Microsoft Lync Server 2013 Preview Architecture and High Availability

Justin MorrisLync MVPConsultant, Modality Systems

@justimorris

http://www.justin-morris.net

justin.morris@modalitysystems.com

Microsoft Unified Communications User Group London (MUCUGL) 2

Agenda

• Introduction – Then and Now• Topology Changes• Introducing the Office Web Apps Server• Pool Back End Resiliency• Persistent Chat Resiliency• Site Resiliency• Lync Goes Hybrid• Questions19/04/2012

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Introduction – Then and Now

• Lync Server 2010 introduced the concept of topology and CMS.

• Lync Server 2013 refines this, rationalises and evolves it further.

• Thinking further ahead – how can Lync: – Make management easier– Consolidate infrastructure– Utilise other Microsoft products better

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Topology Changes

• More Front End capacity• Less reliance on backend SQL• A/V Conferencing Server no longer• New Server Collocations– Archiving and Monitoring• Own SQL still required if deployed on SE

• Persistent Chat Becomes a 1st Class Citizen– Can be collocated on FE

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Introducing Office Web Apps Server

• Sharing PowerPoint PresentationsThe Problem Today in Lync Server 2010:– PowerPoint Viewer for Lync 2010– DHTML and Silverlight for LWA

• PowerPoint Viewer only available on Windows• Silverlight not supported on many mobile

devices.• Neither support recently added PowerPoint

features.

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Introducing Office Web Apps Server• The Solution in Lync Server 2013:– Use standard DHTML and JavaScript to broadcast

PowerPoint presentations.– Supports slide transitions, embedded video.– Better mobile device support.

• For this, we need Office Web Apps Server.– Not just for Lync, can be used by SharePoint also.– Serves up PowerPoint presentations in the new agile

format.– Publish via Reverse Proxy, can be load balanced in a pool.

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New Pool Back End Resiliency

• SQL Mirroring now supported!– Lync Server 2013 becomes mirroring aware.– In-site deployment supported only.– Deploy an optional witness for automatic failover.– Can be added after initial deployment.

• SQL clustering no longer supported – recommended path is migrate to SQL mirroring.

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Back End Server Failover - Before

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Back End Server Failover - After

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User Experience During Back End Server Failure

• If a witness is configured:– Failover happens automatically and the user

shouldn’t see much change to service.• If no witness is configured.– Administrator must manually invoke failover.– Sessions will continue until client realises the back

end is unavailable, at which point they will go into resiliency mode.

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Persistent Chat Resiliency

• Stretched pool across sites.• SQL mirror pair in one site, backup DB in the

other using log shipping.• Two topology options:– Two data centres with high bandwidth, low

latency links– Two data centres with low bandwidth, high

latency links

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Persistent Chat Stretched Topology - High bandwidth, low latency

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Persistent Chat Stretched Topology - Low bandwidth, high latency

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Pool/Site Resiliency

• Front End Pool Pairing– User data is shared across both pools.– No restriction on distance between two pools.– Backup Service installed on each FE replicates user

data.• Metropolitan Site Resiliency Solution no

longer supported - recommended path is migrate to Front End pool pairing.

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Pairing Front End Pools

• EE paired with EE, SE paired with SE.• Physical with physical, virtual with virtual.• Best practice: size each pools to take the load

of both.• Maintains existing voice Backup Registrar

functionality (same as 2010), but can now be many to one relationship.

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Front End Pool Failover - Before

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Front End Pool Failover - After

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User Experience During Pool Failover

• Users are logged out, all calls terminate.• Users cannot log back in until failover timer

expires or failover is invoked by admin.• Users are not re-homed to the backup pool,

rather are “temporarily serviced” by the backup pool.

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Lync goes Hybrid

• Share the same SIP domain across both Lync on-premises and Lync Online.

• Two types of deployment:– Hybrid Lync Server– Hybrid Voice

• Online users can use your on-premises PSTN breakout

• Components:– Lync Edge Server– AD federation (ADFS)– DirSync

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Key Takeaways

• HA has stepped up a gear.• Persistent Chat is no longer a challenge to

deploy.• Better server collocation reduces your

machine footprint.• New role requirement – Office Web Apps

(WAC) Server

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Questions?

19/04/2012