Its surprising how many deployments I have seen that don't monitor their Skype\Lync environments. Its even more surprising how many monitor only the usual server type bits such as disk usage, processor, RAM utilization and services.

May I suggest that at the very least you monitor your environment by means of synthetic transaction.

Description

Test of Skype\Lync modalities by utilizing Synthetic Transactions. Test results generate Event logs on the machine where the tool is being run, for easy identification by any monitoring platform.

All connectivity is over PSRemote Sessions to the Front End Pools. Automation is achieved by means of the schedule tab, this makes use of the Windows Task Scheduler.

What is a synthetic transaction?

Synthetic transactions are actions, run in real time, that are performed on monitored objects. In the case of Lync\Skype for Business, synthetic transaction allow you to emulate actions such as sending an IM, making an outbound call, delivering a voicemail message, and so on.

So why do I need this tool?

Of course if you are a Powershell Guru and you have scripted your own Synthetic Transactions that great. However, this tool does more than simply run a bunch of synthetic transactions.

What else does it do?

1. The results of each synthetic transaction are recorded in the Event Log of the PC where the tool is run from.
2. Event log name where the results are recorded is separate from other event logs.
3. The Event ID's represent both success and failure of tests with separate ID's depending on the result.
4. Event ID's also contain a brief description of the test being performed.
5. The tool also has a Schedule tab that allows you to setup a scheduled task that will run on a repetition interval of your choice.
6. Instead of trying to replace your existing monitoring tools, this tool generates Event Logs you can simply add to your monitored stack.

Besides running the Tool to monitor your environment, what else could it be used for?

• Quick test after server reboots\server updates\topology changes
• Test against a particular Front End\Edge Server
• Test specified user for things such as login or voicemail

Version History

1.1.0.8     First public release

1.1.1.1     Add PowerShell V4 compatibility

1.2.0.1     Added Email Reporting

1.2.0.2     Introduced Alert Emailing, Bug fixes

1.3.0.0     Added more Synthetic Transaction Test. Aesthetic changes to UI to accommodate new features. Added a Help file to replace the About Tab