A key requirement for planning for deployment of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 is to determine the best approach for deploying the solution you have identified for your organization, including the deployment steps, sequence, and timing, as well as the team and individual responsibilities for each step. A common approach is to deploy and test a basic topology and configuration, and then to add components and fine-tune the configuration in stages. This approach helps ensure that any problems that might be encountered during deployment can be more easily isolated and resolved with the least impact on users. Even though deployment is usually done in stages, you should complete all planning prior to starting deployment so you understand all deployment requirements and any interdependencies. Completing the planning process prior to starting deployment can help prevent the need to make changes after starting deployment. Such changes can be time-consuming and costly. Although you should create a complete deployment plan before starting deployment, you may find that you need to fine-tune your deployment plan or other planning information after you start deployment, based on deployment results.
The following flowchart depicts the high-level deployment tasks that are involved in deploying an Office Communications Server 2007 R2 topology and summarizes some of the key decision points. The sequence shown in the chart is for deployment of specific features and functionality. It is consistent with the general recommendation that you deploy Office Communications Server in stages, starting with the core internal components, to make initial functionality available as quickly as possible and to facilitate troubleshooting of any problems encountered during deployment. It is also recommended that you deploy external components only after completing the deployment of internal components.
