync clients are, in this conte9t, defined as these user a!ent cate!ories@ ;), L'), 'ac 'essen!er, " D1("1 , +.Lync, i.honeLync, "ndroidLync, i.adLync, 1o*iaLync, L>1)I'', L+" and U)+"7 1ote that this query has a dependency on the Lync 2013 AoD sche%a so can only -e used in 2013 en0iron%ents7 he follo#in! sa%ple sho#s the top results sorted -y the ratio of poor to !ood strea%s@
Report Date %?&?#$,%?&?#$,%?&?#$,%?&?#$,-
CallerSubnet AllStreams ,%0+%/+21+, ,%0+%/+/,+# ,%0+%/+22+, ,%0+%/+/,+2/& 2,# %/2 %01
PoorStreams 0% %0 12 -0
PoorStreamsRati o ,$+0 /+&+# 2+1
"!ain, to ta*e action on the data, you #ill #ant to %ap userKs corporate su-nets to your office locations7 ypically, your net#or* tea% #ill ha0e a data-ase you can cross reference and identify the locations #ith a hi!h percenta!e of poor strea%s7
"%7%,%$ ssert +uality

Dsta-lish your initial -aseline and prioriti/e su-nets #ith a lot of strea%s7 >our #ireless tar!et #ill !enerally -e hi!her than the #ired tar!et7 Jor e9a%ple, tar!etin! S 10P poor #ireless strea%s at sites #ith o0er 300 strea%s, you #ill achie0e your quality tar!ets #hen@ %he wired &uery results return PoorStreamsEatio F )( G for sites with I *(( streams
"%7%,%, chieve +uality

5oice quality o0er #ireless net#or*s is inherently %ore co%ple9 than #ired7 &efer to sections 27H and 4727173 of this !uide, and read the +i2Ji #hitepapers #e #rote on this -ased on our e9periences here@ <(eli0erin! Lync 2013 &eal2 i%e )o%%unications o0er +i2Ji= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*I(N2II3G17 <(eli0erin! Lync &eal2 i%e )o%%unications o0er +i2Ji= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*I(N2II3G07
"%7%,%. Maintain +uality

(efine a process to tria!e and re%ediate su-net issues as they arise7 &e!ularly run the +ireless query and in0esti!ate ne# su-nets that sho# up7 &efer to "ppendi9 " for trou-leshootin! approaches7
113
"%8 "+M 0ashboard

>ou can to co%ple%ent your call quality analysis #ith su%%ary dash-oard 0ie#s that co%-ine the indi0idual strea% -rea*do#ns #e #ent throu!h a-o0e into so%e all up 0ie#s7 he %rending 0ersions of the )A' queries return totals -y day and support the follo#in! rollup 0ie#s7 Dach ro# in the ta-le has one or %ore correspondin! trendin! queries that are included #ith this !uide7 Dach query a!!re!ates a unique set of strea%s so that to!ether they !i0e you a co%plete picture of e0ery audio strea% in your en0iron%ent on a !i0en day7 he queries operate o0er a date ran!e7 "d:ust the date ran!e to suit your needs and the nu%-er of strea%s in your en0iron%ent7 If you ha0e %any strea%s, so%e of the queries %i!ht run for lon! ti%e7 he trendin! queries return su%%ary data that you can a!!re!ate in a ta-le li*e the follo#in!@ $trea% ype "5')U to 'ediation 'ediation to Cate#ay +ired )lient ')U4'$ +ired )lient .2. I. ;ther 3)"", D9U'6 5.1 D9ternal +ireless )lient ')U4'$4.2. ; "L 'ana!ed )o0era!e (ate F4G42013 F4G42013 F4G42013 F4G42013 F4G42013 F4G42013 F4G42013 F4G42013 "ll $trea%s 4,2E4 11,1EG E,1E3 4,000 2H4 4E3 12,113 2,23H 43,3H2 8>%?D .oor $trea%s 3E3 F2G F44 E2F 14 EI 1,104 40G 3,G20 .oor $trea%s &atio HP FP 12P 13P 47IP 13P GP 1HP H7EGP rendin! Aueries rendB1B"5')UB'ediation rendB2B'ediationBCate#ay rendB3B+ired rendB4B+iredB.2. rendBEB;therB+ired rendBFB;therB+ireless rendBGB5.1 rendBHBD9ternal rendBIB+ireless rendB10B+irelessB.2. rendB11B otal
$ince all audio strea%s are represented, you can easily render charts and include ho# %any of the strea%s in your en0iron%ent are on your %ana!ed net#or* 0ersus un%ana!ed7 >ou can see in the ta-le a-o0e the three ro#s 2 5.1, D9ternal, and all +ireless strea%s are considered un%ana!ed in this e9a%ple7 >ou can also see #hich type of strea%s %a*e up the %a:ority of your traffic7 In this e9a%ple, the data sho#s the %a:ority of strea%s are fro% users either dialin! into conferences 0ia .$ 1 or connectin! e9ternally7 Ci0en the un%ana!ed nature of e9ternal connections, this custo%er #ill need to thin* a-out creati0e #ays to educate their users on !ettin! the -est quality #hen connectin! 0ia e9ternal un%ana!ed net#or*s, and potentially :oinin! 0ia 5oI. on %o-ile de0ices to reduce .$ 1 usa!e7
he follo#in! 0ie# of this sa%e data focuses :ust on the %ana!ed strea%s, hi!hli!htin! the top contri-utors to poor strea%s on the %ana!ed net#or*7 In this case, #ired client2to2ser0er connections had the lar!est nu%-er of poor strea%s and, consequently, #ould -e the first place to focus for re%ediation7
>ou can also use the trendin! queries to sho# trends in a dash-oard 0ie#7 By reportin! su%%aries -y date and type, you #ill !et a ta-ular 0ie# li*e the follo#in!@
114
Un%ana!ed 3GP
&eport(ate F41042013 F41142013 F41242013 F41342013 F41442013
"5')UB'e diation 2274 1H7F 1E73 1F 137I
'ediationBC ate#ay F F73 F71 E7E E7E
+ired ')U4'$ 1471 127E 117I 1074 H7G
+iredB.2. 1F7I 1F72 1F71 1G71 1472
" chart 0ie# of this data sho#s ho# %ana!ed strea%s are trendin! durin! a #ee*7 Here you see positi0e trends across the -oard in i%pro0in! strea% quality, -ut still sho#in! "5 ')U to 'ediation and +ired strea%s at poor strea% ratios that are too hi!h@
he natural pro!ression fro% these rollup 0ie#s is to deter%ine the ri!ht re%ediation focus areas7 Here is #here you could lin* -ac* to the detailed 0ie#s for a !i0en strea% type to -e!in that re%ediation7
"%> Su//ary
In this appendi9 #e ha0e sho#n ho# you can use )A' to i%pro0e the call quality across your Lync deploy%ent7 o su%%ari/e@ &un the trendin! queries to !et an idea #hich areas are pro-le%atic and prioriti/e #here you #ill focus first7 Dsta-lish an initial -aseline -y !oin! throu!h the three di%ensions and runnin! the related queries for the last t#o #ee*s7 "naly/e the results and create a prioriti/ed list of the ele%ents you need to focus on7 ypical priority areas #ill -e@ o o o o $er0er Health $er0er to $er0er (e0ices +ired $u-nets
Jor each of the ele%ents on your prioriti/ed list, run the related query and analy/e #hich ser0ers, su-nets or de0ices sho# the %ost poor strea%s7 )reate an action plan for re%ediation and i%ple%ent it7 )ontinue runnin! the query after each potential fi9, and see if the results sho# i%pro0e%ent7 +hen you ha0e %et the tar!et for this ele%ent, %o0e on to the ne9t one on the prioriti/ed list7 +hen all your di%ension ele%ents are #ithin the tar!ets, continue %onitorin! trends and start re%ediation as you see spi*es in quality7
11E
ppendi5 0% Troubleshooting Poor Strea/s

)A' #ill surface areas of your net#or* #here you ha0e a hi!h percenta!e of poor call strea%s7 ;nce youK0e identified these areas, youKll #ant to fi9 the%7 o do that, you #ill need to loo* deeper at the -itstrea% -et#een the Lync co%ponents sho#in! loss7 his section !i0es you the -ac*!round to do this analysis usin! 1et'on7 >our net#or* tea%s %ay ha0e additional tools and approaches7
0%$ <TP and <T"P 3Packet Loss Troubleshooter4

Both $I. and H7323 %a*e use of & . for transferrin! di!iti/ed audio and 0ideo data -et#een the 0arious parties participatin! in a call7 Dach & . pac*et contains one or %ore %edia payloads and other rele0ant infor%ation, such as ti%e sta%ps and sequence nu%-ers7 he $equence nu%-ers can -e utili/ed to deter%ine #hether a particular fra%e #as not deli0ered 3net#or* loss67 ypically, & . and & ). are used #ith U(. as the underlyin! transport layer, and #ith I. as the underlyin! net#or* layer7 & . uses dyna%ic U(. ports ne!otiated -et#een the sender and recei0er of specific %edia strea%s7
D.1.1 )%0
& . pro0ides end2to2end net#or* transport for real2ti%e applications7 & . contains infor%ation a-out the real2ti%e session so that applications can easily ad:ust for :itter, i%proper pac*et sequencin!, and dropped pac*ets7 'uch of this infor%ation is included in the & . header7 he structure of an & . pac*et is displayed in the follo#in! i%a!e@
Packet #le/ent 5ersion .addin!
0escription Identifies the 0ersion of & .7 +indo#s O. supports 0ersion 27 If set to 1, then one or %ore additional paddin! octets ha0e -een appended to the end of the payload7 he first padded octet indicates the nu%-er of additional octets that are included7 If the e9tension -it is set, then there is an e9tension header appended to the fi9ed & . header7 Lists the nu%-er of )ontri-utin! $ource 3)$&)6 identifiers that follo# the fi9ed & . header7 he & . profile deter%ines the definition and use of the 'ar*er -it7 (efines the & . payload type7 he initial sequence nu%-er starts #ith a rando% 0alue and increases -y incre%ents of one for each & . pac*et sent7 his 0alue can -e used -y real2ti%e applications to deter%ine pac*et loss and to restore proper pac*et sequencin!7 11F
D9tension )$&) count 'ar*er .ayload type $equence nu%-er
i%esta%p
he ti%esta%p 0alue represents the sa%plin! instant of the first octet of the & . pac*et7 he sa%plin! frequency used depends upon the data type7 Jor e9a%ple, #hen +indo#s O. uses the C7G11 0oice codec, the sa%plin! frequency is set at H *H/7 he $$&) 0alue, #hich initiates as a rando%ly selected nu%-er, identifies the source of the & . strea% for each & . session7 he )$&) 0alue represents a source of %ultiple contri-utors to an & . session, #here the $$&) 0alue of each source is added to the )$&) 0alue -y an & . %i9er7
$ynchroni/ation source 3$$&)6 )ontri-utin! source 3)$&)6
D.1.2 )%!0
& ). pac*ets contain infor%ation re!ardin! the quality of the & . session and the indi0iduals participatin! in the session7 Both sender3s6 and recei0er3s6 periodically trans%it & ). pac*ets to each participant in an & . session7 " real2ti%e application can use this infor%ation to %onitor the quality of the & . sessionQ for e9a%ple, to %onitor :itter and pac*et loss7 his allo#s the syste% to ne!otiate a different 3lo#er -and#idth codec for e9a%ple66 #hen pac*et loss or & is e9cessi0e7 here are fi0e & ). pac*et types7 +e #ill le0era!e $& 3$ender &eports6 and && 3&ecei0er &eports6 to identify #hether .ac*et Loss is -ein! reported7
& ). .ac*et ypes $& 3$ender &eport6 && 3&ecei0er &eport6 $(D$ 3$ource (escription6 B>D 3Cood-ye6 ".. 3"pplication2 defined6
(escription )ontains infor%ation re!ardin! the quality of the & . session7 )ontains infor%ation re!ardin! the quality of the & . session7 )ontains infor%ation re!ardin! the identity of each participant in the & . session7 Indicates that one or %ore sources are no lon!er acti0e in the & . session7 Jor e9peri%ental use -y ne# applications7
Dach .articipant in an & . session sends && pac*et types, and, if they are acti0e senders, they send $& pac*et types7 he && pac*et has t#o sections, the header and report -loc*s7 here is one report -loc* for each source7
D.1.3 )eceiver )eport an 'en er )eport $ea er structure

he && and $& header structure is sho#n7 he only difference -et#een the t#o headers is the 0alue for the pac*et type7
11G
<T"P << and S< *eader Structure
.ac*et ype 5ersion .addin!
(escription Identifies the 0ersion of & .7 If set to 1, then one or %ore additional paddin! octets ha0e -een appended to the end of the payload7 he first padded octet indicates ho# %any additional padded octets are included7 Indicates the nu%-er of reception -loc*s contained in the & ). pac*et7 & ). pac*et type7 he 0alue for an &&N201 and for an $&N2007 )ontains the len!th of the & ). pac*et in 322-it #ords %inus 17 )ontains the synchroni/ation source identifier for the & ). pac*et7
&eception &eport )ount 3&)6 .ac*et ype Len!th $$&)
he additional 202-yte sender infor%ation included in an $& pac*et7
<T"P S< &n'or/ation 3SenderIs <eport4
Packet Type 1 . i%esta%p
0escription )ontains the 1et#or* i%e .rotocol 31 .6 ti%e sta%p or a-solute #all cloc* ti%e7 If #all cloc* ti%e is not a0aila-le, then the sender can use the elapsed ti%e since :oinin! the & . session for the 1 . i%esta%p 0alue7 If the elapsed ti%e is used, then the hi!h2 order -it is set to /ero7 If neither #all cloc* ti%e nor elapsed ti%e is a0aila-le, then the co%plete 1 . i%esta%p 0alue is set to /ero7 )ontains the sa%e ti%e as the 1 . i%esta%p, e9cept that the & . i%esta%p is !i0en in the sa%e units and #ith the sa%e rando% offset as the ti%e sta%p included in the header of the & . pac*ets7 )ontains the total nu%-er of & . pac*ets sent -y the sender fro% the -e!innin! of the & . session up to the sendin! of this $& pac*et7 his 0alue is reset if, for so%e reason, the $$&) 0alue of the sender has chan!ed7 )ontains the total nu%-er of octets sent -y the sender fro% the -e!innin! of the & . session up to the sendin! of this $& pac*et7 his 0alue is reset if, for so%e reason, the $$&) 0alue of the sender chan!es7
& . i%esta%p $enderKs .ac*et )ount $enderKs ;ctet )ount
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<eport block structure $& and && pac*ets can contain /ero or %ore report -loc*s7 " report -loc*, #hich is appended directly after the & ). header, is recei0ed for each $$&) included in the & . data pac*ets recei0ed since the last report #as recei0ed -y the recei0er7 he structure of report -loc*s is the sa%e for -oth $& and && pac*ets7
<T"P <eport ;lock Structure
Packet Type $$&)Bn Jraction Lost

)u%ulati0e 1u%-er of .ac*ets Lost
0escription )ontains the synchroni/ation source identifier for each report -loc* included in the & ). pac*et7 )ontains the fraction of & . pac*ets lost fro% the source 3$$&)Bn6 since the last $& or && pac*et #as sent7 )ontains the total nu%-er of pac*ets lost fro% the source 3$$&)Bn6 since the initiation of the session7 his 0alue is deri0ed fro% the sequence nu%-ers found in & . pac*ets, #here the dropped & . pac*ets are indicated -y a !ap in sequence nu%-erin!7 his field is di0ided into t#o parts7 he least si!nificant 1F -its contain the hi!hest sequence nu%-er recei0ed in an & . pac*et fro% the source 3$$&)Bn67 he %ost si!nificant 1F -its contain the nu%-er of sequence nu%-er cycles7 )ontains an esti%ate of the 0ariance in the interarri0al ti%e of & . pac*ets7 his 0alue is %easured in & . ti%e sta%p units and is deri0ed fro% the difference -et#een pac*et spacin!, as %easured fro% -oth the recei0er and sender for t#o pac*ets7 )ontains the %iddle 32 -its of the F42-it 1 . ti%e sta%p ta*en fro% the %ost recent & ). $& fro% source $$&)Bn7 )ontains the ti%e difference -et#een the receipt of the last $& pac*et fro% the source $$&)Bn and sendin! this reception report -loc*, #here each tic* of this counter represents 14FEE3F seconds7
D9tended Hi!hest $equence 1u%-er &ecei0ed Interarri0al Jitter
Last $& i%esta%p 3L$&6 (elay $ince Last $& 3(L$&6
"lthou!h & . and & ). are specifically desi!ned for the needs of real2ti%e co%%unication o0er a pac*et2-ased net#or*, they do not pro0ide Ao$ %echanis%7 Instead, they lea0e quality of ser0ice issues to the underlyin! net#or* and data2lin* layers7 (72 rou-leshootin! .ac*et Loss he reco%%ended hi!h le0el steps to trou-leshoot pac*et loss are@ )apture si%ultaneous net#or* trace -et#een -oth ser0er endpoints7 $ee 1et%on details in "ppendi9 J
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Jilter net#or* capture -y & . or & ). .orts, )on0ersation I( or $$&) 3$ynchroni/ation $ource I(6 to correlate #ith AoD or $2$ Indi0idual strea%s query7 Jilter the trace for & ). Loss T 07 Identify & ). $ender4&ecei0er report -loc*s #here .ac*et Loss #as reported7 5erify $equence \Ks end to end to deter%ine net#or* loss 3sequence not arri0in!67 D0aluate & . .ayload ype for pac*ets i%%ediately precedin! the reported pac*et loss to deter%ine causality7
0%. #5a/ple Scenario F &nvestigate Packet Loss reported between Mediation Server and Gateway
17 )ollect a 1et%on trace -et#een the t#o ser0ers or endpoint and ser0er pair you are trou-leshootin!7 27 .ull the AoD data for that sa%e ti%e period to identify a poor strea%7 In this e9a%ple, #e can see that the loss is e9perienced pri%arily on the strea% -et#een 3'D(]Cate#ay 47I1P "0!7 .ac*et Loss W 24P 'a9 .ac*et Loss67
120
)orrelate the AoD strea% #ith the 1et%on race -y port pair and ti%esta%ps7 Jor e9a%ple, ta*e the ports #here & .4& ). #ere ne!otiated and co%pare the net#or* trace con0ersations7
In this e9a%ple #e can see that & . setup o0er U(. 3E22E221IG1H6 and & ). setup on the ne9t sequential U(. port co%-ination 3E22E321IG1I67 In net#or* %onitor, the follo#in! display filters can -e used for isolatin! the I.04WU(. con0ersations@ )on0ersation7I.047Id NN 1 )on0ersation7U(.7Id NN 2 )on0ersation7U(.7Id NN 3 (eri0e the & . $$&) or $ynchronous $ource I( of the call in 1et%on7 ;nce you ha0e identified the particular con0ersation, you can filter on the & . con0ersation 3)on0ersation7U(.7Id NN 26, you should then see t#o strea%s, one in each direction7 'ediation $er0er 2TCate#ay strea% $$&)@ 0922-a2IHa 3EH2F2EFG46
Cate#ay 2T'ediation $er0er strea% $$&)@ 09fF020dGd 3412G32IFF16 Jilter the trace to loo* at :ust & . pac*ets that %atch the $$&)7 121
'D(2TCate#ay filter@ & .7$ync$ourceId NN 0922-a2IHa Cate#ay 2T'D( filter@ & .7$ync$ourceId NN 09fF020dGd (eri0e the & ). $$&) of $ender W &ecei0er &eports of the call after filterin! 3)on0ersation7U(.7Id NN 367 'ediation $er0er 2TCate#ay strea% $$&)@ 0922-a2IHa 3EH2F2EFG46 & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7$src NN 0922-a2IHa ;& & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7$src NN 09fF020dGd & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7&eportBloc*7$src1 NN 0922-a2IHa Cate#ay 2T'ediation $er0er strea% $$&)@ 09fF020dGd 3412G32IFF16 & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7$src NN 0922-a2IHa ;& & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7&eportBloc*7$src1 NN 09fF020dGd In this e9a%ple, #e are filterin! first on )allee2T)aller 3'ediation $er0er 2T Cate#ay $trea% 3$ender &eport66 & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7&eportBloc*7$src1 NN 09fF020dGd ;& & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7$src NN 0922-a2IHa )aller2T)allee 3Cate#ay2T'ediation $er0er $trea% 3$ender &eport66 & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7&eportBloc*7$src1 NN 0922-a2IHa ;& & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7$src NN 09fF020dGd
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;ptionally, you can loo* at & ). pac*et loss reports fro% the %edia stac* & ).BLosses 3infor%ational6 in D L output file fro% Lync $er0er Lo!!in! tool7 +or* -ac*#ards fro% & ). Losses reportin! to understand #hat is causin! the -eha0ior7 In our e9a%ple, #e are no# a-le to pinpoint #hen the loss occurred7 Jilter@ & ).7.ac*ets7& )..ac*et7$r7&eportBloc*7$src1 NN 0922-a2IHa 1ote ti%e in trace #here loss occurs7 S,ero lossT .ac*ets lost 0Q 1F@43@3G7E124IE0 .ac*ets lost 10HQ 1F@43@447I14FHI0 .ac*ets lost 132Q 1F@43@E27403F2H0 .ac*ets lost 144Q 1F@44@147G041340 .ac*ets lost 1EFQ 1F@44@3F7HH221G0 .ac*ets lost 1FHQ 1F@44@EH7FF2I440 .ac*ets lost 1H0Q 1F@4E@0E7GE1F4E0 1ote@ .ac*et loss is incre%entin! at inter0als of 12 pac*ets -ein! reported lost each successi0e & ). $&67 &e2e0aluate the strea% payload and concurrent ti%in! #ith the lost pac*ets7 3e67 'D(2TCate#ay filter@ & .7$ync$ourceId NN 0922-a2IHa In this e9a%ple, #hen !oin! -ac* to the strea% fro% 'ediation $er0er #e can see %ultiple & . payloads7 In addition to & .7.ayload ype NN 090 3.)'U "udio6, there #as also & .7.ayload ype NN 09FE 3& . .ayload 101 or ( 'J6 :FC #&-- ; :3P Payload 4or )3MF )igitsA 3ele !ony 3ones and 3ele !ony Signals +hen filterin! on & .7.ayload ype NN 09FE, you are a-le to see in the net#or* trace 12 ( 'J pac*ets 3at a ti%e6 that #ere lost at 0arious inter0als7 "lso, #ith this filter, you can see the %ar*er -it is set on the first of these pac*ets7 3& .7'ar*er NN 0916 123
Jor e9a%ple, #hen #e see the & ). .ac*ets lost NN 1EF, i%%ediately prior, the follo#in! fra%es #ere ( 'J pac*ets 3correlated #ith pac*ets identified as lost67 SSJra%e 41E, 41G, 41I, 422, 42E, 42H, 431, 434, 43G, 440, 441, 442TT .ac*ets lost 1EFQ 1F@44@3F7HH221G0
12 pac*ets lost i%%ediately -efore the loss is reported in & ).7 <!!T " US#: Issue #ith !ate#ay sittin! in front of .BO7 he !ate#ay de0ice #as %is2reportin! loss for the ( 'J pac*ets7
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ppendi5 #% Troubleshooting 0uple5 and Speed Sensing Mis/atch 36ull: uto4

(uple9 and lin* speed sensin! confi!uration %is%atches are a co%%on and recurrin! pro-le% in %any net#or*s7 $o%eti%es, your or!ani/ation %ay atte%pt to standardi/e the speed and duple9 settin!s on the 1004Jull settin! -ecause that is the hi!hest speed and the %ost throu!hput settin! on a net#or* de0ice7 his can lead to se0eral une9pected issues #ith net#or* de0ices on -oth sides of an etherlin* that is confi!ured #ith %is%atched settin!s7 hese issues include@ 1et#or* tea% sendin! and4or replacin! !ate#ays #ith ne# %odels that are set to "uto 1e!otiate, and technicians not disco0erin! the issue durin! installation7 Inappropriately settin! the net#or* de0ice to "uto 1e!otiate durin! installation7 "uto%ated scripts potentially chan!in! s#itch ports to "uto 1e!otiate due to a %is%atched standard7 Un*no#n issues that cause an up!rade to the !ate#ay or the s#itch, and auto%atically reset the port to "uto 1e!otiate7 (uple9 %is%atches occur #hen one net#or* de0ice is set to "uto # and the other de0ice is hardcoded8 usually as Jull7 his is -ecause the sensin! %echanis% is passi0e7 +hen it lac*s data, it is desi!ned to use the si%pler %ethodolo!y, sacrificin! a poor lin* for no lin* at all7 (eter%inin! speed is easy7 he trans%ission of data fro% one net#or* adapter card 31")6 to another 1") starts at the hi!hest speed and #or*s do#n to successfully lo#er speeds until the trans%ission is reada-le, and the recei0in! party sends an ac*no#led!e%ent7 " hu%an analo!y #ould -e speedin! up the sounds of speech on a record player and su-sequently reducin! the speed until it can -e understood -y the listener7 )onfi!uration %is%atches are rarely due to %is%atches on speed, and these %is%atches are %ore co%%on on duple97 Usin! "uto 1e!otiate on -oth de0ices uses all of the protocols a0aila-le to the 1") so that it can %a*e an accurate deter%ination of lin* speed and duple9 #ithout the possi-ility of a %is%atch7 he lin* speed %ay end up slo#er, -ut #ill not -e co%plicated -y collisions7 By usin! "uto 1e!otiate, you can pre0ent al%ost all of the issues #ith %is%atched settin!s7 he only e9ception is #hen a de0ice that sits -et#een a $I. !ate#ay and a s#itch causes the lin* to -e ne!otiated to a lo#er settin!7 his is due to the %iddle%an de0ice not understandin! the "uto 1e!otiate protocol7 hese cases should -e re0ie#ed -y your en!ineerin! tea% to deter%ine a #ay to re%o0e the %iddle%an de0ice, and4or to set -oth sides of the %iddle%an de0ice to 1004Jull 3for e9a%ple, #ith a personal s#itch or hu-67
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ppendi5 6% Tools
he follo#in!s sections pro0ide the Lync Server #$,$?Exc!ange Uni4ied Messaging "UM* #$,$
tools+
6%$
"ollect Logs
0escription@ " tool in Lync $er0er that adds a "ollect Logs -utton to the Lync client7 his ena-les users to collect lo!s #hen an issue is occurrin!7 his is an e9tre%ely useful tool and should -e used #hene0er possi-le #hen trou-leshootin! audio40ideo issues7 he tool is disa-led -y default, -ut can -e ena-led -y policy7 o ena-le4disa-le this feature on a per2client -asis, see the follo#in! t#o fi!ures7 ?H$P3:,CA:3#AC?IG$VS,!">AR$VPoliciesV#icrosoftVCo00unicator &$nable"racing&<dAord'0000000( &$nable$*ent:ogging&<dAord'0000000( &$nable9iagnostics:ogsCollection&<dAord'00000002
#nable J"ollect LogsJ
?H$P3:,CA:3#AC?IG$VS,!">AR$VPoliciesV#icrosoftVCo00unicator &$nable"racing&<dAord'00000000 &$nable$*ent:ogging&<dAord'00000000 &$nable9iagnostics:ogsCollection&<dAord'00000000

0isable J"ollect LogsJ
"fter the user has collected the lo!s, a )"B file is created in the GuserprofileGJ%racing folder7 he file has the follo#in! na%in! con0ention@ 'ediaLo!B22EHDI0)23IGI24I1E2""3D2I(IIF"F)H1D0220102122 10B0II20I2EHB4707GE3F700007ca-7 Jor details a-out this tool, see M)ollect Lo!s in 'icrosoft LyncM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN2II3G2 on the Lync $er0er .o#er$hell ech1et -lo!7
6%,
0ebugging Tools 'or 1indows
0escription: he (e-u!!in! ools for +indo#s is a tool set used to de-u! dri0ers, applications, and ser0ices in +indo#s7 Jor details, see M(o#nload and Install (e-u!!in! ools for +indo#sM at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3G37
6%.
err%e5e
0escription@ (eter%ine error 0alues fro% deci%al and he9adeci%al error codes in +indo#s operatin! syste%s7 Jor details, see <'icrosoft D9chan!e $er0er Drror )ode Loo*2up= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3G47
6%7
#rror String 0isplay 3"S#rror%e5e4
0escription@ he co%%and2line tool, )$Drror7e9e, helps to trou-leshoot e0ent lo! errors that do not display any descripti0e te9t7 he tool atte%pts to %ap the error code to a description of the error7 +hen possi-le, it prints the cause of the error and reco%%ends a resolution7 Jor details, see <'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2010 &esource Kit ools= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3GE7
12F
6%8
Microso't #5change Troubleshooting ssistant
0escription@ he D9chan!e rou-leshootin! "ssistant 3see follo#in! fi!ure6 is a tool that is included #ithin the D9chan!e 'ana!e%ent )onsole and that lets ad%inistrators ena-le dia!nostics lo!!in!7
Microso't #5change Troubleshooting ssistant
o launch the rou-leshootin! "ssistant to ena-le tracin!, do the follo#in!@ 17 Launch the D9chan!e 'ana!e%ent )onsole7 27 $elect Toolbo57 37 (ou-le2clic* Per'or/ance Troubleshooter7 47 )lic* Select a Task7 E7 )lic* Trace "ontrol7 F7 ;n the "on'igure Trace 6ile pa!e, accept the defaults for@ 3 4 E race Jile Location7 race Jile 1a%e7 'a9 trace file si/e7 G7 $elect Se=uential Logging7 H7 )lic* Set /anual trace tags7 he specific co%ponents to trace differ -y scenario7 hese steps create a -inary trace file called #5change0ebugTraces%#TL7 he default location for this file is JProgram 2ilesJMicrosoftJ1xchange ServerJ7
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6%>
Log Parser
0escription@ <Lo! parser= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3GF is a po#erful, 0ersatile tool that pro0ides uni0ersal query access to te9t2-ased data, such as lo! files, O'L files, and )$5 files, as #ell as *ey data sources on the +indo#s operatin! syste%, such as the D0ent Lo!, the &e!istry, the file syste%, and "cti0e (irectory (o%ain $er0ices7
6%?
Lync ;est Practices naly(er
0escription@ he <Lync $er0er 2013, Best .ractices "naly/er= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L lin*IdN2FFE3I is desi!ned for ad%inistrators #ho #ant to deter%ine the o0erall health of their Lync $er0er en0iron%ent7 " si%ilar 0ersion e9ists for <Lync $er0er 2010, Best .ractices "naly/er= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2EF3EH7
6%A
Lync "lient Logging
0escription@ <Lync )lient2side lo!!in!= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3GG is a 0alua-le trou-leshootin! tool that can -e ena-led #ith the follo#in! steps@ 17 In the upper ri!ht corner of the Lync %ain #indo#, clic* !ptions 3!ear icon67 In the Lync 9 !ptions dialo! -o9, clic* General7 27 Under Logging, select the Turn on logging in Lync and Turn on 1indows #vent logging 'or Lync chec* -o9es, and clic* !)7 37 &estart Lync, and then try to reproduce the issue7 he result produces a )o%%unicator2uccp7lo! file, as #ell as so%e +indo#s D L files, all located in usernameJtracing7
6%@
Lync Server ,-$- Logging Tool
0escription@ he <Lync $er0er 2010 Lo!!in! ool= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3GH facilitates trou-leshootin! -y capturin! and lo!!in! tracin! infor%ation fro% Lync $er0er #hile it is runnin!7 he Lo!!in! ool alon! #ith the Lync $er0er ad%inistrati0e tools can -e used to trou-leshoot issues on any Lync $er0er role7 Lync $er0er 2010 Lo!!in! ool !enerates lo! files on a per2ser0er -asis, so it %ust -e acti0ely runnin! and tracin! on each co%puter for #hich you #ant to !enerate a lo!7
12H
Lync Server ,-$- Logging Tool
Unless other#ise noted, use the follo#in! 0alues #hen !atherin! traces@ Le0el@ "ll Jla!s@ )hec* "ll ype@ 1e# Jile 'a9i%u% $i/e@ 100 'B
6%$- Microso't Product Support 3MPS4 <eports

0escription@ he <'icrosoft .roduct $upport 3'.$6 &eports= utility at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN2II3GI helps !ather critical syste% and lo!!in! infor%ation used in trou-leshootin! support issues7 Jor Lync issues, select General and &nternet and Networking7
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MPS <eports 0iagnostics Selection
6%$$ Network Monitor

0escription@ he <1et#or* 'onitor= tool at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3H0 ena-les capture and protocol analysis of net#or* traffic7
6%$, Network Monitor Parsers

0escription@ he <1et#or* 'onitor .arsers= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3H1 is a set of files that e9tend the parsers in 1et#or* 'onitor7 he 1et#or* 'onitor tool loads these files and uses the rules defined in the% to analy/e net#or* traffic7 >ou %ust first install the -aseline parsers fro% 1et#or* 'onitor ;pen $ource .arsers7
6%$. !"Stracer%e5e
0escription@ <;)$ racer7e9e= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3H2 is co%%and2line tool that starts and stops trace sessions for 'icrosoft ;ffice )o%%unications $er0er 200G4'icrosoft Lync $er0er co%ponents7 his tool is %ost rele0ant in Unified 'essa!in!4Lync $er0er inte!rated en0iron%ents #here $I. traffic is encrypted7 o collect $4 lo!!in! on an D9chan!e Unified 'essa!in! $er0er@ 17 Jro% the co%%and pro%pt, -ro#se to 56Jprogram filesJMicrosoft U5M, ' (J5ore EuntimeJ%racing7 130
27
o start detailed lo!!in!, type: ocstracer start :co/ponent:S7,>,-5''''
37 "fter the issue has -een reproduced, type the follo#in! to stop lo!!in!@ ocstracer stop 47 o for%at the trace@ !cstracer 'or/at :log'ilepath:c:KwindowsKtracingKS7%etl :!utput6ile:S7%t5t
6%$7 Port+ryU&
0escription@ <.ortAryUI= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3H3 is the !raphical 0ersion of portqry7e9e, #hich helps to trou-leshoot ).4I. connecti0ity issues7
6%$8 Proc0u/p
0escription@ <.roc(u%p= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3H4 is a co%%and2line utility #hose pri%ary dual purpose is to %onitor an application for ).U spi*es, and to !enerate crash du%ps durin! a spi*e that an ad%inistrator or de0eloper can use to deter%ine the cause of the spi*e7 .roc(u%p also includes unresponsi0e #indo# %onitorin! 3usin! the sa%e definition of a #indo# han! that +indo#s and as* 'ana!er use6 and unhandled e9ception %onitorin!, and can !enerate du%ps -ased on the 0alues of syste% perfor%ance counters7
6%$> Process #5plorer

0escription@ <.rocess D9plorer= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3HE displays infor%ation a-out #hich handles and (LLs processes ha0e opened or loaded7
6%$? Process Monitor

0escription@ <.rocess 'onitor= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3HG is an ad0anced %onitorin! tool for +indo#s that sho#s real2ti%e file syste%, re!istry, and process4thread acti0ity7
6%$A <e/ote "onnectivity naly(er

0escription@ he Lync <&e%ote )onnecti0ity "naly/er= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN301G00 ena-les ad%inistrators to test re%ote connecti0ity to their Lync deploy%ent throu!h a #einterface7 &e%ote connecti0ity can -e tested #ith or #ithout "uto(isco0er7
6%$@ Snooper
0escription@ $nooper is a %ultipurpose de-u!!in! tool for Lync $er0er 2010 co%%unications soft#are7 It parses ser0er and client trace lo! files and %a*es protocol 3for e9a%ple, $I. and H .6 %essa!es and traces easier to read7 It can also read call details and stored procedure e9ecution reports for errors7 In addition, $nooper can display reports a-out users, conferences, and conferencin! ser0ers 3also *no#n as %ultipoint control units 3')Us667 Jor details, see the <'icrosoft Lync $er0er 2010 &esource Kit ools= docu%ent at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3GE7
6%,- Te5t nalysisTool%N#T

0escription@ < e9t"nalysis ool71D = at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3HH is a tool that analy/es lar!e a%ounts of te9tual data7 It is desi!ned to 0ie#, search, and na0i!ate these lar!e files quic*ly and efficiently7 his tool also ena-les you to create and sa0e filters7 he t#o follo#in! fi!ures sho# t#o sa%ple filters7 o use this filter, copy the te9t to a te9t file called lyncfilter7tat7 1e9t, load the filter fro% #ithin e9t"nalysis ool71D -y !oin! to 6ileTLoad 6ilter7 131
JWQ0l *ersion<&(/0& encoding<&utf-8& standalone<&yes&WI J"eQtAnalysis"ool/G$" *ersion<&200M-(2-0 & shoA,nly!iltered:ines<&"rue&I JfiltersI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&y& regeQ<&n& teQt<&":3$RR,R& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&y& regeQ<&n& teQt<&":3>ARG& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&y& regeQ<&n& teQt<&"RAC$3:$V$:3$RR,R& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&ffa500& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&y& regeQ<&n& teQt<&"RAC$3:$V$:3>ARGIG)& LI JLfiltersI JL"eQtAnalysis"ool/G$"I
Te5t nalysisTool%N#T Sa/ple 6ilter 3#rror:1arnings4
JWQ0l *ersion<&(/0& encoding<&utf-8& standalone<&yes&WI J"eQtAnalysis"ool/G$" *ersion<&200M-(2-0 & shoA,nly!iltered:ines<&"rue&I JfiltersI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&y& regeQ<&n& teQt<&":3$RR,R& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&y& regeQ<&n& teQt<&":3>ARG& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&y& regeQ<&n& teQt<&"RAC$3:$V$:3$RR,R& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&ffa500& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&y& regeQ<&n& teQt<&"RAC$3:$V$:3>ARGIG)& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&n& regeQ<&n& teQt<& 00 Oad ReCuest& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&n& regeQ<&n& teQt<& 81 "oo #any ?ops& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&n& regeQ<&n& teQt<& 8M Ousy ?ere& LI Jfilter enabled<&y& eQcluding<&n& color<&b22222& type<&0atches3teQt& case3sensiti*e<&n& regeQ<&n& teQt<& 88 Got Acceptable ?ere& LI JLfiltersI JL"eQtAnalysis"ool/G$"I
Te5t nalysisTool%N#T Sa/ple 6ilter 3"o//on S&P #rror "odes4
6%,$ Uni'ied Messaging 0iagnostics Logging

0escription@ By default, dia!nostic lo!!in! is ena-led on a Unified 'essa!in! ser0er 3see <Ho# to Dna-le (ia!nostic Lo!!in! on a Unified 'essa!in! $er0er= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4L Lin*IdN2II3HI6, -ut is set to the lo#est le0el7 Ho#e0er, if you are trou-leshootin! an issue on a Unified 'essa!in! ser0er, you %ay ha0e to increase the dia!nostic lo!!in! le0el in order to locate the source of the issue7 his can -e done either -y the re!istry, or -y usin! the D9chan!e 'ana!e%ent $hell7 Jor the Unified 'essa!in! scenarios descri-ed in this !uide, set the lo!!in! le0el to #5pert for all si9 co%ponents 3U')ore, U'+or*er.rocess, U''ana!e%ent, U'$er0ice, U')lient"ccess and U')all(ata67 "fter the data collection, you should set the lo!!in! le0el -ac* to #hat it #as pre0iously set to 3default@ Lowest67
132
6%,, LMLNotePad
0escription@ <O'L1ote.ad= at http@44!o7%icrosoft7co%4f#lin*4p4LLin*IdN2II3I0 pro0ides an intuiti0e interface for 0ie#in! and editin! O'L docu%ents7
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Lync Server Networking Guide v2.1

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Lync Server Networking Guide v2.1

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Lync Server Networking Guide

!riginally Published: 'ay 2013

uthors: Ji!ar (ani, )rai! Hill, Jac* +i!ht, +ei ,hon!

#ditor: &andall (uBois