Using the Lync Topology Model

Starting with Lync Server 2010, some significant changes to how the deployment is managed have been made. Instead of individually installing and configuring servers, the deployment is managed centrally through a tool called Topology Builder. This shift in management helps make administration easier for organizations and limits the potential for mistakes.

For those familiar with Office Communications Server 2007 R2, administrators had to log on to each server in the topology and manually configure options such as next hops, monitoring associations, and service ports. With Lync Server 2013, the configuration is completed in advance and then published to the Central Management Store (CMS).

When a server is deployed, it installs SQL Server Express. A local copy of the CMS is then replicated to this SQL instance so that the server can reference the entire topology. When the administrator begins installation, the server reads the topology and installs any roles within the topology that match the fully qualified domain name of itself.

To review, the deployment model with Lync Server follows the following high-level steps:

1. The administrator creates the topology by defining all sites, servers, and gateways in the deployment.

2. The topology is then published to the Central Management Store.

3. A Lync server installs the SQL Express engine and creates a local replica of the CMS.

4. The Lync server reads the local CMS replica and installs the roles matching its FQDN.