Polycom has just released an update to the UCS firmware for VVX 500 and VVX 600 phones which includes additional functionality for Lync 2010 interoperability.  On top of the features already provided in the previous Lync Qualified release the ability to support PIN Authentication is now available on these two phone models.

In order to utilize this new feature the current Lync environment must be configured to support PIN Authentication using the same DHCP 43/120 configuration that Lync Phone Edition devices require.

This functionality is provided in the new UCS firmware package 4.1.2.11307 which is available for download here for centralized distribution, or follow the steps later in this article to manually update the software directly from the phone.

New Sign-In Experience

The new 4.1.2 firmware release utilizes the same Out of the Box provisioning experience as first described in this blog article but includes minor changes to the sign-in process to accommodate for the new PIN Authentication method.

• The article linked above shows how to set the Base Profile to Lync by using the Multi Key Combo (MKC) of 1, 4, 9 on the VVX phones.

Once the Base Profile is updated and the device reboots then the following PIN Authentication window appears by default.

• Simply enter the phone or extension number and PIN of a Lync user account and tap Sign In.

• In the event that PIN Authentication is not supported or desired and the previous NTLM Authentication method needs to be used then tap the Home Key twice to return to the home screen and then tap the More soft key.

• From the More sub menu select the Sign In soft key to access the main Sign In menu.  Select the User Credentials menu to provide NTLM credentials for the traditional sign in method.

Software Update

To start using this new functionality simply follow the directions in this previous blog article to access the web management interface on the phone and then download and install the latest firmware update for the VVX device.

The most recent 4.1.2.11307 software package is now available on the Polycom Hosted Server for direct download from the Internet for both the VVX 500 and VVX 600 phones.

Factory Reset

Depending on which version was previously installed and whether or not a centralized provisioning server was used to push configuration parameters to the phone it is ideal to first perform a factory reset on the device to clear out any older, outdated parameters.  This process can be performed at any time, before or after the firmware update.  If an earlier 4.0.x release was installed then upgrading to 4.1.2 will provide a completely new and simplified Out of the Box Provisioning experience which will work best by making sure to first clear out any existing configuration parameters from the phone.  If upgrading from the recent 4.1.0 release then the only new functionality is the PIN Authentication feature and updated sign-in interface.

In any scenario though it is often helpful to start fresh by performing these steps, especially when running into registration problems after an upgrade from the older versions.  If custom XML configuration files are used to push parameters to the device then these files should be updated or removed depending on the desired end-state; consult the Polycom provisioning guides for more information and guidance on this topic.

Perform the following steps from the device in the specified order to completely insure that all device settings are wiped.  Only configuration data will be deleted, the factory reset process does not actually roll back or change the installed firmware version.

• On the phone navigate to the Settings > Advanced menu and enter the admin password, which is 456 by default, and tap Enter.

• Select the Administration Settings menu and then the Reset to Defaults menu.

To perform a complete reset it is recommended to select the following options in order: 1, 2, 3, 5 .  Do not select item 4 – Format File System as the phone will be rendered useless until the application can be reinstalled on the device which requires a configured provisioning server.

Depending on the model and whether or not the specific configuration container has any custom parameters defined the n the device may automatically restart or reboot after selecting an option.  If it does, after the reboot simply return to the same menu and advance to the next step.

• Select 1 Reset Local Configuration… and confirm the action.  The phone should return directly to the Reset to Defaults menu.

• Select 2 Reset Web Configuration… and confirm the action.  The phone should again return directly to the Reset to Defaults menu.

• Select 3 Reset Device Settings… and confirm the action.  The phone should report the message ‘Flash settings reset’ and then automatically reboot.

• After the phone starts and returns to the home screen navigate to the Reset to Default menu again.

• Select 5 Reset to Factory and confirm the action.  The phone will reboot to complete the reset procedure.

In the process above sometimes the device may perform a simple Restart versus a Reboot.  The term Restart is defined as only the phone application being reset and not the actual device OS, so this process happens quite quickly.  The term Reboot indicates that the entire device is internally power cycled so the full bootup sequence is executed and takes a little longer to complete.  In the event that something is not working as expected it can help to manually power cycle the device and then rerun any or all of the above steps.