Installing the Verba Skype for Business - Lync Filter

Owned by Kiss, Mate
Sept 12, 2019
6 min read

Overview

For the complete overview of the installation process, visit Call recording for Microsoft Lync and Skype for Business


The Verba system uses the Microsoft Skype for Business / Lync Server SDK and specific components have to be installed on all Microsoft SfB/Lync Front-End servers (including SBSs and SBAs)where recorded/controlled users are located. Formediation and AVMCU based recording, the Media Collector component needs to be installed as well. There are two different Verba server roles available:

The Lync Filter server role contains the following services:

  • Verba SfB/Lync Call Filter Service: required for voice/video call recording
  • Verba SfB/Lync IM Filter Service: required for IM and persistent chat recording
  • Verba SfB/Lync Communication Policy Service: required for ethical wall deployments

The Media Collector and Lync Filter server rolecontains the following services:

  • Verba Media Collector & Proxy Service: required formediationand AVMCU based recording
  • Verba SfB/Lync Call Filter Service: required for voice/video call recording
  • Verba SfB/Lync IM Filter Service: required for IM and persistent chat recording
  • Verba SfB/Lync Communication Policy Service: required for ethical wall deployments

Follow the guidelines of this chapter to install the Verba SfB/Lync Filter component on the Microsoft SfB/Lync servers:

Prerequisites

  • There is at least one Verba Media Repository or Verba Media Repository & Recording Server installed
  • Use a Windows user account for the installation with the following privileges:
    • Local Administrator
    • RTCUniversalServerAdmins
  • Create a new service user account in the domain for the Verba services (e.g.svcverbalync):
    • The service user account can be the same as the one used on other Verba servers. 
    • Add the service user account to the following local groups on all Front-End server(s), SBSs and SBAs:
      • Administrators 
      • RTC Server Applications
    • Add the Logon As A Service Right for the service user account

Configure the service user account and group memberships in a way, that it does not violate your Group Policies. If the group membership or privileges of the service user account is modified during regular Group Policy processing, the Verba system will stop recording conversations or enforcing communication policies.

Installing the Verba components

Make sure you are running the MSI package from an administrator command prompt.


Step 1 - Locate and run the VerbaAdditionlRoles.msi package from administrator command prompt. The install kit starts installing Verba components. Simply press the Next button to start the installation.

Step 2 - Read the Verba license agreement carefully before you click the Next button.

Step 3 - Select the server role and click Next.

    • Lync Filter for proxy based recording and ethical wall deployments. 
    • Media Collector & Lync Filter role for mediation and AVMCU based recording deployments. 

Step 4 - Select the destination folder for the Verba SfB/Lync Filter. You can change the default setting by clicking on the Change button and selecting another folder. If you have finished the destination folder configuration, press the Next button.

Step 5a - If a Verba CA is being used, then select the "Generate Certificate Signed by Verba Media Repository CA" option, then click on the Generate button. In the Generate the Verba Server Certificate window provide the address of the first Media Repository server, the administrator username and password, then click Generate. Finally, click on the Next button. (If this option is being used, Step 5b can be skipped.)

Step 5b - If there is an existing certificate from a previous Verba installation (in case of reinstall or upgrade), or a pre-generated certificate for the server exists (requested from a local or a 3rd party CA), then select the "Select Certificate" option, then click on the Browse button.

 

Certificates generated by the Verba CA

Based on the Friendly Name of the certificates the server and the CA certificate can be identified easily. On the screenshot, the first one is the server certificate and the second one is the CA certificate.

 

 

 

Step 6a - The Verba installer is asking for the MS SQL Server credentials. The server name can be entered either as an IP address or an FQDN. Both SQL server based and windows authentication is supported. In case of windows authentication, the Account name has to be provided in UPN or domain\username format. All Verba servers and components have to use the same database! If Verba install kit has installed Microsoft SQL Server Express Edition as a prerequisite, the password for the sa user is: Verba456+. If SQL Mirroring is being used or AlwaysOn with Multi-Subnet failover, then a different SQL Driver has to be selected. In this case, the driver has to be installed on the server. Click 'Test Connection' to verify your input. If the tests were successful, click Next.

Step 6b - If the incoming connection from the server is not possible (because the server is in DMZ for example), then uncheck the "Enable Automatic Node Registration" setting. In this case, the server has to be added manually to the server list in the System \ Servers menu after the installation. Click Next.

 

Database connection troubleshooting tips

  • Try to ping the database server. Try to connect to the 1433 port on the database server. (telnet or Test-NetConnection)
  • Check if the user has the necessary roles assigned, refer to SQL Server requirements for more information.
  • If Windows Authentication used then check if the user has the Local Administrator group membership and the 'Logon as a service right'.
  • Check if the correct instance name is provided at the SQL Server name. If there are multiple instances, then the SQL Server Browser service must run on the SQL server side.
  • If you installed SQL Server Express Edition, then check if the TCP/IP protocol is enabled under the SQL Server Network Configuration in the SQL Server Configuration Manager.

Step 7 - Provide the address of the Verba Media Repository server, and the API user password. The API user created at Step 14 during the installation of the Media Repository server.


Step 8 - Select the primary IP address of the server from the list, then click Next.

 

Step 9 - Provide the username and the password for the service user. Use the Verify logon and the Verify memberships buttons to check if the service user account has sufficient rights. If either of the tests fails, please make sure it has all the necessary privileges mentioned at Step 2 of the Prerequisites section. If the service user account has the proper privileges and the test keeps failing, then you can also click the Skip Role Check checkbox. Click Next to continue.

 

Step 10 - Please provide a target email address, a source email address and an SMTP server address for system alerts. If authentication required then please enter the credentials. The target email address will receive alerts concerning the various services of the recording system. This step can be skipped and the details can be provided or modified after the installation. When you are done, click Next.


Step 11 - Click Next again to start installing the services. When it's done, click Finish to exit the installer.

Registering the Verba components into the SfB/Lync environment

The Verba applications have to be added as new server applications to the SfB/Lync system. Open the Skype for Business / Lync Server Management Shell from the Start Menu and use the following command(s):

The Verba applications needs to be registered only once per frontend pool.

Verba SfB/Lync Call Filter Service

Required for voice/video call recording.

New-CsServerApplication -Identity "Service:Registrar:lync-pool-address.yourdomain.com/VerbaLyncFilter" -Uri http://www.verba.com/LyncFilter -Enabled $True -Critical $False

Verba SfB/Lync IM Filter Service

Required for IM and persistent chat recording.

 

New-CsServerApplication -Identity "Service:Registrar:lync-pool-address.yourdomain.com/LyncChatRecorder" -Uri http://www.verba.com/LyncChatRecorder -Enabled $True -Critical $False

Verba SfB/Lync Communication Policy Service

Required for ethical wall deployments.

New-CsServerApplication -Identity "Service:Registrar:lync-pool-address.yourdomain.com/EthicalWall" -Uri http://www.verba.com/EthicalWall -Enabled $True -Critical $False
New-CsServerApplication -Identity "Service:Registrar:lync-pool-address.yourdomain.com/EthicalWallInit" -Uri http://www.verba.com/EthicalWallInit -Enabled $True -Critical $False -Priority <UserServicesPriority>
<UserServicesPriority> is the current priority of the User Services Lync server application. The reason for this is that the EthicalWallinit application needs to run before this. After this, the User Services application will have the priority of its initial priority+1.
You can use the Get-CsServerApplication command to see what priority that service currently has.

Verifying and removing the Verba components

You can verify the list of the registered server applications using this command from the Lync Server Management Shell:

Get-CsServerApplication

 

You can always remove these filters if you make a configuration mistake:
Remove-CsServerApplication -Identity "Service:Registrar:lync-pool-address.yourdomain.com/VerbaLyncFilter"
Remove-CsServerApplication -Identity "Service:Registrar:lync-pool-address.yourdomain.com/LyncChatRecorder"
Remove-CsServerApplication -Identity "Service:Registrar:lync-pool-address.yourdomain.com/EthicalWall"
Remove-CsServerApplication -Identity "Service:Registrar:lync-pool-address.yourdomain.com/EthicalWallInit"