Lync 2010 Mobile and Desktop Click-to-Join for Non-Enterprise Voice Users

I was recently helping out some folks with a deployment and wanted to get down this information in one place rather than constantly searching for it. So here it is. If you notice any errors in behavior that I have documented please let me know.

There are currently two different methods of configuring Click-to-Join for joining conferences. The method varies for Non-Enterprise Voice enabled users depending on whether you are using the desktop clients or mobile. I have heard people say repeatedly that you need to enable EV for Click-to-Join, but this is not true for either the desktop or mobile clients. The information below is taken from my own experimenting as well other sources that were very helpful in pulling this information together.

Desktop (includes Web App, Lync Attendee, Lync 2010)

This works the same for Web App or the desktop clients (either Lync 2010 or the Attendee client) for Click-to-Join. Basically, you need to create a static route that leverages one of you Mediation Server Pools. This allows non-EV enabled and Anonymous users the ability to use the Click-to-Join feature.

Positives-

• Allows Non-EV users to Click-to-Join.
• If a Tel URI has been configured for the user it is used in the From in the SIP header.

Challenges -

• No control over what the user can dial with Lync. Basically everything is sent to the Mediation Server as-is. If you have address book or dial plan normalization in place that normalizes number to E.164 this is what is sent when selecting numbers from within the Lync client. You can remove the plus sign however using PowerShell so some small relief but not much. Most of your translations and number manipulation of the called number will need to be carried out in a gateway or other system such as a PBX.
• No adherence to Voice Polices. This is not feature related but more call authorization. You have no control in Lync what number the user dials and all calls will be passed to the Mediation Server. All call authorization will need to be completed at the gateway based on the caller ID or some identifiable SIP field that the gateway can recognize as coming form the Mediation Server.
• Uses default gateway. If you are using DNS load balancing for your gateways this is much less an issue, but the default gateway for the Mediation Server pool defined in Topology Builder is what the static route will use to send calls. If you have defined gateways using IP addresses this will limit you to one gateway and therefore limit redundancy. Redundancy may not be a huge concern for this feature but it is something to be aware of.

References:

Remove the plus PowerShell command:

Set-CsTrunkConfiguration -RemovePlusFromURI

Handy Static Route creation blog post:

http://www.confusedamused.com/notebook/lync-dial-in-conferencing-static-route-configuration/

Lync Mobile

Lync Mobile is quite a bit easier to configure and has less challenges . Firstly, a Static route is not required for Lync Mobile and Click-to-Join will adhere to Lync routing, translation rules and Voice Policies. Something to note is that Call via Work will require EV enablement.

Positives-

• Lync Mobile only requires that a Voice Policy be applied to the user account for enablement of Click-to-Join (outside of normal dial plan configuration such as routes etc.).
• Adheres to voice routing and translation rules.

Challenges

• A non-EV user that requires a Voice Policy can only be set using PowerShell.
• The From header field in the SIP message is the user name SIP URI and not a telephone number. Depending on your gateway this may present an issue. A simple fix (without gateway configuration) is to suppress the Caller ID with a trunk ID via the Trunk Configuration under the Lync Control Panel UI. By selecting Suppress CallerID and entering an alternate ID this should easily resolve this issue. This will alter the From field to what ever number you enter for the Trunk.

From the Lync Mobile Deployment Guide

· Do you want users who are not enabled for Enterprise Voice to be able to use Click to Join to join conferences?

For users to have access to mobility features and Call via Work, they must be enabled for Enterprise Voice. However, users who are not enabled for Enterprise Voice can join conferences by clicking the link on their mobile device if they have an appropriate voice policy assigned to them. You can either assign a specific voice policy to these users or make sure that a global or site level policy exists that applies to them. The voice policy you assign must have public switched telephone network (PSTN) usage records and routes that define the areas to which users can dial out to join a conference. For details about setting voice policy, PSTN usage records, and routes, see Configuring Voice Policies, PSTN Usage Records, and Voice Routes.

Note:

Mobile users who want to use Click to Join require a voice policy, along with the related PSTN usage records and voice routes, because clicking the link on the mobile device results in an outbound call from Lync Server 2010.

References:

Apply Voice Policy for Non-EV user with PowerShell-

Grant-CsVoicePolicy -Identity <UserIdParameter> [-PolicyName <String>]

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398828.aspx

VoIPNorm