Upgrade Microsoft OCS 2007 to Lync 2013 in a Windows 7 x86 environment using SCCM 2007: Part 1

As part of our ongoing commitments to optimise our users desktop experience; our infrastructure team are currently implementing a Lync back end.  Of course it comes to me to package and deploy the client out to our estate.  As we are currently running a mixture of XP and Win7/8 there is a different method required for XP.

In this post I will explain how I went about packaging up Lync so it would remove any legacy installs of Office Communicator and replace it will Lync.

This is going to be a lengthy one so make coffee - LOTS of coffee.  Hopefully though it will help other people to achieve the same as me should that be what they require.

You will need the following:

Lync 2013 x86 client (I downloaded the ISO from our VLSC)
7zip (executable AND command line) http://www.7-zip.org/

Assumptions:

• You are proficient in SCCM 2007 packaging and deploying

• you have used the OCT to customise Office installs

• You require a silent install 

Packaging the Lync client

Customising the install

Assuming you have the above we will first setup the Custom.MSP file via the OCT.  Once you have extracted the ISO your file structure will look like the above.  You will not have the "Admin" shortcut so we create that now.

1. Right click "setup.exe" and click "create shortcut"
2. Rename "setup.exe - shortcut" to "Admin"
3. Right click "Admin" and at the end of the Target path you need to add "/admin".  Mine looks like this: "\\MYSCCMSERVER\Packages\Microsoft_Lync_2013_x86\setup.exe" /admin
4. Click OK
5. Double click Admin and you will be prompted to create or open an MSP file - just click OK to create a new one.
6.  Under Setup, click Install location and organisational name - enter your org name here.
7. Under Licensing & User Interface choose your method of entering the product key - I use KMS.
8. Click I accept the terms... box, change display level to "none" and tick suppress modal
9. Under "Additional content" click "Add registry entries" and add the following:
10. Machine setting
    1. Root : HKEY_Local_Machine
    2. Type: DWORD
    3. Key: Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\General
    4. Name: ShownFirstRunOptin
    5. Value: 0×00000001
11. User Setting
    1. Root : HKEY_Current_User
    2. Type: DWORD
    3. Key: Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\General
    4. Name: ShownFirstRunOptin
    5. Value: 1

Once you are happy that you have customised your install accordingly click "file" "save as" and save the file into the "updates" folder of the Lync package as "custom.msp".

Compressing the Lync Client

Using 7zip we will now compress the source folder.  Simply right click the folder that contains your install and select 7-Zip>Add to "(foldername).7z"

Create a second folder and add the resulting 7z file - this is the folder that will be deployed over to the clients machines.  For this example mine is called "Microsoft_Lync_2013_x86_01"

Add the 7za.exe command line tool you downloaded (you did download it right?)

Create a batch file called "TSINSTALL.bat".  In the batch file add the following lines:

md c:\lync2013x86

7za.exe x Microsoft_Lync_2013_x86_01.7z -oC:\lync2013x86
cd c:\lync2013x86
setup.exe

Continue to PART 2