Android and Microsoft Lync? You’re Pulling My Leg!

Nope – I’m not. My GUIO intranet BPOS site is being converted to Office 365 this weekend. I can finally get busy on an internet-facing GUIO site as part of my E1 Office 365 Site.

As part of this transition, Microsoft asks that some preparations be made in advance – one of these preparations is loading Microsoft Lync on the client desktops to replace Live Meeting and Office Communicator, while another is making domain DNS changes for your SIP services (Lync).

While I was getting all of this set up, my trusty Samsung Galaxy (First Generation) died. Specifically, it won’t Bluetooth anymore. So I bought a Samsung Galaxy Nexus to replace it -

Hold on there, wait a minute - before you toss those rotten tomatoes at me, you should know that I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Microsoft guy (I had Windows Mobile since it was Palm-sized PC), but Verizon only has one [not kidding here] Windows Mobile phone, the HTC Trophy.

• It won’t Tether or act as a Wi-Fi router, and
• It isn’t 3G – deal killer

And now, back to our regular story. So I was sitting here playing with the Android Market, and searched for “Microsoft”; I am a hopeless Microsoft Tag fiend, and have this on my business card (If you don’t, I highly recommend it – no one will ever lose your contact if they can scan it immediately).

I found Microsoft Tag, as expected, but was absolutely _floored_ by the fact that I can get Microsoft Lync on an Android. Wow, Awesome!

I load it up, using the same credentials that work on my laptop, and – nothing. Try keying in my password again – still nothing. The Android refuses to connect.

I spent a few moments searching for why I might be having a connectivity issue when I found an article on Microsoft Support, entitled “How to use and troubleshoot issues with Lync Mobile on Google Android mobile devices”.

Sweet. In the “Troubleshoot Auto-Detect” section is everything I need.

• Add a CNAME Alias, “lyncdiscover” and point it to “webdir.online.lync.com” – that’s it.

An Android device with a Microsoft program to extend Office 365 – here’s to getting the entire Office Mobile suite. I’d pay for Android-based Office Mobile, no doubt – but only if it has SharePoint Workspace…Pretty please, Microsoft?

An Easy Way to Locate SharePoint 2010 Patches

Updating SharePoint to the latest Service Pack or Cumulative Update (or both) can be challenging. Your organization may have something as simple as a SharePoint Foundation install, or something as complex as a SharePoint Server + Project Server install.

There are several guides out there for installing the patches, but I’ve always found it to be a (small) challenge to locate the latest Service Packs or Cumulative Updates in a single location. While I was browsing the Microsoft TechNet site today, I stumbled across a site under the SharePoint Product site that I thought was VERY useful:

Updates for SharePoint 2010 Products

This one link makes getting your SharePoint installation update a whole lot easier by providing:

• Tutorials on best practices for applying SharePoint software updates
• Links to Documentation for updating SharePoint installations
• And my personal favorite, the Latest Software Updates section

As I maintain several farms for different clients (each with its own patch level), I thought this last section was interesting simply because it provides links to all of the Service Packs and Cumulative Updates (CUs) since the product was released.

By the way, if you have a larger installation which includes other SharePoint-related gems, such as:

• Office 2010 (client)
• Office Web Apps
• Search Server 2010
• FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint

You might consider going to the main site for updates, the aptly named “Update Center for Microsoft Office, Office Servers, and Related Products” site. Don’t forget to get a good backup before you start patching, and read the docs thoroughly.

What if there were no internet…

Update: The battle isn't over yet, but Congress seems to be having some indigestion with SOPA and PIPA per USA Today...

I have been in the technology industry for more years than I care to count – I remember life before the internet…
I remember things like having to make long distance phone calls to Microsoft and describe the things that were occurring on my computer because there was no way for us to visually share information.
I remember having to send away (yes, send a letter) to Hewlett Packard or other vendors requesting drivers on floppy disks and waiting days for the driver to arrive.
I remember having to read software manuals that were poorly written and full of flaws because only a few authors and reviewers had laid eyes on them before they went to print.
I remember only being able to find solutions to technical problems via word of mouth or small user groups.
Now imagine that you are sitting at your breakfast table, reading your newspaper, when suddenly and without explanation, the article you were reading simply disappeared. Or worse yet, you find that you did not receive a paper that morning (and never would again), because they had printed something that someone had found offensive.
As an American, you would immediately begin calling people to find out where your constitutional freedoms went. We believe in things like freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but we have to be willing to protect those freedoms.
Piracy in all forms is bad, no doubt about it – I firmly believe people should get paid for the fruits of their labor, whether the labor involves rebuilding a car, building a house, manufacturing a bridge, flying a plane, or producing intellectual property (something I do and am passionate about).
We, as a nation, are facing a serious issue – large corporate interests are pressing Congress and the nation at large to accept legalized censorship in a couple of broad, sweeping laws known as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act). Content and web sites could simply vanish from the internet just because large corporations say so – instantly, without recourse. Even the President of the United States has come out against this legislation.
Several web sites all over the internet are going dark today – in essence, their content is being removed, albeit temporarily. As a sign of solidarity with the internet community, the content of this BLOG will be replaced with this article – and the links shown below. If you like a free and open internet, now is your chance. Call or write your congressman and tell him or her what the internet means to you – heck, fill out the petition (in the link below) to stop this legislation and they’ll get it.
Read about SOPA and PIPA here.
Sign the petition to stop these initiatives here.