Overview

Microsoft Lync Server has a number of different server roles. These can be combined in a number of ways to produce a myriad of architecture options. Even the collocation of services for a given role can be split out onto multiple servers for added flexibility.

The Monitoring role in Lync Server has evolved from previous versions. For those new to Lync Server, the Monitoring role collects and manages information from the Front End, Mediation, and other server roles, and it stores the information in a database that is separate from the one used by the front end. It leverages SQL Server Reporting Services to create reports related to call quality and metrics. These reports are often used for return on investment (ROI) justification. For example, if the legacy conferencing provider charged $1 per minute, and after moving conferencing to OCS, the current report showed 10,000 minutes of usage, the company saves $10,000 in conferencing costs for that month. I’ve found that most companies can achieve 100% ROI within one to three months after deployment, even in large, highly redundant deployments.

This chapter highlights the full lifecycle of the Monitoring Server role. It starts with the installation of the Monitoring Server role and follows with the configuration and administration. Finally, the chapter concludes with troubleshooting and best practices.