Lync Server Persistent Chat service would not start after a new deployment

Problem

You’ve just completed deploying Lync Server Persistent Chat but noticed that you are unable to start the service.  Reviewing the Lync Server event logs shows the following errors recorded:

Log Name: Lync Server

Source: LS Persistent Chat Server

Event ID: 53553

Level: Error

The server is not compatible with the database at Data Source=SQL.domain.com;Initial Catalog=mgc;Integrated Security=SSPI

The follow event logged after the one shown above:

Log Name: Lync Server

Source: LS Persistent Chat Server

Event ID: 53503

Level: Error

Microsoft Lync Server 2013, Persistent Chat could not start due to the following exception:

at

Microsoft.Rtc.Internal.Chat.Server.ServerCommon.Exceptions.StopServerException: Unexpected DB version.

   at Microsoft.Rtc.Internal.Chat.Server.ServerCommon.TransportServerBase.Initialize()

   at Microsoft.Rtc.Internal.Chat.Server.Channel.Server.ChannelServer.Initialize()

   at Microsoft.Rtc.Internal.Chat.Server.ServerCommon.MgcServiceBase.startServer()

   at Microsoft.Rtc.Internal.Chat.Server.ServerCommon.MgcServiceBase.createAndStartServer().

The service remains stopped or will stop if you attempt to start it:

Solution

This issue has actually existed a long time ago but I never wrote a blog post on it as I don’t deploy Lync Persistent Chat that often.  The solution to this problem is to install Cummulative Update 3 (CU3) released sometime in 2013 or simply apply the latest Lync CU update available today from:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dn788954.aspx

Below is a screenshot of the Persistent Chat RTM version build number and the build number for the February 2015 update package:

You will be asked to restart the server after applying the updates.  The Lync Server Persistent Chat service will start once the server is restarted: