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ABSConfig is an administrative tool that helps to customize Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Address Book Service configuration. You can download this tool and other Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Resource Kit tools from the Download Center.
The ABSConfig.exe has been updated. The update resolves an issue where the ABSConfig.exe tool does not save changes. For a description of the update see The ABSConfig.exe tool does not save the most recent changes in Lync Server 2010.
Author: Tracy Zheng
Publication date: January 2011
Update: May 9, 2012
Product version: Microsoft Lync Server 2010
The Address Book Service Configuration tool (ABSConfig) is an administrative tool that helps administrators customize the Address Book Service configuration in Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software. It also allows Lync Server 2010 administrators to restore the default Address Book Service settings. You can download this tool and other Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Resource Kit tools from the Download Center.
ABSConfig is a graphical user interface application that enables administrators to configure Active Directory Domain Services attributes that are related to Address Book Service.
The primary scenarios for the tool are the following:
The ABSConfig tool can be started by using the absConfig.exe file. The tool opens to the Configure Attributes tab. This tab has options to map Active Directory attributes to the attribute fields for Lync Server and to specify which users to include or exclude in Address Book Service files based on specific attribute filters. It also has options to customize which value of the phone number to be included in the Address Book file. The Restore Defaults option enables administrators to restore Address Book Service settings to default values.
ABSConfig stores the Address Book Service configuration in the database.
Path: %programFiles%\Microsoft Lync Server\Reskit
ABSConfig provides a quick and easy way to customize Lync Server Address Book Service.
ABSConfig can be run only from a domain-joined computer that has Lync Server installed. In the case of Microsoft Lync Server 2010, Enterprise Edition, this tool can be run on any Front End Servers that have the Address Book Service enabled during setup.
The computer should be able to connect to the Front End pool and back-end database.
Lync Server must be installed before running the ABSConfig tool.
Administrators who have the permissions required to update the Lync Server deployment.
ABSConfig can be started by typing ABSConfig.exe at a command prompt. Figure 1 shows the ABSConfig tool user interface.
Figure 1. ABSConfig tool UI
The ABSConfig tool provides administrators a quick and easy to use tool to customize Lync Server Address Book Service.
Keywords: Address Book Service; configuration; admin; ABSConfig; Active Directory; Domain Services; Front End; database; back end
When using the ABSConfig tool do not click on teh Restore defaults button. Microsoft has not updated the code on this button to reflect the database changes in lync 2010. It will reset your database to a OCS configuration.
How would I configure it so that the Lync address book only shows the internal employees, and nothing from the users contact lists or other address books?
If I set it to "Only Include users that have a value for this AD attribute", and map company=companyname, what type of attribute is valid? Group is already used by default.
Rob Young is correct. I blew up an ABS by clicking the Restore Defaults button. I wrote a SQL script to restore the Lync default ABS config. Blog post coming soon...
Thanks everyone, we have notified the developer of the tool and are looking into this issue.
This issue is known issue. Fix is on the way
Until the fix is available, I created a SQL script to restore Lync ABS default configuration.
waveformation.com/.../restore-lync-abs-default-configuration
Does the absconfig work at all on Lync 2010?
I enabled IP phone and Other phone and it seemed to mess up the contact phone entries. Given the reset to defaults is broken it seems likely that some of the other options may also be broken. I've had to run Jamie's script to refix the issue (nice nice Jamie).
I was about 15 seconds away from clicking the Restore defaults, when I stumbled across this posting. What's really frustrating is that we were using the tool during troublehooting under the guidance of PSS as we were working on some normalization that wasn't behaving as expected.
I experienced the same issue and raised a support call regarding this with Microsoft. I have created a blog post detailing the resolution I was given by PSS.
www.b4z.co.uk/lync-server-2010-absconfig-issue.html
I believe 4 months should have already been enough to fix this stupid bug. The tool is still online without any warning on the download page that it will mess the whole deployment if you dare to click on that restore button anytime. Nice job!
As of CU3 this is still not fixed. We just blew up an address book with this. The fix given by B4Z worked great.
Here's a recent blog post from Lasse Nordvik Wedø on Tech@Work on this issue: tech.rundtomrundt.com/.../lync-address-book-can-show-different.html .
Folks, as it now states at the top of this post: The ABSConfig.exe has been updated. The update resolves an issue where the ABSConfig.exe tool does not save changes. For a description of the update see "The ABSConfig.exe tool does not save the most recent changes in Lync Server 2010" at support.microsoft.com/.../2672934. Thanks!