[Tutorial] Setting up and installing persistent chat for Lync Server 2013

Here is how to configure persistent chat for your Lync 2013 deployment.

  1. Login to your Lync Front End Server and start the Lync Server Topology Builder
  2. When the Topology Builder window opens, select Download Topology from existing deployment and select OK
    Download Topology from existing deployment
  3. Save the file to your desktop
    Save current topology
  4. Expand Lync Server -> Your Site -> Lync Server 2013 -> Persistent Chat pools
  5. Right click Persistent Chat pools and select New Persistent Chat Pool...
    Create new persistent chat pool
  6. On the Define the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) page, enter the FQDN your standard front end server and check Single computer pool.  If you want to deploy a highly available environment for persistent chat, you will need to deploy 2 new machines to put into a persistent chat pool and check Multiple computer pool.  It is not supported by Microsoft at this time to collocate the persistent chat service on the same machines in an enterprise front end pool.  Once done, click Next.
    Define New Persistent Chat Pool

    1. In this tutorial, I am going to go over deploying persistent chat in a highly available environment.
  7. If you clicked on Multiple computer pool, enter in the machine names where the persistent chat service will be installed, and click Next.
    Define computers in persistent chat pool
  8. On the Define properties of the Persistent Chat pool page, enter in the Display name of the Persistent Chat pool (you can name this whatever you would like to) and click Next
    Define properties of the persistent chat pool
  9. Select the SQL Server store you wish to use and select Next
    Define SQL Server Store for the persistent chat pool
  10. Select or create a new file store and click Next
    Define the file store for the persistent chat pool
  11. Select the Front End pool/server as the next hop pool and click Finish
    Define the next hop server for the persistent chat pool
  12. Once done with the Persistent Chat wizard, right click on Lync Server in the Topology Builder and select Publish Topology...
    Publish the Topology
  13. Click Next on the Publish the topology window
    Publish the Topology Wizard
  14. Click Next on the Create databases screen
    Publish the Topology Wizard - Create databases
  15. Click Finish once the topology has been published
    Publish the Topology - complete
  16. Complete the following steps on each of the Persistent Chat servers you created
    1. Login to the server that will be running the persistent chat service
    2. Copy/mount the Lync Server 2013 installation media
    3. Run the setup.exe program from the Lync Server 2013 installation media
      Lync Server 2013 Installation Media - Setup
    4. Click Yes on the "In order to run the software on this CD, the Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 x64 Minimum Runtime - 11.0.50727 Package must be installed." Dialog box.
      Lync Server 2013 Visual C++ Library
    5. Click Install on the Microsoft Lync Server 2013 dialog box
      Lync Server 2013 Installation Path
    6. Check I accept the terms in the license agreement and click OK
      Lync Server 2013 Installation EULA
    7. Once installed, click on Install or Update Lync Server System
      Lync Server 2013 - Install or Update Lync Server System
    8. Click Run next to Step 1: Install Local Configuration Store
      Lync Server 2013 - Step 1
    9. Check Retrieve directly from the Central Management store and click Next
      Lync Server 2013 - Retrieve Central Management Store
    10. Click Finish once the installation has completed.
      (oops, no picture for this one :()
    11. Click Run next to Step 2: Setup or Remove Lync Server Components
      Run Step 2 Setup or Remove Lync Server Components
    12. Click Next
      Set up Lync Server Components
    13. Click Finish
      Set up Lync Server Components - Finish
    14. Click Run next to Step 3: Request, Install or Assign Certificates
      Step 3 - Request, Install or Assign Certificates
    15. Click Request on the Certificate Wizard screen
      Certificate Wizard - Request
    16. Check Send the request immediately to an online certification authority and hit Next
      Certificate Request - Send the request immediately to an online certification authority
    17. Click Next on the Certification Authority (CA) page
      Certificate Request - Choose a certification authority
    18. Click Next on the Certification Authority Account page
      Certificate Request - Certification Authority Account
    19. Click Next on the Specify Alternate Certificate Template page
      Certificate Request - Specify Alternate Certificate Template
    20. Type in a Friendly name for the certificate (I would just use whatever you used for the Persistent Chat Pool Display Name) and click Next
      Certificate Request - Name and Security Settings

      1. NOTE: If you are deploying multiple servers in the Lync Persistent Chat Pool, make sure to check the Mark the certificate's private key as exportable box.
    21. Enter in your Organization and Organizational Unit and hit Next
      Certificate Request - Organization Information
    22. Enter in your Country/Region, State/Province, City/Locality, and hit Next
      Certificate Request - Geographical Information
    23. Hit Next on the Subject Name / Subject Alternative Names screen
      Certificate Request - Subject Name - Subject Alternative Names
    24. Hit Next on the Configure Additional Subject Alternative Names screen
      Certificate Request - Configure Additional Subject Alternative Names
    25. Hit Next on the Certificate Request Summary page
      Certificate Request - Summary
    26. Hit Next once the certificate request process has finished executing commands
      Certificate Request - Executing Commands
    27. Hit Finish on the Online Certificate Request Status screen
      Certificate Request - Online Certificate Request Status
    28. Hit Next on the Certificate Assignment screen
      Certificate Assignment
    29. Hit Next on the Certificate Assignment Summary screen
      Certificate Assignment - Summary
    30. Hit Finish on the Executing Commands screen
      Certificate Assignment - Executing Commands
    31. Close the Certificate Wizard screen
      Certificate Wizard
    32. Click Run next to Step 4: Start Services
      Step 4 - Start Services
    33. Click Next on the Start Services screen
      Start Services Wizard
    34. Click Finish on the Executing Commands screen
      Start Services Wizard - Finish
    35. Click Run next to Service Status (Optional)
      Step 4 - Start Services
    36. Scroll through the list of services and find Lync Server Persistent Chat and verify it is Running.
      Services - Lync Server Persistent Chat
  17. At this point of the deployment, the infrastructure should be in place to actually push Persistent Chat out to your clients.  Next we will create a test group.
  18. Login to the Lync Admin Panel (Cscp)
  19. Select the Persistent Chat tab
    cscp - Persistent Chat
  20. Click New and select your persistent chat pool and click OK
    cscp - Persistent Chat - Select a Service
  21. Type in a Name for your persistent chat category and select who can have access to the category.  This category will be the container that holds a set of chatrooms.  Click Commit when finished.
    cscp - Persistent Chat - New Category
  22. Next, select the Persistent Chat Policy tab and double click on the Global policy.
    cscp - Persistent Chat - Persistent Chat Policy
  23. Check Enable Persistent Chat and click Commit
    cscp - Persistent Chat - Edit Global Policy
  24. Next, we need to create the actual chatroom.  This step needs to be done via PowerShell, so open up the Lync Server Management Console.
    Lync Server Management Console
  25. Execute the following command
    New-CsPersistentChatRoom -Name "My test chatroom" -Category "Test Category"
    Lync Server Management Console - New-CsPersistentChatRoom
  26. Next, we will assign a user to the chatroom, so execute the following command:
    Set-CsPersistentChatRoom -Identity "My test chatroom" -members @{Add="sip:[email protected]"}
    Lync Server Management Console - Set-CsPersistentChatRoom
  27. Now, we are ready to join our test chatroom.  First, close your Lync client if it is already running.
    Lync 2013 Client - File - Exit
  28. Relaunch Lync, and you should see the persistent chatroom icon.
    Persistent Chat - Chatrooms
  29. Double click on the chatroom and try sending a message.
    Persistent Chat - Hello World
  30. Congrats!  If you have made it to this point, you should now be able to offer a new collaborative feature to your users at your organization! 🙂

5 thoughts on “[Tutorial] Setting up and installing persistent chat for Lync Server 2013

  1. Pingback: Certificate Requirements for Lync 2013 Enterprise Persistent Chat Server | Just a Lync Guy

  2. Chris

    Hey Jack, Is there anyway to allow an external user is to manage a persistent chat room via AAR, where the PC server is co-located on a Standard Edition Server? When attempting to manage the room from outside, the users is directed to the External Lync Web admin address, however, this is re-routed to port 4443 on the SE server. As such I see a "The page cannot be displayed because an internal server error has occurred." error.

    Cheers

    Chris

    Reply
  3. Jack Flynn

    Hi Jack - What specifically needs to be on the cert for the persistant chat server? Can I use the same cert we use for internal between our front end and exchange or what specifically needs to be on it?

    Reply

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