Recommendations for Using the Office Communications Server 2007 Documentation
Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 will reach end of support on January 9, 2018. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.
You can use the Office Communications Server 2007 documentation set to preview the product as well as deploy it in both lab and production environments. The three following topics recommend which documents to read, depending on your objectives.
What to Read for a Quick Overview
If you are looking for a quick overview of the features and underlying technologies of Office Communications Server 2007 without installing the product, read:
- Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Technical Overview
If you also want to learn more about planning and deployment requirements, read:
- Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Planning Guide
What to Read for a Lab Deployment
If you want to deploy Office Communications Server 2007 in a simple lab environment to preview or demonstrate features such as IM and conferencing, read:
- Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Standard Edition Deployment Guide
What to Read for a Production Deployment
If you want to deploy Office Communications Server 2007 in a production environment, the documents you need to read depend on your particular infrastructure and requirements. The following discussion recommends reading the Office Communications Server 2007 documentation in a sequence that is appropriate to the requirements and characteristics of your particular deployment and infrastructure. Other approaches can also be used, of course, but the following recommendations will help you decide what works best for you.
The Office Communications Server 2007 documentation can be divided into three broad groups according to whether they are meant to be read before deployment, during deployment, or after deployment.
Read These Documents Before Deploying Office Communications Server 2007
To learn about known issues and their resolution, read the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Release Notes.
If you are unfamiliar with the new features and technologies in Office Communications Server 2007, first read the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Technical Overview. This overview introduces the new features in this release and the underlying architecture of the product.
We recommend that everyone deploying Office Communications Server 2007 read the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Planning Guide before beginning deployment. The Planning Guide discusses the technical, infrastructural, business, and legal requirements that directly impact basic deployment decisions. This guide includes detailed information on such important topics as supported topologies, administration models and permissions, DNS and certificate requirements, external user support, data storage solutions, platform requirements, and migration and coexistence scenarios, among others. This is the one must-read guide regardless of the size or requirements of your organization.
If you plan to leverage the enterprise voice capabilities of Office Communications Server, read the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Enterprise Voice Planning and Deployment Guide.
To familiarize yourself with the new features of Office Communicator 2007 from an administrator perspective, we recommend that you read the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 What's New Guide.
To familiarize yourself with the new features of Office Communicator 2007 from an end-user perspective, we recommend that you read the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Getting Started Guide.
To familiarize yourself with the new features of Live Meeting 2007, we recommend that you read the Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 Getting Started Guide.
If you have special requirements for your deployment, you may want to read one of the following guides:
If you are migrating from an existing Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1 deployment, read Migrating to Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.This guide examines coexistence issues and provides step-by-step instructions to help you migrate. The recommendation is to read this guide both before you begin and then during deployment in conjunction with the deployment guides described later in this document.
If you administer the Active Directory® Domain Services for your organization, or if you just want to fully understand how Active Directory works with Office Communications Server 2007, read Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Active Directory Guide: Preparing Active Directory, Delegating Setup and Administration, and Active Directory Schema Reference.
If you are deploying Office Communications Server 2007 in a multiple-forest environment, we recommend that you read Configuring Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 in a Multiple-Forest Environment before and in conjunction with the deployment guides listed below.
Read These Documents When You Are Ready to Begin Deployment
When you are ready to deploy, use the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Active Directory Guide: Preparing Active Directory, Delegating Setup and Administration, and Active Directory Schema Reference.
If you are deploying Standard Edition, follow the procedures in the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Standard Edition Deployment Guide.
If you are deploying Enterprise Edition — either Consolidated Configuration or Expanded Configuration — follow the procedures in the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Enterprise Edition Deployment Guide.
If you are going to support external users for remote access, federation, or conferencing, follow the procedures in the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Edge Server Deployment Guide.
If you are deploying Archiving and CDR Server, follow the procedures in the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Archiving and CDR Server Deployment Guide.
If you are deploying Enterprise Voice, we recommend that you read the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Enterprise Voice Planning and Deployment Guide.
When you are ready to roll out the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 client to end users, we recommend that you read the following:
Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Testing and Troubleshooting Guide
Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Planning and Deployment Guide
Microsoft Office Communicator Group Policy Settings
When you are ready to roll out the Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 client to end users, follow the procedures in Deploying the Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 Client with Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.
Read These Documents After Deployment
To provide end users with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 documentation, direct them to the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Getting Started Guide and the Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 Quick Reference Cards.
To provide end users with documentation for the Live Meeting 2007 client, direct them to the Getting Started with the Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 Client for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007.
To manage and configure your deployment, read the Office Communications Server 2007 Administration Guide.