Planning for Hardware and Software

Although many basic implementations of Lync Server 2013 will be virtualized, both physical and virtual servers used for Lync Server 2013 must meet a few standards. Keep these in mind when planning a Lync Server 2013 deployment.

From a hardware perspective, the following specifications are recommended as a minimum for Lync Server 2013. It is important to note that this specification holds true for all Lync server roles except the backend database.

• CPU—64-bit, dual quad core, 2.0GHz or higher

• Memory—16GB

• Disk—Two or more 10,000 rpm hard disk drives with at least 100GB usable space

• Network—A 1Gbps network adapter, except for the Edge Server role, for which four 1Gbps network adapters are recommended

From an operating system perspective, plan to use one of the following operating systems to support Lync Server 2013:

• Windows Server 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) Standard (required) or latest service pack (recommended)

• Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 Enterprise (required) or latest service pack (recommended)

• Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 Datacenter (required) or latest service pack (recommended)

• Windows Server 2012 Standard

• Windows Server 2012 Enterprise

• Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

Note that Lync Server 2013 is not supported on the following platforms:

• Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012

• Windows Web Server 2008 R2 operating system or the Windows Web Server 2012 operating system

• Windows Server 2008 R2 HPC Edition or Windows Server 2012 HPC Edition

Also, plan for a somewhat standardized build for the operating system for Lync Server 2013 systems. By planning what software and features will and won’t be present on the system, you’ll find it easier to understand the security implication of the systems and they become easier to support because their configuration is well known to the group supporting them.