Topic Last Modified: 2011-03-23

Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software server roles and computers running Lync Server administrative tools require 64-bit hardware.

The specific hardware used for Lync Server 2010 deployment can vary depending on size and usage requirements. This section describes the recommended hardware. Although these are recommendations, not requirements, using hardware that does not meet these recommendations can result in significant performance impacts and other problems.

Hardware Support for Servers Running Lync Server 2010

The following table describes the recommended hardware for all servers where you plan to install Lync Server 2010, except for the Director server role. These recommendations are based on a user pool of 80,000 users with eight Front End Servers and one Back End Server.

Hardware Recommendations for Servers Running Lync Server 2010

Hardware component	Recommended
CPU	One of the following: 64-bit dual processor, quad-core, 2.0 GHz or higher 64-bit 4-way processor, dual-core, 2.0 GHz or higher Intel Itanium processors are not supported for Lync Server 2010 server roles.
Memory	16 GB
Disk	Local storage with at least 72 GB free disk space on a 10,000 RPM disk drive
Network	1 network adapter required (2 recommended), each 1 Gbps or higher

Servers running the Director server role have lesser hardware requirements. These recommendations are based on a maximum of 39,000 external users per Front End pool (which follows the user model of 80,000 users per Front End pool, with 30% of users connecting externally and 1.5 multiple points of presence (MPOP)

Hardware Recommendations for Directors

Hardware component	Recommended
CPU	One of the following: 64-bit processor, quad-core, 2.0 GHz or higher 64-bit dual processor, dual-core, 2.0 GHz or higher Intel Itanium processors are not supported for Lync Server 2010 server roles.
Memory	4 GB
Disk	Local storage with at least 72 GB free disk space on a 10,000 RPM disk drive
Network	1 network adapter required (2 recommended), each 1 Gbps or higher

Hardware Support for Back End Servers and Other Database Servers

Back End Server requirements and requirements for other database servers are similar to those of servers running Lync Server 2010, except that Back End Servers require additional memory. The following table describes the recommended hardware for a Back End Server or other database servers, based on a 80,000 user pool with eight Front End Servers and one Back End Server with all databases required for your Lync Server deployment running on a single database server.

Hardware Recommendations for Back End Servers and Other Database Servers

Hardware component	Recommended
CPU	One of the following: 64-bit dual processor, quad-core, 2.0 GHz or higher 64-bit 4-way processor, dual-core, 2.0 GHz or higher
Memory	32 GB recommended for Back End Server (with or without collocated Archiving and Monitoring databases), 16 GB recommended for Archiving and Monitoring database (not collocated with the Back End Server).
Disk	Local storage with at least 72 GB free disk space on a 10,000 RPM disk drive
Network	1 network adapter required (2 recommended), each 1 Gbps or higher