Cloud Connector Edition Update 1.4.2 Key Points and useful info

Been looking around what information is available about the pending 1.4.2 update for Cloud Connector Edition (CCE).

This will be the first automatic update release so if your on version 1.4.1 or below i recommend just looking over and checking your setup. Also the update will follow the update schedule that has been defined on the Hybrid PSTN site. Its worth checking what time is set now before the update is released.

The noted expected release date is 20/3/2017 so not long to go but this date is pending final testing and confirmation it mentions.

Below are some great links from TechNet Blogs i recommend looking over before the 20/03/2017 so you can check over your existing deployment, understand the automatic update process and also automatic recovery process. Its always good to know the process just in case.

Brief Update Summary

Please prepare for the auto update and spend some time checking you have everything in place and your ready.

Auto Update will follow the update time windows that specified for the HybridPSTNsite, if an update is found at this time the update will start. The CCE Appliance will go into Maintenance mode (only one per site can enter maintenance mode at a time) the update tasks will run and following update the appliance will be taken out of maintenance mode and repeated for any other appliances in the site. You can monitor the update process.

For updates Cloud Connector version is downloaded and management service stopped, Cloud Connector updates which removes old version and install new version, new Virtual machines are built side by side from existing VHDX file but note if the VHDX is older than 90 days the intall instance script will log a warning. Once all updates are complete and services runing the switch to the new version will takes places by changing virtual network connections to new vms, shut down n-1 version and remove n-2 version and appliance is take out of maintenance mode. Windows updates is then performed. As the older version is kept you can revert back to it if required.

There are also tasks to look at following the update as well so make sure to check your update version and tasks after update.

Prepare for Cloud Connector Edition Release 1.4.2

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/sfbhybridvoice/2017/03/10/prepare-for-cloud-connector-edition-release-1-4-2/

Also some key points i found on prepare

Expected release date for this is 3/20/2017 pending final testing. Look for release announcement here
If you are running version 1.3.8, refer to the manual update instructions Upgrade a single site to a new version in the Cloud Connector Edition (CCE) configuration guide.
make sure to export a new sample Cloud Connector configuration file after 1.4.2 is installed for reference, and update your existing configuration file with two new parameters defined in the Common Section: HardwareType and WSUS Server.
This update is important, as it is the first to automatically update all existing installed Skype for Business Cloud Connector 1.4.1 appliances, based on the update schedule that administrators have configured for their Cloud Connector Hybrid PSTN Sites.
Confirm Group Policy is Configured
Use of Forward PAI has been deprecated in 1.4.2 as it’s no longer required to resolve missing caller ID for outbound calls from Skype for Business Mobile clients which has been resolved with changes in outbound routing logic for Cloud Connector.
A bug in prior builds caused Cloud Connector account passwords to expire. If the passwords have expired, then the update will fail
If your Cloud Connector Office 365 tenant administrator password has been changed, update the cached credential
Also, make sure to export a new sample Cloud Connector configuration file after 1.4.2 is installed for reference, and update your existing configuration file with two new parameters defined in the Common Section: HardwareType and WSUS Server.

Understanding Cloud Connector Edition Auto Update

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/sfbhybridvoice/2017/03/10/understanding-cloud-connector-edition-auto-update/

Key Points i found on Auto Update

If you do not update the Cloud Connector to the latest release, you might end up in the situation when your Cloud Connector will not work properly
Microsoft supports only the latest version of Cloud Connector software. Also, to accommodate Update Window, we support the N-1 version for 60 days after releasing a new version.

Auto Update Requirements

Outbound internet access to install, manage, and update Cloud Connector on Host Appliance.
Outbound internet access on all Cloud Connector VM’s to download Windows updates, or, access to WSUS server as defined in Cloud Connector configuration file.
Skype for Business Online PowerShell Module installed on Host Appliance.
CCE Management Service is running on Host Appliance.
Group Policy to prevent forcefully unloading user registry at log off (required for 1.4.1).
Skype for Business Tenant Admin account.

Confirm or Modify the Update Schedule for Hybrid PSTN Site(s)
When auto updates are enabled, the Cloud Connector management service will check for updates during the update time window configured. If updates are found, then the update process will proceed with the update.
Monitor Update Process – The Cloud Connector management service will log events to the Windows Application log with a source of CCEManagementService and detailed information will be written to “C:\Program Files\Skype for Business Cloud Connector Edition\ManagementService\CceManagementService.log”. You can also see the status of the appliance by running Get-CsPSTNHybridAppliance in Remote PowerShell or by viewing in on premises PSTN tab in the Voice section of the Skype for Business Admin Center.
Bits Update Process – During this process, the running version remains in service, and an interim switch is used to connect to the new VM’s. Once the new version installation is complete and services are confirmed to be running, the old version is drained stopped and the network connections are switched to the new version.
New virtual machines are built from the existing VHDX file. If the VHDX is detected to be older than 90 days, the Install Instance script will log the following warning:
SFBServer.vhdx was generated more than 90 days before. Use Convert-CcIsoToVhdx to generate it again and apply windows updates.

Note: It is recommended that a new VHDX be built periodically to reduce the amount of time to perform Windows updates for new and updated Cloud Connector machines. It’s not supported to update the VHDX with Windows update and re-run Sysprep as there are a limited number of times that Sysprep can run on a computer.

Understanding Cloud Connector Edition Auto Recovery

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/sfbhybridvoice/2017/03/10/understanding-cloud-connector-edition-auto-recovery/

Key Points on Auto Recovery

Cloud Connector will try to automatically recover an appliance if the Cloud Connector management service detects a service is not running.
Detection: Process for detecting an appliance status runs every 60 seconds and status is updated in the online tenant and cached locally in “CCE Site Directory\Site_EdgeFQDN”.

Monitoring: The following services are actively monitored:

Mediation Server: RTCSRV and MEDSVC
Edge Server: RTCSRV

To manually recover the appliance, first review the Cloud Connector management service log for details on what prevented automatic recovery from being successful.

If the current version of the appliance cannot be recovered, run Switch-CcVersion to switch to the backup version. After the backup version is confirmed running, uninstall the non-working version with: Uninstall-CcAppliance -Version “# of non-working version”.

Note that when the backup version is running, there will be no High Availability support due to inconsistent running and Cloud Connector script versions. Update to the current version as soon as possible, either by modifying the auto update schedule, or manually. For manual update instructions see Upgrade a single site to a new version in the Cloud Connector Edition configuration guide.

Cmdlets to check versions