Oh you are going to like this. So you have Skype for Business 2015 deployed. You have followed the general instructions really to integrate Skype for Business Server and Exchange Server 2010 and 2013’s Outlook Web Access (OWA, “Outlook on the Web”) for Instant Messaging and Presence (IM/P). You then go hey, I am all hip and cool and I’m going to install Exchange 2016, which was released on 10/1/2015, and start to do that same steps to integrate Skype for Business and OWA. And so you do. And it doesn’t work. So you go “huh”.
Create an intelligent Chat BOT and integrate with Skype for Business or Web chat and allow users or customers to interact with the BOT. A Bot can answer to general question about your business or services, Or Convert your FAQ’s to Chat experience with few clicks.
Then you bang your fists on the keyboard. You now feel like a failure so you take to drinking.
You now have a drinking problem then you lose your job. Why does this not work you ask. Its been the same setup for years you say, so why not now?
Or you can just read this first. To recap as there has been some inconsistent info on the overall setup for SfBLync and OWA over the years. Plus things have been changed on the Exchange side over time across different released and updates. If you look through the various guidance on configuring this interoperability you have 3 basic steps: 1. Create the trusted application and application pool on the LyncSfB side.
Configure the certificate, and the OwaVirtualDirectory and OwaMailboxPolicy steps on the Exchange side. Edit the web.config file on your CAS servers to add the certificate thumbprint and server name. However, I call BS on the Exchange 2016 side steps now.
In my testing, you DO NOT need to do either of the last 2 steps with Exchange 2016. “WTF is he on about” you ask. “Prove it” you say.
Fine, here it goes. The setup: 3 Exchange 2016 servers. Note how I say “servers” as we all surely have heard by now there is only a multirole server now in Exchange 2016 (HUZZAH!!!). All 3 servers are identical in every way. 1 Skype for Business 2015 Standard Edition Front End. Also in the topology is Lync 20213 and Exchange 2013 but we aren’t talking about that.
Well I guess I just did – oops. First, lets verify we have no “legacy” settings for Instant Messaging in the Exchange 2016 side. Get-OwaVirtualDirectory Note there are no InstantMessaging settings whatsoever for the 2016 nodes. Web.config file. Remember as well that the server with the active database copy determines what settings are applied here. If, of course they were which they are not any more. П™‚ Ok so we have the Skype for Business or Lync side complete, so how do we get the Exchange side working now in 2016?
I had no idea but doing some looking around I came across and found this new way of setting up SfB and Exchange 2016. This is very new to me as well so hopefully we will get some more info on what this really does but mostly I warned to bring it to everyone’s attention. A million thanks to Benoit Hamet ( @benoithamet) for putting this up.
Integrating Skype for Business Server and Outlook Web App adds instant messaging and presence to Outlook Web App and enables your unified contact list to be shared between Outlook Web App and Skype for Business. After server-to-server authentication is in place we then can enable Instant Messaging from OWA Here are a couple of things to know before starting: You must verify that the Unified Communications Managed API 4.0 Runtime has been installed in your Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 backend server. You can do this by looking for the existence of the following registry value: HKEYLOCALMACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesMSExchange OWAInstantMessagingImplementationDLLPath If you have installed the Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging Call Router service and the Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging service on the same computer then there is no need to create a trusted application pool for Outlook Web App.
(This assumes that the server in question is hosting a SipName UM dial plan.) Skype for Business Server 2015 can autodiscover any Exchange servers that host a SipName UM dial plan and create a Known Server List. I must create a Skype for Business Server trusted application pool and a trusted application associated with Outlook Web App; that will add the Exchange 2013 server to the Known Servers List. Now, onto configuring.
In my test environment, I will need to get my Skype for Business Site ID and then run a command to create a trusted application pool. To find my Skype for Business site ID I run: Get-CsSite Select-Object DisplayName, SiteID. Running Set-OwaMailboxPolicy to enable IM If you have more than one OwaMailboxPolicy you can change all of them at once using the following command: Get-OwaMailboxPolicy Set-OwaMailboxPolicy -InstantMessagingEnabled $True -InstantMessagingType “OCS” That should be all that is required to get OWA and Skype for Business Server 2015 integrated. Troubleshooting OWA and Skype for Business Server Integration Ensure that the user has a mailbox on Exchange 2013. Ensure that the user has been enabled for Skype for Business Server 2015. Ensure that the user has a valid SIP proxy address. Confirm that Event ID 112 (and the source MSExchange OWA) is logged in the application log on the mailbox server.
This appears after the initial sign-on to Outlook Web App confirming initialisation of the Instant Messaging Endpoint Manager. Confirming Event ID 112 If instant messaging does not appear to be working then, on the mailbox server, look for log files in the folder C:Program FilesMicrosoftExchange serverV15LoggingOWAInstantMessaging.
If either the Logging or the InstantMessaging folders do not exist that indicates that integration has failed. Review the steps taken to integrate from start to finish.
Use SIPStack tracing on Skype for Business Server (All Levels and All Flags) to try and determine why integration failed. Ensure that the server or servers you are using are not in the Known Server List twice. If you have installed a Service Pack to Exchange 2013, I have noticed from experience that the web.config file is overwritten and the information on the certificate and the Instant Messaging server name needs to be added in again. Other posts related to this from Skype for Business News Aggregator via.