Storage Foundation and High Availability Solutions 7.4.1 HA and DR Solutions Guide for Microsoft Exchange 2010 - Windows

Last Published:
Product(s): InfoScale & Storage Foundation (7.4.1)
Platform: Windows
  1. Section I. Introduction and Concepts
    1. Introducing Storage Foundation and High Availability Solutions for Microsoft Exchange Server
      1.  
        About clustering solutions with InfoScale products
      2.  
        About high availability
      3.  
        How a high availability solution works
      4. How VCS monitors storage components
        1.  
          Shared storage - if you use NetApp filers
        2.  
          Shared storage - if you use SFW to manage cluster dynamic disk groups
        3.  
          Shared storage - if you use Windows LDM to manage shared disks
        4.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use SFW to manage dynamic disk groups
        5.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use Windows LDM to manage local disks
        6.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use VMware storage
      5.  
        About SFW HA support for Exchange Server 2010
      6.  
        About campus clusters
      7.  
        Differences between campus clusters and local clusters
      8.  
        Sample campus cluster configuration
      9.  
        What you can do with a campus cluster
      10.  
        About replication
      11.  
        About a replicated data cluster
      12.  
        How VCS replicated data clusters work
      13.  
        About disaster recovery
      14.  
        What you can do with a disaster recovery solution
      15.  
        Typical disaster recovery configuration
    2. Introducing the VCS agent for Exchange 2010
      1.  
        About the VCS database agent for Microsoft Exchange 2010
      2.  
        Exchange 2010 database agent functions
      3.  
        Exchange 2010 database agent state definitions
      4.  
        Exchange 2010 database agent resource type definition
      5.  
        Exchange 2010 database agent attribute definitions
      6.  
        Exchange 2010 service group resource dependency graph
      7.  
        Exchange 2010 service group sample configuration
  2. Section II. Configuration Workflows
    1. Configuring high availability for Exchange Server with InfoScale Enterprise
      1. Reviewing the HA configuration
        1. Sample Exchange server HA configuration
          1.  
            IP addresses required
      2. Reviewing a standalone Exchange Server configuration
        1.  
          Sample standalone Exchange server configuration
      3.  
        Reviewing the campus cluster configuration
      4. Reviewing the Replicated Data Cluster configuration
        1.  
          Sample Exchange Server Replicated Data Cluster configuration
        2. About setting up a Replicated Data Cluster configuration
          1.  
            About setting up replication
          2.  
            About configuring and migrating the service group
      5. Reviewing the disaster recovery configuration
        1.  
          Active-passive DR configuration
      6.  
        Following the HA workflow in the Solutions Configuration Center
      7.  
        VCS campus cluster configuration
      8.  
        VCS Replicated Data Cluster configuration
      9. Disaster recovery configuration
        1.  
          DR configuration tasks: Primary site
        2.  
          DR configuration tasks: Secondary site
      10.  
        About installing the Veritas InfoScale products
      11. Notes and recommendations for cluster and application configuration
        1.  
          IPv6 support
      12.  
        Campus cluster failover using the ForceImport attribute
      13.  
        Configuring the storage hardware and network
      14. Configuring disk groups and volumes for Exchange Server
        1.  
          About cluster disk groups and volumes
        2.  
          Prerequisites for configuring cluster disk groups and volumes
        3.  
          Considerations for a fast failover configuration
        4.  
          Considerations for converting existing shared storage to cluster disk groups and volumes
        5.  
          Considerations when creating disks and volumes for campus clusters
        6.  
          Considerations for volumes for a Volume Replicator configuration
        7.  
          Sample disk group and volume configuration for Exchange 2010
        8.  
          Viewing the available disk storage
        9.  
          Creating a dynamic disk group
        10.  
          Adding disks to campus cluster sites
        11.  
          Creating volumes for high availability clusters
        12.  
          Creating volumes for campus clusters
      15. About managing disk groups and volumes
        1.  
          Importing a disk group and mounting a volume
        2.  
          Unmounting a volume and deporting a disk group
        3.  
          Adding drive letters to mount the volumes
        4.  
          Deporting the cluster disk group
      16. Configuring the cluster using the Cluster Configuration Wizard
        1.  
          Configuring notification
        2.  
          Adding nodes to a cluster
    2. Using the Solutions Configuration Center
      1.  
        About the Solutions Configuration Center
      2.  
        Starting the Solutions Configuration Center
      3.  
        Options in the Solutions Configuration Center
      4.  
        About launching wizards from the Solutions Configuration Center
      5.  
        Remote and local access to Solutions wizards
      6.  
        Solutions wizards and logs
      7.  
        Workflows in the Solutions Configuration Center
  3. Section III. Deployment
    1. Installing Exchange Server 2010
      1. About installing Exchange Server 2010
        1.  
          Before you install Exchange Server 2010
        2.  
          Privileges required for installing Exchange 2010
        3.  
          Installing Exchange Server 2010
      2.  
        Creating mailbox databases on shared storage
      3.  
        Moving mailbox databases to shared storage
      4.  
        Adding new Exchange servers to an existing cluster
    2. Configuring Exchange Server for failover
      1.  
        Tasks for configuring a new server for high availability
      2.  
        Tasks for configuring an existing server for high availability
      3.  
        About configuring the Exchange 2010 service group
      4.  
        Prerequisites for configuring the Exchange Server service group
      5.  
        Creating the Exchange Server 2010 service group
      6. Configuring the service group in a non-shared storage environment
        1.  
          Enabling fast failover for disk groups (optional)
      7.  
        Verifying the Exchange Server cluster configuration
      8.  
        Determining additional steps needed
    3. Configuring campus clusters for Exchange Server
      1.  
        Tasks for configuring campus clusters
      2.  
        Verifying the campus cluster: Switching the service group
      3.  
        Setting the ForceImport attribute to 1 after a site failure
    4. Configuring Replicated Data Clusters for Exchange Server
      1.  
        Tasks for configuring Replicated Data Clusters for Exchange Server
      2.  
        Creating the primary system zone for the application service group
      3.  
        Creating a parallel environment in the secondary zone
      4.  
        Setting up security for Volume Replicator
      5. Setting up the Replicated Data Sets (RDS)
        1.  
          Prerequisites for setting up the RDS for the primary and secondary zones
        2.  
          Creating the Replicated Data Sets with the wizard
      6. Configuring a RVG service group for replication
        1.  
          Creating the RVG service group
        2. Configuring the resources in the RVG service group for RDC replication
          1.  
            Configuring the IP and NIC resources
          2.  
            Configuring the VMDg or VMNSDg resources for the disk groups
          3.  
            Modifying the DGGuid attribute for the new disk group resource in the RVG service group
          4.  
            Adding the Volume Replicator RVG resources for the disk groups
          5.  
            Linking the Volume Replicator RVG resources to establish dependencies
          6.  
            Deleting the VMDg or VMNSDg resource from the Exchange Server service group
        3. Configuring the RVG Primary resources
          1.  
            Creating the RVG Primary resources
          2.  
            Linking the RVG Primary resources to establish dependencies
          3.  
            Bringing the RVG Primary resources online
        4.  
          Configuring the primary system zone for the RVG service group
      7.  
        Setting a dependency between the service groups
      8. Adding the nodes from the secondary zone to the RDC
        1.  
          Adding the nodes from the secondary zone to the RVG service group
        2.  
          Configuring secondary zone nodes in the RVG service group
        3.  
          Configuring the RVG service group NIC resource for fail over (VMNSDg only)
        4.  
          Configuring the RVG service group IP resource for failover
        5.  
          Configuring the RVG service group VMNSDg resources for fail over
        6.  
          Adding the nodes from the secondary zone to the Exchange Server service group
        7.  
          Configuring the zones in the Exchange Server service group
        8.  
          Configuring the application service group IP resource for fail over (VMNSDg only)
        9.  
          Configuring the application service group NIC resource for fail over (VMNSDg only)
      9. Verifying the RDC configuration
        1.  
          Bringing the service group online
        2.  
          Switching online nodes
      10.  
        Additional instructions for GCO disaster recovery
    5. Deploying disaster recovery for Exchange Server
      1.  
        Tasks for deploying a disaster recovery configuration of Microsoft Exchange
      2.  
        Tasks for setting up DR in a non-shared storage environment
      3. Reviewing the disaster recovery configuration
        1.  
          Supported disaster recovery configurations for service group dependencies
      4.  
        Setting up the secondary site: Installing InfoScale Enterprise and configuring a cluster
      5.  
        Verifying your primary site configuration
      6. Setting up your replication environment
        1. Requirements for EMC SRDF array-based hardware replication
          1.  
            Software requirements for configuring EMC SRDF
          2.  
            Replication requirements for EMC SRDF
        2. Requirements for Hitachi TrueCopy array-based hardware replication
          1.  
            Software requirements for Hitachi TrueCopy
          2.  
            Replication requirements for Hitachi TrueCopy
      7.  
        Assigning user privileges (secure clusters only)
      8.  
        About configuring disaster recovery with the DR wizard
      9.  
        Configuring disaster recovery with the DR wizard
      10.  
        Cloning the storage on the secondary site using the DR wizard (Volume Replicator replication option)
      11.  
        Creating temporary storage on the secondary site using the DR wizard (array-based replication)
      12.  
        Installing Exchange 2010
      13.  
        Cloning the service group configuration from the primary site to the secondary site
      14.  
        Configuring the Exchange service group in a non-shared storage environment
      15. Configuring replication and global clustering
        1.  
          Configuring Volume Replicator replication and global clustering
        2. Configuring EMC SRDF replication and global clustering
          1.  
            Optional settings for EMC SRDF
        3. Configuring Hitachi TrueCopy replication and global clustering
          1.  
            Optional settings for HTC
        4.  
          Configuring global clustering only
      16.  
        Creating the replicated data sets (RDS) for Volume Replicator replication
      17.  
        Creating the Volume Replicator RVG service group for replication
      18. Configuring the global cluster option for wide-area failover
        1.  
          Linking clusters: Adding a remote cluster to a local cluster
        2.  
          Converting a local service group to a global service group
        3.  
          Bringing a global service group online
      19.  
        Verifying the disaster recovery configuration
      20.  
        Establishing secure communication within the global cluster (optional)
      21.  
        Adding multiple DR sites (optional)
      22.  
        Recovery procedures for service group dependencies
      23. Possible task after creating the DR environment: Adding a new failover node to a Volume Replicator environment
        1.  
          Preparing the new node
        2.  
          Preparing the existing DR environment
        3.  
          Installing Exchange on the new node
        4.  
          Modifying the replication and Exchange service groups
        5.  
          Reversing replication direction
    6. Testing fault readiness by running a fire drill
      1.  
        About disaster recovery fire drills
      2. About the Fire Drill Wizard
        1.  
          About Fire Drill Wizard general operations
        2. About Fire Drill Wizard operations in a Volume Replicator environment
          1.  
            Preparing the fire drill configuration
          2.  
            About running the fire drill
          3.  
            About restoring the fire drill configuration
          4.  
            About deleting the fire drill configuration
        3.  
          About Fire Drill Wizard operations in a Hitachi TrueCopy or EMC SRDF environment
      3. About post-fire drill scripts
        1.  
          Exchange 2010 scripts or cmdlets
      4.  
        Tasks for configuring and running fire drills
      5. Prerequisites for a fire drill
        1.  
          Prerequisites for a fire drill in a Volume Replicator environment
        2.  
          Prerequisites for a fire drill in a Hitachi TrueCopy environment
        3.  
          Prerequisites for a fire drill in an EMC SRDF environment
      6. Preparing the fire drill configuration
        1.  
          System Selection panel details
        2.  
          Service Group Selection panel details
        3.  
          Secondary System Selection panel details
        4.  
          Disk Selection panel details
        5.  
          Hitachi TrueCopy Path Information panel details
        6.  
          HTCSnap Resource Configuration panel details
        7.  
          SRDFSnap Resource Configuration panel details
        8.  
          Fire Drill Preparation panel details
      7. Running a fire drill
        1.  
          Post fire drill operations panel details
      8.  
        Re-creating a fire drill configuration that has changed
      9.  
        Restoring the fire drill system to a prepared state
      10. Deleting the fire drill configuration
        1.  
          Fire Drill Deletion panel details
      11.  
        Considerations for switching over fire drill service groups
  4. Section IV. Reference
    1. Appendix A. Using Veritas AppProtect for vSphere
      1.  
        About Just In Time Availability
      2.  
        Prerequisites
      3.  
        Setting up a plan
      4.  
        Deleting a plan
      5.  
        Managing a plan
      6.  
        Viewing the history tab
      7.  
        Limitations of Just In Time Availability
      8.  
        Getting started with Just In Time Availability
      9.  
        Supported operating systems and configurations
      10.  
        Viewing the properties
      11.  
        Log files
      12.  
        Plan states
      13.  
        Troubleshooting Just In Time Availability
    2. Appendix B. Troubleshooting
      1.  
        VCS logging
      2.  
        Exchange Service agent error messages
      3.  
        Troubleshooting Microsoft Exchange uninstallation
      4.  
        Troubleshooting Exchange Setup Wizard issues

Configuring Volume Replicator replication and global clustering

After you complete the service group configuration task in the DR wizard, you configure Volume Replicator replication and global clustering.

Before you begin, ensure that you have met the following prerequisites:

  • Ensure that Volume Replicator Security Service (VxSAS) is configured at the primary and secondary site.

    See Setting up security for Volume Replicator.

  • Verify whether the IP version preference is set before you configure replication.

    If you specify host names when you configure replication, Volume Replicator resolves the host names with the IP addresses associated with them. This setting determines which IP version Volume Replicator uses to resolve the host names.

    Use one of the following methods to set the IP preference:

    • Veritas Enterprise Administrator (VEA) GUI - select the appropriate options on the Control Panel > VVR Configuration > IP Settings tab.

    • Run the vxtune ip_mode [ipv4 | ipv6] command at the primary site as well as the secondary site.

  • Ensure that a minimum of one static IP address per site is available for each application instance running in the cluster.

  • Ensure that, for remote cluster configuration, you configure a VCS user with the same name and privileges in each cluster.

Use the following procedure to configure Volume Replicator replication and global clustering with the DR wizard.

To configure Volume Replicator replication and GCO

  1. Verify that the application server service group is online at the primary site and the appropriate disk groups are imported at the secondary site.
  2. If the DR wizard is still open after the previous wizard task, continue with the Replication Setup panel.

    Otherwise, launch the wizard and proceed to the Replication Setup panel as follows:

    • Start the DR Configuration Wizard from the Solutions Configuration Center by clicking Start > All Programs > Veritas > Veritas Cluster Server > Solutions Configuration Center or, on Windows 2012 operating systems, from the Apps menu.

    • Expand the Solutions for Microsoft Exchange Server tab and click Disaster Recovery Configuration > Configure Disaster Recovery > Disaster Recovery Configuration Wizard.

  3. On the Welcome panel, click Next and continue through the wizard, providing the requested information.
  4. On the Replication Methods panel, click Configure Volume Replicator and the Global Cluster Option (GCO). Click Next.
  5. In the Internet Protocol panel, select IPv4 or IPv6 depending on which type of network you are using. (You must use the same on primary and secondary sites.) Click Next.
  6. In the Replication Setup panel, review the replication requirements. If you have met the requirements, click Next. If not, click Cancel and restart the wizard after meeting the requirements.
  7. In the Replication Settings for Replicated Volume Group panel, specify the requested information. If you are adding a DR site to an existing DR configuration, fields that must match the existing settings, such as the RVG or RDS name, are dimmed so that you cannot change them.

    Disk Group

    The left column lists the disk groups. By design, an RVG is created for each disk group.

    RVG Name

    Displays the default RVG name. If required, change this to a name of your choice.

    RDS Name

    Displays the default Replicated Data Set (RDS) name. If required, change this to a name of your choice.

    Available Volumes

    Displays the list of available volumes that have not been selected to be a part of the RVG.

    Either double-click on the volume name or use the > button to move the volumes into the Selected RVG Volumes pane.

    Selected RVG Volumes

    Displays the list of volumes that have been selected to be a part of the RVG.

    To remove a selected volume, either double-click the volume name or use the < button to move the volumes into the Available Volumes pane.

    Primary SRL

    If you did not create a Replicator Log volume on the primary site, click Create New on the drop-down menu. On the New Volume dialog box, specify the name, size, and disk.

    Otherwise, select the appropriate primary Replicator Log volume from the drop-down menu and enter an appropriate size.

    Secondary SRL

    If you did not create a Replicator Log volume on the primary site, click Create New on the drop-down menu. On the New Volume dialog box, specify the same name and size as you specified for the primary SRL.

    Otherwise, select the appropriate secondary Replicator Log volume from the drop-down menu and enter an appropriate size.

    Start Replication after the wizard completes

    Select this check box to start replication automatically after the wizard completes the necessary configurations.

    Once replication is configured and running, deselecting the checkbox does not stop replication.

    Click Advanced Settings to specify some additional replication properties.

    Advanced Replication Settings dialog box

    The options on the dialog box are described column-wise, from left to right:

    Replication Mode

    Select the required mode of replication; Synchronous, Asynchronous, or Synchronous Override (default).

    Log Protection

    Select the appropriate log protection from the list:

    • AutoDCM is the default selected mode for the Replicator Log overflow protection when all the volumes in the Primary RVG have a DCM log. The DCM is enabled when the Replicator Log overflows.

    • The Off option disables Replicator Log Overflow protection.

    • The Override option enables log protection. If the Secondary node is still connected and the Replicator Log is about to overflow then the writes are stalled until a predetermined amount of space, that is, 5% or 20 MB (whichever is lesser) becomes available in the Replicator Log.

      If the Secondary becomes inactive due to disconnection or administrative action then Replicator log protection is disabled, and the Replicator Log overflows.

    • The Fail option enables log protection. If the log is about to overflow the writes are stalled until a predetermined amount of space, that is, 5% or 20 MB (whichever is lesser) becomes available in the Replicator Log. If the connection between primary and secondary RVG is broken, then, any new writes to the primary RVG are failed.

    Primary RLINK Name

    Enter a name of your choice for the primary RLINK. If you do not specify any name then the wizard assigns a default name.

    Secondary RLINK Name

    Enter a name of your choice for the Secondary RLINK. If you do not specify any name then the wizard assigns a default name.

    Bandwidth

    By default, Volume Replicator replication uses the maximum available bandwidth. You can select Specify to specify a bandwidth limit.

    The default unit is Megabits per second (Mbps) and the minimum allowed value is 1 Mbps.

    Protocol

    Choose TCP or UDP. UDP/IP is the default replication protocol.

    Packet Size (Bytes)

    Default is 1400 Bytes. From the drop-down list, choose the required packet size for data transfer. The default unit for the packet size is Bytes. You can set the packet size only if the protocol is UDP/IP.

    Latency Protection

    By default, latency protection is set to Off.

    When this option is selected the High Mark Value and the Low Mark Value are disabled. Select the Fail or Override option to enable Latency protection.

    This Override option behaves like the Off option when the Secondary is disconnected and behaves like the Fail option when the Secondary is connected.

    High Mark Value

    This option is enabled only when Latency Protection is set to Override or Fail. It specifies the maximum number of pending updates by which the secondary site can be behind the primary site. The default value is 10000.

    To ensure that latency protection is most effective the difference between the high and low mark values must not be very large.

    Low Mark Value

    This option is enabled only when Latency Protection is set to Override or Fail. When the updates in the Replicator log reach the High Mark Value, then the writes to the system at the primary site continues to be stalled until the number of pending updates on the Replicator log falls back to the Low Mark Value. The default is 9950.

    Initial Synchronization

    If you are doing an initial setup, then use the Auto Synchronous option to synchronize the secondary site and start replication. This is the default.

    When this option is selected, Volume Replicator by default performs intelligent synchronization to replicate only those blocks on a volume that are being used by the file system. If required, you can disable intelligent synchronization.

    If you want to use the Synchronize from Checkpoint method then you must first create a checkpoint.

    If you have a considerable amount of data on the primary data volumes then you may first want to synchronize the secondary for existing data using the backup-restore method with checkpoint. After the restore is complete, use the Synchronize from Checkpoint option to start replication from the checkpoint to synchronize the secondary with the writes that happened when backup-restore was in progress.

    To apply changes to advanced settings, click OK.

    For additional information on Volume Replicator replication options, refer to the Volume Replicator Administrator's Guide.

    Click Next.

  8. In the Replication Attribute Settings panel, specify required replication attribute information for the cluster at the primary and secondary site. Click the arrow icon to expand an RVG row and display the replication attribute fields. If you are configuring an additional secondary site (multiple DR sites), some fields are disabled.

    Disk Group

    Displays the list of disk groups that have been configured.

    RVG Name

    Displays the Replicated Volume Groups corresponding to the disk groups.

    IP Address

    For IPv4 networks, enter replication IPs that will be used for replication, one for the primary site and another for the secondary site.

    For IPv6, select the network from the dropdown list. An IP address will be generated.

    Subnet Mask

    or

    Prefix

    For IPv4, enter the subnet mask for the system at the primary site and the secondary site.

    For IPv6, enter the prefix.

    Public NIC

    Select the public NIC from the drop-down list for the system at the primary and secondary site.

    For IPv6, available NICs are those belonging to the selected network.

    Copy

    Enables you to copy the above network settings to any additional RVGs that are listed on this screen. If there is only one RVG, this option does not apply.

    After specifying the replication attributes for each of the RVGs, click Next.

  9. In the Global Cluster Settings panel specify the heartbeat information for the wide-area connector resource. You must specify this information for the primary and the secondary cluster. Any existing WAC resource information can be reused. If you are adding a DR site to an existing DR configuration, GCO is already configured at the primary site, so the primary site fields are dimmed.

    Use existing settings

    Allows you to use a WAC resource that already exists at either the primary or secondary site. Click Primary or Secondary, depending on the site at which the WAC resource already exists.

    Resource Name

    Select the existing WAC resource name from the resource name list box.

    Create new settings

    Select the appropriate site, primary or secondary, for which you want to create a new WAC resource.

    IP Address

    For IPv4, enter a virtual IP for the WAC resource.

    For IPv6, select the network from the dropdown list. An IP address will be generated.

    Subnet Mask

    or

    Prefix

    For IPv4, enter the subnet mask for the system at the primary site and the secondary site.

    For IPv6, enter the prefix.

    Public NIC

    Select the public NIC for each system from the drop-down list for the system at the primary and secondary site.

    Start GCO after configuration

    Select this check box to bring the cluster service group online and start GCO automatically after the wizard completes the necessary configurations. Otherwise, you must bring the service group online and start GCO manually, after the wizard completes.

    Once GCO is configured and running, deselecting the checkbox does not stop GCO.

  10. In the Settings Summary panel, review the displayed information.

    Click Back if you want to change any of the parameters. If you have a printer installed, you can click the printer icon at the bottom of the scrollable list to print the settings.

    Otherwise, click Next to implement the settings.

  11. In the Implementation panel, wait till the wizard completes creating the replication configuration and the WAC resource required for global clustering. If a task could not be completed successfully, it is marked with an (x) symbol. For any critical errors, the wizard displays an error message. For less critical errors, the Information column displays a brief description about the task failure and the next screen displays additional information on what action you can take to remedy it. Click Next.
  12. In the Finish panel, review the displayed information. If a task did not complete successfully, the panel displays an error message, which will provide some insight into the cause for failure. Click Finish to exit the wizard.