Exchange 2003 "Hot Spare"

[jsonchan]

Is it possible to maintain a live hot spare server running at all times for Exchange 2003 recovery (within same org & site?

Thanks
Jasonz

 

[Andreh]

Clustering would be your go. How big a site do you have (users, mailboxes etc)

For a cluster you will need a SAN.

http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Implementing-Two-Node-Cluster-Windows-2003-Enterprise.html

"Assumption is the mother of all f#%kups!

 

[jsonchan]

We have about 60 users.

Is there any other (low cost) way to do? Actually we're just running standard version

 

[Andreh]

Ok, maybe a bit overkill

What is the server you are running? What is the hard disk configuration? If you have RAID-1 hot swappable disks, you could keep a could spare that you could rotate as a spare.

"Assumption is the mother of all f#%kups!

 

[jsonchan]

HP DL380G4 with 2GB, 4*145GB/U320 RAID-5 running on Win2k3/R2 STD server. And this would be the only server we have in the office providing File/Print/Exchange mail services and A.D controller (all-in-one).

 

[MoobyCow]

There is a DR thread that covers most of this:

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1243292&page=1

The short answer is you can't have a hot spare. Exchange standard does not support failover senarios without 3rd party tools.

It also becomes much, much more difficult if your Exchange machine is your DC because Exchange needs Active Directory so if your second machine was not also all a DC then you couldn't use it if the first machine failed.

Unless you're running SBS you are better off using any second machine to move the DC responsibilities off of the Exchange box.

 

[58sniper]

You can't move DC responsibilities off of Exchange. Trust me - you'll PERMANENTLY break Exchange. Use a second box and move Exchange to it. That drive configuration isn't the best for Exchange, either. I'd recommend

2 drives in RAID 1 for OS/Exchange app
2 drives in RAID 1 for Exchange transaction logs
3+ drives in RAID 5 for Exchange databases
3+ drives in RAID 5 for everything else

You could combine the first two together, if you must, but the transaction logs and databases should have their own arrays.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[MoobyCow]

58Sniper,

Thanks for pointing out your can't move the DC off of Exchange, I wasn't thinking when I typed that. Seperate the duties, but by moving Exchange not the DC. My bad.

 

[jsonchan]

Thanks you guys all the comments above!!

Thought the better way is to move Exchange out of DC controller first.

Secondly XOsoft WANSync for Exchange seems a good solution. When disaster strike, it may immediately be rerouted to Exchange server replicas.