Mediation Server Collocation

By default, the Mediation Server role is collocated with the Front End Server role. Microsoft supports collocation of the Mediation Server role with the Front End Server role, but no other server roles. Although it is supported, collocation should be carefully planned for based on the following:

• The number of gateway peers the Mediation Server will be connected to

• The amount of traffic through those gateways

• The percentage of calls that are enabled for Media Bypass

The Mediation Server can require heavy processing for media traversal and transcoding in some scenarios. Often, small organizations can collocate the Mediation Server role; however, many larger organizations will require dedicated Mediation Server roles for capacity purposes. Media Bypass also has a major impact on the number of calls a Mediation Server can support. Details on capacity planning for all roles including the Mediation Server can be found in Chapter 30, “Planning for Basic Lync Services.” However, keep the capacity numbers included in Table 8.1 in mind when planning for Mediation Server collocation. Pay careful attention to the effects of media bypass being enabled.

Table 8.1. Mediation Server Collocated Capacity Numbers