INSTALLING MICROSOFT EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 CLUSTERS AND FRONTEND AND BACKEND SERVERS

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

• Chapter 4

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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

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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

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SUPPORTED CLUSTERING TYPES

• Network load balancing
• Microsoft Cluster service

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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CLUSTER SERVICE CONFIGURATIONS

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

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FAILOVER CLUSTER CONFIGURATION

• N-node failover pairs
• N I hot-standby server
• Failover ring
• Random failover

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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

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NODE NETWORKING REQUIREMENTS

• Two or more network adapters
• Connected to a minimum of two local area networks
  (LANs)
• Internal private network to communicate between
  nodes
• External public network to communicate with
  client computers
• All server nodes in the cluster must belong to
  the same IP subnet

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TEAMING

• Multiple adapters joined through software to
  function as a single unit
• Single media access control (MAC) address and
  single IP address
• At least one nonteamed network adapter configured
  for the private network

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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

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EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 CLUSTERING COMPONENTS

• Resource dynamic-link library (DLL) file
  (Exres.dll)
• Windows Server 2003 cluster groups
• Cluster resources
• Exchange Server 2003 virtual server

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EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 VIRTUAL SERVER

• IP address
• Physical disk resources
• Exchange System Attendant service

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CLUSTER NETWORK COMPONENTS

• Each server node of the cluster has two static IP
  addresses
• Each server node of the cluster has one NetBIOS
  name
• The cluster itself has a static IP address and a
  NetBIOS name
• Each Exchange Server 2003 virtual server has a
  static IP address
• Each Exchange Server 2003 virtual server has a
  NetBIOS name

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QUORUM DEVICE

• Maintains cluster configuration data
• Recovery logs
• Registry checkpoint files
• Provides persistent physical storage across
  system failures
• Shared external resource
• Each node can be physically connected

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STORAGE GROUPS

• Used to create multiple mailbox stores and public
  folder stores
• Maximum of four storage groups on a server
• Failover will not occur if there are too many
  storage groups

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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

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NEW SERVER CLUSTER WIZARD
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THE NEW CLUSTER
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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

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MANAGING AN EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 CLUSTER

• Creating an Exchange Server 2003 virtual server
• Managing Exchange Server 2003 Clustered services

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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

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EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 VIRTUAL SERVER RESOURCE
REQUIREMENTS

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

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RESOURCES CREATED BY EXCHANGE SYSTEM ATTENDANT
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MANAGING EXCHANGE SERVER 2003 CLUSTERED SERVICES

• Managed in Cluster Administrator
• Most default settings are adequate
• Might want to reconfigure failover and failback

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CONFIGURING INDIVIDUAL RESOURCE PROPERTIES
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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HTTP VIRTUAL SERVER RESOURCES FOR A BACK-END
SERVER CLUSTER

• Create Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) virtual
  servers in Exchange System Manager
• Create virtual directories to match the
  directories configured on the front-end server
• Add new HTTP virtual server resources to the
  Exchange Server 2003 virtual server
• No need to perform this configuration if the
  default HTTP virtual server is servicing a single
  domain
• Supporting multiple domain names through HTTP
  requires separate HTTP virtual servers for each
  domain

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SUMMARY

• Microsoft Cluster service and network load
  balancing
• Installing Exchange Server 2003 on cluster nodes
• Managing clusters
• Front-end and back-end servers