This topic describes the mechanisms used to back up all required data and settings.
Backup Mechanisms for File Shares
and Databases
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 data resides on file shares and databases. The following two tables describe the backup utilities used to back up data in specific file shares and databases.
The following table describes file system backup utilities for files used by each component, including optional components.
Table 1. File System Backup Utilities
| Data to be backed up | Server or component requiring file system backup | Backup utility |
|---|---|---|
|
File shares or folders containing the files |
File share tools and other backup tools, such as NTBackup |
|
Address book download files |
None |
Not applicable, automatically generated by the User Replicator |
The following table describes database backup utilities for each component, including optional components.
Table 2. Database Backup Utilities
| Data to be backed up | Server or component requiring database backup | Database backup utility |
|---|---|---|
|
RTC |
Standard Edition server database |
SQL Server Management Studio Express in SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with SP2, to back up the database on the Standard Edition server. |
|
RTC |
Enterprise Edition back-end database |
SQL Server database backup utilities, such as SQL Server Management Studio in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005 with SP2, to back up the back-end database. |
|
RTCConfig |
Database for Standard Edition or Enterprise Edition persistent settings |
Not applicable; the database does not need to be backed up because restoring settings (using the LCSCmd.exe tool, as covered in the procedures in this guide) restores the required global-level, pool-level, and computer-level settings. |
|
RTCDyn |
Database for Standard Edition or Enterprise Edition transient user data |
Not applicable; transient information does not need to be backed up. |
|
LCSLog |
Database for the Archiving Server |
SQL Server database backup utilities, such as SQL Server Management Studio in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005 with SP2, to back up the Archiving database. |
|
LcsCDR and QoEMetrics |
Databases for the Monitoring Server |
SQL Server database backup utilities, such as SQL Server Management Studio in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005 with SP2, to back up the CDR and QoE databases. |
|
User-specified database for Group Chat data |
Database for the Group Chat Server |
SQL Server database backup utilities, such as SQL Server Management Studio in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005 with SP2, to back up the Group Chat database. |
|
User-specified database for Group Chat compliance data |
Database for Group Chat Compliance Server |
SQL Server database backup utilities, such as SQL Server Management Studio in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2005 with SP2, to back up the Group Chat Compliance database. |
For SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2005 with SP2, and SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with SP2, Office Communications Server 2007 R2 server roles support full backups only. A full backup is optimal because the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 SQL Server back-end database is actually smaller than the transaction log files and is significantly smaller than those of typical line-of-business (LOB) database applications.
The simple recovery model is used for the SQL Server database, so the database can be recovered to the point of the last backup. However, you cannot restore the database to the point of failure or to a specific point in time.
Backup Mechanisms for Settings
and Configurations
Backing up settings and configurations for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 servers includes backing up global, pool, and computer-level settings for most internal Office Communications Server 2007 R2 servers and Edge Servers. You must also back up the Group Chat configuration file (if you deploy Group Chat) and any Communicator Web Access virtual servers.
Global, Pool, and Computer Settings for Office Communications Server
You can use the LCSCmd.exe command-line tool to back up most settings, including global-level settings, pool-level settings, and computer-level settings for all Office Communications Server 2007 R2 servers, except the computer settings for Group Chat Servers and the configuration information for Communicator Web Access virtual servers. The LCSCmd.exe tool can be installed on any computer on which you install Office Communications Server 2007 R2. It is also available on any computer on which the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 administrative tools are installed.
Group Chat Computer Settings
You cannot use LCSCmd.exe to back up computer-level settings for Group Chat. To back up Group Chat computer-level settings for each Group Chat Server, back up the ChannelService.exe.config file to your backup location.
Communicator Web Access Virtual Server Configuration
User-specific information (such as contact lists) is not stored on Communicator Web Access servers; instead, this information is stored either in Active Directory Domain Services or in the Office Communications Server 2007 R2 database. This means that the failure of an individual computer (or set of computers) does not affect user information in any way. This also means that you do not have to back up user data on a Communicator Web Access server; there is no such data to be backed up.
What will be affected in the event of a computer failure are the virtual servers that are hosted on that computer. This is especially true if your virtual servers are hosted on single computer (as opposed to a pool of servers). In that case, the failure of that computer means that the virtual server will disappear, and users will no longer be able to access it.
To minimize the disruption caused by a server failure, you can back up settings by using the Communicator Web Access snap-in to export the configuration of any virtual server to an XML file. If a server fails, you should be able to quickly restore Communicator Web Access service.