10. Windows Event Logs
A good source of information when
troubleshooting any server issue is the event logs. Lync Server creates
a dedicated event log for informational activities, warnings, and
errors within the standard Windows Server Event Viewer console. To view
this event log, perform the following steps:
1. Open the Event Viewer Microsoft Management Console.
2. Expand the Applications and Services Logs folder.
3. Click the Lync Server log.
4. Examine the log for warning or error events, which might provide additional insight into issues.
11. Lync Centralized Logging
Lync Server 2013 introduced Centralized
Logging. Each Lync Server runs a service that can receive commands from
any other Lync Server to enable logging for troubleshooting scenarios.
For Edge Servers, you must make sure that port 50001 to 50003 TCP is
open from your Front End Servers to each server in the Edge Server
Pool. These ports are used to communicate centralized logging commands.
Windows Firewall is modified as part of the installation; however,
these ports must be considered for any other firewalls in the
environment. The following example uses centralized logging to collect
data on an Edge Server Pool:
1. Open the Lync Server Management Shell.
2. Navigate to the CLS directory, which by default is C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Lync Server 2013\ClsAgent.
3. Type the following command to enable logging for the Instant Messaging and Presence scenario:
Clscontroller.exe –start –scenario im –pools edgepool.companyabc.com
4. After the logging is enabled, reproduce the issue you are trying to troubleshoot.
5. From the same command prompt, run the following command to stop logging on the Edge Server Pool:
Clscontroller.exe –stop –scenario –im –pools edgepool.companyabc.com
6.
The next two commands must be executed to search and export any logs
from the Edge Server Pool. If required, you can filter by specific
components; however, this example will simply export data for all
tracing components.
Clscontroller.exe –flush –pools edgepool.companyabc.com
Clscontroller.exe –search –pools edgepool.companyabc.com –loglevel verbose > c:\EdgeLog.TXT
7. If you do not pipe
the command to a text file, the log results will simply display in the
command prompt. However, given the large amount of data in these log
files, it is recommended to pipe to a text file.
8. At this
point, you now have a readable log file from the Edge Server Pool. This
file can be opened in Notepad or in Snooper.exe for viewing.
12. Lync Server Management Shell
The Lync Server Management Shell provides
several cmdlets, which test various functions of a server. A useful
cmdlet for verifying the overall health of a server is Test-CSComputer
server, which verifies that all services are running, that the local
computer group membership is correctly populated with the necessary
Lync Server Active Directory groups, and that the required Windows
Firewall ports are open.
The Test-CSComputer cmdlet must be run from the local computer and uses the following syntax:
Test-CSComputer –Report "C:\Test-CSComputer Results.xml"
After running the cmdlet, open the generated XML file to view a detailed analysis of each check.
13. Telnet
Telnet is a simple method of checking whether
a specific TCP port is available from a client machine. From a machine
that has trouble contacting an Edge Server, use the following steps to
verify connectivity to the Access Edge or Web Conferencing services:
Tip
The Telnet client is not installed by default
starting with Windows Vista and Server 2008. On a desktop operating
system, it must be installed by using the Turn Windows Features On or
Off option found in Programs and Features. On a server operating
system, it can be installed through the Features section of Server
Manager.
1. Open a command prompt.
2. Type the following command:
telnet <Access Edge FQDN> <443 or 5061>
3. For example:
telnet sip.companyabc.com 5061
If the window goes blank leaving a
flashing cursor, the connection was successful and the port can be
contacted without issue. If the connection fails, an error is returned.
Check that the services are running on the Edge Server and that no
firewalls are blocking the traffic.
14. Troubleshooting Lync Services
Basic troubleshooting begins with making sure
that the Lync Server services are all running. When services are in a
stopped state, users will notice many issues such as being unable to
sign in or connect to the Edge Server. Verify that the following
windows services are configured to start automatically and are running:
• Lync Server Access Edge
• Lync Server Audio/Video Authentication
• Lync Server Audio/Video Edge
• Lync Server Centralized Logging Service Agent
• Lync Server Replica Replicator Agent
• Lync Server Web Conferencing Edge
• Lync Server XMPP Translating Gateway Proxy (if installed)
• SQL Server (RTCLOCAL)
