Microsoft "modern" Skype client to be discontinued

A More Efficient Skype Experience for Your PC

At Skype we want to help you do more together with the people you care about by delivering the best possible experiences to the devices you use. That’s why we’re simplifying your PC experience down to one app that you can use either with your mouse and keyboard or with touch. Starting on July 7, we’re updating PC users of the Windows modern application to the Windows desktop application, and retiring the modern application.

Windows modern application

Windows desktop application

With the upcoming release of Windows 10 for PCs, it makes sense to use the Skype application optimized for mouse and keyboards use, capable of doing touch as well rather than 2 separate applications performing the same function.

You told us that Skype for Windows desktop:
Helps you efficiently navigate – it presents all information in one window – including notifications, multiple conversations and a full contact list – so you don’t have to scroll back and forth.
Comes with great features that help you get more done- like group video calling, sharing your screen for showing directions or working together on a document and soon translation.

You can get the desktop application today by downloading it here. Anyone trying to access the modern application on PCs starting from July 7 forward will be automatically directed to download the desktop application. Then, you can simply log in using your Skype username and password, or your Microsoft Account credentials. If you’ve forgotten them, you can retrieve them here. All of your contacts and conversations from last 30 days will be available. If you already have Skype for Windows desktop you don’t need to do anything. Also, if you’re on a Windows RT tablet device, there is no change for you.

You may be thinking: what about Skype built into Messaging, Phone and Skype video coming to Windows 10? Don’t worry we will begin rolling out the apps to get your feedback later this year. This way if you want to quickly make a call or send a message you can use task based apps and for those of you power users who like the advantages of the all in one app, you can pick what’s right for you.

If you need help or for more information, visit the Skype Support or Community sites.

From @ Skype Blog

I guess we won't see the Video integration coming to the modern skype anymore. Let's hope it comes to the mobile soon.

Let's give this a try...

SfB client preview :-)

Skype For Business - My Notes Part 3

A few more notes, this time from the SQL Deep Dive Session

Why you should use SQL AlwaysOn...

...If you have deep pockets :). Note the requirement for Enterprise Edition for AlwaysOn AG. You can do a two node AlwaysOn Clustering Instance with Standard Edition. This is probably where most people will end up going if they don't want to stick with Mirroring.

 AlwaysOn AG only on Skype for Business and minimum of SQL 2012 SP1

 The limitations, on the SfB side, of AlwaysOn. SfB will not stop you from configuring this wrong but you will go into the Microsoft unsupported zone.

SQL In-Place Upgrade

When configuring SfB with AlwaysOn you will need to build the DBs on the first node before you configure AlwaysOn on the SQL side. Type the listener FQDN on the first box and the first node FQDN on the last one. After topology creates the DBs you can configure AlwaysOn in SQL and after that's all done you can come back to the topology, edit it and change the last box to the listener FQDN.

Main issues found with SQL AlwaysOn and SfB.

Skype For Business - My Notes Part 2

Another couple of sessions summary.

• The local SQL Express instance must be SQL Server 2012 Express SP1 (minimum).
• Silverlight is still used in SfB Control Panel.
• If the servers can access the internet, updates will be downloaded as part of the install process.
• Windows Fabric v3 handles rebuilds on slower networks much better, better resiliency of services when some fabric services were offline, fixes for crashes that occurred during replica movements, ability to enable remote copy of winfab logs, ability to control the size of winfab traces, better handling of internal communication.
• New Hybrid wizard to avoid the most common mistakes in establishing hybrid connectivity to the cloud.
• CQD can be on the same SQL server as the monitoring databases but it's not recommended.
• If you have a paired pool you cannot use failover as this is not supported for in place upgrade. Either take the outage or move the users to another pool.
• For roll-back, You'll need to make sure you keep a copy of the topology before being upgraded as well as a full backup of your SQL databases. To roll back 1) restore the saved topology, 2) bootstrapper /scorch SfB, 3) reinstall Lync 2013, and 4) restore the backend databases.
• You need to install SfB core components and admin tools on an AD domain joined computer that is not running 2013 core components.

Few interesting snapshots to complement the notes:

Skype For Business - My Notes Part 1

I was on another Skype for Business session and I have some notes I though I should share.

Two of the most interesting things I heard, one of them being new to me and a potential impact on hosted Lync providers, like Kelway.

• Cloud First, Mobile First.

It's happening... Moving forward with Skype4B you will have to have an online presence to take advantage of some planned features. No sharing of what those planned features are but an heads up that Hybrid scenarios will become more and more common if not the standard way of doing it.

• Lync/Skype4B and Resource Forests

This one is interesting as it affects a product that Kelway has, Kelway ServiceWorks Lync.

Hosted Lync can be done by using resource forests and while it adds up on complexity it also allows you to completely separate the hosted environment with the customer, which means that the customer can't break it and we can offer better SLAs.

Skype4B... if you want to take full advantage its features, you need to do deploy it on the User Forest. They didn't said they would not support resource forest but on one slide they had "No Resource Forests" typed three times so it's probably important :-)

Other notes I picked up:

• Busy on Busy still not planned for this release
• Improvement in the performance of RGS but no changes in features
• RCC will still be available in Skype4B if you use the Lync 2013 Skin
• Virtualization requirements are the same but they have made improvements in memory management for dynamic memory allocation
• Minimal functional Forest and AD have not been changed, 2003 native
• Support for URL for photos is planned
• This is already possible in Lync 2013 but may be enhanced?
• Skype4B will not support Server 10 at RTM, planned for future
• SQL AlwaysOn will only be supported by Skype4B and will not be introduced in Lync 2013
• Skype4B minimum SQL is 2008 R2 Sp2
• VIS needs a Skype4B NextHop but users do not need to be homed on that pool to make use of it
• Server OS choice is  important. Windows 2008 R2, although supported, will only have Windows Fabric v2, 2012 and 2012 R2 will have v3. While they both offer the same features for now, this will most likely change. Recommended OS for Skype4B is 2012 R2

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Lync Server Could Allow Denial of Service

Executive Summary

This security update resolves three privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Lync Server. The most severe of these vulnerabilities could allow denial of service if an attacker sends a specially crafted request to a Lync server.

This security update is rated Important for all supported editions of Microsoft Lync Server 2010 and Microsoft Lync Server 2013. For more information, see the Affected and Non-Affected Software section.

The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by correcting the way Lync Server sanitizes user input and by correcting the way Lync Server handles exceptions and null dereferences. For more information about these vulnerabilities, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability later in this bulletin.

More information in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-055

Patch for Lync 2013 and Lync 2010

Lync Presence stuck on Updating...

I've recently came up with an issue where some users on a contact list would show up as stuck on "Updating..." and others would show the presence fine. It was a pool with 3x FEs and it was easy to pinpoint it was something probably related to one of the FEs.

Looking at the Event Viewer I found several errors from "LS User Services" Event ID 32042 and 30988. Event ID 32042 was complaining about not trusting the other FEs certificate, which was very odd has nothing had changed in a long time.

I had a look at the problematic FE Certificates store and found a non self-signed certificate in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities which is a problem for the Windows Server 2012 OS as per following article.

All I had to do was to remove that certificate from the container, reboot the server and things went back to normal.

From what I can gather the certificate had been in that store for quite a while but the issue only manifested itself after the server rebooted.

Now all I have to do is to find whoever stuck the certificate in that store... and beat him with a stick :)