Introduction

In the previous two chapters, we covered a variety of material to set the stage for implementing Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007. Now, we will spend the next several chapters explaining a typical OCS implementation, and walking you through the installation process.

Many optional server roles can be put into action in an OCS 2007 implementation; however, one role in particular must exist to offer basic presence functionality within your environment: the front-end server. In this chapter, we will discuss the installation and configuration of not just the OCS bits, but also the prerequisite applications and services that must be in place. The key to a successful OCS implementation is to get the front-end server configuration right the first time, because this is where the user interaction with OCS takes place. Get this wrong, and the OCS implementation will always be suspect.

Addressing the Prerequisites

As mentioned, before you can begin to install OCS 2007, you first need to address some prerequisites. Before we get to the prerequisites, though, we need to discuss choosing the correct version of OCS for your environment. To that end, you have two options to choose from: Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition. Table 3.1 outlines the key differences between the two product versions.