Re: SAN (NetApp SnapMirror) replicated Exchange databases usability

On Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:24:17 -0700, XMAN
<XMAN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

My question is, if I am snapping Exchange databases from siteA to SiteB, am I
able
to stage Exchange 2007 servers at siteB with SG's and databases that are
attached
to the copies of the original databases on the SAN in siteB, and during a
failover to site B, just move my users to the serverin site B, or are there
additional application-dependant steps that need to be taken before users can
access the databases?

Your NetApp CSE or partner should have helped you with this question
before you needed to post here. My being one and all that.

If you use SnapMirror to take the data from A to B there are some
pretty simple options.

1. You use servers at the other end with the same machine name and
just connect up the LUNs. This is achieved by having Exchange
installed onto those systems as the real name then rename the box, set
the services to manual and reboot. The production servers get a
recovery style installation and they are used as normal. That's nice
and easy, even if I may not have described it too well.

2. You use servers at the other end in exactly the same way that you
would have SCR targets. They have Exchange on them and all is
tickety-boo. The DR invocation process is to hit go on the button the
NetApp PS guys would have created you on Ops Manager. The OM part
isn't even essential. You are leveraging the Database Portability
concept within Exchange 2007 and I'm sure you can read up on that
without any help from me.

3. There's a feature within SME 5.0 called the BCM. That pretty much
automates what you see in 2 and is done by the Exchange admin rather
than the storage admin, although the storage people need to do the
SnapMirror relationships.

As you can see there are a lot of options, all nice and simple and
they differ based purely on what your business options are.

The only application dependent steps in the Database Portability
solution is to use PowerShell to rehome the mailboxes but that's the
case with SCR as well so you're no worse or better off.

If you're in the US you can drop me an email (first.last at netapp dot
com) if you want some more indepth discussions on this.

You will probably get a ton more useful information when John
Fullbright reads your post. He can always add even more value.
.

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