Skype for Business InPlace – Upgrade Step by Step

Today 1st May 2015 Microsoft released Skype for Business Server 2015 RTM.

Below is an InPlace Upgrade carried out on a single Lync 2013 Standard Edition Server on Windows Server 2012 R2.

Before the Upgrade PLEASE CHECK !:

Ensure you have server backups
Applied Latest Lync Server CU Latest Lync 2013 Server CU
Applied SQL 2012 Express Service Pack 2 SQL 2012 Express SP2
Installed OS Hotfix for 2012 R2 KB2982006
Assigned a Windows 8 client with no previous Lync tools as the workstation to install the Skype for Business admin tools for the InPlace upgrade.
Windows firewall service is running
you have at least 32gb of available disk space before the upgrade
If you have Lync Room System admin portal this will not work yet with SFB it seems its also recommended to remove this before upgrading. (Although in my lab i didn’t and the upgrade didnt fail but testing LRS portal after i found it wouldn’t load and i cant re install admin portal as its looking Lync setup cache files 😦 ! hopfully this wil get fixed soon.

In Summary

Get your pre reqs in place and upgrade workstation and plan your upgrade first !
InPlace upgrade is really smart new way of upgrading. Gotta say MS did a cracking job!
Takes quite a bit of time so allow time for this and allow time to fix any prereqs that aren’t already in place. If you think it is uninstalling and reinstalling all roles and services for you 🙂
Found an error around disk space requiring at least 32gb free so make sure you have enough disk space available before the upgrade.

Upgrade Workstation

Install Skype for Business Admin tools on workstation

2. If you have internet access check for updates

3. From the Lync deployment Wizard install the admin tools.

4. Open Skype for Business Topology Builder on Upgrade Workstation

5. Before Upgrade Please Check Lync Services are all running before upgrade – IMPORTANT

6. Download topology and SAVE this topology file as its the topology used before the upgrade.

7. In topology Builder right click the Lync 2013 Serer and select “Upgrade to Skype for Business Server 2015”

I am upgrading a Skype for Business Standard Edition Serer and upgrading the existing Monitoring and Archiving databases.

If you don’t want to update the databases please disassociate the monitoring and archiving databases before continuing or if you wish to deploy new databases you can.

8. Press Yes

The SE is now under Skype for Business Sever 2015 🙂

9. Publish Topology

10. As im updating the Mon and Arc databases i have the databases to upgrade

11. I selected advanced and selected “Use SQL Server Instance Defaults”

12. View any errors and warnings. I had warning regard SQL services which were set as manual.

13. View your to-do list

Import existing normalization rules from the previous Skype for Business Server deployment. If you want to keep your existing normalization rules you will need to import them using the Import-CsCompanyPhoneNormalizationRules cmdlet. If you have separate normalization rules for each pool then you will need to run the command for each set. We will look at this after the upgrade.

14. After publishing wait a good amount of time for replication to take place.

15. IMPORTANT – You have to use “Disable-CsComputer –Scorch” to ensure that after a reboot during the upgrade that Lync service don’t restart this could break the upgrade.

16. ** IMPORTANT** Check all Lync services are running before upgrade.

17. Log onto your Server with an account with the appropriate permissions

Run Setup on Front End Server you selected you upgrade.

In-Place Upgrade Starts 🙂

I got an error you shouldn’t if you have checked the prereqs above 🙂

I increased disk space re run setup and continued this time i passed the pre reqs.

Setup uninstalling Lync roles and services i checked services as the upgrade went on. You dont have to but i was interested to see what was happening.