I’ve received quite some queries about Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007. One of the queries is:
Can I use only 1 server to deploy Office Communications Server?
The simple answer is:
If you do not need external users to connect into the OCS service, then it is OK. The minimum setup is:
1 Domain Controller
1 Member server installed with OCS
The above will only give you simple MSN-like service within your corporate.
However, if you need to have external users to be able to connect back to the OCS, you will need to setup another server called an Edge Server (install the Edge Server roles).
For Audio/Video, you might need ANOTHER server for it, since it will be pretty processor/memory intensive.
So… Is OCS a feasible solution for small businesses? I would say - It depends. If their TOC outweights the benefits, then No. But if they do a lot of trainings and employees are scattered across the place and needs frequently web conference, then yes.
What do you think? Have you tried out OCS2007? Is that what you were expecting?
P.s: OCS2007 was formerly known as Live Communication Server 2003/2005. I’m also doing screencasts on OCS which can be found at www.internet.com/video
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