Help with Lync Server 2010 configurations for very small business

Applies to: Lync 2010

If you are a Small Business customer, find additional troubleshooting and learning resources at the Support for Small Business site.

Summary


Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software supports computer networks that are designed to meet the needs of a variety of organizations. These organizations can be small, medium, or large, and they have varying requirements for performance, high availability, and scalability. In this article, we will focus on the needs of a very small organization, consisting of a single Active Directory domain.

More Information


The simplest Active Directory topology supported by Lync Server 2010 is a computer network that is known as a single-domain forest. The following figure illustrates a Lync Server 2010 deployment in a single-domain Active Directory topology.

Single Domain topology


If you have a very small organization, and you want to employ Microsoft Lync Server 2010 as your business communication solution, you would likely use Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition server. The following features are available in Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition:
  • IM and presence
  • Conferencing
  • A/V conferencing
  • Dial-in conferencing
  • Enterprise voice
  • Virtualization
A Lync Server 2010 network can support one or more Lync Server 2010 sites and have one or more branch sites that are associated with the other sitea. However, your deployment must include at least one central site, and that central site must contain at least one Standard Edition server and an SQL Server Express database. By default, the SQL Server Express back-end database is incorporated with the Standard Edition server. You cannot move it to a separate computer and you cannot include other databases on the Standard Edition server.

For information about the server roles, databases, and file shares that you can run on the same computer hardware as a Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition server deployment, see Server Collocation in a Standard Edition Server Deployment.

The following sections provide more information about the supported software and hardware configurations for Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition server.

Server roles

The following server roles can be installed on the same computer:
  • Standard Edition server with A/V Conferencing service and Mediation service By default, the A/V Conferencing service and Mediation service are installed together. You can deploy the Mediation service as a separate server or pool. However, you cannot deploy A/V Conferencing service as a separate server or pool.
  • Standard Edition server with Monitoring Server and Archiving Server (for testing only) You can install the Monitoring Server, the Archiving Server, or both on the Standard Edition server in a test environment.
warning Important Do not install both the Monitoring Server and the Archiving Server server roles on a Standard Edition server in a production environment.

Databases

By default, the SQL Server Express back-end database is installed together with the Standard Edition server. Note the following restrictions:
  • You cannot move the back-end database to a separate computer.
  • ou cannot install other SQL Server instances or additional SQL Server databases on the Standard Edition server.

Hardware Recommendations for Servers Running Lync Server 2010

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software server roles and computers running Lync Server administrative tools require 64-bit hardware. The specific hardware that is used for Lync Server 2010 deployment can vary depending on size and usage requirements. For more information, see Server Hardware Platforms.

Operating system requirements

  • Lync Server 2010 servers are supported on Windows Server 2008 x64 and Windows Server 2008 R2 server operating systems.
  • Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software administrative tools are installed by default on the server that is running Lync Server 2010. However, you can install administrative tools separately on other computers that are running Windows operating systems. For example, you can use a client computer running Windows 7 as an administrative console for planning purposes. For more information, see Server and Tools Operating System Support.

Certificate Infrastructure Support

By default, network communications in Lync Server 2010 are encrypted. Certificates are required for all internal servers that are running Lync Server 2010. Virtually all Lync Server data is protected on the network. This is accomplished by requiring all servers to use certificates and by using Kerberos authentication, TLS, Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP), and other industry-standard encryption techniques, including 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
2667698 Lync certificate requirements for user access

Domain Name System (DNS) Infrastructure Support

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software requires Domain Name System (DNS). For more information see Domain Name System (DNS) Infrastructure Support.

Internet Information Services (IIS) Support

Several Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software components require Internet Information Services (IIS). For details about the IIS requirements for Lync Server 2010 components, see Internet Information Services (IIS) Requirements.

Other software requirements

Lync Server 2010 requires the installation of other software on specific components prior to or during installation. For more information, see Additional Server Support and Requirements.

Some of these software requirements apply only to specific server roles or components. For more information about the software requirements for Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition, see Additional Software Requirements.

Virtualization Support

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 supports virtualization topologies that support all major workloads, including instant messaging (IM) and presence, conferencing, and Enterprise Voice. For more information, see Virtualization Support.

Client and Device Software and Infrastructure

Software support for Microsoft Lync Server 2010 clients and devices includes the supported operating systems, infrastructure software, and other additional software that is required to support client and device features. For more information, see Client and Device Software and Infrastructure Support.

Client Virtualization in Microsoft Lync 2010

You can use Microsoft Lync 2010 communications software client in a virtualized environment. For more information about the different client virtualization technologies and the benefits for each technology, including improved manageability, data security, and “anywhere” data access, see Client Virtualization in Microsoft Lync 2010.