Core Prerequisites

Service Accounts

In order to install AnywhereNow a number of Service Accounts need to be created in Active Directory. These accounts must have a password policy set to never expire.

Installation Account

Unified Contact Center Service Account

Reporting Service Account (optional)

Security Groups

In order to configure roles based access control to the AnywhereNow system a number of Active Directory Security Groups are required. Please provide the following.

System Administrators

Report Viewers

UCC Groups

It advised to create two Security Groups for each UCC. The first group contains the Contact Center Managers, the second group contains the Contact Center Agents.

The Contact Center Manager Security Groups should be added to the Report Viewer Security Group

AnywhereNow Server Pre-Requisites

The following section details how each AnywhereNow application server should be built. To ensure an efficient deployment, it is your responsibility (together with your partner(s) if needed) to implement these prerequisites before AnywhereNow is installed. Your dedicated AnywhereNow project lead can answer any questions you may have about the prerequisites.

Detailed Server Requirements

Windows Features

• Windows Server with OS 2012 – 2012 R2

  Windows Features installed:

  • Web-Asp-Net

  • Web-Mgmt-Console

  • Web-Static-Content

  • MSMQ

  • Desktop-Experience

  • NET-Framework-Core

  • NET-HTTP-Activation

  • NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45

  • Web-Asp-Net45

  • Web-WebSockets

Run the following PowerShell command to install all required features W2012r2:

Install-WindowsFeature Web-Asp-Net, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Static-Content, MSMQ, Desktop-Experience, NET-Framework-Core, NET-HTTP-Activation, NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-WebSockets

• Windows Server with OS 2016

  Windows Features installed:

  • Web-Asp-Net

  • Web-Mgmt-Console

  • Web-Static-Content

  • MSMQ

  • NET-Framework-Core

  • NET-HTTP-Activation

  • NET-Framework-45-Core

  • NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45

  • Web-Asp-Net45

  • Web-WebSockets

Run the following PowerShell command to install all required features on W2016:

Install-WindowsFeature Web-Asp-Net, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Static-Content, MSMQ, NET-Framework-Core, NET-HTTP-Activation, NET-Framework-45-Core, NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-WebSockets

• Windows Server with OS 2019

  Windows Features installed:

  • Web-Asp-Net

  • Web-Mgmt-Console

  • Web-Static-Content

  • MSMQ

  • NET-Framework-Core

  • NET-HTTP-Activation

  • NET-Framework-45-Core

  • NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45

  • Web-Asp-Net45

  • Web-WebSockets

Run the following PowerShell command to install all required features on W2019:

Install-WindowsFeature Web-Asp-Net, Web-Mgmt-Console, Web-Static-Content, MSMQ, NET-Framework-Core, NET-HTTP-Activation, NET-Framework-45-Core, NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45, Web-Asp-Net45, Web-WebSockets

Skype Components

• Application Server is setup as a Lync Microsoft Lync (formerly Microsoft Office Communicator) is an instant messaging program designed for business use and is the successor of Windows Messenger. In order to use Lync, a Microsoft Lync Server is required./Skype trusted application server/pool

• Lync/Skype installation ISO is mounted on Application Server

• Run Lync / SfB Deployment Wizard on Application Server

• Finished all 4 steps of Lync/Skype Server Deployment wizard on Application Server

• Certificates are assigned during step 3 of the Lync/Skype Server Deployment wizard

• CMS Replication is active and running on Application Server

Security

Opened Firewall ports for AnywhereNow (if applicable; check table for a complete overview)

Added Anti-Virus exclusions (if applicable; check table for the required exclusions)

Monitoring

• CPU above 90%

• Memory above 95%

• Hard Disk Free Space less than 12 GB on C:\

• Hard Disk Free Space less than 5GB on D:\

• Hard Disk Read / Write Latency less than 5ms

• Network Receive less than 500Mbps

• Network Send less than 500Mbps

• Unified Contact Center Windows Service: Running

• Anywhere365 Heartbeat KPI, repeated for each UCC, should be 1 for online, 0 (zero) for offline

• Anywhere365 SharePoint Connected KPI, repeated for each UCC, should be 1 for online, 0 (zero) for offline

• Anywhere365 Not Established Endpoints KPI, repeated for each UCC, should be 0 (zero) for active, greater than 0 for inactive

• Anywhere365 Concurrent Audio Calls KPI, summed for each UCC, should be lower than 500 with recommended specs; 200 if call recording is enabled)

• Anywhere365 Last Conference Creation Time KPI, repeated for each UCC, should be lower than 1500

• Anywhere365 Last App Join Time KPI, repeated for each UCC, should be lower than 1500

• Anywhere365 Last Customer Join Time KPI, repeated for each UCC, should be lower than 1500

• Event Viewer Monitoring Applications and Services Logs > Unified Contact Center

• Optionally Log File Monitoring D:\Program Files\Anywhere365\Core\Log\UCC_Log.txt – monitor for ERROR events

Skype-for-Business Pre-Requisites

The installation requires a working Skype-for-Business Server Front End Server Pool (or Microsoft Lync 2013). It is assumed that this is already configured and in a production state prior to installation of AnywhereNow.

Please ensure that your Skype-for-Business configuration meets the following requirements:

Mandatory Requirements

• At least one Skype-for-Business Front End Pool (or Microsoft Lync 2013)

• At least one Skype-for-Business Mediation Pool (collocated acceptable; or Microsoft Lync 2013)

• Latest Skype for Business Cumulative Update applied to all servers

• A connection to the PSTN network

• An unused PSTN Number for each contact center to be deployed

• Skype-for-Business AVMCU has enough capacity to support additional conference workload (max 500 additional concurrent conferences per front-end pool available)

Mandatory DR Requirements (if DR required)

• Pool pairing configured and tested

• Mediation Server located in DR location

• PSTN connection in DR location from same carrier as primary (note: for inter-continental failover a global SIP provider may be required)

• Skype-for-Business Enterprise Voice multi-path failover configured

Optional Requirements (unless otherwise stated)

• At least one Skype-for-Business Edge Server (for media relay, external access, mobility and federation When using AnywhereNow in combination with Federation you can add agents working with a Skype for Business or Teams account to your UCC.)

• At least one Reverse Proxy Server

• Skype-for-Business Enterprise Voice Global Dial Plan configured to convert any number to E.164 The E.164 phone number format is an international (ITU) standard for dialing telephone numbers on the Public Switched Telephony Network (PSTN). Loosely formulated, only "+" and upto 15 digits (0-9) are allowed For example: +4433221100 (For number notation/display and storage see the E.123 standard) (outbound dialing)

DNS Requirements

For Skype for Business DNS is essential. UCMA Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API (UCMA) is used primarily to build middle-tier applications that work with the Skype for Business Server. (and therefore AnywhereNow) requires “Legacy” DNS discovery configured so this must be configured correctly for all features to work. UCMA ( the Skype/Lync API), like legacy client authentication, will discover and process DNS in the following order:

1. SRV: _sipinternaltls._tcp.domain.com

2. SRV: _sip._tls.domain.com

3. A: sipinternal.domain.com *

4. A: sip.domain.com

5. A: sipexternal.domain.com

See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/skypeforbusiness/plan-your-deployment/network-requirements/dns for more information.

The AnywhereNow server/pool is always in your internal network so requires at least 1. and 4. to exist and 3. is optional but if used needs to be configured correctly*.

* if sipinternal.domain.com is configured in your internal DNS it needs to be included in in the SAN list of the FE server (or rather Director-role) certificate (See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/skypeforbusiness/plan-your-deployment/requirements-for-your-environment/environmental-requirements#Certs).

Without sipinternal.domain.com, sip.domain.com will be used but then must be in an internal DNS zone for the SIP domain to point to your internal FEPool and of course also be included in the FE server certificate SAN list. For more information on very specific DNS configurations (like loadbalancing, split-brain dns or the need for pin-point (dedicated) zones) see: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/skypeforbusiness/plan-your-deployment/edge-server-deployments/advanced-edge-server-dns#WalkthroughOfSkype

Optionally SQL Server Database for AnywhereNow: (on the database server)

By default SQL Server Express will be installed on the application server to host the database required for AnywhereNow. It is also possible to host the database on a separate database server, in this case at least a SQL Server 2016 database should be created (optionally in a separate SQL Instance).

• SQL Server 2016 Database or higher

• SQL Instance (optional)

Configure a New Trusted Application Server

To successfully publish, enable, or disable a topology when adding or removing a server role, you should be logged on as a user who is a member of the RTCUniversalServerAdmins and Domain Admins groups. It is also possible to delegate the proper administrator permissions and rights for adding server roles. For details, see Delegate Setup Permissions in the Deployment documentation. For other configuration changes, only membership in the RTCUniversalServerAdmins group is required.

To configure a trusted application server

Run on the first Front End Server in the Topology

1. Start Topology Builder as a member of the Domain Admins group and the RTCUniversalServerAdmins group.
   

   Note

   If Topology Builder is not available, install or run on another Skype for Business Server.

2. Select Download topology from existing deployment, and then click OK.

3. In the Save Topology As dialog box, click the Topology Builder file you want to use, and then click Save.

4. In the left pane, right-click Trusted application servers, and then click New Trusted Application Pool.

   

5. Enter the Pool FQDN FDQN stands for Fully Qualified Domain Name and specifies the exact location in the tree hierarchy of the Domain Name System (DNS). An example for [hostname].[domain].[top level domain] is [www].[microsoft].[com] of the trusted application pool, select whether it will be a single-server or multiple-server, and then click Next.

6. On the Select the next hop page, from the list, select the Front End pool.

7. Click Finish.

8. Select the top node and then, from the Actions menu, click Publish Topology.

Continue on the AnywhereNow Application Server

1. Run Bootstrapper from Skype for Business DVD, to install Deployment Wizard.

2. Run Deployment Wizard installer

3. Click "Install or Update Skype for Business Server System"

4. Complete all four steps of the Lync/Skype Deployment Wizard

   

The Trusted Application Pool should have been created successfully and associated with the correct Front End pool.