Step 3. Identify the Technical Requirements for Deploying External User Access (2007 R2 Beta)
[This is preliminary documentation and is subject to change. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]
This section describes the requirements for deploying Edge Servers, including supported topologies, infrastructure requirements, and server hardware and software requirements.
Supported Topologies
Each Edge Server always runs all three Edge Server services: Access Edge service to validate external users, Web Conferencing Edge service to enable external users to join on-premise meetings, and A/V Edge service to enable the sharing of audio and video with external users, and enable Desktop Sharing with external users.
You can configure one or more Edge Servers on your network, according to your performance needs. Three Edge Server topologies are supported: single consolidated edge topology, scaled consolidated edge topology, and multiple-site consolidated edge topology.
Single Consolidated Edge
In this topology, a single Edge Server computer is deployed in the data center, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Single consolidated edge topology
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Scaled Consolidated Edge
In this topology, two or more Edge Server computers are deployed in the data center, with a load balancer between the perimeter network and the Internet, and another load balancer between the perimeter network and the internal network, as shown in Figure 2.
Note
The load balancer deployed between the perimeter network and the internal network must be configured to only load-balance the traffic to the Access Edge service and the A/V Edge service; it cannot load-balance the traffic to the Web Conferencing Edge service.
Figure 2. Scaled consolidated edge topology
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Multiple Site Consolidated Edge
In this topology, the data center has a scaled consolidated edge topology, and one or more remote sites deploy a single consolidated edge topology or a scaled consolidated edge topology, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Multiple-site consolidated edge topology
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Firewall Topologies
The recommended topology includes setting up your perimeter network between two firewalls: an external firewall and an internal firewall (as shown in Figure 1). Using two firewalls ensures strict routing from one network edge to the other, and it protects your internal network behind two levels of firewall.
A deployment using only one firewall (as shown in Figure 4) is also supported.
Figure 4. Single-firewall edge topology
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Collocation
Edge Server cannot be collocated with any other Office Communications Server role.
Infrastructure Requirements
There are several network and infrastructure requirements that you must meet before you deploy Edge Servers on your network.
- Perimeter Network Guidelines
- DNS Requirements for External Access
- Certificate Requirements for External User Access
- Firewall Requirements for External User Access
- A reverse HTTP Proxy, deployed in the perimeter network. For details, see Step 2. Determine the Components Required for External User Access
Hardware Requirements
A computer that is to be an Edge Server must meet the following hardware requirements:
CPU |
|
Memory |
8 gigabytes (GB) |
Disk |
2x 72 GB, 15K RPM, RAID 0 (striped) or equivalent |
Network |
2x gigabit network interface card (NIC) |
Software Requirements
The following operating systems are supported for Edge Server:
- The 64-bit edition of the Windows Server® 2008 Standard operating system or the 64-bit edition of the Windows Server 2008 Enterprise operating system
- The Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition operating system with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or the Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition operating system with SP2
- Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition with SP2 or Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition with SP2