Microsoft Lync Services

 Microsoft Lync @ CHIP

Overview

Microsoft Lync is an enterprise web conferencing platform that offers functionalities such as: instant messaging, Voice-Over-IP (VOIP), and video conferencing. Additionally, Microsoft Lync enables real-time multi-client collaborative capabilities, allowing team members to simultaneously work on the same documents and communication session. These collaborative functionalities include whiteboard documents, PowerPoint sharing, polling lists, desktop sharing, and Windows application sharing.

Lync integrates with CHIP’s Microsoft Exchange Services for availability and seamless contact/free-busy information within Microsoft Outlook. In partnership with the School of Engineering, CHIP IT has the capabilities to offer Microsoft Lync to CHIP members with a valid CHIPID (Refer to CHIP Request Forms and Policies). This service is hosted and managed by the School of Engineering with the CHIP IT department providing support for installing the Lync Client and getting you up and running.

Where to Get Started

If you are a CHIP member with a valid CHIPID, you already have a Lync account setup for your explicit use. The School of Engineering has developed a series of documents to help you get started with Microsoft Lync. The CHIP IT department will gladly assist with any questions you may have and/or the installation of the Lync Client. Please refer to the following links to learn more about Microsoft Lync and to download/install the Lync Client onto your PC:

• Lync Conferencing at the School of Engineering
• Getting Started with Microsoft Lync
• Microsoft Lync Client for Faculty and Staff
• Microsoft Lync Attendee Client for Students/Colleagues

While the above resources are intended for the School of Engineering, it’s applicable to all UConn users. The Microsoft Lync Guide for Faculty and Staff is very detailed and walks you through all of Microsoft Lync’s primary features with illustrated step-by-step instruction.

Microsoft Lync Quick Start

If you are ready to jump right into Microsoft Lync, you can download the Lync Client while on-campus or through the CHIP & UConn VPN on the Lync Client for Faculty and Staff webpage. Please refer to this page when downloading the client, as the most recent client versions and patches will be available here.

To sign-in to Lync you can use the same CHIPID credential that is used for the CHIP VPN, CHIP Exchange email services, and the CHIP file server. If you are logged on to a CHIP domain joined machine, the Microsoft Lync client will automatically log you on without you having to enter a username or password (Figure 1). Your sign-in address is the same as your CHIP Exchange email address, in the case of CHIP IT: Jonathan.Gill@chip.uconn.edu or Sam.Salorio@chip.uconn.edu.

Figure 1
You may be presented with the following certificate warning (Figure 2). Please check “Always trust this server…” and then click “Connect,” and you will not be prompted by this message when you reconnect to Microsoft Lync.


Figure 2
If you are logging on from home and/or a non-CHIP domain joined machine, you will be asked for your username and password (Figure 3). Your username can be in either of the two formats: JGill@adchip.uconn.edu or CHIP\JGill. The former is the preferred format for Microsoft Lync, you may be more familiar with the latter, which will also work in this scenario.


Figure 3