The Experts below are selected from a list of 6 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Juergen Hasslauer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Chapter 9 – Recovery
Designing Storage for Exchange 2007 SP1, 2008Co-Authors: Pierre Bijaoui, Juergen HasslauerAbstract:Publisher Summary This chapter describes how backup data can be used for recovery purposes. Exchange Server 2007's Continuous Replication provides the possibility of creating a second copy of Exchange databases. This replica is the first line of defense. However, activating the passive database created by Exchange Server 2007 Continuous Replication is not always successful; sometimes a failover to the passive node of Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR) deployment does not solve the problem. With Exchange Server 2007, disaster recovery tools are available in the Exchange Management Console (EMC) toolbox including the Database Recovery Manager and Database Troubleshooter. The Database Recovery Manager can be used to analyze log drive space, repair a database, show database-related event logs, verify database and transaction log files, and create and manage a Recovery Storage Group (RSG). The Exchange Server 2007 provides better support for Mailbox database portability; one can mount a Mailbox database to another Exchange Mailbox Server with a different computer name in the same Exchange organization. The portability feature is no longer limited to usage in the Recovery Storage Group (RSG); the database can be mounted to a production storage group of another Exchange Server. In Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, combining Mailbox database portability with the Exchange Server 2003 dial tone recovery strategy is referred to as dial tone portability. The key benefit for users is that the dial tone recovery strategy enables them to rapidly send and receive new messages.
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Chapter 10 – Storage Design Validation
Designing Storage for Exchange 2007 SP1, 2008Co-Authors: Pierre Bijaoui, Juergen HasslauerAbstract:Publisher Summary A proof-of-concept phase should be included in a Microsoft Exchange project schedule. This testing phase allows verifying whether the theoretical assumptions were valid and the proposed solution architecture will meet own or customer's requirements. Several tools are available to test the configuration, starting from low level disk exercisers like IOmeter, to an Exchange Store process simulator, and at the upper end a tool that simulates the actions users perform when they read and send emails or meeting requests. Start the design validation by testing the storage environment before running a test that simulates users accessing the Exchange environment using Outlook Anywhere via ISA arrays and hardware load balancers. One should check to see whether the firmware and device drivers of the components used by Exchange Servers are reliably working together. It is recommended to run tests in a test environment and not in a production environment. Separating the test environment from the production environment removes the risks that tests impact production systems. Low-level tools such as disk exercisers do not require a lot of prerequisites; full installation of the Exchange environment is not necessary—it is sufficient that the storage subsystem is connected to a Windows host. Therefore, they can be easily used to get results in a short timeframe. The IOmeter tool measures performance of network I/O and I/O to a disk subsystem. The tool allows one to characterize disk subsystem performance without the need to set up the complete infrastructure that the application requires. Regarding an Exchange Mailbox Server, one needs the Server and the storage array, but does not need the Active Directory (AD) and the other Exchange Server roles to verify disk array performance. Microsoft Exchange Server JetStress simulates disk I/O that the Exchange Store process performs. With JetStress one can check whether the system configuration will likely be able to handle the transactional workload generated by user activity with acceptable latency figures.
Pierre Bijaoui - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Chapter 9 – Recovery
Designing Storage for Exchange 2007 SP1, 2008Co-Authors: Pierre Bijaoui, Juergen HasslauerAbstract:Publisher Summary This chapter describes how backup data can be used for recovery purposes. Exchange Server 2007's Continuous Replication provides the possibility of creating a second copy of Exchange databases. This replica is the first line of defense. However, activating the passive database created by Exchange Server 2007 Continuous Replication is not always successful; sometimes a failover to the passive node of Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR) deployment does not solve the problem. With Exchange Server 2007, disaster recovery tools are available in the Exchange Management Console (EMC) toolbox including the Database Recovery Manager and Database Troubleshooter. The Database Recovery Manager can be used to analyze log drive space, repair a database, show database-related event logs, verify database and transaction log files, and create and manage a Recovery Storage Group (RSG). The Exchange Server 2007 provides better support for Mailbox database portability; one can mount a Mailbox database to another Exchange Mailbox Server with a different computer name in the same Exchange organization. The portability feature is no longer limited to usage in the Recovery Storage Group (RSG); the database can be mounted to a production storage group of another Exchange Server. In Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, combining Mailbox database portability with the Exchange Server 2003 dial tone recovery strategy is referred to as dial tone portability. The key benefit for users is that the dial tone recovery strategy enables them to rapidly send and receive new messages.
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Chapter 10 – Storage Design Validation
Designing Storage for Exchange 2007 SP1, 2008Co-Authors: Pierre Bijaoui, Juergen HasslauerAbstract:Publisher Summary A proof-of-concept phase should be included in a Microsoft Exchange project schedule. This testing phase allows verifying whether the theoretical assumptions were valid and the proposed solution architecture will meet own or customer's requirements. Several tools are available to test the configuration, starting from low level disk exercisers like IOmeter, to an Exchange Store process simulator, and at the upper end a tool that simulates the actions users perform when they read and send emails or meeting requests. Start the design validation by testing the storage environment before running a test that simulates users accessing the Exchange environment using Outlook Anywhere via ISA arrays and hardware load balancers. One should check to see whether the firmware and device drivers of the components used by Exchange Servers are reliably working together. It is recommended to run tests in a test environment and not in a production environment. Separating the test environment from the production environment removes the risks that tests impact production systems. Low-level tools such as disk exercisers do not require a lot of prerequisites; full installation of the Exchange environment is not necessary—it is sufficient that the storage subsystem is connected to a Windows host. Therefore, they can be easily used to get results in a short timeframe. The IOmeter tool measures performance of network I/O and I/O to a disk subsystem. The tool allows one to characterize disk subsystem performance without the need to set up the complete infrastructure that the application requires. Regarding an Exchange Mailbox Server, one needs the Server and the storage array, but does not need the Active Directory (AD) and the other Exchange Server roles to verify disk array performance. Microsoft Exchange Server JetStress simulates disk I/O that the Exchange Store process performs. With JetStress one can check whether the system configuration will likely be able to handle the transactional workload generated by user activity with acceptable latency figures.
