Exchange redundancy

[people3]

At present we have one server running windows 2003 STD and exchange 2003 STD. We are going to implement a new second server to act as a 'backup domain controller' so if the first server fails people will still be able to log in and authenticate. Is there any way to install Exchange on the second server so if the first server dies. Then email will still be fine (including the mailboxes?).

I know this can be done through clustering but i don't want to upgraded to enterprise editions.

Any Ideas

 

[ntinlin]

Off the top of my head not easily.

You'd have to install exchange into the organisation on the other server prior to any issues.

Then if anything happened you'd have to change the mailbox location of every account to the new server which would create a new mailbox, so called dial-tone, and then use recovery storage group with a backup to dump the old mailbox contents into the 'new' mailbox.

You'd also have to worry about bridgeheads to the internet etc. and MX records for incoming mail.

I think I'm missing something or I've got the logic wrong but hopefully someone will correct my mistakes.

Neill

 

[people3]

Although this is a good idea, it will not give us the redundancy required, as the down time to move the mailboxes would not be a option. Also if the os failed then it would be difficult to recover mailboxes easily.

Many Thanks

 

[ntinlin]

You aren't going to get an easy / zero downtime solution unless you go with clustering.

 

[adcfaq]

people, u can't, unless u take enterpreise version of MSCS(clustering).


for DC redundancy, no problem with STD version, for Exchange u need to have ebterprise version at least.

------------------------------------
Directory Services/Exchange Consultant

 

[GaryRumson]

Try this company. It has worked for us. If server A has a fault it switches over to server B which is replication of A.

http://us.neverfailgroup.com/default.asp?target=products

 

[people3]

Many Thanks for the replies, looks like i may have to go the Clustering Route.

Cheers