This document includes procedures for backing up and restoring the settings and configuration information that is required for recovery of Lync Server service. This information is located in the Central Management store or on another back-end database or Standard Edition server.

The following table identifies the settings and configuration information you need to back up and restore.

Settings and Configuration Data

This document includes procedures for backing up and restoring only the data that is required to recover Lync Server service.

The following table identifies the data you need to back up and restore.

Data Stored in Databases

Type of data	Where stored	Description / When to back up
Persistent user data	Back End Server or Standard Edition server (database: Rtc.mdf)	User rights, user Contacts lists, server or pool data, scheduled conferences, and so on. Note: This user data does not include content uploaded to a conference. Back up with your regular backups. This information is dynamic, but the loss of updates is not catastrophic to Lync Server if you need to restore to your last regular backup. If Contacts lists are critical to your organization, you can back up this data more frequently.
Archiving data	Archiving database (database: LcsLog.mdf) May be collocated on an Archiving Server, Back End Server, or other server, or may be on a stand-alone server	Instant messaging (IM) and meeting content. This data is not critical to Lync Server, but it may be critical to your organization for regulatory purposes. Determine your back up schedule accordingly. Lync Server 2010 supports only the Simple Recovery model for Archiving databases. With the Simple Recovery model, databases are recovered to the point of last full backup, which means that you cannot restore a database to the point of failure or to a specific point in time.
Monitoring data	Monitoring databases (LcsCDR.mdf and QoeMetrics.mdf) May be collocated on a Monitoring Server, Back End Server, or other server, or may be on a stand-alone server	Call detail records (LcsCDR.mdf) and quality of experience metrics (QoeMetrics.mdf). Call detail records are dynamic and may be critical to your business. Determine your back up schedule by considering whether you need these records for regulatory reasons. Quality of experience information is dynamic. Loss of QoE data is not critical for the operation of Lync Server, but it may be critical to your business. Determine your back up schedule based on how critical this information is to your organization. Lync Server 2010 supports only the Simple Recovery model for Monitoring databases. With the Simple Recovery model, databases are recovered to the point of last full backup, which means that you cannot restore a database to the point of failure or to a specific point in time.

Some data is not required for recovery or archival purposes. The following data does not need to be backed up:

• Transient user data, such as endpoints and subscriptions, active conferencing servers, and transient conferencing states (database: RtcDyn.mdf)
  
  
• Address Book data (databases: Rtcab.mdf and Rtcab1.mdf)
  
  

  Note:
  The Address Book database is regenerated automatically from Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS).

• Dynamic information for the Call Park application (database: CpsDyn.mdf)
  
  
• Transient Response Group data, such as agent sign-in state and call waiting information (database: RgsDyn.mdf)
  
  

This document includes procedures for backing up data in file stores. In an Enterprise Edition deployment, the Lync Server file store is typically located on a file server. In a Standard Edition deployment, the Lync Server file store is located by default on the Standard Edition server. Typically, there is one Lync Server file store that is shared for a site. The Archiving file store may use the same file share as the Lync Server file store, or it may be in a separate file share.

File store locations are identified as \\server\share name. To find the specific locations of your file stores, open Topology Builder and look in the File stores node.

The following table identifies the file stores you need to back up and restore.

File Stores

Lync Server uses or depends on some data and components that you need to back up separately from the procedures in this document. The following components are not backed up or restored as part of the Lync Server backup and restoration process described in this document:

• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)    You need to back up AD DS by using Active Directory tools at the same time that you back up Lync Server. Although many Lync Server settings are now stored in Central Management store instead of in AD DS as in previous versions, AD DS still stores the following:
  
  
  • User SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and other user settings
    
    
  • Contact objects for applications such as Response Group and Conferencing Attendant
    
    
  • A pointer to the Central Management store
    
    
  • Kerberos Authentication Account (an optional computer object) and Lync Server security groups
    
    

  Important:
  It is important to keep the contact objects in AD DS synchronized with Lync Server to avoid problems that can occur when Lync Server expects contact objects that do not match those in AD DS.

  For details about backing up and restoring AD DS in Windows Server 2008, see "AD DS Backup and Recovery Step-by-Step Guide" at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=209105. For details about backing up and restoring AD DS in Windows Server 2003, see "Administering Active Directory Backup and Restore" at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=209106.
  
  
• Certification authority and certificates   Use your organization's policy for backing up your certification authority (CA) and certificates. If you use exportable private keys, you can back up the certificate and the private key, and then export them if you use the procedures in this document to restore Lync Server. If you use an internal CA, you can re-enroll if you need to restore Lync Server. It is important that you retain the private key in a secure location where it will be available if a computer fails.
  
  
• System Center Operations Manager   If you use Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (formerly Microsoft Operations Manager) to monitor your Lync Server deployment, you can optionally back up the data it creates while it is monitoring Lync Server. Use your standard SQL Server backup process to back up System Center Operations Manager files. These files are not restored during recovery.
  
  
• Public switched telephone network (PSTN) gateway configuration   If you use Enterprise Voice or Survivable Branch Appliances, you need to back up the PSTN gateway configuration. See your vendor for details about backing up and restoring PSTN gateway configurations.
  
  
• XMPP gateways   If you deployed the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) gateway to support instant messaging through providers and servers that use XMPP, you need to back up the XMPP gateway.
  
  
• Group Chat   If you deployed Group Chat, you need to back up the Group Chat data. For details about backing up and recovering Group Chat, see Operating and Maintaining the Group Chat System in the Operations documentation.
  
  
• Coexisting versions of Office Communications Server   If your Lync Server deployment coexists with an earlier version of Office Communications Server, you cannot use the procedures in this document for backing up or restoring the earlier version. Instead, you must use the backup and restoration procedures documented specifically for your earlier version. For details about backing up and restoring Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=168162. For details about backing up and restoring Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=211810.
  
  
• Microsoft Exchange and Exchange Unified Messaging (UM)   Back up and restore Microsoft Exchange and Exchange UM as described in the Microsoft Exchange documentation. For details about backing up and restoring Exchange Server 2010, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=209179. For details about backing up and restoring Exchange Server 2007, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=209180.
  
  
• Infrastructure information   Back up information about your infrastructure, such as your firewall configuration, load balancing configuration, Internet Information Services (IIS) configuration, Domain Name System (DNS) records and IP addresses, and Dynamic Host Configuraton Protocol (DHCP) configuration. For details about backing up these components, check with their respective vendors.