Networking requirements planning in Lync Server 2013

 Aug 14, 2014

In today’s article, I will shed light on the area of network requirements planning in Microsoft Lync Server 2013 with a strong focus on Quality of Service and bandwidth management.  Let’s begin by asked what is Quality of Service? Quality of service or QoS refers to a wide range of network technology whose goal is to guarantee the ability of a network to deliver predictable results. It does that by prioritisation of the network traffic. QoS is also very important for the new generation VOIP systems. Microsoft Lync Server 2013 does not have a requirement of configuring QoS. If you are experiencing considerable delays, try adding additional bandwidth. If additional bandwidth is not an option then QoS can be configured. Only computers running Windows 7 or Windows 8 can use QoS in Lync Server 2013. Computers running other Windows operating systems, such as Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, are not supported. To improve the network bandwidth, you can also use a QoS protocol known as DiffServ or differentiated services. DiffServ can prioritise packets by offering a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP). In Lync Server 2013, you can enable DSCP marking by using Windows policy-based QoS to specify port ranges for each communication type. You can also manage bandwidth in a Lync Server environment by using Call Admission Control (CAC). It helps you manage potential congestion on WAN so that real time audio and video conferencing bandwidth does not suffer during an important meeting. It is simple to manage and deploy, and it does not require any specialised equipment such as specially configured routers. CAC can be applied not only for the voice calls, but also for other traffic such as video call. Lync introduced a new feature known as media bypass, which is the capability of a Lync client to forward a call to a public switched telephone network or PSTN using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)/PSTN gateway, Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange (IP PBX) or Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP). The ability of the enterprise calls to reach from one endpoint to another without the mediation server offers a better audio experience. If you’re interested in find out more about these features in Lync Server 2013, you should take a look at the 20337 – Enterprise Voice and Online Services with Microsoft Lync Server 2013 offered at New Horizons.

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About the Author:

San Roy  

San is a highly skilled IT Infrastructure professional with over 15 years experience in a technical training capacity. Throughout his career as a technical training consultant San Has been responsible for the development of numerous IT professionals, providing knowledge and expertise in the areas of Server Operating Systems, Database Management Systems, Messaging and Collaboration. San primarily specialises in delivering training in Microsoft products including Windows Server OS, Windows Client OS, SQL Server, SharePoint Server and Exchange Server. Through his years of practical experience as a technical trainer he is able to provide added insight and value to students that reach beyond the scope of a standard course outline. San has established himself as one of New Horizons’ preferred trainers by continually bringing a combination of technical expertise and personality to the classroom each day.

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