Like many other Microsoft server products, Lync 2013 requires some software prerequisites to be available before installing Lync Server roles. If a prerequisite is missing, you will be warned, and installation will fail. Types of prerequisites range from the operating system level (that is, IIS components) to the application level; a few others are at the component level.

There is no built-in prerequisite installation wizard in Lync; before installing it, you will need to be aware of the exact components to preinstall (through the GUI, PowerShell, or a combination of both). Further to that, each Lync Server role has different software prerequisites.

A number of scripts were put together by Lync enthusiasts to overcome this. The most notable one to date is Set-CsLync2013Prerequisites by Microsoft Lync MVP, Pat Richard (@patrichard). The first release dates back to Lync 2010; it's therefore a mature and stable tool, and is actively...