Microsoft had temporarily disabled Skype & Lync video calling during the Christmas holidays.  Luckily Microsoft has released a new Skype version that enables this capability once again.

How to get this version?

Go to the Skype.com website and download a new version.

You will most likely get this version : 7.1.0.105 (at the time of writing)
If you get a different version then you should try to download once again with another browser to get another version.

Install Skype and make sure you are using the correct version.

Now Video Calling is available again

Example video call between Skype and Lync

Codecs in use between Skype and Lync are

Audio : RT Audio
Video : H.264

Happy testing.

More info here:
http://www.pro-lync.be/blogs/lync2013/archive/2014/12/05/video-calling-between-skype-and-lync-first-look-amp-the-details-on-a-surprising-codec-being-used.aspx

http://www.pro-lync.be/blogs/lync2013/archive/2014/12/11/skype-amp-lync-interop-also-works-with-legacy-lync-clients.aspx

http://www.pro-lync.be/blogs/lync2013/archive/2015/01/15/howto-display-all-lync-amp-skype-codecs-in-microsoft-message-analyser.aspx

Lync 2013

February 10, 2015 update for Lync 2013 (KB2920744)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2920744

This update resolves the following issues:

• KB 3032399 Update improves users’ ability to select partial instant messages from conversation history windows in Lync 2013
• KB 3032396 Incorrect conversation window opens when you double-click a contact in Lync 2013

Lync Server 2013

Updates for Lync Server 2013
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2809243

February 2015 Cumulative Update 5.0.8308.871 for Lync Server 2013 (Front End Server and Edge Server) resolves the following issues:

• KB 3034784 Lync Server 2013-based client crashes or disconnects from a meeting when an anonymous user ends audio lines of a call
• KB 3034783 LS Storage Service event 32054 after you enable Lync 2013 Mobility in an Exchange 2010 environment
• KB 3034782 Non-clickable hyperlinks setting does not work in a conversation with external users in a Lync Server 2013-based client
• KB 3034779 Lync Monitoring report does not show names under "Sites and Subnet" column
• KB 3034778 Rtcsrv.exe crashes when invalid address book normalization rules are defined in Lync Server 2013

February 2015 Cumulative Update 5.0.8308.871 for Lync Server 2013 Core Management Server resolves the following issues

• Location monitoring report does not show regions and site names in a Lync Server 2013 environment

February 2015 Cumulative Update 5.0.8308.871 for Lync Server 2013 web components server resolves the following issues

• Lync Server 2013 Control Panel crashes when you access the Route tab under the Voice Routing tab

February 2015 Cumulative Update 5.0.8308.871 for Lync Server 2013 core components  resolves the following issues

• KB 3034776 Memory leak occurs in w3wp.exe, MediationServerSvc.exe, and sqlservr.exe in a Lync Server 2013 environment
• KB 3034781 Central Management Store file replication is slow or incomplete in a Lync Server 2013 environment

February 2015 Cumulative Update 5.0.8308.871 for Lync Server 2013 Response Group Service resolves the following issues

• Lync Server 2013-based RGS agent receives a toast for a second waiting call after agent accepts the first waiting call

Once again Microsoft updates Lync 2013, it has not been longer than a month before the last update came out.

This update KB2956174 resolves a list of issues. The version number of this update is 15.0.4701.1000. Check out the Known issues that may occur after you install this update and the prerequisites before you install the update

This update resolves the following issues:

• KB 3040496 Lync 2013 does not show who changes content in a shared whiteboard in an online meeting
  Note After you apply this update, you can see who changes content by resting the mouse pointer over the changed content
• KB 3040495 Cannot scroll down text that is more than two pages in whiteboard in Lync 2013
  When this issue occurs, you can only see text in two pages in whiteboard in Microsoft Lync 2013. 
  Note You cannot scroll down the text by using either a keyboard or a mouse scroll button
• KB 3040494 "We couldn't connect to the presentation" error occurs when an anonymous user shares a desktop in a meeting in Lync 2013
  This issue occurs when a user joins a meeting that is created in a non-federated organization from the network of the user's organization. The user's organization does not have a direct IP/TCP connection route to the Edge infrastructure of the non-federated organization.
  When this issue occurs, the user receives the following error message: We couldn't connect to the presentation because of network issues.Additionally, the user cannot start audio or video in a meeting in Lync 2013.
  This issue occurs because Lync 2013 does not use a configured HTTP proxy server to connect to the Edge infrastructure of the non-federated organization. Instead, Lync 2013 tries to directly connect to the Edge infrastructure incorrectly
• KB 3040493 Lync Online users cannot search contacts in Lync 2013 in an environment that has a proxy server deployed
  This issue occurs because Microsoft Lync 2013 sets a proxy server but does not set the proxy exception list for the Microsoft Office Online Sign-in Assistant service (MSOIDSVC). Therefore, MSOIDSVC tries to connect an Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) server through the proxy server. However, the proxy server cannot connect an ADFS server through an external Internet network.
• KB 3040491 Meeting does not start if you click a meeting URL in a meeting invitation email message when Lync 2013 is signing in
  Note When this issue occurs, a meeting will not start even after Microsoft Lync 2013 has finished signing in
• KB 3040489 Text labels for toll and toll-free numbers disappear in a meeting invitation when you create the meeting in Lync 2013
  When this issue occurs, a toll and toll-free number are displayed as follows:
  
  Join by phone:
   +<123456>
   +<654321>
  
  Note When you create a meeting in Microsoft Lync 2010, the toll and toll-free numbers will be displayed as follows:
  Toll-free number: +<123456>
  Toll number: +<654321>
• KB 3040488 Outlook 2010 freezes, and then crashes when it runs together with Lync 2013
  This issue occurs because, when ucaddin.dll tries to repair meetings, it encounters a problem
• KB 3040487 "We found a problem with you Lync Meeting. Please leave Lync client running for 15 mins" error occurs in Lync 2013
  This issue may occur when you use a date format based on locales instead of the "MM/DD/YY" format, or when your computer just comes back from sleep.Note This update will remove the error message that is mentioned in title.

After you install this update, you may experience the issues that are described in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

• KB 2898357 Screen readers cannot read aloud keystrokes during a Lync 2013 application or desktop sharing session in Windows
  Consider the following scenario:
  • You install an update for Microsoft Lync 2013 that is dated October 8, 2013 on a computer that is running Windows.
  • You are running screen reader software on the computer.
  • You start an application or desktop sharing session by using Lync 2013.
  In this scenario, the screen reader software cannot read aloud keystrokes that are from the local user’s keyboard in the session.
  Note When this issue occurs, the screen reader will work if you restart it. This issue occurs because of a limitation in Windows.
  To work around this issue, you must set the DWORD registry value of DisableMouseConflictReduction to 1 in the following registry path:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync
• KB 2932389 Persistent Chat file transfer fails between an external user and an internal user in Lync 2013
  Assume that a user (user A) installs Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on a Lync 2013 client. Then, user A tries to send a file to another user (user B) in a Persistent Chat room by using the client. In this situation, user A may encounter the following issues:
  • If user A is an external user and user B is an internal user, user A cannot send the file. Additionally, user A will receive error ID 70.
  • If user A is an internal user and user B is an external user, user A cannot send the file. Additionally, user A will receive the following error message:
    error in transfer
  This issue occurs because the Persistent Chat server does not provide the external web services URL
  To work around this issue, you must publish an A record to point to the public IP address of the router on the external Domain Name System (DNS) side. The router port must be forwarded to the external IP of Threat Management Gateway.
  Note This workaround does not apply to all environments. For example, the internal DNS name may not be publishable in external DNS in some environments.

Next week is going to be exiting as Microsoft will do some announcements on Skype for Business :)

Follow on Twitter
https://twitter.com/SkypeBusiness

More info on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152821623341884&set=vb.123768126883&type=2&theater

Microsoft Updated the Lync 2013 Mobile client for Windows Phone to version : 5.9.1359.0

This version only includes bug fixes

What’s new in version 5.9:
- Bug fixes

More info:
https://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/lync-2013/d85d8a57-0f61-4ff3-a0f4-444e131d8491