You can use the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 online documentation to learn more about Office Communications Server 2007 R2, including changes introduced in this version, as well as to plan and execute a successful deployment into a production environment. The following sections describe useful topics for each step in the deployment process, including what to read before deploying, information on planning a deployment, and information describing the actual deployment process.

What to Read for a Quick Overview

The following topics provide a quick overview of the features and underlying technologies of Office Communications Server 2007 R2:

“Getting Started” is the point of entry into the online documentation and includes links to a glossary and high-level discussions of new and existing features. Topics under “Technical Overview” provide high-level descriptions of the most important technical features, including basic architecture.

Where to Read About What’s New in Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Clients

Office Communications Server 2007 R2 introduces several new technologies, features, server roles, and clients as well as enhancements to existing functionality. The following topics provide a starting point for learning about these changes:

What to Read to Plan and Prepare for Your Deployment

Office Communications Server 2007 R2 is a complex product, supporting topologies that are designed to meet the needs of organizations that are small, medium, or large and that have varying requirements for performance, high availability, and scalability. Before beginning deployment, it is important to use the topics included in the following sections to decide which features and functionality you want to deploy in your organization and to create a plan for deployment:

  • Getting Started

  • Supported Topologies and Infrastructure Requirementsdocumentation

  • Planning and Architecturedocumentation

  • Client Planning and Deploymentdocumentation

The topics included in the “Supported Topologies and Infrastructure Requirements documentation identify the topologies, configurations, and system requirements for Office Communications Server 2007 R2. The topics included in the Planning and Architecture documentation describe how to plan a successful deployment for all levels of complexity, including everything from a large, geographically dispersed global enterprise to small, local businesses. The topics included in the Client Planning and Deployment documentation describe how to plan for a successful deployment of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 clients in your organization.

What to Read for Deployment

When you are ready to begin deploying Office Communications Server 2007 R2, the following topics provide information on installing and configuring the functionality and features that your organization requires:

Release Notes provide important information about recent changes to the product that might affect your deployment. Because Office Communications Server 2007 R2 includes several different technologies, the topics in the Deploying Office Communications Server 2007 R2 documentation are organized by technology. These topics describe how to prepare your environment for deployment, and how to install and configure each technology. The topics in the Deploying Clients documentation describe how to deploy each type of client in your organization.

What to Read for Migration

If you previously deployed Office Communications Server 2007 and you are ready to migrate to Office Communications Server 2007 R2, see the Migrationdocumentation for information on how to upgrade. The topics in the Migration documentaiton also include information about operating a mixed environment in which Office Communications Server 2007 R2 coexists with Office Communications Server 2007. We recommend you read this section both before you begin and then during deployment in conjunction with the information in Deploying Office Communications Server 2007 R2documentation.

What to Read for Administration

After you deploy Office Communications Server 2007 R2, you can read the following topics for information about configure, manage, and troubleshoot the day-to-day operations of your deployment:

  • Operationsdocumentation

  • Troubleshootingdocumentation

The topics under “Operations” describe the tools available to administer Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and related technologies. The topics also provide step-by-step instructions for common administrative tasks and information you can use to back up and restore Office Communications Server 2007 R2. The topics under “Troubleshooting” are grouped by technology and provide resolutions to common errors you might encounter in your deployment.

What to Read to Help Secure Your Deployment

For information to help you secure your Office Communications Server 2007 R2 deployment, see the Securitydocumentation. The topics under “Security” describe the security enhancements in this release, identifies common security threats, and provides general guidelines and best practices for assessing and managing the most common security risks to your Office Communications Server 2007 R2 deployment.

What to Read for Reference

Before, during, or after the deployment of Office Communications Server 2007 R2, you can refer to the topics included in the following sections to obtain more information about the technical details of certain aspects of Office Communications Server 2007 R2:

  • Technical Reference for Office Communications Server 2007 R2in the Reference documentation

  • Command Line Referencein the Reference documentation

The topics under “Technical Reference for Office Communications Server 2007 R2” describe the technical details of the features and functionality introduced by other sections of the documentation. The topics under “Command Line Reference” can be used to perform aspects of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 deployment that are not described in the Deploying Office Communications Server 2007 R2or Migrationdocumentation. These topics also describe how to create scripts to administer Office Communications Server 2007 R2 from the command line.