Prepare for Cloud Connector Edition Release 1.4.2

Expected release date for this is 3/20/2017 pending final testing. Look for release announcement here.

This update is important, as it is the first to automatically update all existing installed Skype for Business Cloud Connector 1.4.1 appliances, based on the update schedule that administrators have configured for their Cloud Connector Hybrid PSTN Sites. For managing auto update, see Understanding Cloud Connector Edition Auto Update.

If you are running version 1.3.8, refer to the manual update instructions Upgrade a single site to a new version in the Cloud Connector Edition (CCE) configuration guide. Also, make sure to export a new sample Cloud Connector configuration file after 1.4.2 is installed for reference, and update your existing configuration file with two new parameters defined in the Common Section: HardwareType and WSUS Server.

If you are having problems installing or upgrading to 1.4.2, see Troubleshooting Cloud Connector Edition 1.4.2 Updates and New Deployments.

Confirm Group Policy is Configured

To ensure Cloud Connector successfully automatically updates, confirm that all Cloud Connector host appliance computers have the local Group Policy (GP) applied as documented in the Prepare your environment for Cloud Connector document.

Note: This group policy is not required for appliances deployed with version 1.4.2 or higher.

Remove Forward PAI from Cloud Connector Configuration

Use of Forward PAI has been deprecated in 1.4.2 as it’s no longer required to resolve missing caller ID for outbound calls from Skype for Business Mobile clients which has been resolved with changes in outbound routing logic for Cloud Connector.

  1. Open the “Appliance Root\CoudConnector.ini” file in a text editor and check the value for ForwardPAI.
  2. If the value is False, Remove the entire ForwardPAI section and save the configuration file.
    clip_image002[8]
  3. If the value is True, indicating you are actively using this for mobile caller ID, wait until 1.4.2 is installed before removing this section in the configuration file. Then, follow the Update Trunk Configuration instructions below.

Note: Run Get-CcApplianceDirectory from the Administrative PowerShell console on the Cloud Connector appliance host to locate the appliance directory if unknown

Update Trunk Configuration

  1. Connect to Mediation Server
  2. Open PowerShell as Administrator
  3. Run Set-CsTrunkConfiguration -ForwardPAI $False
  4. Confirm replication to all servers with Get-CsManagementStoreReplicationStatus

Set CCE Account Passwords to Non-Expiring

A bug in prior builds caused Cloud Connector account passwords to expire. If the passwords have expired, then the update will fail. To ensure that the upgrade to 1.4.2 is successful, please do the following:

  1. Log in to the CCE AD machine with the CCE Domain Admin password. Open the AD Users and Computers console from Administrative tools, and set both the Administrator and CCEService accounts to non-expiring passwords.
  2. Log in to each of the other CCE machines with the CCE Domain Admin password. Open Computer Management, and set both the Administrator and CCEService accounts to non-expiring passwords.
  3. On the CCE Appliance Host, open Computer Management, and set both the Administrator and CCEService accounts to non-expiring passwords.

Proxy Configured in DMZ

If you require a Proxy in DMZ for Internet access, confirm the following on the Host appliance.

  1. WinHTTP Proxy settings are configured with your proxy server and a Bypass-list including the "192.168.213.*” network used by your Cloud Connector Managements services to bypass the proxy. Otherwise management connectivity will fail and prevent the deployment of Cloud Connector Edition. Note – match the bypass list to the management subnet that is defined in your CloudConnector.ini file. Sample winhttp configuration command:
    netsh winhttp set proxy "10.10.10.175:8080" bypass-list="*.local;1.*;172.20.*;192.168.218.*'<local>"
  2. Proxy settings are configured per-machine rather than by user. Otherwise Cloud Connector downloads will fail. This can be done either with registry change or Group Policy setting:
    • Registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings] ProxySettingsPerUser dword:00000000
    • Group Policy: Computer>Administrative Templates>Windows Components> Internet Explorer: Make Proxy settings per-machine (rather than per user)

Note: Be sure to configure IE Proxy settings on Cloud Connector virtual machines to allow them to reach Windows Update Servers for operating system updates.