Microsoft Lync Server 2010 : Enterprise Voice - Enhanced 911

Enhanced 911 is a feature that was not possible in earlier product versions of Lync Server. Enhanced 911 provides the caller’s telephone number and street address to a dispatcher automatically. This is an advantage over traditional 911 service that requires the caller to provide an address where assistance is required.

Lync Server 2010 can maintain a location database for an organization that associates specific gateways, subnets, and wireless SSIDs with physical location addresses. Lync Server 2010 supports E-911 with support from a certified emergency services provider. Emergency calls are routed through a SIP trunk to the emergency services provider.

Configuring Site Locations

Lync Server 2010 enables clients to detect their locations on a network automatically, but a database of locations in the organization must be defined in advance for this automation to work correctly. Lync can match clients to a street address location based on the following network objects:

• Wireless Access Point— Matches a wireless access point based on the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the device that is the MAC address.

• Subnet— Matches a location based on the subnet of the Lync endpoint it connects from.

• Port— Matches a unique port on a switch based on the switch’s MAC address and the port ID. The port ID can be an interface alias, name, or just locally assigned port number.

• Switch— Matches a switch based on the chassis ID MAC address.

When defining each of these objects, they can be associated with an address. The address parameters configurable are listed here:

• City— The location city. For example, San Francisco.

• Company Name— The name of the company at this location. For example, Company ABC.

• Country— The two-character location country. For example, US.

• HouseNumber— The location address number. For example, 123.

• HouseNumberSuffix— Additional information after the address number. For example, B.

• Location— A more detailed location after the street number, such as a suite or specific floor. For example, Suite 456.

• PostalCode— The location postal code. For example, 12345.

• PostDirectional— Any directional information after the street address. For example, NE.

• PreDirectional— Any directional information before the street address. For example, SW.

• State— The location state. For example, CA.

• StreetName— The location street name. For example, Market.

• StreetSuffix— The location street suffix. For example, Street or Avenue.

All the location information must be entered through the Lync Server Management Shell. Creating each object is done through the Set-<LIS Object Type> cmdlets:

• Set-CsLisWirelessAccessPoint

• Set-CsLisSubnet

• Set-CsLisPort

• Set-CsLisSwitch

For example, to create a new subnet and location definition:

Set-CsLisSubnet –Subnet 192.168.22.0 –Description "Client Subnet"
–CompanyName "Company ABC"–HouseNumber 123 –Location "Suite 456"–StreetName
"Fake" –StreetSuffix "Avenue" –City "San Francisco" –State CA –PostalCode
12345 –Country US

Because importing every single wireless access point, subnet, port, or switch manually would be a tedious effort, defining all the required objects in advance through a CSV file can help speed up the process of building the database. The CSV file can then be used for a bulk-import process.

After creating all the Location Information Service objects, the configuration must be published. The objects are not recognized by Lync clients until this step is performed. To publish the location database, run the following cmdlet from the Lync Server Management Shell:

Publish-CsLisConfiguration

Validate Addresses

Lync Server 2010 cannot route emergency calls with location information directly by itself and instead relies on an E-911 Network Routing Provider to route the calls appropriately. Lync transmits the location information it knows about to the routing provider, which delivers it to the emergency service.

To configure a routing provider, use the following:

Set-CsLisServiceProvider –ServiceProviderName <Name> -ValidationServiceUrl
<URL from Provider> -CertFileName <Certificate path and filename issued by
provider> -Password <Password issued by provider>

After a provider has been provisioned, each address in the location database should be validated with the provider. To run a test against all existing addresses, use the following cmdlet:

Get-CsLisCivicAddress | Test-CsLisCivicAddress -UpdateValidationStatus

The UpdateValidationStatus also stamps each address with an attribute indicating it has been verified successfully.

Create Location Policy

For Lync to support location information objects, users must be associated with a Location Policy that allows these features. Location policies can exist at the global, site, or user level so that not all users or sites must be enforced the same way. When creating a location policy, an administrator has the following options:

• Enable enhanced emergency services— This setting enables the client for E-911. When registering with a Lync registrar service, the client acquires location information.

• Location— This setting takes effect only if emergency services are enabled, and it is used when a Lync client cannot determine a location automatically. Setting this value to no means the user is not prompted for a location. A value of yes means the user sees a visible red error in the location field, so he enters the information. Disclaimer means the user is prompted for location and cannot dismiss the prompt until a location is entered. Users cannot place any calls except to emergency services unless entering a location with this setting.

• Use location for emergency services only— Location information gathered from Lync clients can also be shared with team members. Selecting this option prevents Lync from sharing location information between users.

• PSTN Usage— This is the PSTN usage associated with placing emergency calls. This determines what voice route is used for callers associated with the location policy. This usage must already exist, so be sure to define a new Emergency Services usage prior to configuring a location policy.

• Emergency dial number— This is the number dialed by a client that signifies an emergency call is being made, so location and callback information is automatically included.

• Emergency dial mask— A list of dial strings that users might use to dial emergency services; it is separated by semicolons. For example, emergency dial strings from other countries can be used here which will then be mapped to the actual emergency dial number.

• Notification URI— SIP URI that receives an instant message notification when an emergency call is placed. Should contain the sip: prefix.

• Conference URI— SIP URI that should be conferenced into the call when an emergency call is placed. Should contain the SIP prefix and can also be a phone number.

• Conference Mode— Specifies whether the conference URI contact can be included in the call using one-way or two-way communication. One-way means the conference URI can listen only to the call as it occurs and two-way means the contact can participate.

To create a new location policy, use the following steps:

Alternatively, the Lync Server Management Shell can be used to create a location policy:

New-CsLocationPolicy –Identity <Name> -ConferenceMode <Oneway | Twoway>
-ConferenceUri <SIP URI to conference in to calls> -EmergencyDialMask <Dial
Masks, semi-colon separated> -EmergencyDialString <Dial String for Emergency
Services> -EnhancedEmergencyServicesEnabled <$True | $False>
-LocationRequired <No | Yes | Disclaimer> -NotificationUri <SIP URI to
notify> -PstnUsage <PSTN Usage for Routing> -UseLocationForE911Only <$True |
$False>