Server Hardware Platforms
Topic Last Modified: 2013-05-23
Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software server roles and computers running Lync Server administrative tools require 64-bit hardware.
The specific hardware used for Lync Server 2010 deployment can vary depending on size and usage requirements. This section describes the recommended hardware. Although these are recommendations, not requirements, using hardware that does not meet these recommendations can result in significant performance impacts and other problems.
Hardware Support for Servers Running Lync Server 2010
The following table describes the recommended hardware for all servers where you plan to install Lync Server 2010, except for the Director server role. These recommendations are based on a user pool of 80,000 users with eight Front End Servers and one Back End Server.
Hardware Recommendations for Servers Running Lync Server 2010
| Hardware component | Recommended |
|---|---|
CPU |
One of the following:
Intel Itanium processors are not supported for Lync Server 2010 server roles. |
Memory |
16 GB |
Disk |
Local storage with at least 72 GB free disk space on a 10,000 RPM disk drive |
Network |
1 network adapter required (2 recommended), each 1 Gbps or higher. For Edge Servers, 2 network interfaces are required. |
Servers running the Director server role have lesser hardware requirements. These recommendations are based on a maximum of 39,000 external users per Front End pool (which follows the user model of 80,000 users per Front End pool, with 30% of users connecting externally and 1.5 multiple points of presence (MPOP)
Hardware Recommendations for Directors
| Hardware component | Recommended |
|---|---|
CPU |
One of the following:
Intel Itanium processors are not supported for Lync Server 2010 server roles. |
Memory |
4 GB |
Disk |
Local storage with at least 72 GB free disk space on a 10,000 RPM disk drive |
Network |
1 network adapter required (2 recommended), each 1 Gbps or higher |
Hardware Support for Back End Servers and Other Database Servers
Back End Server requirements and requirements for other database servers are similar to those of servers running Lync Server 2010, except that Back End Servers require additional memory. The following table describes the recommended hardware for a Back End Server or other database servers, based on a 80,000 user pool with eight Front End Servers and one Back End Server with all databases required for your Lync Server deployment running on a single database server.
Hardware Recommendations for Back End Servers and Other Database Servers
| Hardware component | Recommended |
|---|---|
CPU |
One of the following:
|
Memory |
32 GB recommended for Back End Server (with or without collocated Archiving and Monitoring databases), 16 GB recommended for Archiving and Monitoring database (not collocated with the Back End Server). |
Disk |
Local storage with at least 72 GB free disk space on a 10,000 RPM disk drive |
Network |
1 network adapter required (2 recommended), each 1 Gbps or higher |