SQL server installation is simple and many IT folks know about it. Still, I am writing this blog post for those people who are not much comfortable with SQL Server. As you know SQL is an important and key server role in Lync & Skype for Business Server. It maintains Skype for Business Back End databases, Archiving and Monitoring databases, and Persistent Chat and Persistent Chat Compliance databases. Installation steps are common across the versions. In this article, I am going to capture installation steps for SQL Server 2014 which will be part of the SQL mirror. This mirror will be used for Skype for Business Back End and Archiving & Monitoring Server databases. As per your requirements and design, you can follow the same steps to create two different mirrors one for Back End databases and another for Archiving & Monitoring databases.
First of all install .Net Framework 3.5 either from GUI or you can use below PowerShell command to install the same. Make sure Windows Server media is connected to sql server, in my case that is connect as H:
Run SQL Server setup from installation media.
Select Installation and click on “New SQL Server stand-alone or add features to an existing installation”
Enter the product key and click on Next.
Accept the license terms and click on Next.
Click on Next.
Ignore this error if you are getting and click on Next.
Click on Next.
Ignore the warning and click on Next.
Select “SQL Server Feature Installation” and click on Next.
For Back End, Archiving, Persistent Chat and Persistent Chat Compliance databases, select the below instance features.
Change the installation path if you want to keep SQL binaries on different location otherwise click on Next.
For Monitoring Server databases, select “Reporting Services – Native” also.
Write the instance name and click on Next.
It is best to use specific service account instead of default.
In Server Configuration tab under “Database Engine Configuration” add users who will have SQL administrative rights.
In Data Directories tab, change the location for databases, log and temp directories as per your design and click on Next.
Use default option and click on Next.
Click on Install.
Once your SQL Server installation is completed. Open SQL Server Studio Manager to cross verify the installation and connectivity.
Use the same installation step for second server. While for witness server either you can install SQL Server express edition or can use any other existing SQL instance.
InsideMSTech 
Thanks for the information!
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Hello Ajay,
How are you?
I’m trying to learn more about Skype for business server 2015 as i’m a newbie on this and my company uses this technology. I am ready to build this in my home lab using your instructions and wanted to check the voice part of things. How do i integrate the SIP gateway etc sorry i really do not know anything about enterprise gateway side of things. Can you please help guide me here so that i can test that part as well. Any free PSTN or PBX providers which i can use and setting it up etc?
Many thanks in advance.
Thanks,
Pavan
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You can use asterisk.
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Hey Ajay,,
It might be well worth while outlining the necessary steps to add the relevant firewall rules to the SQL server. On a vanilla Windows 2012R2 box, SQL get installed with the SQL browser running an dynamic port, so allowing UDP 1434 and the instance Sqlservr.exe would be useful. Or, you could outline how to set static ports for the instance. In addition, for the MonitoringStore DB, the SQL Server Agent service should be set to Automatic (although the warning in the log is fairly clear).
It would also be good to cover (in the following blog regarding the FE installation perhaps) how to re-start the DB installation if it fails initially when you publish the topology, which I believe is just through the issuance of the Install-CsDatabase cmdlet.
Cheers
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Thanks for your suggestion. I will work on this ask very soon.
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