Tag: Skype for Business

“Argh…My Skype for Business Recording Failed!!”

Published on by Dave Branscome1 Comment

By David Branscome

 

I recently received a call from a colleague who had been working on a two-hour Skype for Business meeting.

At the end of the call, she went into her Recording Manager to get the recorded meeting but saw that the recording for the meeting had failed. It was showing up as “0 bytes” in size.

When we browsed to C:Users%USERNAME%AppDataLocalMicrosoftCommunicatorRecording ManagerTemporary Recording Files we saw this:

So, we were pretty sure that the files were available, they just hadn’t been finalized at the end of the meeting into a single file. But how do you fix it?

Actually, the fix was pretty easy.

First, start a new Skype for Business meeting. It can be a meeting with just one person.

Once the meeting is started, share out your desktop.

Now start the recording.

 

Immediately afterward, pause the recording as shown below:

 

Go to the temporary recording files path:

C:Users%USERNAME%AppDataLocalMicrosoftCommunicatorRecording ManagerTemporary Recording Files and locate the folder with the temporary files for the RECORDING YOU JUST PAUSED. It should be easy to locate based on the time stamp.

Open that folder and delete all the files EXCEPT the file named lock.lock.

Next, go back to the C:UsersdabranAppDataLocalMicrosoftCommunicatorRecording ManagerTemporary Recording Files path and locate the folder for the FAILED recording. Again, you can use the timestamps on the files to ensure you have the right files. Select all the files in this folder and copy them using either CTRL-C or the Copy command

At this point, you should have all the files from the folder of the original FAILED Recording copied over into the folder for the NEW, paused recording.

Now, from your Skype for Business client, STOP the recording for the meeting you initiated earlier. This will start the process of combining all the files from the FAILED recording into a single, functional recording.

 

 

Go into your System Tray in the lower right corner and click on the Recording Manager icon and select “Open”

 

Ensure that the New recording is being compiled, as shown by the green progress bar.

 

 

In a few minutes (depending upon the length of the original meeting), your file should be completely recovered and ready to use!

Guidance Available Now for Planning and Deploying Microsoft Teams!

Published on by Dave BranscomeLeave a comment

David Branscome

September 25, 2017

 

For a couple months now, our partners and customers have been attempting to read the direction that Microsoft is taking with regard to Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business. I think it’s safe to say there’s been some confusion and *ahem*…. “gaps” in the guidance.

For example, the partners I’ve been working with have asked questions like:

“Is Microsoft Teams a replacement for Skype for Business?”

“How do I integrate Microsoft Teams into my Skype for Business infrastructure?”

“Are there best practices for how to configure my Teams and Channels?”

“How will Teams integrate with my existing audio/video systems?”

“Is there a certification program for Teams devices like there was for Skype for Business headsets, phones, etc…?”

These are especially important questions for partners because they have to (1.) be able to talk about how this will work with their own customers and (2.) they have to be able to deliver on those engagements.

Well, as of today, the clouds of confusion are beginning to part on many of these questions.

Partners can now go to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/Microsoft-Teams and get lots of great guidance to help them start planning and deploying Microsoft Teams in their customer environments. For example:

Now you might be saying, “That’s all well and good, David, but that’s just the technical considerations. I have people asking questions about the future of Skype, the licensing implications of moving to Teams from Skype for Business, and cloud video interop with Microsoft Teams. What am I supposed to tell them?”

Trust me, those questions have been on the minds of many partners and customers, and there is now some public guidance on these questions in the form of an FAQ, located here:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/MicrosoftTeams/faq-journey

Clearly, there are still many more questions that partners and customers will have as we roll out more features and capabilities for Microsoft Teams, so we’ll keep answering those questions and creating articles to help guide you along on this journey.

For now, there’s lots to digest, and lots to use as you work with your customers in planning and deploying Microsoft Teams.

Enjoy!

 

Skype for Business Client for Mac Goodness

Published on by Dave BranscomeLeave a comment
I love updates.

I actually get geekily excited when I get prompted to shut down Office while Click-to-Run updates my Office install. When it’s done, I can’t wait to see “what’s different”.

On Sunday, my TV prompted me to apply a software update, and I had to force myself to not run the update in the middle of the football game.

Heck, I even like seeing that I have updated antivirus definitions.

I know…I need to get out more.

So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the announcement about a new Skype for Business client for Mac. Working with partners and customers over the last year has been a rising crescendo of “When is the new Skype for Business Mac client going to be released?” – frequently followed by “I thought you said it was coming in <insert month here>”.

Well, it’s here now, and it’s beautiful!

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=54108

Edge-to-edge video and fully immersive content sharing and viewing means that Mac users truly get a first class experience!

If you rushed out to order yourself a new MacBook Pro this week – first of all, you should have bought a SurfaceBook. But I’ll assume you need the new MacBook “for testing purposes”. The new MacBook runs the Sierra OS, which is supported with the new SfB Mac client, so – you’re good! (It’s also supported on El Capitan if you aren’t an “update-aholic”.) To get Outlook integration, you’ll need to have the Outlook for Mac build 15.27.

But wait…there’s MORE!

What makes it doubly exciting is that the Skype Operations Framework (SOF) got an update to go along with the Mac client update! If you haven’t yet familiarized yourself with the Skype Operations Framework, you should stop reading this right now and go check it out here: http://www.skypeoperationsframework.com

It’s a fantastic set of documentation and guides that help ensure that your Skype for Business deployment are successful. And it now includes guidance for planning and deploying the Skype for Business client to end users who prefer to use a Mac! There’s even a video training module that shows you the differences between the Mac and other clients and gives some troubleshooting guidance.

Yes, I love updates. And I love it when the updates allow me to pass along good news to our partners and customers – and this news is certainly welcome.

Enjoy the new Skype for Business client on your Mac!