This document describes how to restore Microsoft Lync Server 2010 outages that occur at the server, pool, or Central Management store level. If the Central Management store fails, your Lync Server deployment continues to function, but you cannot make any configuration changes. If a Back End Server or Standard Edition server fails, the user pool stops functioning. If any other server fails, the magnitude of the failure depends on the server role the server is running and whether the server hosts one or more databases.

What to Restore

When you restore a server, you need to start with a new or clean computer. You need to have the following hardware and software available:

• A clean or new server with the same fully qualified domain name (FQDN) as the server that failed.
  
  

  Important:
  When you install the operating system, make sure that you do not delete the computer account in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and verify that the group permissions for the account are retained.

• Installation software for the operating system. To install the operating system, use the server deployment procedures and configurations established by your organization. You should have these procedures and configuration requirements available when you need to restore service.
  
  
• Installation software for SQL Server 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008, or SQL Server 2005. To install a database server, use the appropriate version of SQL Server and the database server deployment procedures and configurations established by your organization. You should have these procedures and configuration requirements available when you need to restore service.
  
  

  Note:

  The Lync Server 2010 Deployment Wizard automatically installs SQL Server 2008 Express on each Standard Edition server and on any other Lync Server 2010 server when a local configuration store is installed. If you upgraded the Standard Edition server or the local configuration store (RTCLocal) databases on other servers to SQL Server 2008 R2 Express, you also need the installation software for SQL Server 2008 R2 Express during restoration. After you run the Deployment Wizard on these servers, you need to run the SQL Server 2008 R2 Express setup wizard and select the upgrade option to upgrade from SQL Server 2008 Express to SQL Server 2008 R2 Express.

• Software for taking system images.
  
  

  Tip:
  We recommend that you take an image copy of the system after you install the operating system and SQL Server and before you start restoration so that you can use this image as a rollback point in case something goes wrong during restoration.

• Lync Server installation software. The Lync Server Deployment Wizard is located in the Lync Server 2010 installation folder or media at \setup\amd64\Setup.exe.
  
  

During restoration, you use the following tools:

• Lync Server Management Shell cmdlets
  
  

  Note:

  If you need to restore the Response Group configuration data, you need the Import-CsRgsConfiguration cmdlet. This cmdlet is added to Lync Server Management Shell by running the RgsImportExport.ps1 script. The Import-CsRgsConfiguration cmdlet requires that you first run the Get-CsApplicationContact script. For details about locating and running these scripts, see Backup and Restoration Requirements: Tools and Permissions.

• Dbimpexp
  
  

  Note:
  This tool is located in the root folder of the Lync Server installation media. It is also installed at \Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Lync Server 2010\Support as part of Core Components.

• Tools for restoring Windows folders
  
  
• Topology Builder
  
  
• SQL Server database utilities, such as SQL Server Management Studio
  
  

Before you restore the server, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Install the operating system.
   
   
2. If the server hosts one or more databases, install SQL Server 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008, or SQL Server 2005.
   
   
3. Restore or re-enroll your certificates. For details about certificates, see "Additional Backup Requirements" in Backup and Restoration Requirements: Data.
   
   
4. Take an image of the system before starting restoration to use as a rollback point in case something goes wrong during restoration.
   
   

Note:
The Lync Server 2010 Deployment Wizard and cmdlets described in the procedures in this section set all required access control lists (ACLs).

Verify that the hardware and software that you need for the components you plan to restore are available before you start restoration. After you install the operating system and SQL Server, most of the steps in the following restoration procedures can be run remotely. The exceptions are noted in the procedures.

You should also have your organization's backup and restoration plan and the information from your last backup, such as the information in the worksheets in this document (for details, see Backup and Restoration Worksheets), available before you begin restoration.