RE: Exchange 2003 WAN - Design/Sizing Question

I have done this several times. It works well assuming you have Outlook 2003
with the latest service packs running cached mode or http(s)/rpc.

What you will want to do is ensure they/you prepare the user community for
the change.

Additionally I would always follow best practices and ensure they/you know
your user profiles to ensure this is the proper solution. I have done this
with rather suspect trans-continental links so its rather forgiving.

Also there is the option of having users use the OWA interface if they are
not very heavy users.

If in doubt I recommend using a pilot to ensure the solution will work as
advertized.

The issue with publishing such documents is that (we) can't make too many
assumptions. Every environment has its limitations and its usually too
complex to to provide the proper guidance.

This is where most folks hire consultants.



"PDPHell" wrote:

> Looking for anyone's input on a proposed Exchange 2003 design.
>
> Currently have 7 old NT4 based Exchange 5.5 servers - 5 mailbox/PF, 2
> Bridgeheads split across 2 locations.
> 6000 Mailboxes.
> Outlook XP clients
>
> Its proposed that this is all migrated to another site 400+ miles away
> running on a win2k3 - Exchange 2003SP1 - Four node cluster with San
> storage. No local Exchange servers, no bridgehead/front end servers.
> Outlook 2003 Clients using cached mode. (200mb limit)
>
> The WAN is currently limited to 24Mb by its slowest link to an MPLS
> cloud with potential to be upgraded to 100mb. Eventually 1Gb links are
> planned. Like any WAN, the full bandwidth is not guaranteed/shaped
> exclusively for exchange.
>
> Some test lab analysis has been done using Loadsim, using a profile
> based on our typical usage which was determined as "heavy+" using a
> combination of stats and guidance from the excellent document - "Client
> Network Traffic with Microsoft Exchange 2003"
> Although this provided some figures, it does not consider latency and
> the lack of QOS on the network link at present.
>
> Does anyone have any experience running anywhere in the region of 6000
> mailboxes over a WAN connection.
> After a lot of searching, i cannot find any decent exchange "network"
> sizing documents or case studies. It seems that everyone with this
> amount of mailboxes would always recommend local servers.
>
> Advice, comments, ridicule - All Appreciated !
>
>
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Opening mail from Exchange very SLOW
    ... I'd say one of the advantages of cached mode is that it does hide ... understand that it may take longer when opening an attachment (usually ... the same exact email that slowed down the outlook to their personal ... You haven't mentioned the version of Exchange, ...
    (microsoft.public.exchange.admin)
  • Re: Messages Missing in OWA/Outlook Client with Exchange 2007
    ... You're right that cached mode shouldn't do what you're observing. ... Seriously, it looks like a folder view, but you tell me that you've ruled ... Check his Outlook profile yourself. ... MVP - Exchange ...
    (microsoft.public.exchange.admin)
  • Re: Aktualisierungs Verzögerung bei neuen Usern
    ... Tatsächlich benutzen wir Outlook im Cached Mode. ... Gibt es denn eine Möglichkeit das OAB manuell zu aktualisieren bzw kann man ... dieser im Exchange Adressbuch ersichtlich wird. ...
    (microsoft.public.de.exchange)
  • Re: Cached Exchange Mode & Exchange Server version
    ... running Outlook 2003 in cached mode against Exchange 5.5 ... not roundtripping the server each time you switch between messages. ...
    (microsoft.public.outlook.general)
  • Re: New users in AD do not show in GAL on some Outlook Clients?
    ... OAB Generate in Exchange Server Side. ... outlook clients do not access GAL, it queries OAB that download from ... Microsoft Exchange System Attendant Service. ... This newsgroup only focuses on SBS technical issues. ...
    (microsoft.public.exchange2000.admin)
Loading