Central Management Store

From a topology perspective, the most significant change in Lync Server from its predecessors is its most significant benefit as well. The CMS is a centralized database of all Lync Server settings, which is replicated to all servers in a deployment, including edge servers. The Lync Server topology benefits of this change are quite significant on many levels.

The centralized management store

• Reduces Lync Server’s reliance on Active Directory domain services replication to remote locations.

• Enables an edge server to be configured as part of the main deployment, significantly reducing configuration errors.

• Is automatically replicated to each server (and through HTTPS to edge servers) automatically whenever configuration changes are made to a topology. This ensures that nonprimary survivable servers are able to take over their designated roles when required, while being aware of newly added servers or roles.

• Enables a branch office server or appliance to continue to process calls even if its link to the pool is lost.