Planning Edge Server Architecture

When you are planning a Lync Server environment, any remote access or federation features require significant planning to ensure that the features work correctly and to properly secure the infrastructure. Since the Edge Servers and reverse proxy components are typically deployed in a perimeter network, there is an extra level of coordination required between the security teams who manage the firewall, load balancers, or reverse proxy, and the team responsible for deploying Lync.

Organizations might have a dedicated network security team that is different from the team responsible for implementing and managing Lync Server.

Because the deployment planning typically crosses different teams, it is important for all parties to meet early in the planning stages to discuss the deployment requirements. Much of the work and troubleshooting with Edge Server firewall configuration is a collaborative effort between multiple teams to ensure that each component is configured correctly.

The following section discusses the various topologies that can be used for the Lync Edge Server and key considerations for each design.