INSTALLING MICROSOFT EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 CLUSTERS AND FRONT-END AND BACK‑END SERVERS

2

OVERVIEW

Clustering Exchange Server 2003 servers Installing Exchange Server 2003 on a

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 cluster Managing an Exchange Server 2003

cluster Configuring Exchange Server 2003 in a

front-end and back-end configuration

3

CLUSTERING EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 SERVERS

Supported clustering types Network load balancing Microsoft Cluster service Cluster service configurations Failover configurations Active/active and active/passive Clustering components

4

SUPPORTED CLUSTERING TYPES

Network load balancing Microsoft Cluster service

5

NETWORK LOAD BALANCING

Configured through the Network Load Balancing Manager

Runs as a driver in Microsoft Windows Distributes incoming requests across

each node in the cluster Can contain as few as 2 nodes and as

many as 32 nodes

6

NETWORK LOAD BALANCING (CONT.)

Distributes TCP/IP traffic between the cluster nodes

Only works with TCP/IP No special hardware is required Servers are not required to be members

of a domain

7

THE LOAD BALANCED CLUSTER

Seen as a single resource Operates by default in Unicast mode Addressed by a single IP address Each node also retains its own unique IP

address Applications are installed individually on

each node

8

NETWORK LOAD BALANCING ON MULTIHOMED SERVERS

Advantages to using two network cards: Increases the fault tolerance of the

individual server Enables communication between cluster

nodes

9

HEARTBEATS

Network packets emitted every second by each node in a cluster

When a node goes offline, its heartbeats stop

After five seconds the remaining nodes in the cluster begin to remove the unresponsive server

This process is called convergence Convergence also redirects incoming client

requests to other nodes for handling

10

MICROSOFT CLUSTER SERVICE

A cluster appears as a single network resource to client computers

Application and service aware Full failover protection for both servers

and applications Does not load balance Requires a cluster storage device

11

MICROSOFT CLUSTER SERVICE FEATURES

Requires Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition or Datacenter Edition

Up to eight-node clusters supported Each cluster node must be running the

same operating system version Restrictions relaxed for a two-node

cluster Servers must all be members of the

same domain

12

CLUSTER SERVICE CONFIGURATIONS

Single node server clusters Single quorum device server clusters Majority node set server clusters

13

CLUSTER STORAGE DEVICE REQUIREMENTS

The cluster storage device cannot use: Integrated Device Electronics (IDE) disks Software RAID Dynamic volumes Mount points or mounted volumes Encrypting File System Remote storage

14

Cluster Hardware Configuration

Shared Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) bus

Fast, reliable network card to the local area network (LAN)

Network card to the private area network

15

ACTIVE/ACTIVE AND ACTIVE/PASSIVE CLUSTERS

Active/active clusters limited to two nodes Active/active clusters support up to 1900

concurrent client connections Active/passive clusters can consist of up to

eight nodes Active/passive clusters scale to significantly

higher numbers Active/passive clusters generally more reliable Message transfer agent (MTA) always

active/passive

16

Two-Node Hardware Configuration

17

The Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) Reserve Command

18

Active/Active Clustering

19

Failover and Failback Procedures

20

Clustering Support in Exchange 2003 Server

Server installation Resource groups Virtual servers

21

INSTALLING EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 ON A WINDOWS SERVER 2003 CLUSTER

Similar to a normal installation First prepare the Windows Server 2003

cluster servers Cluster service automatically installed

on Windows Server 2003 Need to configure the Cluster service

using Cluster Administrator

22

NEW SERVER CLUSTER WIZARD

23

THE NEW CLUSTER

24

INSTALLING EXCHANGE 2003

Install Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC)

Run ForestPrep

Run DomainPrep

Install Exchange Server 2003 on each node of the cluster

Use the Cluster Administrator console to configure the Exchange Server 2003 virtual servers

Assign the Cluster service account the Exchange Full Administrator role

25

MANAGING AN EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 CLUSTER

Creating an Exchange Server 2003 virtual server

Managing Exchange Server 2003 Clustered services

26

CREATING AN EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 VIRTUAL SERVER

Two-node active/passive Exchange Server 2003 cluster One Exchange Server 2003 virtual server

Two-node active/active Exchange Server 2003 cluster Two Exchange Server 2003 virtual servers

27

EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 VIRTUAL SERVER RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS

Static IP address Unique network name Shared physical disk Exchange System Attendant resource

28

RESOURCES CREATED BY EXCHANGE SYSTEM ATTENDANT

29

MANAGING EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 CLUSTERED SERVICES

Managed in Cluster Administrator

Most default settings are adequate

Might want to reconfigure failover and failback

30

CONFIGURING INDIVIDUAL RESOURCE PROPERTIES

31

TESTING POLICIES

Test the restart, failover, and failback policies

Right-click a resource and select Initiate Failure

Manually stop the Cluster service on a server node

Start the service again and test the failback policy

32

CONFIGURING EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 IN A FRONT-END AND BACK-END CONFIGURATION

Configuring Exchange Server 2003 as a front-end server

Front-end and back-end servers and clustering

33

CONFIGURING EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 AS A FRONT-END SERVER

Front-end servers relay Internet traffic to back-end servers on the internal network

Cannot host a Recipient Update Service Cannot host offline address lists Mailbox Management service must be

removed Free and busy service must be removed

34

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

If the front-end server accepts Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) mail from Internet-based clients:

Start the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service

Mount at least one mailbox store Ensure that user mailboxes are not stored in the

mailbox store Do not delete the First Storage Group object One front-end server for every four back-end

servers recommended

35

FRONT-END SERVERS AND CLUSTERING

Do not host user data Well suited for using network load balancing Up to 32 nodes in a cluster Cluster service Internet-based clients

connect through: Outlook Web Access (OWA) Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) Internet Message Access Protocol version 4

(IMAP4)

36

FRONT-END SERVERS AND CLUSTERING (CONT.)

Cluster functions as a single entity to client requests

Cluster relays traffic between the client computer and the back-end server

37

BACK-END SERVERS AND CLUSTERING

Host user mailboxes and public folders Well suited for the Microsoft Cluster service Complete failover protection is typically

required Map each front-end server to all back-end

server nodes Communication between front-end and

back-end servers goes through TCP port 80

38

SUMMARY

Microsoft Cluster service and network load balancing

Installing Exchange Server 2003 on cluster nodes

Managing clusters Front-end and back-end servers