Deployment Best Practices

Deployment Best Practices

The following list represents some Microsoft Speech Server (MSS) deployment best practices. Implement these practices wherever possible.

Backup server settings

Before modifying or upgrading any MSS installation, save all settings for computers running Telephony Application Services (TAS) or Speech Engine Services (SES). The settings file provides detailed information that can be examined before loading onto another computer, or provided to support personnel for diagnostics purposes.

For more information see Saving or Loading Speech Server Settings.

Use server farms

MSS Enterprise Edition only. Use server farms to enhance service availability, with at least two computers per server farm. This allows an administrator to take one computer offline for maintenance without creating a potential single server point of failure.

Deploy MSS in a domain

For enhanced security and ease of administration, deploy MSS in a Windows domain. In the absence of a domain, security and administration must be handled through each local computer.

Do not modify default Internet Information Services (IIS) settings

Pausing the World Wide Web Publishing service of IIS on a Web server, or changing the default settings of IIS, may cause Speech Engine Services (SES) to drop calls and sessions and otherwise perform in an unpredictable manner.

Always use the actual computer name when adding a computer to a deployment

When adding a computer to a deployment, be sure to identify the computer using its actual computer name rather than its virtual IP address. Using the virtual IP address could cause administrative problems, such as unexpected results when adding a trusted Web site to a deployment. See Adding or Removing a Trusted Site.