Exchange 2007 Design with CCR

[skialta2008]

Hi all,

I'm looking to build out the following design but I wanted to run it past another set of eyes:

HUB/CAS server
2 x Mailbox servers running CCR

I would like to avoid using the Edge server for a variety of reasons. Is a 3 box design valid? There are only about 125 users at this time with uptime being the primary driver for this design. Also, what is everyone's thoughts on Windows Server 2008 for Exchange 2007 instead of 2003, especially because it looks like major improvements in the clustering capability which is important for CCR.

Thanks

 

[58sniper]

Having only one HT/CAS box leaves you with a single point of failure.

Why not use Edge? It's excellent.

Windows 2008, if you're very comfortable with it, is nice. But if you don't have some good experience with it, I'd pass.

Pat Richard
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Contributing author Microsoft Exchange Server 2007: The Complete Reference

 

[Zelandakh]

If you like overkill, I'd say that is a good solution. For 125 users, you only really need one box. Even if uptime is key, maybe I'm just lucky but I've only had downtime periodically on Exchange and that has been caused by things that would have taken clusters out too. Apart from service packs on scheduled maintenance windows.

 

[cajuntank]

I agree, only one CAS/Hub Transport puts you at a single point of failure like Pat stated, plus if the CAS/Hub Transport server does go down, your not even going to be able to pass mail internally.

Single server is fine for your amount of users and you can configure a lot of hardware redundancies in regards to power supplies, fans, memory, hard drives, etc...and make use of LCR for sure.

With the single server, I would have something in a DMZ to be the first device accepting mail, whether that be a an Edge server, Barracuda, etc...

Some very good reading that you might want to look at:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...8D-9727-464A-B7E2-3E037D61A8D6&displaylang=en

for deploying a complex Exchange 2007 setup

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...0C-88B4-4DEB-B55D-7D70916C660C&displaylang=en

for deploying a standard Exchange 2007 setup

and lastly

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...9F-6952-4E54-B482-9FCD30D6C245&displaylang=en

for a simple Exchange 2007 setup

Hope that helps.