Backing up the data required to restore Office Communications Server 2007 R2 requires backing up the databases for all Office Communications Server components deployed by your organization.

Backing Up Databases

To back up databases, use the following procedure and one of the following tools:

  • For the RTC database on a Standard Edition server, SQL Server Management Studio Express in SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with SP2.

  • For all other Office Communications Server 2007 R2 databases, except the RTCConfig database, RTCDyn database, and Group Chat compliance database (none of which need to be backed up), SQL Server Management Studio in SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2005 with SP2.

For a complete list of the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 databases, including those required by optional components, see Data for Standard Edition Server Deploymentsand Data for Enterprise Pool Deployments.

Complete the procedure for each database that requires restoration.

Note:
The following backup procedure assumes that you are using Windows Authentication to access SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2005 with SP2.

The following procedure describes how to manually back up a database. You can also use SQL Server management tools to schedule regular, automatic backups.

To back up a database

  1. Log on to the server on which the database resides as a member of the Administrators group on the local computer or a group with equivalent user rights.

    Important:
    The service account you use to back up the SQL Server database must be the same one that you will use to restore the SQL Server database.

  2. On the server, do one of the following:

    • To open SQL Server Management Studio Express, click Start, click All Programs, click Microsoft SQL Server 2005, and then click SQL Server Management Studio Express.

    • To open SQL Server Management Studio, click Start, click All Programs, click Microsoft SQL Server 2005or Microsoft SQL Server 2008, and then click SQL Server Management Studio.

  3. In the console tree, expand the server group, expand the server node, and then expand Databases.

  4. Right-click RTC, point to Tasks, and then click Backup.

  5. In the Back Up Databasedialog box, on the Generaltab, under Source, do the following:

    • In the Databasebox, click RTC, LCSLog, or other database, as appropriate.

    • In Backup type, click Full.

      Note:
      Office Communications Server 2007 R2 supports only full backups of SQL Server databases.

  6. Under Backup Component, verify that Databaseis selected.

  7. Under Backup Set, do the following:

    • In Name, type a name for the backup set.

    • Optionally, in Description, type a description of the backup set.

    • Under Backup set will expire, specify when the backup set expires.

  8. Under Destination, click Diskor Tape, and then do one of the following:

    • If a destination is displayed, verify that it is correct.

    • If the wrong destination is displayed, click Remove.

    • If the correct destination is not displayed, click Addto specify the destination.

  9. If a previous backup set exists that you want to append or overwrite, in the Back Up Databasedialog box, on the Optionstab, verify that Back up to the existing media setis selected, and then do one of the following:

    • To append the backup to any existing backup set on the backup device, click Append to the existing backup set.

    • To overwrite any existing backup sets on the backup device, click Overwrite all existing backup sets.

  10. To start the backup process, click OK.

  11. To store a back up set in a location other than the one you specified for the backup destination (such as a secure, remote location that can be accessed if you need to restore the data), after the backup completes, copy the backup set from the backup location to the other location.

  12. Verify that the backup set is accessible for restoration purposes, including by standby servers if your organization is deploying separate, secondary sites for recovery in the event of a site failure.

  13. Repeat this procedure for each RTC database, LCSLog, and other database in your organization.

Backing Up File Shares

Backing up file shares requires backing up the following:

  • Meeting content

  • Meeting content metadata

  • Meeting compliance logs

  • Application data files (used internally by the application server component)

  • Group Chat Web and compliance folders (to store files uploaded to the Group Chat Web service)

  • Group Chat compliance XML files (containing Group Chat compliance records)

  • Update files (for Device Update Service)

You do not need to back up the address book, because it is automatically created by User Replicator.

For a complete list of the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 files that need to be backed up and where they are located, see Data for Standard Edition Server Deploymentsand Data for Enterprise Pool Deployments. Those two topics specify the default locations for the files. You should also use the deployment plan for your organization, which should specify the locations used in your organization.

To back up the required file shares, use the file system backup mechanism and procedures identified in the backup and restoration strategy for your organization.

Verify that the backed up file shares are accessible for restoration purposes, including by standby servers if your organization is deploying separate, secondary sites for recovery in the event of a site failure.