Topic Last Modified: 2010-11-08

Follow these steps to get started with using Device Update Web service to manage device updates for your organization’s devices:

  1. Obtain and upload update files from Microsoft. Cabinet (.cab) files for software updates are available from Microsoft Help and Support. As a best practice, you should check for updates that apply to your organization’s devices on a regular basis, at least every three months, and upload them to Device Update Web service for testing and deployment. When you upload updates, they display on the Pending Updates tab of the Device Update Web service on the Lync Server Control Panel.

  2. Test Updates. Use the Test Devices tab of the Device Update Web service on the Lync Server Control Panel to specify devices to use for testing the updates for your organization. All devices check Device Update Web service for new updates when they are turned on and every 24 hours thereafter by default. All devices except test devices receive approved updates, which display on the Deployed Updates tab after you have approved them. Only test devices receive pending updates, which display on the Pending Updates tab. When a test device receives a pending update, you can check to see that the device is still functioning properly and also view audit logs to verify the success of the update. You should test all updates in this manner before you approve them for deployment to the devices in your organization. For details, see Testing and Deploying a Device Update.

  3. Manage Pending Updates. Use the Pending Updates tab to approve or reject pending updates for deployment to devices in your organization. When you approve an update, it appears on the Deployed Updates tab and is automatically deployed to the appropriate devices when they check Device Update Web service for new updates. When you reject an update, it is removed from the Device Update Web service on the Lync Server Control Panel and is no longer available for deployment. As a best practice, you should test each update on a test device before you approve it. For details, see Approving Device Updates and Rejecting Device Updates.

  4. Manage Deployed Updates. Use the Deployed Updates tab to see a list of updates that have been deployed to your organization and to roll back updates if necessary. When you roll back an update, devices that received that update will revert to the last previous update. For details, see Rolling Back Device Updates.

  5. Customize Log Settings. On the Device Update Web service on the Lync Server Control Panel Tools menu, use the Log Settings command to specify how long to keep log files on your system before purging them.

  6. Manually purge log and update files. On the Device Update Web service on the Lync Server Control Panel Tools menu, use the Purge command to manually purge log files, rejected update files, and update files that have been replaced with more recent updates. For details, see Purging Log and Image Files.