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Free Skype for Business Online Network Assessment Tool from Microsoft, Hands On

Published by Tom Arbuthnot on September 26, 2016

Microsoft have just released a Skype for Business Network Assessment Tool; you can get the free from the public download site here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53885

version:6.0.8970.161     FileName: network-assessment-lib-6.0.8970.161.zip

The Skype for Business Network Assessment Tool provides the ability to perform a simple test of network performance to determine how well the network would perform for a Skype for Business Online call. It’s aimed specifically at testing your connectivity to Skype for Business Online

The tool tests the connection to Microsoft Network Edge by streaming a set of packets to the nearest edge site and back for approximately 20s for a configured number of iterations. The tool reports:

    • Packet loss
    • Jitter
    • Round-trip latency
    • Reorder packet percentage

It runs on Windows 7 or later.

The tool uses the same real-time media technology as a Skype for Business Online client.

The results from using this tool can be used as part of a network assessment to determine if a network connection meets the targets

Network Performance requirements from a Skype for Business client to Microsoft Network Edge

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Network performance requirements from your network Edge to Microsoft Network Edge

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Full details of targets here, lots of great detail: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Media-Quality-and-Network-Connectivity-Performance-in-Skype-for-Business-Online-5fe3e01b-34cf-44e0-b897-b0b2a83f0917?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

 

It’s a simple exe command line tool with a .config file

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The results get output in a Tab Separated Values file (looks like my hotel wifi is not the best)

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Nicely, there is then a results Analyser exe to do the maths for you :-)

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Configuration file contents:

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Testing from my home fibre connection, works fine (better than the hotel wifi above :-) ):

Misc Notes:

  • You can change the Audio File that is played
  • You can change the file delimiter from a Tab to a comma, but the resultsanalyzer.exe will not parse the file unless you also manually define the delimiter
  • The Relay IP in the config file is an Anycast IP, it will route to the nearest ingress point on the Microsoft network from wherever you run the tool
Published inskypeforbusinessskypeforbusinessonline

23 Comments

    • Tom Arbuthnot Tom Arbuthnot

      Hi Cliff, I think the pre-call diagnostics tool is a little more “technical user facing” and works with server and SfB Online. The other tool is command line and more technical, more for an administrator.

      Thanks for sharing/commenting

      Tom

      # October 1, 2016 Reply
  6. Trent Trent

    What about network testing when using CCE? This tests media to the Microsoft cloud but in a CCE the media hits the CCE and then the SIP trunks.

    # August 16, 2017 Reply
  9. Roger Roger

    What IP address do we need to add to our firewall on a corporate network.
    Relay.IP” value=”13.107.8.2 returns error. Checking the connectivity check other IP address are not reachable.

    # February 6, 2018 Reply
  10. Pete Pete

    one assumes this will not work in a corporate infrastructure where UDP out is blocked and the main Internet route is via a Corporate Proxy Service?

    I certainly know the client cannot route out to the relay based on just an IP Address.

    Are there any other solutions?

    Cheers

    # May 2, 2018 Reply
  11. Manish Rana Manish Rana

    Hi Tom, can you please suggest any tool for On Premise , checked editing the Microsoft Network assessment tool, but its not working.

    # May 15, 2018 Reply
    • Tom Arbuthnot Tom Arbuthnot

      Third parties are the best bet for on-premises. We (Modality) have products call Impact Assessment (network load test) and Diagnostics (on-going monitoring/testing). You could also check out Nectar and IR Prognosis.

      Happy to demo, just submit a request on the Modality Website, cheers

      # May 29, 2018 Reply
  12. Eddie Eddie

    Hi Tom – would changing the relay IP in the config file to that of an on prem FE or Edge produce any / reliable result do you think? – in theory of course :)

    # June 11, 2018 Reply
    • Tom Arbuthnot Tom Arbuthnot

      I don’t think it will work. These are special media relays build in Azure, different to our SfBS Edge relay service.

      Would be nice if it did :-)

      # June 14, 2018 Reply

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