disaster recovery

[mufka]

I've done my share of Exchange 5.5 recoveries from on and offline backups.
Is there a 'best' way to have a backup server available to take over if the
Exchange server fails? In most cases, it seems to me that it takes a long
time to get a server back up and running on a new box after a crash. Usually
3 to 6 hours depending on the size of the store. I'm looking for some ideas
on how best to get the server back up and running quickly. Is Ghosting an
option? In theory, you could plug the backup box in and everything works and
you just need to restore from online backups to get everything up to date.
What about some sort of redundant setup? Hardware is one thing - but what if the OS craps out?

 

[ChadStiller]

Honestly that is to big of a topic for me to type away at and cover everything. Not to try and promote anothers product, but I have a book that has proven to be an invaluable resource when working with Exchange 5.5.

It's called "Notes from the field: Managing and Maintaining MS Exchange Server 5.5" It's a MS press book ISBN # 0-7356-0528-9. It was $40.00 new, which for a tech book is not bad, and with Exch 2K present you should be able to get it cheaper than that.

It has one of the best sections on disaster recovery for Exchange that I have ever seen, and if memory serves covers all of your above queries.

Good luck & good reading,
Chad Stiller, MCSE
Ramcom Technology
cds@ramcom.com