In the event of the loss of one or more databases, servers, pools, or sites, the backed-up data can be used to restore service. Depending on the type of service loss, the restore procedures vary. The potential restore scenarios are described in the following list:
Loss of the RTC database or a database server (Standard Edition server or, in an Enterprise pool, back-end server). At a minimum, this type of loss requires restoring the database, but it can also require rebuilding the server on which the RTC database resides.
Loss of a Standard Edition server. At a minimum, this type of loss requires restoring pool-level and computer-level settings, but it can require rebuilding the servers, restoring domain information, and reassigning users.
Loss of one or more servers in an Enterprise pool (including one or more front-end servers, Directors, Web Conferencing Servers, A/V Conferencing Servers, or Web Components Servers). At a minimum, this type of loss requires restoring computer-level settings for the server, but it can also require rebuilding individual servers or the entire pool, restoring domain information, and reassigning users.
Loss of Active Directory, as well as loss of a Standard Edition server or all front-end servers. At a minimum, this type of loss requires restoring global, pool, and computer-level settings, but it can also require rebuilding the servers and domain information.
Loss of the LCSlog database or Archiving and CDR Server. At a minimum, this type of loss requires restoring the database and computer-level settings, but it can also require rebuilding the Archiving and CDR Server.
Loss of a Mediation Server, forward proxy server, or edge server. At a minimum, this type of loss requires restoring computer-level settings, but it can also require rebuilding the server.
Loss of a site, including all servers and Active Directory, which might be the result when there is a natural disaster. This type of loss can require switching service to a separate, secondary site (if supported) or rebuilding all servers and components.
The backup and restoration plan can include some or all of the following procedures, as appropriate for your restoration needs:
Deciding how to restore service
Verifying restoration prerequisites
Setting up server platforms
Installing restoration tools
Restoring data
Restoring settings in Standard Edition server environments
Restoring settings in Enterprise pool configurations
Re-creating Enterprise pools
Reassigning users
Restoring domain information
Restoring a site
To minimize the impact on users, restoration of service should be done in a way that causes the least disruption while still bringing the environment back to an acceptable level of service. An organization's backup and restoration plan should contain criteria for deciding when and how to restore service. In the event of loss of service, the criteria should be used to determine how to resolve the failure. The criteria should help determine whether only data, settings, or a server needs to be recovered or whether the entire infrastructure does.
If you need to restore multiple servers, you must restore them in the appropriate sequence. Table 14-9 indicates the restoration sequence for each type of deployment. Use the sequence shown, skipping any servers (such as edge servers) that are not in your deployment.
Table 14-9. Restoration Sequence for Servers
Servers | Enterprise Pool, Consolidated Configuration | Enterprise Pool, Expanded Configuration | |
|---|---|---|---|
Back-end servers | Not applicable | 1 | 1 |
Standard Edition servers | 1 | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Front-end servers | Not applicable | 2 | 2 |
Directors (optional) | Not applicable | 3 | 3 |
Web Components Servers | Part of Standard Edition server restoration | Part of front-end server restoration | 4 |
Web Conferencing Servers | Part of Standard Edition server restoration | Part of front-end server restoration | 5 |
A/V Conferencing Servers | Part of Standard Edition server restoration | Part of front-end server restoration | 6 |
Archiving and CDR Servers | 2 | 4 | 7 |
Mediation Servers | 3 | 5 | 8 |
Edge Servers |
(For any A/V Conferencing Server not collocated, restore each after restoring other Edge servers) | 6 | 9 |
Forwarding proxy servers | 5 | 7 | 10 |
Reassigning users | 6 | 8 | 11 |
Restoring domain information | 7 | 9 |
The components (such as a sites, servers, and databases) to be restored determine the sequence in which to restore them. Figure 14-1 summarizes the restoration sequence for restoring the various services.
Before performing any of the restore procedures, first verify the following prerequisites:
All required hardware and software for each procedure is available to restore service.
The backup and restoration plan for your organization is complete, and information from the completed worksheets in Appendix D of this book (or other equivalent information provided by your organization) are available. Appendix D and the worksheets are on the companion CD in the Appendixes,Scripts,Resources folder.
Typically, a restoration process is required only in the event of a loss of service, so you generally will not need to perform the procedures in this section until then. However, it is necessary to complete some processes in advance, including the following:
If your backup and restoration strategy includes a requirement to implement a separate, secondary site that can provide recovery capabilities (in the event of the loss of a site, which could be caused by a prolonged power failure or a natural disaster), you need to complete the setup and validation of the standby servers in the secondary site, as covered in the Restoring Sites section later in this chapter.
To ensure that restoration processes work as expected, it is recommended that you test the processes in advance. Your backup and restoration strategy for the organization should identify the testing to be done.
To restore service on any Office Communications Server 2007 server, you first need to set up the hardware and software. This can include any of the following:
Preparing to use the hardware and software of an existing server for database recovery so that the database can be restored without reinstalling server software
Recovering an existing server, which requires uninstalling and reinstalling Office Communications Server 2007
Reinstalling an existing server, which requires reinstalling all software on an existing server
Rebuilding a server on new hardware, which requires setting up the hardware and installing all software
Restoring service from standby servers, which requires verifying that the servers are ready to be put into service
On servers using an RTC database or on which an LCSLog database resides, loss of service can be caused by database corruption. Restoring data to the database might be sufficient. If this type of loss occurs, use the following procedure to verify that the operating system and programs installed on the server are operating as they should before proceeding with a database restoration:
Log on to the server as a member of the Administrators group.
Verify that the required services are running.
Check Event Viewer to ensure that no errors exist that would indicate any failures of the database or Office Communications Server.
Verify that you can open SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (for Standard Edition server) or SQL Server 2005 (for the back-end server of an Enterprise pool and the Archiving and CDR Server), as appropriate, and that no other software problems are indicated other than the unavailability or corruption of the RTC or LCSLog database. If problems exist that you cannot resolve, refer to the SQL Server 2005 troubleshooting information. (See the following note.) In the worst case, you can uninstall and reinstall the appropriate SQL Server software.
Note
To verify that LCSLog and RTC databases exist and that they have valid data, you can open the Management Studio in SQL Server 2005 and run a simple query (for example, select * from table_name). Detailed information on troubleshooting SQL Server 2005 can be found at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms188314.aspx.
After you complete these steps, if the server and the software running on it appear to be operable, except for the availability of data in the database, proceed with database restoration, using the information in the Restoring Databases section later in this chapter, as appropriate.
If you determine that the server on which the database resides is not operating correctly (and therefore, is not a stable platform for restoring the database), set up the server platform by using one of the other three procedures in this section:
Recover an existing server by reinstalling and configuring Office Communications Server 2007.
Reinstall an existing server by reinstalling and configuring the operating system and all other software, including Office Communications Server 2007.
Rebuild a server on new hardware, including installing and configuring the operating system and all other software.
If an Office Communications Server service fails, it might be possible to restore service by uninstalling and reinstalling only Office Communications Server 2007 and then restoring data and settings as necessary. Use the following procedure to recover an existing server without reinstalling the operating system:
Log on to the server as a member of the Administrators group.
Verify that the required services are running.
Check Event Viewer to ensure that no errors exist that indicate use of the current operating system and other programs (other than Office Communications Server 2007) is not advisable.
Obtain the deployment plan for your organization that specifies how the server was originally set up. That plan should provide information about the configuration of the server, including the initial configuration of Office Communications Server 2007, which you need to complete the reinstallation of the software.
Log on to the server to be recovered or a separate computer (such as a management console) as a member of the RTCUniversalServerAdmins group or a group with equivalent user rights.
Deactivate Office Communications Server 2007 by opening Office Communications Server 2007, Administrative Tools, right-clicking the name of the server, pointing to Deactivate, and then clicking the server.
Open Services and verify that no services with a name beginning with "Office Communications Server" are running.
Uninstall Office Communications Server 2007 on the server to be recovered.
Verify that all installation prerequisites have been met.
If the server is a Standard Edition server, a back-end server, or an Archiving and CDR Server, verify that you can open SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (for a Standard Edition server) or SQL Server 2005 (for the back-end server of an Enterprise pool and the Archiving and CDR Server), as appropriate, and that no other software problems are indicated other than the unavailability or corruption of the RTC or LCSLog database. If problems exist that you cannot resolve, uninstall and reinstall the appropriate SQL Server software as follows:
If you are rebuilding a Standard Edition server, reinstall Office Communications Server 2007, which will reinstall SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.
If you are rebuilding a back-end server in an Enterprise pool, install SQL Server 2005.
If you are rebuilding an Archiving and CDR Server, install SQL Server 2005.
Reinstall Office Communications Server 2007 on the server (as appropriate to the server role to be recovered), completing the setup of all required software, including configuring certificates, starting services, and validating services. You do not need to set up user accounts as part of the basic setup, as the restoration of user accounts is covered by the procedures in the Reassigning Users section later in this chapter.
After you complete these steps, if the restored Office Communications Server is operational but does not contain the original data and settings, proceed with restoring the data by using the appropriate procedures in the following sequence (for detailed information about each procedure, refer to the referenced section):
Install restoration tools by using the information in the Installing Restoration Tools section of this chapter.
If the server to which service is being restored is a database server, restore the database by using the information in the Restoring Databases section later in this chapter.
If required in an Enterprise pool, re-create the Enterprise pool by using the information in the Re-creating Enterprise Pools section later in this chapter.
Restore settings by using the information in the applicable section of this chapter:
If required, reassign users by using the information in the Reassigning Users section of this chapter.
If loss of service included loss of Active Directory, restore Active Directory information by using the information in the Restoring Domain Information section of this chapter.
If you determine that the server is not operating correctly (and therefore, is not a stable platform), set up the server platform by using the appropriate procedures in the following sections of this chapter to do one of the following:
Reinstall an existing server by reinstalling and configuring the operating system and all other software, including Office Communications Server 2007.
Rebuild a server on new hardware, including installing and configuring the operating system and all other software.
Restore service from standby servers.
If you have determined that a server loss requires reinstallation of the operating system and other software, and you want to use the same hardware for the deployment, use the following procedure to install and configure the operating system and other software:
Obtain the deployment plan for your organization that specifies how the server was originally set up. This plan should provide information about the configuration of the server—including the configuration of the operating system, Office Communications Server 2007, and other programs—which you need to complete the reinstallation of the software.
Verify that all deployment prerequisites have been met.
Verify that the environment is set up to support the existing server, including preparing Active Directory, configuring Domain Name System (DNS), configuring certificates, setting up load balancers, and configuring routing and other infrastructure components, as applicable (such as would be required if you use different server names or IP addresses for the new server).
Install and configure the operating system and all required software, such as SQL Server 2005 (only on a back-end server or Archiving and CDR Server), by using the information in the backup and restoration plan and deployment plans of your organization.
Install and configure Office Communications Server 2007 (Standard Edition or Enterprise Edition, as appropriate) and all other required software, as well as configuring certificates, starting services, and validating services. You do not need to set up user accounts as part of the basic setup, as the recovery of user accounts is covered by the procedures in the Reassigning Users section of this chapter.
After you reinstall the operating system and all required software, including Office Communication Server 2007 and the appropriate version of SQL Server (if applicable), proceed with restoration of the server by using the appropriate procedures later in this chapter in the following sequence:
Install restoration tools by using the information in the Installing Restoration Tools section of this chapter.
If the server to which service is being restored is a database server, restore the database by using the information in the Restoring Databases section of this chapter.
If required in an Enterprise pool, re-create the Enterprise pool by using the information in the Re-creating Enterprise Pools section of this chapter.
Restore settings by using the information in the applicable section of this chapter:
If required, reassign users by using the information in the Reassigning Users section of this chapter.
If loss of service included loss of Active Directory, restore Active Directory information by using the information in the Restoring Domain Information section of this chapter.
If you determine that the server cannot be made to operate correctly (to provide a stable platform) because of hardware problems that cannot be resolved, set up the server on a new platform by using the procedures in the following sections of this chapter to do one of the following:
If you have determined that rebuilding a server on new hardware is appropriate, use the following procedure to rebuild the server on new hardware:
Obtain the deployment plan for your organization that specifies how the server was originally set up. This plan should provide information about the configuration of the server—including the configuration of the operating system, Office Communications Server 2007, and other programs—which you need to complete the reinstallation of the software.
Verify that all deployment prerequisites have been met.
Set up hardware for each server to be built, including the computer, network cards, and any additional cards specified in your deployment plan.
Set up the environment to support the new server, including preparing Active Directory, configuring DNS, configuring certificates, setting up load balancers, and configuring routing and other infrastructure components, as applicable (such as would be required if you use different server names or IP addresses for the new server).
Install and configure the operating system and all required software, such as SQL Server 2005 (only on a back-end server or Archiving and CDR Server), by using the information in the backup and restoration plan and deployment plans of your organization.
Install and configure Office Communications Server 2007 (Standard Edition or Enterprise Edition, as appropriate) and all other required software, as well as configuring certificates, starting services, and validating services. You do not need to set up user accounts as part of the basic setup, as the recovery of user accounts is covered by the procedures in the Reassigning Users section of this chapter.
After you rebuild the server on new hardware—including installing the operating system, Office Communication Server 2007, the appropriate version of SQL Server (if applicable), and all other required software—proceed with restoration of the server by using the appropriate procedures later in this chapter in the following sequence:
Install restoration tools by using the information in the Installing Restoration Tools section of this chapter.
If the server to which service is being restored is a database server, restore the database by using the information in the Restoring Databases section of this chapter.
If required in an Enterprise pool, re-create the Enterprise pool by using the information in the Re-creating Enterprise Pools section of this chapter.
Restore settings by using the information in the applicable section of this chapter:
If required, reassign users by using the information in the Reassigning Users section of this chapter.
If loss of service included loss of Active Directory, restore Active Directory information by using the information in the Restoring Domain Information section of this chapter.
In the case of loss of a site, complete the restoration by using the information in the Restoring Sites section of this chapter.
If your organization's backup and restoration strategy includes the use of a separate, secondary site to facilitate recovery (in the event of failure), you need to set up the required standby servers.
To deploy one or more standby servers at a secondary site, use the following procedure to build each standby server required by your organization's backup and restoration strategy:
Obtain the deployment plan for your organization that specifies how the standby server is to be set up (which should be the same as the way the existing server is set up). This plan should provide information about the configuration of the server—including the configuration of the operating system, Office Communications Server 2007, and other programs—which you need to complete the reinstallation of the software.
Verify that all deployment prerequisites have been met.
Set up hardware for each standby server to be built, including the computer, network cards, and any additional cards specified in your deployment plan.
Set up the environment to support the new server, including preparing Active Directory, configuring DNS, configuring certificates, setting up load balancers, and configuring routing and other infrastructure components, as applicable (such as would be required if you use different server names or IP addresses for the new server).
Install and configure the operating system and all required software, such as SQL Server 2005 (only on a back-end server or Archiving and CDR Server), by using the information in the backup and restoration plan and deployment plan of your organization.
Install and configure Office Communications Server 2007 (Standard Edition or Enterprise Edition, as appropriate) and all other required software, as well as configuring certificates, starting services, and validating services. The standby server should not be configured with the same pool name as the original server, as covered in the Restoring Sites section of this chapter.
Install restoration tools on the standby server by using the information in the Installing Restoration Tools section of this chapter.
After you complete these steps, use the information in the "Restoring Sites" section of this chapter to complete the deployment and validation of the server to ensure that it is available in the event of a failure. To help ensure that the standby server and other servers at the secondary site are available in case of the loss of the primary site, complete this process as soon as possible after deployment of the primary site.
In the event of a failure, use the information in the Restoring Sites section to recover service, as appropriate, including:
Performing "Step 7. Bring the Secondary Site Online" to restore service in the event of a site failure.
Performing "Step 8. Restore the Primary Site and Bring It Back Online" to restore the primary site and bring it back online when it is appropriate to do so.
The tools required to restore service are the same as those used to back up settings and data:
LCSCmd.exe, which is used to import settings to the server on which service is being restored. This tool is available on any computer on which you have installed the Office Communications Server 2007 administrative tools (such as a management console). By default, these tools are in the Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft Office Communications Server 2007 folder on the computer.
Database tools:
The appropriate SQL Server program should already be installed on each server that hosts a database, either as a result of the original deployment or rebuilding the server as covered in the "Setting Up Server Platforms" section earlier in this chapter.
File system management tool or tools used by your organization to restore file shares.
If the required tools are not already installed on each server from which you will be restoring service, install the tools before proceeding.
If data becomes corrupted, use the information in the following sections to restore it. This includes the following:
The RTC (user services) and LCSLog (archiving and CDR) databases
File shares containing meeting content, meeting content metadata, and meeting compliance logs
In the event of the loss of an RTC database or an Archiving and CDR Server, you can restore the database to the point of the last backup. If the server on which the database resides needs to be restored also, restore the server first. To restore a server, start with the appropriate procedures in the Setting Up Server Platforms section earlier in this chapter.
To restore a database, use the following procedure and the appropriate tool:
For the RTC database on a Standard Edition server, use SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.
For the RTC database on a back-end server in an Enterprise pool, use SQL Server 2005.
For the LCSLog database on the Archiving and CDR Server, use SQL Server 2005.
It is not necessary to restore the RTCConfig database or RTCDyn database.
Complete the following procedure for each database server that requires restoration:
Note
The following restoration procedure assumes that you are using Integrated Windows Authentication to access SQL Server 2005.
Important
The service account you use to restore the SQL database must be the same one that you used to back up the SQL database.
Log on to the servers on which Office Communication Server is installed as a member of the RTCUniversalServerAdmins group or a group with equivalent user rights, and stop all Office Communications Server services that use the database to be restored.
Log on to the server on which the database resides as a member of the Administrators group on the local computer or a group with equivalent user rights.
On the server, do one of the following:
To open SQL Server Management Studio Express, click Start, click All Programs, click Microsoft SQL Server 2005, and then click SQL Server Management Studio Express.
To open SQL Server Management Studio, click Start, click All Programs, click Microsoft SQL Server 2005, and then click SQL Server Management Studio.
In the console tree, expand the server group, expand the server node, and then expand Databases.
Right-click RTC (if restoring the user database) or LCSLog (if restoring the database on the Archiving and CDR Server), point to Tasks, point to Restore, and then click Database.
In the Restore Database dialog box, on the General tab, under Destination For Restore, do the following:
In the Point In Time Restore dialog box, under Restore To, click the most recent state possible, and then click OK.
In the Restore Database dialog box, on the General tab, under Source For Restore, do one of the following:
To select from backup sets in history, click From Database, and then in the drop-down list, click the database backup set from which you want to restore data.
To specify one or more tapes or disks as the source for the backup sets, click From Device, and then click the button to the right of the From Device box.
Under Select The Backup Sets To Restore, select the backup sets from which you want to restore the database, and then click OK.
If you are restoring to an existing database and need to overwrite data in that database, on the Options tab, under Restore Options, do one or more of the following:
To overwrite data in the existing database and any related files, select the Overwrite The Existing Database check box.
To restore a published database to a server other than the server where the database was created, preserving the replication settings, select the Preserve The Replication Settings check box.
To be prompted to start the restoration of each individual backup (for example, if you need to switch tapes for different media sets on a server that has only a single tape drive), select the Prompt Before Restoring Each Backup check box.
To make the database available only to members of db_owner, db_creator, and sysadmin, select the Restrict Access To The Restored Database check box.
In Restore The Database Files As, verify that the files displayed are correct and, if appropriate, change the path and file name to which database files are to be restored.
Under Recovery State, do one of the following:
To restore the database with the available transaction logs (restore with recovery), click Leave The Database Ready To Use By Rolling Back Uncommitted Transactions.
To restore the database but leave the database in the restoring state so that you can restore additional transaction logs (restore with no recovery), click Leave The Database Non-operational, And Do Not Roll Back Uncommitted Transactions. If you select this option, the Preserve The Replication Settings option (covered previously in step 10 of this procedure) is not available.
To restore the database by undoing uncontrolled transactions but saving them in a standby file (restore with standby), click Leave The Database In Read-Only Mode.
To start the restoration process, click OK.
After the restoration process completes, verify that the restored database is available in the list of databases. To verify the availability of the data in the database, write SQL queries to retrieve specific data.
Repeat this procedure for each back-end server RTC database and LCSLog database that is to be restored in your organization.
In the event of the loss of the file shares containing files related to meeting content, you can restore the file shares to the point of the last backup. This includes the following content:
Meeting content
Meeting content metadata
Meeting content compliance log
You do not need to restore the address book because it is automatically created by User Replicator.
If the server on which each file share is to reside needs to be restored also, restore it first. To restore an Office Communications Server 2007 server on which file shares are to reside, start with the appropriate procedures in the Setting Up Server Platforms section earlier in this chapter.
To restore the required file shares, use the file system restoration mechanism and procedures identified in the backup and restoration strategy for your organization.
To restore service for a Standard Edition server, use the procedures and guidelines in this section to complete the following steps.
Repeat procedures in the first two steps as appropriate to restore each server in the Standard Edition server environment that requires restoration of settings, and then complete step 3.
Before restoring settings, you should ensure that servers are ready for restoration. To prepare for restoration of settings, use the following procedure:
Set up hardware and software for each server requiring restoration by completing the applicable procedures in the Setting Up Server Platforms section earlier in this chapter.
If required, restore the RTC database by using the information in the Restoring Databases section of this chapter.
If required, restore files by using the information in the Restoring File Shares section of this chapter.
Verify that the configuration file (.xml file) containing the most recently backed up settings is accessible from the computer that you will use to restore settings. This computer can be the server to be restored or a separate computer on which Office Communications Server 2007 administrative tools have been installed (such as a management console). If the configuration file is in a backup location that is not accessible, copy it from the backup location to an accessible location.
To restore settings, you import the required settings to the lost service. In a Standard Edition server environment, this can include the following settings:
Global-level settings Restoration of global-level settings is required only in the event of the loss of Active Directory. If you need to restore global-level settings, you need to do so only once, on a single Standard Edition server.
Pool-level settings Restoration of pool-level settings is required only in the event of the loss of a Standard Edition server. If you need to restore pool-level settings, you need to do so only once, on the Standard Edition server.
Computer-level (machine-level) settings You must restore computer-level settings on each server requiring restoration. This can be a single server or multiple servers, including any of the following:
To import the required settings, use the LCSCmd.exe command-line tool and the following procedures as appropriate:
To restore both global-level settings and pool-level settings or only pool-level settings, use the first procedure. If restoration of these settings is required, restore them before restoring any computer-level settings in the Standard Edition environment.
To restore computer-level settings to a computer in a Standard Edition environment, use the second procedure.
To import global-level and pool level settings in a Standard Edition server environment, do the following:
Log on to the Standard Edition server to be restored, or to a computer on which Office Communications Server 2007 administrative tools have been installed, as a member of the RTCUniversalServerAdmins group or a group with equivalent user rights, and stop all Office Communications Server 2007 services (all services that have "Office Communications Server" at the front of the name).
Ensure that the required configuration file (.xml file) is accessible.
Open a command prompt. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, change to the directory containing the LCSCmd.exe tool (by default, <drive>:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft Office Communications Server 2007).
Import settings by doing one of the following:
To restore both global-level and pool-level settings for a Standard Edition server (required in the event of the loss of Active Directory plus the loss of all Standard Edition servers) from a configuration file that contains both levels of settings, type the following command:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:global,pool /restore:true / configfile:<drive>:<path><filename>.xml /poolname:[name of computer]
To restore only pool-level settings for a Standard Edition server (required in the event of the loss of a Standard Edition Server but not Active Directory) from a configuration file containing the pool-level settings, type the following command:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:pool /restore:true / configfile:<drive>:<path><filename>.xml /poolname:[name of computer]
For either of these commands, for the drive, specify a separate, removable media or mapped drive to a separate location in a secure location—for example:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:global,pool,machine /restore:true / configfile:C:BackupOCS1Serversettings.xml /poolname:ocsstandardedition1
If running the command from a Standard Edition server (instead of a separate computer serving as a management console), you can omit the /poolname attribute. If you backed up global-level and pool-level settings to separate configuration files (.xml files) and need to restore both levels of settings, run the command once for each level of settings (global and pool) to be imported, with the following modifications:
For the /level attribute, specify only one setting level (global or pool) each time you run the command.
For the /configfile attribute, specify the name of the file to which the single level of settings was backed up.
After typing the command, to start importing settings, press Enter.
After importing the settings, verify that the settings are appropriately applied by opening Office Communications Server 2007, Administrative Tools; right-clicking the server name; clicking Properties; and then verifying that both levels of settings are correct.
To import computer-level settings on a computer in a Standard Edition server environment, do the following:
Log on to the server to which computer-level settings are to be restored, or to a computer on which Office Communications Server 2007 administrative tools have been installed, as a member of the RTCUniversalServerAdmins group or a group with equivalent user rights, and stop all Office Communications Server 2007 services (all services that have "Office Communications Server" at the front of the name).
Ensure that the required configuration file (.xml file) is available.
Open a command prompt. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, change to the directory containing the LCSCmd.exe tool (by default, <drive>:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft Office Communications Server 2007).
Import computer-level settings to the server by typing the following command:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:machine /restore:true / configfile:<drive>:<path><filename>.xml /fqdn:[FQDN of Standard Edition server to which settings are to be imported]
For the drive, specify a separate, removable media or mapped drive to a separate location in a secure location—for example:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:machine /restore:true / configfile:C:BackupOCS1Serversettings.xml /fqdn:ocsstandardedition1.contoso.com
The /fqdn attribute is required only for restoration of a Standard Edition server and only if running the command on a separate computer serving as a management console.
After typing the command, to start importing settings, press Enter.
After importing the settings, verify that the computer-level settings are appropriately applied by opening Office Communications Server 2007, Administrative Tools; right-clicking the server name; clicking Properties; and then verifying that the settings are correct.
Repeat this procedure for each server in your deployment to which settings are to be restored.
To complete restoration of service in the Standard Edition server environment, after restoring all required settings, start all applicable services in the following sequence:
SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
Office Communications Server Archiving and CDR Server service, if required
Office Communications Server Front End Service
Office Communications Server IM Conferencing Server service
Office Communications Server Telephony Conferencing Server service
Office Communications Server Web Conferencing Server service
Office Communications Server A/V Conferencing Server service
Office Communications Server Mediation Server service, if required
Office Communications Server Proxy Server service, if required
Office Communications Server Access Edge Server service, if required
Office Communications Server Web Conferencing Edge Server service, if required
Office Communications Server A/V Edge Server service, if required
Office Communications Server A/V Authentication Service, if required
After starting services, use the Validation Wizard to validate the individual server roles by following these steps:
Log on to a computer that is running Office Communications Server 2007 Standard Edition, or to a computer on which the Office Communications Server 2007 Administrative Tools is installed, with an account that is a member of the Administrators group.
Open the Office Communications Server 2007, Administrative Tools snap-in. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Office Communications Server 2007.
In the console tree, expand Standard Edition Servers, and expand the pool name and role (such as Front Ends).
Right-click the FQDN of the restored server, point to Validation, and then click the server role (such as Front End Server) to start the Validation Wizard.
Complete the steps in the Validation Wizard.
Repeat this procedure for each of the four primary services (Front End, Web Conferencing, A/V Conferencing, and Web Components).
After you have completed the procedures in this section to restore settings in the Standard Edition server environment, do the following:
Reassign users, if required, by using the information in the Reassigning Users section of this chapter.
Restore domain information, if required, by using the information in the Restoring Domain Information section of this chapter.
To restore service servers in an Enterprise pool configuration, use the procedures and guidelines in this section to complete the following steps.
Step 1. Prepare for restoration of settings.
Step 2. Restore settings.
Step 3. Activate servers (only with a re-created Enterprise pool).
Step 4. Start services.
Step 5. Validate server and pool functionality.
Repeat the procedures in the first two steps as appropriate to restore each server in an Enterprise pool environment that requires restoration of settings, and then complete step 3.
Before restoring settings, you should ensure that servers are ready for restoration. To prepare for restoration of settings, use the following procedure:
Set up hardware and software for each server requiring restoration by completing the applicable procedures in the Setting Up Server Platforms section earlier in this chapter.
If you need to re-create the entire pool, use the information in the Installing Restoration Tools section and the Re-creating Enterprise Pools section of this chapter to re-create the pool before using the information in step 2 to restore any server settings.
If required, restore the RTC database by using the information in the "Restoring Databases" section of this chapter. Restoration of databases is always required if setting restoration is a result of re-creating a pool.
If required, restore files by using the information in the Restoring File Shares section of this chapter. Restoration of files is always required if setting restoration is a result of re-creating a pool.
Verify that the configuration file (.xml file) containing the most recently backed up settings is accessible from the computer that you will use to restore settings. This computer can be the server to be restored or a separate computer on which Office Communications Server 2007 administrative tools have been installed (such as a management console). If the configuration file is in a backup location that is not accessible, copy it from the backup location to an accessible location.
To restore settings, you import the required settings to the lost service. In an Enterprise pool environment, this can include the following settings:
Global-level settings Restoration of global-level settings is required only in the event of the loss of Active Directory. If you need to restore global-level settings, you need to do so only once, on a single front-end server.
Pool-level settings Restoration of pool-level settings is required only in the event of the loss of all front-end servers or a back-end server. If you need to restore pool-level settings, you need to do so only once, on a single front-end server.
Computer-level (machine-level) settings You must restore computer-level settings on each server requiring restoration. This can include a single server or multiple servers, including any of the following:
Front-end servers
Directors
Web Components Servers (Enterprise pool, expanded configuration only)
Web Conferencing Servers (Enterprise pool, expanded configuration only)
A/V Conferencing Servers (Enterprise pool, expanded configuration only)
Archiving and CDR Servers
Mediation Servers
Forwarding proxy servers
Edge servers
To import the required settings, use the LCSCmd.exe command-line tool and the following procedures, as appropriate:
To restore both global-level settings and pool-level settings or only pool-level settings, use the first procedure below. If restoration of these settings is required, restore them before restoring any computer-level settings in the Enterprise environment.
To restore computer-level settings to a computer in an Enterprise pool environment, use the second procedure below.
To import global-level and pool-level settings in an Enterprise pool environment, do the following:
Log on to the first front-end server to be restored, or to a computer on which Office Communications Server 2007 administrative tools have been installed, as a member of the RTCUniversalServerAdmins group or a group with equivalent user rights, and stop all Office Communications Server 2007 services (all services that have "Office Communications Server" at the front of the name).
Ensure that the required configuration file (.xml file) is accessible.
Open a command prompt. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, change to the directory containing the LCSCmd.exe tool (by default, <drive>:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft Office Communications Server 2007).
Import settings by doing one of the following:
To restore both global-level and pool-level settings for an Enterprise pool (required in the event of the loss of Active Directory plus the loss of all front-end servers) from a configuration file that contains both levels of settings, type the following command:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:global,pool / configfile:<drive>:<path><filename>.xml /poolname:[name of pool to which to restore server] /restore:true
To restore only pool-level settings (required in the event of the loss of all front-end servers or a back-end server, but not Active Directory) from a configuration file containing the pool-level settings, type the following command:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:pool / configfile:<drive>:<path><filename>.xml /poolname:[name of pool to which to restore server] /restore:true
For either of these commands, for the drive, specify a separate, removable media or mapped drive to a separate location in a secure location—for example:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:global,pool / configfile:C:BackupOCS1FrontEndServersettings.xml /poolname:ocspool1 / restore:true
If running the command from the front-end server being restored (instead of a separate computer serving as a management console), you can omit the /poolname attribute. If you backed up global-level and pool-level settings to separate configuration files (.xml files) and need to restore both levels of settings, run the command once for each level of settings (global and pool) with the following modifications:
For the /level attribute, specify only one setting level (global or pool) each time you run the command.
For the /configfile attribute, specify the name of the file to which the single level of settings was backed up.
After typing the command, to start importing settings, press Enter.
After importing the settings, verify that the settings are appropriately applied by opening Office Communications Server 2007, Administrative Tools; right-clicking the server name; clicking Properties; and then verifying that both levels of settings are correct.
To import computer-level settings on a computer in an Enterprise pool environment, do the following:
Log on to the server to which computer-level settings are to be restored, or to a computer on which Office Communications Server 2007 administrative tools have been installed, as a member of the RTCUniversalServerAdmins group or a group with equivalent user rights, and stop all Office Communications Server 2007 services (all services that have "Office Communications Server" at the front of the name).
Ensure that the required configuration file (.xml file) is accessible.
Open a command prompt. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, change to the directory containing the LCSCmd.exe tool (by default, <drive>:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft Office Communications Server 2007).
Import computer-level settings to the server by typing the following command:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:machine /configfile:<drive>:<path><filename>.xml /fqdn:[FQDN of Front End Server to which settings are to be imported] /restore:true
For the drive, specify a separate, removable media or mapped drive to a separate location in a secure location—for example:
lcscmd /config /action:import /level:machine / configfile:C:BackupOCS1FrontEndServersettings.xml /fqdn:ocspool1frontend.contoso.com /restore:true
The /fqdn attribute is required only for a front-end server or, in an Enterprise pool, expanded configuration, for the following server roles: Web Components Server, Web Conferencing Server, or A/V Conferencing Server.
After typing the command, to start importing settings, press Enter.
After importing the settings, verify that the computer-level settings are appropriately applied by opening Office Communications Server 2007, Administrative Tools; right-clicking the server name; clicking Properties; and then verifying that the settings are correct.
Repeat this procedure for each server in your deployment to which settings are to be restored, except the server on which you restored multiple levels of settings (as described in the previous procedure).
To complete the restoration of a front-end server, activate the server by using the following command:
lcscmd /server:[<server FQDN>] /action:activate /role:ee [/user:<service account name>] / password:<pw> /poolname:<name of Enterprise Edition pool to join> [/archserver:<name of Archiving and CDR Server> /nostart /unregspn /queuename:<name of queue on the Archiving and CDR service>
In this command, role:ee is used for the front-end server of an Enterprise pool in the consolidated configuration.
To activate the Web Conferencing Server and the A/V Conferencing Server, use the following command:
lcscmd /mcu[:<mcu server FQDN>] /action:activate /role:<datamcu|avmcu> [/user:<service account name>] /password:<pw> /poolname:<name of Enterprise Edition pool to join> / nostart:<true|false>
In this command, role:datamcu is used to activate a Web Conferencing Server role and role:avmcu is used to activate an A/V Conferencing Server.
To complete restoration of service in the Enterprise pool configuration, after restoring all required settings, start all applicable services in the following sequence:
SQL Server 2005
Office Communications Server Archiving and CDR Server service, if required
Office Communications Server front-end server service
Office Communications Server IM Conferencing Server service
Office Communications Server Telephony Conferencing Server service
Office Communications Server Web Components Service
Office Communications Server Web Conferencing Server service
Office Communications Server A/V Conferencing Server service
Office Communications Server Mediation Server service, if required
Office Communications Server Proxy Server service, if required
Office Communications Server Access Edge Server service, if required
Office Communications Server Web Conferencing Edge Server service, if required
Office Communications Server A/V Edge Server service, if required
Office Communications Server A/V Authentication Service, if required
If you have re-created the Enterprise pool, run the Validation Wizard from the Office Communications 2007 Server Deployment Wizard to validate the functionality of the pool and servers in the pool. As part of the validation task, you can validate each Enterprise pool server role that you restore, which includes:
Front-end servers
Web Conferencing Servers
A/V Conferencing Servers
Web Components Servers
Each server role for the topology can also be validated using the Office Communications Server 2007 administrative snap-in.
After you have completed the procedures in this section to restore service to servers in the Enterprise pool, do the following:
Reassign users, if required, by using the information in the Reassigning Users section of this chapter.
Restore domain information, if required, by using the information in the Restoring Domain Information section of this chapter.
To re-create a pool, complete the following procedure before doing any other restoration for the pool, including restoring data, adding servers, and restoring settings in the pool. Repeat the procedures in this section for each pool that needs to be re-created.
To re-create a pool, use the LCSCmd.exe command-line tool and the following procedure:
Log on to the server as a member of the RTCUniversalServerAdmin and DomainAdmins groups or a group with equivalent user rights.
Open a command prompt. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, change to the directory containing the LCSCmd.exe tool (by default, <drive>:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft Office Communications Server 2007).
At the command prompt, type the following command:
lcscmd /forest:<forest FQDN> /action:<action name> /poolname:<pool name> /poolbe:<SQL instance name (computerinstance name)> /refdomain:<domain FQDN> /dbdatapath:<database data file path> /dblogpath:<database log file path> /dyndatapath:<dynamic database data path> /dynlogpath:<dynamic database log path> /meetingcontentpath:<meeting content UNC path> /meetingmetapath:<meeting metadata UNC path> /clean
After typing the command, to start re-creating the pool, press Enter.
Repeat this procedure for each Enterprise pool in your organization that needs to be created.
After you have completed the procedure in this section to re-create a pool, do the following:
Restore all required servers in the Enterprise pool configuration by using the information in the Restoring Settings in Enterprise Pool Configurations section of this chapter.
Reassign users, if required, by using the information in the "Reassigning Users" section of this chapter.
Restore domain information, if required, by using the information in the Restoring Domain Information section of this chapter.
If restoring users' contact lists and permissions is not a priority, reassigning users to another functioning Office Communications Server is sufficient. This can easily be done through the Move Users Wizard, which is available in the Admins Tools MMC and Active Directory Users and Computers MMC (DSA.MSC).
If restoring users' contact lists and permissions is a priority, in addition to using the Move Users Wizard to reassign the users to another functioning Office Communications Server, the administrator must also restore the data from the failed Office Communications Server. Restoring this data must be performed on the Office Communications Server to which the users are reassigned. Refer to the Restoring Databases section for more details.
The user database (RTC) on Office Communications Server 2007 (Back-End Database) retains a mapping of Active Directory user globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) and security identifiers (SIDs) for every Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-enabled user. The user's Office Communications settings (SIP URI, remote access, federation, archiving, telephony, Line URI, and so on) are stored in the database. As a result, backups taken of the SQL database contain these mappings and settings.
If Active Directory encounters a problem and global and user settings in Active Directory specific to Office Communications Server 2007 are not restored as part of the service restoration procedure, you might need to restore the RTC database through the steps described in the Restoring Databases section of this chapter.
If you need to restore the Active Directory domain, these mappings will change and you will need to export user data using the Office Communications Server user database (RTC), rebuild your Active Directory domain, and import user data back into the database. Though this is a rare occurrence, considering the separate processes and procedures for managing health of Active Directory (as well as the inherent redundancy of Active Directory when more than one domain controller is used per domain), it would be wise to ensure that your processes for recovering Active Directory are up to date.
In the event of a failure of an entire site, which can be caused by a natural disaster, all servers in the internal network and perimeter network must be restored. This can be done using one of the following methods:
Restoring the servers at the original site or another site after the failure by rebuilding servers. You can do this by using the procedures in the Reinstalling an Existing Server section or the Rebuilding a Server on New Hardware section of this chapter, as appropriate, and restoring servers in the same sequence as in the original deployment.
Setting up standby servers at a secondary site in advance to provide recovery support, and using them to provide interim support until the primary site is restored. This approach is recommended for optimal site recovery. To help ensure availability of the secondary site, in the event of a catastrophic loss such as a natural disaster, we recommend that the standby servers be located at a separate site at a different geographical location than the primary site. Servers are brought online in the same sequence as in the original deployment.
This section focuses on the second method, setting up a secondary site, which requires deployment of appropriate hardware and software at the secondary site, as well as other preparations and ongoing maintenance of the site. The information in this section is based on using the secondary site as an interim solution until the primary site can be restored. To set up and use a secondary site to support recovery, use the procedures and guidelines in this section to complete the following steps:
Determine the recovery support to be provided by the secondary site.
Create a deployment plan and restoration strategy for the secondary site.
Set up the secondary site.
Prepare the primary site to support recovery at the secondary site.
Maintain the secondary site.
Validate site recovery capabilities by simulating an outage.
Bring the secondary site online.
Restore the primary site and bring it back online.
Note
The following steps describe site restoration for an Enterprise pool. To restore a site for a Standard Edition server deployment, you can use the same procedure steps, modifying them as appropriate (such as using the IP address of the Standard Edition server instead of the virtual IP address of the load balancer). These steps assume that Active Directory is set up with the appropriate configuration to support the secondary site in the same domain as the primary site and that Active Directory remains available and functional in the event of the loss of the primary site.
Using standby servers at a secondary site for recovery helps ensure minimal disruption in the event of failure of services. The secondary site can provide full recovery support or, based on business needs, provide recovery support for only specific functionality. As the first step in preparing for site recovery, you need to determine the level of support that is to be provided by the secondary site, which will determine which servers are to be deployed at the secondary site and how they are to be configured. Ideally, the secondary site provides all the Office Communications Server functionality available at the primary site, but there are several factors that might cause your organization to limit the support provided by the secondary site. Your backup and restoration strategy should specify what is deployed in the secondary site and, if it does not provide full functionality, it should specify why recovery support for specific functionality is not implemented. The determination of what is required at the secondary site is generally made based on the following factors:
Office Communications Server functionality available at the primary site.
Business criticality of specific functionality. At a minimum, setting up a secondary site requires support of core services, which are provided by the Standard Edition server or, for an Enterprise pool, by the front-end server and back-end database. Other functionality, such as the A/V Conferencing Server, can be deployed in the primary site but might not have the same level of criticality as core services or might not be fully implemented early in a deployment. The secondary site should reflect the business needs, not simply mirror the primary site. Business criticality can change as the topology and usage change, so your backup and restoration strategy should include periodic reviews of the secondary data site capabilities and whether they match current business needs.
Cost of the hardware, software, and maintenance for the secondary site. The equipment and software you deploy in the secondary site should be capable of supporting the capacity requirements for your organization, which can mean a significant initial investment in hardware and software, as well as the cost of deploying and maintaining it. Based on business criticality decisions, you might determine that the cost of specific functionality is not justifiable.
Service availability requirements. Bringing a secondary site online takes time, during which functionality is not available to users in your organization. Bringing core services online can require an hour or more in a large enterprise. Restoring additional functionality increases the downtime. If your organization requires immediate recovery, you might want to limit the functionality that is restored in order to shorten the time required to bring services back online. Or you might want to plan for a staged recovery, with critical functionality brought online at the secondary site first and other functionality introduced on a delayed schedule (such as during off-peak hours).
When using a secondary site for service restoration, all backed-up data and settings must be available at the secondary site. Testing should include restoration of the data and settings from the secondary site.
The deployment plan for the secondary site should match the deployment plan for the primary site, including being in the same domain and having the same network configuration, except for the following:
It should document only the components required to support the functionality that you determined is required at the secondary site, based on completing step 1 of this section.
The secondary site should have a pool name that is different than the pool name used for the primary site.
The _sipinternaltls and _sip_tcp DNS records should be modified to the secondary site.
The backup and restoration strategy should include a schedule and criteria for switching to the secondary site, schedules for performing ongoing maintenance at the secondary site, and assigned responsibilities for performing site restoration procedures at both the primary site and the secondary site.
Setting up the secondary site requires first doing the following:
Setting up the infrastructure. This includes verifying the setup and configuration of Active Directory, DNS, certificates, load balancers, routing, and other infrastructure components, as specified in the deployment plan.
Installing and configuring the required server platforms at the secondary site, using the information in the Building Standby Servers section of this chapter.
After the infrastructure is in place and the standby server platforms are installed and configured, prepare them for use by doing the following:
On the server that will provide the back-end database for the secondary site, install a new SQL Server database.
Create a new Enterprise pool (for example, backuppool.boston.corp.contoso.com), associate it with the new SQL Server instance, and do not select the option to replace existing databases.
Set up the front-end servers at the secondary site, and join them to the new Enterprise pool.
Set up the other servers required at the secondary site by configuring them to use the new pool.
To help ensure that the secondary site is prepared to be brought online if the primary site fails, you should complete all the setup of the secondary site as soon as possible after deployment of the primary site.
The only thing required at the primary site is to ensure that the backups are routinely stored at a location accessible by the servers at the secondary site. It is generally recommended that all backups be routinely copied to the secondary site to ensure availability in the event of failure.
On an ongoing basis, verify that each standby server is ready to be put into service, which requires the following:
Evaluating the topology and components of the secondary site to determine if they continue to be appropriate to the business needs. As business directions and usage change, the level of support that is appropriate for the secondary site might require changes to the topology and components of the secondary site.
Verifying that the infrastructure is ready. This includes verifying the set up and functionality of Active Directory, DNS, certificates, load balancers, routing, and other infrastructure components.
Reviewing the most recent deployment plan of the primary site and ensuring that it is current (that it matches the actual deployment at the primary site, including installation of all service packs and software updates), including all configuration settings for all servers that are also deployed at the secondary site. This plan should provide information about the setup of each primary site server, including the deployment prerequisites, installation and configuration of the operating system, installation and configuration of Office Communications Server 2007, and installation and configuration of any additional software (such as reverse proxy server software).
Reviewing the deployment plan of the secondary site, and ensuring that it is current and matches both the most recent deployment plan of the primary site and the actual setup of the servers at the secondary site (including installation of all service packs and software updates). This includes verifying that all software is installed, as appropriate, on each standby server, including the operating system, Office Communications Server 2007, and any additional software required (such as SQL Server 2005 for a back-end server in an Enterprise pool or an Archiving and CDR Server).
Keep servers running so that they will be ready to be put into service if service is lost at the primary site.
To ensure that the secondary site can effectively be brought online in the event of an outage, you should do at least one test to verify that everything works as it should. To do this, you must take the servers at the primary site offline, which you can do by shutting down all the Office Communication Server 2007 servers at the primary site; then use the information in step 7 to bring the secondary site online. After verifying that the secondary site works as required, use the information in step 8 to bring the primary site back online.
As part of the validation process, determine how much time it takes to bring the secondary site online (step 7), as well as to bring the primary site back online (step 8), and incorporate this information in your backup and restoration plan, as appropriate.
In the event of failure of service at the primary site, bring the secondary site online by doing the following:
Restore the backup of the RTC database of the primary site to the RTC database of the pool in the secondary site.
Modify the _sipinternaltls and _sip_tcp DNS records to point to the pool FQDN of the secondary site. (If using a load balancer, modify the DNS records of the pool in the secondary site to use the same virtual IP address configured on the load balancer in the original site.)
Configure the front-end servers in the new pool created for the secondary site, as specified in the deployment plan, and verify the setup. This can include verifying specific configurations, such as the following:
Front-end servers within a pool behind a load balancer must be capable of routing to each other. There can be no Network Address Translation (NAT) device in this path of communication. Any such device will prevent successful interpool communication over RPC.
Front-end servers behind a load balancer must have access to the Active Directory environment.
Front-end servers must have static IP addresses that can be used to configure them for use with the load balancer. In addition, these IP addresses must have DNS registrations (front-end server FQDNs).
Administration computers must be able to route through the load balancer to the pool FQDN, as well as the front-end server FQDN of every front-end server in the pool or pools to be managed. In addition, there can be no NAT device in the path of communication to the front-end servers to be managed (a restriction enforced by the usage of the RPC protocol by DCOM).
Use the Office Communications Server 2007 administrative snap-in to move all users to the new pool by using the Force User option.
Test connectivity by logging on to Office Communicator from a client computer. Depending on the configuration and situation, you might need to modify configurations to do this. For instance, if the virtual IP address and pool FQDN change, it might be necessary to modify the client configuration unless auto-logon is enabled. It might also be necessary to use the ipconfig/flushdns command to flush the DNS cache from the client computers.
When the primary site is ready to return to service, bring it back online.
Note
The information describes how to bring the primary site back online after server loss at the primary site. Before starting this step, use the appropriate procedures in the Setting Up Server Platforms section to set up the required servers.
If the failure of service at the original site was a temporary condition, such as a power outage, that did not damage the servers, you do not need to do anything except turn the servers back on.
To restore the primary site, after setting up server platforms, do the following:
Back up the RTC database from the secondary site, and store it at a location accessible from the primary site.
Log on to the front-end server in the primary site, and then use the Office Communications Server 2007 administrative snap-in to deactivate the server roles (as appropriate to your configuration) in the following sequence:
Important
Use the log file to verify successful deactivation of each server role (and all deactivation tasks for that server role) before proceeding with deactivation of the next server role.
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Audio/Video Conferencing Server
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Web Conferencing Server
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Web Components Server
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, front-end server
Expand the pool, right-click Users, and then click Delete Users to remove SIP-enabled users from the pool (after verifying the availability of the database backup in the secondary site pool).
Use the Remove Pool Wizard to remove the original pool and corresponding files of the primary site, using the Force option but clearing the Keep Existing Databases option.
Use Add/Remove Programs to uninstall each of the server roles (as appropriate to your configuration) in the following sequence:
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Administrative Tools
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Audio/Video Conferencing Server
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Standard Edition server or Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Enterprise Edition server
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Web Conferencing Server
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Web Components Server
Delete share folders that have been created during pool and server creation for meeting content, meeting metadata, and the address book file store.
Use the Office Communications Server 2007 Deployment Wizard to set up all required server roles.
Create a new pool with the same pool name as the original primary site, using the default Remove Existing Databases option.
Restore the RTC database backup from the secondary site to the same instance of SQL used by the original pool of the primary site (specifying the appropriate instance name if the default was not used originally).
With both pools (for the primary site and secondary site) online, use the Office Communications Server 2007 administrative snap-in to move all the users from the secondary site pool to the primary site pool. Do not use the Force option.
On the load balancer, disable the front-end servers associated with the pool in the secondary site and configure the front-end servers in the primary site pool as specified in the deployment plan.
Modify DNS records to point back to the original primary site pool.
Log on to Office Communicator, and verify connectivity to the primary site and functionality of IM, contact groups, and contact lists. Depending on the configuration and situation, you might need to modify configurations to do this. For instance, if the virtual IP address and pool FQDN change, it might be necessary to modify the client configuration unless auto-logon is enabled. It might also be necessary to use the ipconfig/flushdns command.