Microsoft Skype for Business

Overview

The Verba Recording System can record Microsoft Lync voice calls, video calls, and instant messages using various methods.

There are five main components of the Lync/SfB recording solution:

  • Verba Single Server solution: The Verba Media Repository and the Verba Recording Server co-located on one server
  • Verba Media Repository: Stores recordings, provides web access, storage management, security and auditing
  • Verba Recording Server: Takes collected traffic and signaling and generates recorded calls with media and call detail records. Contains the Verba Media Collector & Proxy role also.
  • Verba Media Collector & Proxy: The Media Collector component sends collected traffic to recording servers. The Proxy component proxying the calls, so they can be captured at a single point.
  • Verba SfB/Lync Front End filter plugin: Collects the signaling and gathers the encryption keys for the media.

The filter plugin is necessary to be installed on all Skype / Lync Front-Ends and SBAs because Lync communication is encrypted. It provides:

  • signaling information - detailed information directly from the Lync/SfB Front-Ends
  • decryption keys - used to decipher the media recorded from the network by the recording servers

Supported platforms

Supported Microsoft platforms:

  • Microsoft Lync Server 2010
  • Microsoft Lync Server 2013
  • Microsoft Skype for Business

All software and physical SfB/Lync compatible endpoints are supported.

Deployment models

Depending on recording requirements different deployment models are recommended. In the Verba solution, these models can be mixed even within one recording system. The goal is the same in all situations: place recorders or traffic collectors to network locations/servers, where the media streams you want to record are passing through.

The following table summarizes the different ways the Verba Recording Servers components can be deployed.

 Media Collector & Proxy
on separate servers 

Media Collector installed
on Mediation Servers

Recording Server
with Monitor Port

No need for monitor port

YES

YES

 

Call media path untouched

 

YES

YES

Internal calls

YES

 

YES1

Inbound / Outbound calls

YES

YES

YES

Inbound / Outbound calls
with media bypass

YES

 

YES2

Remote / Federated calls

YES***

YES***

3
Application shareYES 3

Branch Office Survivability

YES

YES

YES
Geographical routing
in large deployments
YES  

***Optionally the Media Collector component can be installed on the Edge servers. This makes possible to record federated calls also. See Recording federated calls paragraph.
1 Requires endpoint level monitor port configuration
2 Requires gateway port monitoring
3 Certain calls can be recorded by monitoring the Edge Server port(s)


 

In all scenarios the Verba SfB/Lync Filter component has to installed on the Frontend servers. If the Mediation role is colocated with the Frontend role, then both the Filter and the Media Collector role has the be installed on the Frontend.

For the installation guide see: Installing the Verba Skype for Business - Lync Filter or Installing the combined Verba Lync Filter and Media Collector on a Lync server.

Media Collector & Proxy on separate servers

The proxy-based SfB/Lync recording environment allows Verba to record all inbound/outbound and internal calls.

Possible deployment models of Proxy-Based recording:

Media Collector installed on Mediation Servers

The Mediation-based Lync recording environment allows us to record all inbound/outbound calls in our Lync system.

Possible deployment models of Mediation Based recording:

Recording federated calls

Federated calls can be captured on the Edge servers. For this, the Media Collector and Proxy component have to be installed on all Edge servers.

For the installation guide see: Installing the Verba Media Collector and Proxy component

Recording Server with Monitor Port

The Monitor Port based recording requires network side configuration:

Possible deployment models of Monitor Port based recording:

 

For more information about the deployment models see Select a deployment architecture