Topic Last Modified: 2010-07-16
When planning for migration to Microsoft Communications Server 2010, you should consider how clients will be affected during the various migration phases. To facilitate a smooth transition, you should consider how your users will be impacted during the period of coexistence, deploy the appropriate clients to maximize productivity, and ensure that user settings are properly migrated or configured in the new environment.
This topic discusses important planning considerations for migration and outlines the recommended client-related steps during the migration process.
Client Considerations for
Migration
To help minimize the impact of migration on user productivity, include the following client-related considerations during the migration planning phases.
- Determine how Communications Server 2010 clients will interact
with previous client versions, and with installed versions of
Microsoft Office and Microsoft Exchange Server. See Compatibility and
Integration.
- Review the user and client settings for the features that you
want to support. Some settings, for example Microsoft Communicator
"14" enhanced privacy mode, cannot be enabled until every user on a
given server pool has the most current client versions installed.
For details, see What's New in Client
Deployment, Migrating User Settings
to Communications Server 2010 (Beta Refresh), and Key Client Policies and
Settings.
- If you are deploying conferencing, review Migration Considerations
for Online Meetings.
- Decide which clients to deploy. For details, see Deciding Which Clients
To Deploy and Client Comparison
Tables.
- To allow users who do not have Communicator "14" installed to
participate in a Communications Server 2010 online meeting, deploy
Communicator Web App, or deploy Microsoft Communicator “14”
Attendee or make it available for download.
Client-Related Tasks during the
Migration Process
The document Migrating from Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to Microsoft Communications Server 2010 (Beta Refresh) outlines the step-by-step process for migration. Phases 2 and 6 of the migration process include specific steps for migrating clients. These steps are summarized below.
During Phase 2: Preparing for Migration, do the following:
- Deploy the most recent updates for Microsoft Office Live
Meeting 2007, Microsoft Office Communicator 2007, Microsoft Office
Communicator 2007 R2, and Microsoft Office Communications Server
2007 R2.
- Use client version rules on your legacy Office Communications
Server 2007 R2 server to allow only clients with the most current
updates to sign in, and to block Communications Server 2010 clients
(for example, OC version 4.*.*.* or later) from signing in.
During the first part of Phase 6: Completing Post-Migration Tasks, before users have been migrated to Communications Server 2010, do the following:
- Use client version rules on your new Communications Server 2010
server to allow only clients with the most current updates
installed to sign in.
- Configure Group Policy required for client bootstrapping.
- Configure other user and client policies to specific users or
groups of users by using Communications Server Control Panel,
Windows PowerShell, or both.
At the end of Phase 6: Completing Post-Migration Tasks, after users have been migrated to Communications Server 2010, do the following:
- Confirm that the policies you created at the beginning of Phase
6 are assigned as required.
- Deploy Communications Server 2010 clients.
- (Optional) If your organization requires Communicator "14"
enhanced presence privacy mode, after migration is complete, define
a Client Version Policy Rule to prevent earlier client versions
from signing in. Then, enable enhanced presence privacy mode.
Important:Do not enable Communicator "14" enhanced presence privacy mode until every user on a given server pool has the most current client versions installed. Communicator "14" privacy settings are not honored by earlier client versions. If earlier clients are allowed to sign in, a Communicator "14" user’s availability, contact information, or photo could be viewed by someone who has not been authorized to do so. Additionally, a Communicator "14" user’s privacy management options are reset if that user subsequently logs on with an earlier client version.
You can configure both client version policy rules and enhanced privacy mode by using Windows PowerShell. For details, see Set-CsClientVersionPolicy, Set-CsClientVersionPolicyRule, Set-CsClientVersionConfiguration, and Set-CsPrivacyConfiguration.
You can also configure client policy rules by using the Communications Server Control Panel. For details, see Client Configuration Overview.