Chapter 3 - Installing the First OCS 2007 Front-End Server

Abstract

This chapter discusses the installation and configuration of not just the OCS bits, but also the prerequisite applications and services that must be in place. Before installing OCS 2007, it is necessary to choose the correct version of OCS for the environment. To that end, one has to choose from two options: Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition. This chapter also discusses both Standard and Enterprise editions, and will perform an Enterprise Edition installation as an example. The key to a successful OCS implementation is to get the front-end server configuration right the first time, because this is where the user interaction with OCS takes place. Many optional server roles can be put into action in an OCS 2007 implementation.The key to a successful OCS implementation is to get the front-end server configuration right the first time. After selecting the correct version of OCS for an environment (Standard or Enterprise Edition), one needs to address the prerequisites and then prepare an Active Directory schema, forest, and domain. Once these steps have been completed, one can begin with installing and configuring the software. The final step involves starting the OCS services and validating the configuration.