Lync Environmental and Server Prerequisites

Now that Lync has RTM’d, it is time to start preparing for the introduction of Lync into your environment.  Let’s discuss what is required in your environment before getting started with Lync.

Active Directory Requirements

Even though Lync uses the new Central Management Store (CMS) to store configuration data for servers and services (instead of relying on AD Domain Services as in previous versions), Lync still stores items in AD DS.

Items stored in AD DS:

• Schema Extensions
  • User object extensions
  • Extensions for OCS 2007 (and R2) classes to maintain backwards compatibility
• Data
  • User SIP URI and other user settings
  • Contact objects for applications
  • Data published for backward compatibility
  • Service connection point (SCP) for the CMS
  • Kerberos Authentication Account

Supported Domain Controller OS:

• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows Server 2008 32-bit or 64-bit
• Windows Server 2003 R2 32-bit or 64-bit
• Windows Server 2003 32-bit or 64-bit

Forest and Domain Functional Level:

• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2003 native mode

Supported Certificate Authorities:

• Internal
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system CA
  • Windows Server 2008 operating system CA
  • Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition operating systems with SP1 CA
  • Windows Server 2003 operating systems with SP1 stand-alone CA (supported, but not recommended)
• Public
  • Must support use of Subject Alternative Names (SANs)

Supported AD Topologies:

• Single forest with single domain
• Single forest with a single tree and multiple domains
• Single forest with multiple trees and disjoint namespaces
• Multiple forests in a central forest topology
• Multiple forest in a resource forest topology

Lync Servers Requirements

Supported Operating Systems:

• Windows Server 2008 R2 (Stan./Ent./Datacenter)
• Windows Server 2008 with SP2 64-bit (Stan./Ent./Datacenter)

Software installed automatically by the Lync Installer:

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable
• Microsoft Visual J# version 2.0 Redistributable
• URL Rewrite Module version 2.0 Redistributable
• SQL 2008 Express SP1
• SQL 2008 Native Client

Additional Windows software required by all Lync Roles:

• Windows Powershell 2.0 (already installed on 2008 R2)
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 with SP1 (Windows Feature in R2)
• Updates to .NET 3.5 SP1 available in Windows Update
• Windows Installer Version 4.5 (already installed on 2008 R2)

Additional Windows software required by Front-End or Standard Edition Servers:

• IIS (Required)

Static Content	Tracing
Default Document	Windows Authentication
HTTP Errors	Request Filtering
ASP .NET	Static Content Compression
.NET Extensibility	IIS Management Console
Internet Server API (ISAPI) Extensions	IIS Management Scripts and Tools
ISAPI Filters	Anonymous Authentication
HTTP Logging	Client Certificate Mapping Auth
Logging Tools

You can install the above components from an elevated PowerShell command by running (assuming Windows 2008 R2):

1. Import-Module ServerManager
2. Add-WindowsFeature Web-Server, Web-Scripting-Tools, Web-Windows-Auth, Web-Asp-Net, Web-Log-Libraries, Web-Http-Tracing, Web-Stat-Compression,Web-Default-Doc, Web-ISAPI-Ext, Web-ISAPI-Filter, Web-Http-Errors, Web-Http-Logging, Web-Net-Ext, Web-Client-Auth, Web-Filtering, Web-Mgmt-Console

• Message Queuing (if Archiving or Monitoring will be deployed)
  • Message Queuing Server
  • Directory Service Integration
• Windows Media Format Runtime (if conferencing will be deployed)
  • Installer will automatically install, but will require a reboot –OR-
  • %systemroot%\system32\dism.exe /online /add-package /packagepath:%windir%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-Media-Format-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.7600.16385.mum /ignorecheck

SQL Servers for Lync Enterprise, Archiving, Monitoring databases

• SQL 2008 Stand./Ent with SP1 (64-bit)
• SQL 2005 Stand./Ent with SP3 (64-bit)

Hope this helps get you started.  As always, comments welcome!