Lesson 3: Clustering Support in Exchange 2000 Server

Many Exchange 2000 Server components support active/active or at least active/passive clustering. However, several components, such as the NNTP service, the KMS, or connectors to other mail systems are not supported. Therefore, you should integrate an Exchange 2000 cluster into an environment with nonclustered servers functioning as bridgehead servers to communicate with other systems. This is an acceptable approach because permanent availability is seldom an issue for bridgehead servers that don't host mailboxes or public servers. Likewise, it is not advantageous to install front end servers in systems clustered using the Windows 2000 Cluster service. Because front ends only relay Internet-based clients to back end servers, use Windows 2000 Network Load Balancing or another network load-balancing solution instead.

This lesson discusses the installation of Exchange 2000 Server in a Windows 2000 cluster. It illustrates differences in comparison to an installation in a nonclustered environment and explains how to configure virtual Exchange 2000 servers. This lesson concludes with a brief explanation about how to upgrade Exchange Server 5.5 clusters.


At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Install Exchange 2000 Server in a Windows 2000 cluster
  • Identify important resources for virtual Exchange 2000 Server
  • Test the failover procedures for virtual servers
  • Upgrade clustered Exchange Server 5.5 installations

Estimated time to complete this lesson: 90 minutes


Exchange 2000 Server Clustering Installation

The installation of Exchange 2000 Server in a cluster is a process of four stages. First, you need to install Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Datacenter Server on all nodes in the cluster. In a second step, you have to install the Cluster service on the nodes and configure the cluster environment. Then, you are ready for the Exchange 2000 Server installation. Exchange 2000 Server must be installed on all nodes with exactly the same parameters, and, after that, you can configure and start virtual servers in Cluster Administrator.

Important


You cannot install Exchange 2000 Server on a nonclustered server and integrate this installation into a cluster afterward. Furthermore, it is a good idea to test the installation in a cluster prior to deploying Exchange 2000 Server in the production environment. Exchange 2000 Server may not function properly with your hardware. You need to ensure that a dedicated Physical Disk resource is available for Exchange 2000 Server.

Installing Exchange 2000 in a Cluster

It is easy to install Exchange 2000 Server in a clustered system. When the Setup program detects the Cluster service, it displays the Microsoft Exchange 2000 Installation Wizard, informing you that the cluster-aware version of Exchange 2000 Server will be installed. Setup then copies and configures the Exchange 2000 components and resource DLLs and sets the Exchange 2000 service to start manually. This prevents the services from starting automatically when rebooting the server, which is required at the end of the installation.

Important


Do not start or stop clustered Exchange 2000 services in the Services management tool. You have to use Cluster Administrator to bring clustered services online or offline.

Clustered Installation Features and Dependencies

During the installation of Exchange 2000 Server in a cluster, resource DLLs and other components are added to the configuration of each node. It is important that you install only one node at a time using the same account you used to install the Cluster service. This account must have the required permissions to set up Exchange 2000 Server in a forest as outlined in Chapter 4, "Planning the Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Installation."

It is also important to specify the same drive letters and directory on all the nodes in the cluster. During installation, you need to place the binary files on the local system drive of each node. The binary files are not shared between the nodes. Don't forget to make sure that drive M is not in use on any node because when you configure virtual servers later on, the Microsoft Web Storage System will use the M drive by default. If this drive is not available, the Web Storage System uses the next drive letter automatically; however, it is important that all nodes use the same drive.

Setup Initialization File

Because you must install the same Exchange 2000 components on all the nodes of the cluster, it is a good idea to create and use a SETUP.INI file. This allows you to run Setup unattended with exactly the same options on all nodes. Keep in mind, however, that you should not start the Setup program on a second node before the first installation is completed and the node rebooted. At minimum, install Microsoft Exchange Messaging and Collaboration and Microsoft Exchange System Management Tools on all nodes.

Exercise 1: Installing Exchange 2000 Server in a Cluster

In this exercise, you will install Exchange 2000 Server in a cluster with two nodes. The configuration of virtual servers, however, is not addressed yet. This will be the objective for Exercise 2 later in this lesson.

To view a multimedia demonstration that displays how to perform this procedure, run the EX1CH7*.AVI files from the \Exercise_Information\Chapter7 folder on the Supplemental Course Materials CD.

Prerequisites

  • Prepare the test environment as described in the "About This Book" section.
  • Make sure the domain controller BLUESKY-SRV1 running Exchange 2000 Server as a nonclustered system is available in the network.
  • Log on as Administrator to BLUESKY-ND1 and BLUESKY-ND2.

To install Exchange 2000 Server on a clustered system

  1. On BLUESKY-ND1, insert the Exchange 2000 Server CD in the CD drive and launch Setup from the \Setup\i386 directory.
  2. The Welcome To The Microsoft Exchange 2000 Installation Wizard screen appears. Click Next to start the installation.
  3. In the End-User License Agreement dialog box, select I Agree, and then click Next to continue the installation.
  4. On the Product Identification wizard screen, under CD Key, enter your CD key, and then click Next.
  5. On the Component Selection wizard screen, under Action, verify that Typical is selected in the first row for Microsoft Exchange 2000. Leave all other settings at their defaults and click Next.
  6. On the Licensing Agreement wizard screen, select I Agree That: That I Have Read And Agree To Be Bound By The License Agreements For This Product, and then click Next to continue the installation.
  7. On the Component Summary wizard screen, verify that the configuration settings are correct, and then click Next to copy the files to your computer's hard disk.
  8. The Microsoft Exchange 2000 Installation Wizard box will appear, informing you that Setup will install the cluster-aware version of Exchange 2000 Server. Click OK.
  9. Another Microsoft Exchange 2000 Installation Wizard box will appear, informing you that you need to reboot the server after Setup is completed. Click OK.
  10. On the final wizard screen, click Finish and reboot BLUESKY-ND1.
  11. After BLUESKY-ND1 is up and running again, repeat the steps on BLUESKY-ND2, and make sure you install Exchange 2000 Server with exactly the same components and directories. At this point, you have installed the Exchange 2000 binary files in the clustered environment (see Figure 7.9).
  12. On either node, click Start, point to Programs, then to Administrative Tools, and then click Services.
  13. In the Services utility, search for the Exchange 2000 services, and verify that Startup Type is set to Manual.

click to view at full size

Figure 7.9 Installing Exchange 2000 in a clustered environment

Exercise Summary

Installation of Exchange 2000 Server is a straightforward process. Setup detects that it is started on a cluster node and configures the Exchange 2000 components and services appropriately. It is important to set up all nodes using the same directories and installation options. The Exchange 2000 services will be configured to start manually. Don't start the services in a cluster in the Services Management tool because this undermines the cluster environment. Clustered services are managed within Cluster Administrator.

Important


Do not configure restart settings in the Services management utility for services that have been installed in a cluster; it would interfere with the cluster management software.

Resource Groups and Virtual Servers

As soon as you have installed Exchange 2000 Server on all cluster nodes, you are ready to configure resource groups. Each virtual server (equivalent to a resource group) requires an IP address and a network name. Your users will specify the network name in the settings of the Exchange transport service to connect to their mailboxes. The configuration of the Exchange transport service is covered in Chapter 8, "Microsoft Outlook 2000 Deployment."

Each virtual Exchange 2000 server requires one or more shared disk resources where the Information Store databases must be placed. You cannot assign a single physical disk to more than one virtual server. As explained in Chapter 3, "Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Architecture," all Exchange 2000 components depend on the SA, so you also need to assign your virtual server an Exchange SA resource. The remaining Exchange 2000 components are added to the virtual server automatically.

Exercise 2: Configuring Virtual Exchange 2000 Servers

In this exercise you will use Cluster Administrator to configure one virtual server for Exchange 2000 Server in a Windows 2000 cluster. To verify the successful configuration, you will bring the server online.

To view a multimedia demonstration that displays how to perform this procedure, run the EX2CH7.AVI files from the \Exercise_Information\Chapter7 folder on the Supplemental Course Materials CD.

Prerequisites

  • You have completed Exercise 1 earlier in this lesson.
  • You are logged on as Administrator to BLUESKY-ND1.

To configure a virtual Exchange Server

  1. From the Administrative Tools program group, start Cluster Administrator.
  2. In the Open Connection To Cluster dialog box, type BLUESKY-CLUST, and then click Open.
  3. In the Cluster Administrator console tree, right-click Groups, point to New, and then select Group.
  4. In the New Group wizard screen, under Name, enter Exchange Cluster. Under Description, type Blue Sky Airline's Clustered Exchange 2000 Platform, and then click Next.
  5. For demonstrational purposes, on the Preferred Owners wizard screen, under Available Nodes, select BLUESKY-ND1 and BLUESKY-ND2, click Add, and then click Finish. Configuring preferred nodes allows you to activate the Cluster service's failback capabilities. In the context of Exchange 2000 Server operation, however, this is not required.
  6. In the Cluster Administrator dialog box that appears to inform you that you have successfully created the group, click OK. At this point, you have successfully configured a resource group for your virtual Exchange 2000 server (see Figure 7.10).

    click to view at full size

    Figure 7.10 Creating a resource group for Exchange 2000 Server

  7. In the details pane, right-click on the newly created Exchange Cluster object. In the shortcut menu, point to New, and then select Resource.
  8. On the New Resource wizard screen, enter the following information, and then click Next:
    Name E2K IP
    Description Exchange Cluster IP Address
    Resource Type IP Address
    Group Exchange Cluster
  9. On the Possible Owners wizard screen, make sure that under Possible Owners, BLUESKY-ND1 and BLUESKY-ND2 are listed, and then click Next.
  10. On the Dependencies wizard screen, click Next.
  11. On the TCP/IP Address Parameters wizard screen, enter the following information, and then click Finish:
    Address 192.168.1.76
    Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
    Network Public Connection
    Enable NetBIOS For This Address Enabled
  12. In the Cluster Administrator box that appears to inform you that you have successfully created the resource E2K IP, click OK. At this point, you have successfully assigned an IP address to your virtual Exchange 2000 server (see Figure 7.11).

    click to view at full size

    Figure 7.11 Assigning an IP address to a resource group

  13. In the details pane, right-click on the Exchange Cluster object again and, in the Shortcut menu, point to New, and then select Resource.
  14. On the New Resource wizard screen, enter the following information, and then click Next:
    Name BLUESKY-E2KS
    Description The Name Of The Virtual Exchange 2000 Server
    Resource Type Network Name
    Group Exchange Cluster
  15. On the Possible Owners wizard screen, under Possible Owners, make sure that BLUESKY-ND1 and BLUESKY-ND2 are listed, and then click Next.
  16. On the Dependencies wizard screen, from the Available Resources list, select E2K IP, and then click Add. Then click Next.
  17. On the Network Name Parameters wizard screen, under Name, type BLUESKY-E2KS, and then click Finish.
  18. In the Cluster Administrator dialog box that appears to inform you that you have successfully created the resource BLUESKY-E2KS, click OK. At this point, you have successfully created the network name for the virtual Exchange 2000 server, which your users will use later to connect to their mailboxes (see Figure 7.12).

    click to view at full size

    Figure 7.12 Configuring a network name for a virtual Exchange 2000 server

  19. In the console tree, open the Resources container, select the disk resource that you want to assign to the Exchange Cluster group (such as Disk T:), and drag and drop it into the Exchange Cluster container.
  20. In the Cluster Administrator dialog box asking you whether you are sure you want to move the disk resource, click Yes. In the Move Resources dialog box, click Yes again.
  21. Right-click on the Exchange Cluster object again, and, in the shortcut menu, point to New, and then select Resource.
  22. In the details pane, right-click on the Exchange Cluster object again, and, in the shortcut menu, point to New, and then select Resource.
  23. On the New Resource wizard screen, enter the following information, and then click Next:
    Name Microsoft Exchange System Attendant
    Description The SA Service of the Virtual Exchange 2000 Server
    Resource Type Microsoft Exchange System Attendant
    Group Exchange Cluster
  24. On the Possible Owners wizard screen, under Possible Owners, make sure that BLUESKY-ND1 and BLUESKY-ND2 are listed, and then click Next.
  25. On the Dependencies wizard screen, select all of the resources listed under Available Resources, and then click Add and Next.
  26. On the Data Directory wizard screen, under Enter Path To The Data Directory, make sure T:\EXCHSRVR is displayed, and then click Finish.
  27. In the Cluster Administrator dialog box informing you that you have created the System Attendant resource successfully, click OK.
  28. Right-click on the Exchange Cluster container and select Bring Online. At this point, you have successfully configured a full-featured virtual Exchange 2000 server cluster (see Figure 7.13). The state information displayed for the Exchange 2000 services will change from Offline to Online Pending and then to Online. As soon as all services are online, you are ready to work with the clustered Exchange 2000 environment.

    click to view at full size

    Figure 7.13 Bringing a virtual Exchange 2000 server online

Exercise Summary

You can configure and maintain Exchange 2000 resources in a cluster through Cluster Administrator. Separate physical hard disks are required for each virtual server, as well as a unique IP address and a network name. After that, you are ready to add the Exchange SA resource, which also implicitly adds the remaining cluster-aware Exchange 2000 services to the virtual server. The last step is to bring the server online, which is accomplished quickly via a right mouse click on the virtual server and the Bring Online command.

Important


Each resource group in a cluster running Exchange 2000 Server must contain an IP address, network name, disk, and the Exchange SA resource. Other resources, such as automatically created protocol virtual servers, may be removed. Do not remove the Exchange Message Transfer Instance that you want to connect to Exchange Server 5.5 in a mixed-mode environment from the Exchange virtual server. The MTA is required for intra-site server-to-server communication.

Configuring Additional Virtual Servers

Depending on your load-balancing and failover strategy, you might want to configure multiple virtual Exchange 2000 servers in a cluster. Each virtual server will appear in the network as a separate server. For each, you can specify preferred owner information to distribute the resources equally across the cluster nodes.

Public Information Store Dependencies

When configuring additional virtual servers, keep in mind that you cannot configure more than one public store on the cluster. After adding additional virtual servers, you must delete the public store in new groups before bringing the resource groups online. The configuration of public stores is covered in Chapter 17, "Public Folder Management."

Virtual Protocol Servers

As soon as you have configured a virtual Exchange 2000 server, you can use the Exchange System Manager to configure additional virtual servers for Internet access protocols. However, keep in mind not to use the System Manager to bring a virtual server online. Cluster Administrator is the right utility to complete the configuration of virtual protocol servers.

To complete a virtual server configuration in the test environment of Exercise 2, complete the following steps:

  1. Right-click on the Exchange Cluster container, point to New, and then select Resource to add a new resource that corresponds to the Internet virtual protocol server that you created with the Exchange System Manager.
  2. On the Possible Owners wizard screen, make sure that the nodes on which you installed Exchange 2000 Server appear in the Possible Owners list. Click Next.
  3. On the Dependencies wizard screen, to the Resource Dependencies list, add the Exchange Information Store, and then click Next.
  4. On the Virtual Server Instance wizard screen, select your virtual protocol server, and click Finish.
  5. Now you can bring the virtual protocol server online by right-clicking on it and selecting the Bring Online command.

You can read more about the configuration of Internet access protocols in Chapter 11, "Internet-Based Client Access."

NOTE


If you plan to implement separate protocol virtual servers to restrict access to server resources individually per IP address, keep in mind that you should not reject all connections. Otherwise, the affected protocol virtual server cannot accept connections from its local address (such as the Exchange virtual server's IP address), which is necessary to accept IsAlive calls from the Resource Monitor.

Full-Text Indexing and Virtual Servers

Exchange 2000 Server supports full-text indexing in active/active cluster configurations. Consequently, the Exchange MS Search Instance resource is added to your virtual server(s) when you add the Exchange SA resource to your resource group. Even if you don't plan to use the full-text indexing feature of Exchange 2000 Server, do not delete the Exchange MS Search Instance from your virtual server. It is impossible to add it again without deleting and recreating the information store of the virtual server. Keeping the Exchange MS Search Instance in your resource group does not affect the performance of your virtual server, as long as you don't create a full-text index for a mailbox or public store with the Exchange System Manager.

To enable full-text indexing on a cluster with the Exchange System Manager, right-click the desired store, and, from the shortcut menu, select Create Full-Text Index. In the Mailbox Store (Server Name) dialog box, ensure that the catalog is created on the shared disk resource. Storage groups are available in the Storage Group container under your server, which in turn is held in the Servers container.

Exercise 3: Testing Exchange 2000 Failover Procedures

In this exercise you will verify the failover procedure of moving a virtual Exchange 2000 server to another node in a cluster. You will use Cluster Administrator to trigger a manual failover.

To view a multimedia demonstration that displays how to perform this procedure, run the EX3CH7.AVI files from the \Exercise_Information\Chapter7 folder on the Supplemental Course Materials CD.

Prerequisites

  • You have completed Exercise 2 earlier in this lesson.
  • You are logged on as Administrator to BLUESKY-ND1.

To manually fail over an Exchange cluster

  1. Launch Cluster Administrator, connect to BLUESKY-CLUST, and make sure the virtual Exchange Cluster server is online.
  2. In the console tree, under BLUESKY-ND1 and BLUESKY-ND2, in each node's Active Groups container, verify that the Cluster Group and the Exchange Cluster are active on different nodes.
  3. In the console tree, under Groups, open the Exchange Cluster container.
  4. In the details pane, right-click the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant-(BLUESKY-CLUST) and, from the console menu, select Initiate Failure.
  5. Notice that the state of this resource changes to Failed and all other resources are taken offline.
  6. Notice that the state changes several times before all services are online again, now running on the other node as displayed in the Owner column of the details pane.

    At this point, you should be able to verify that the Cluster Group and the Exchange Cluster are now active on the same node (under BLUESKY-ND1 and BLUESKY-ND2, check each one's Active Groups container; see Figure 7.14).

    click to view at full size

    Figure 7.14 Testing the Exchange 2000 failover

Exercise Summary

Using Cluster Administrator, you can test the failover procedures for Exchange 2000 resources easily. Just right-click on an Exchange 2000 resource, and select Initiate Failure. All resources in the cluster group will be taken offline and then brought back online on another available node in the cluster. The process of stopping and starting resource instances is performed automatically and takes only seconds.

Upgrading Exchange Server 5.5 Clusters

A direct update of an Exchange Server 5.5 cluster to Exchange 2000 Server is not possible. However, you can install Exchange 2000 Server in an existing site and use the move-mailbox strategy to move existing mailboxes into a new Exchange 2000 cluster. The move-mailbox approach was introduced in Chapter 6, "Coexistence with Previous Microsoft Exchange Server Versions."

Direct Cluster Upgrades

Another option is to directly upgrade the existing information store database currently used in the Exchange Server 5.5 cluster, provided that the cluster itself is running Windows 2000 with Service Pack 1. The direct approach requires you to backup the existing information store databases and then remove the clustered Exchange Server 5.5 installation from the cluster. For instance, you could take the virtual Exchange Server 5.5 offline, copy the contents of PRIV.EDB and PUB.EDB from the \Program Files\Exchsrvr\MDBData directory to another directory (or simply rename and move this directory elsewhere on the shared drive), and then uninstall Exchange Server 5.5. After that, rename the directory back to \Program Files\Exchsrvr\MDBData. Then, you can install Exchange 2000 Server on all cluster nodes and configure a virtual server. Because of information store database dependencies, it is important to use the same name for the virtual Exchange 2000 resource group (virtual server) that the former virtual Exchange server was using. Do not bring this virtual server online yet. You first need to delete the contents of the new \Program Files\Exchsrvr\MDBData directory, except for PRIV.EDB and PUB.EDB. Rename these files PRIV1.EDB and PUB1.EDB. Now, you are ready to take the virtual Exchange 2000 server online.

NOTE


Clustered information store databases contain specific structures allowing multiple nodes access to mailbox and public folder data. These structures are not present in nonclustered databases. Hence, you cannot migrate nonclustered information store databases into a cluster using the procedure just outlined. To migrate nonclustered resources (Exchange Server 5.5 or Exchange 2000 Server), use the move-mailbox approach.

Direct Upgrade Limitations

The direct upgrade approach requires you to install Exchange 2000 Server in the site of the former Exchange Server 5.5. If organization and site names are not preserved, the old databases cannot be brought online. Hence, the direct upgrade is only available if you install a nonclustered Exchange 2000 Server version in the existing site first. This procedure requires an Active Directory Connector to populate the Active Directory directory service with the Exchange Server 5.5 mailbox information, as explained in Chapter 6, "Coexistence with Previous Microsoft Exchange Server Versions."

When considering the direct upgrade approach, keep the following facts in mind:

  • You cannot use the direct upgrade approach if your Exchange 2000 cluster would be the first Exchange 2000 instance within an Exchange Server 5.5 site. For every site containing clustered Exchange Server 5.5 instances, you must first join a nonclustered Exchange 2000 server to the sites.
  • An Exchange 2000 cluster cannot serve as a directory replication bridgehead server to an Exchange Server 5.5 site because Site Replication Service does not support clustering.


MCSE Training Kit Exam 70-224(c) Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Implementation and Administration
MCSE Training Kit Exam 70-224(c) Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Implementation and Administration
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2001
Pages: 186

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