Installing Exchange Server 2003 Clusters

Microsoft Cluster Service Overview

Microsoft Clustering Server (MSCS), initially launched in the Windows NT Server Enterprise Edition, enabled organizations to increase server availability for mission critical resources by grouping multiple physical servers into a cluster. Servers in the cluster are referred to as nodes, while services and applications are referred to as resources. A cluster can be defined as the grouping of two or multiple physical servers that are portrayed as, and operate as one network server. These servers provide redundancy to the enterprise network by resuming operations of a failed server within the cluster. This procedure is known as failover. The process of failback occurs when a failed server automatically recommences performing its former operations once it is online again. The cluster can also be configured to provide load balancing features. With the introduction of Windows 2000 this technology became known as Microsoft Cluster Service. Microsoft Cluster Service is best suited for network services that require a high degree of availability. Windows Server 2003 can support eight node server clusters.

Resource DLLs manage resources in the cluster, and provide the mechanism for Cluster Service to maintain communications with its supported applications. A quorum resource has to exist in order for a node in the cluster to carry out its functions. This common resource holds the cluster database’s synchronized version that stores management data for the cluster. The quorum resource is located on the physical disk of the shared drive of the cluster. Clustering software such as resources makes is possible for the cluster to operate. Administrative software is the software utilized to manage the cluster, such as Cluster Administrator.

A few advantages of installing cluster servers are:

The clustering terminology used with clustered Exchange 2003 servers is listed here:

A node in the cluster can be in one of the following states:

Server clusters can be deployed, using either of these server cluster designs:

The cluster operation modes in Windows Server 2003 are listed here. The cluster operation mode defines how failover and failback occurs in the cluster:

Network Load Balancing (NLB) Overview

Windows Network Load Balancing (NLB) is a clustering technology that provides high availability and scalability. NLB is typically utilized to assign Web requests between a cluster of Internet server applications. NLB reroutes any requests that are sent to a failed NLB cluster server. With NLB, client requests are load balanced according to the configured load balancing parameters. Servers in the NLB cluster can therefore be configured to share the processing load of client requests. The Wlbs.sys driver of NLB is configured for each server in the cluster, and functions between the network adapter and the TCP/IP protocol. The driver manages and allocates client requests to a server in the cluster.

With NLB there is no single instance of failure purely because it is regarded as a distributed application. Throughput is maximized because the broadcast subnet is utilized to distribute client requests to the cluster servers. These client requests are then filtered on each cluster server.

To ensure high performance, NLB uses a distributed filtering algorithm to match incoming client requests to the NLB servers in the cluster when making load balancing decisions. When an incoming packet is received, all the NLB servers check to determine which NLB server should handle the client request. The NLB servers use a statistical mapping that determines a host priority for the incoming packet, to identify the NLB server that should handle the request. Once the NLB server is identified for the packet, the remainder of the servers in the NLB cluster discards the packet. Each server in the NLB cluster utilizes and transmits heartbeat messages to identify the state of the cluster. The heartbeat message holds information on the state of the cluster, and the cluster configurations and associated port rules.

The servers in a NLB cluster send heartbeat messages to determine the state of the cluster. Each heartbeat message contains the following information:

The advantages of NLB clusters are listed here:

When you implement an Exchange 2003 cluster-aware version, a number of additional benefits and features are available, which are not available with the Exchange 2003 Standard version:

Clusters and Load Balancing Installation Requirements

The hardware components of a cluster are briefly outlined below:

The cluster nodes are typically connected by the following connections:

Certain limitations exist when it comes to virtual servers and Exchange Server: Some components can only run when in an active/passive configuration; while others are just not supported in a clustered server environment:

In addition, the cluster storage device has specific requirements and the components listed here cannot be included:

The requirements for installing server clusters are:

The requirements for installing NLB are:

Installing Exchange 2003 Clusters

You can use either of these methods to place Exchange 2003 virtual servers in a cluster:

How to create a Windows 2003 cluster

  1. Install the Windows 2003 Enterprise server.
  2. For the network adapters in the server, configure the network TCP/IP address setting.
  3. Create the cluster service administrative account in the domain wherein the server is located.
  4. To do this, click Start, Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers to open the Active Directory Users and Computers management console.
  5. Navigate to the Users container.
  6. Create a Cluster Service user account.
  7. Close the Active Directory Users and Computers.
  8. Next, create any necessary additional disks and format the drives with NTFS. Dynamic disks should be changed to Basic.
  9. Verify domain membership.
  10. Verify server operations.
  11. With Windows 2003, clustering is installed when Windows 2003 Enterprise server software is installed.
  12. To create the cluster, click Start, Administrator Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
  13. The Cluster Administrator management console opens.
  14. On the Open Connection to Cluster dialog box, click the Create new cluster command on the Action menu. Click OK.
  15. The New Server Cluster Wizard initiates.
  16. Click Next on the New Server Cluster Wizard Welcome screen.
  17. On the Cluster Name and Domain page, provide a name for the cluster in the Cluster name text box, and specify the domain in the Domain drop-down list box. Click Next
  18. On the Select Computer page, provide the name of the first computer which will be the initial node in the new cluster. Click Next.
  19. On the Analyzing Configuration page, use the buttons available to determine what activities the Wizard performed to verify the node. Click Next.
  20. On the IP Address page, enter the IP address for the new cluster in the IP Address box, and then click Next.
  21. When the Cluster Service Account page opens, enter the user name, password and domain details of the cluster service account. Click Next.
  22. The Wizard now shows the configuration for the new cluster on the Proposed Cluster Configuration page. Click OK.
  23. The Wizard next starts to create the new server cluster.
  24. When the Creating the Cluster page appears, click Next. Click Finish to close the New Server Cluster Wizard.
  25. The new cluster is displayed in the Cluster Administrator management tool.

How to add nodes to a Windows 2003 cluster

  1. Log on to the node using Cluster Administrator account.
  2. Click Start, Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
  3. Select Add Nodes to a Cluster.
  4. In the Cluster Name text box, provide the name of the cluster and then click OK.
  5. The Add Nodes Wizard launches.
  6. Click Next on the Add Nodes Wizard Welcome page.
  7. Specify the server name of the cluster node in the Selected Computer text box and then click Add. Click Next.
  8. After testing has been done, provide the password for the Cluster Service account and then click Next.
  9. On the Proposed Cluster Configuration page, verify the settings which have been specified and then click Next.
  10. Click Finish to close the Add Nodes Wizard.

Before you install Exchange Server 2003 on a cluster node, you have to install the following Windows services:

You also have to install the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator:

  1. Click Start, Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
  2. Expand the Groups node in the console tree.
  3. Right-click Cluster Group, select New and then select Resource from the shortcut menu.
  4. Enter MSDTC for the resource name.
  5. Select Distributed Transaction Coordinator as the resource type. Click Next.
  6. Ensure that the proper detail is specified on the Possible Owners page, and click Next.
  7. Specify Cluster Name and the disk resource as dependencies.
  8. Click Finish.
  9. The MSDTC resource is next created.
  10. You now have to bring the MSDTC resource online.
  11. In the Cluster Administrator, right-click the MSDTC resource, and then click Bring Online from the shortcut menu.

How to install a cluster-aware Exchange 2003 version

  1. Using an account which has Domain Admins and Exchange Admins membership, log on to the cluster node.
  2. Install the Exchange 2003 Enterprise Edition on the node.
  3. Choose to install Microsoft Messaging and Collaboration and Microsoft Exchange System Management Tools.
  4. Proceed to install Exchange to the local drive on the node.
  5. A message dialog box is displayed, needing verification to install a cluster-aware Exchange Server version. Click OK.
  6. Proceed to install the Exchange server as you normally would.

Configuring Exchange 2003 in a Cluster Environment

A few administrative tasks which you can perform for the cluster through the Cluster Administrator management tool are listed here:

An Exchange Server 2003 virtual server contains the following resources:

Each of these resources has to be created using the Cluster Administrator management tool.

When you create the Exchange System Attendant resource, the Exchange System Attendant creates the Exchange Server 2003 virtual server resources listed here:

How to configure Exchange 2003 in a cluster using the Cluster Application Wizard

  1. Open Cluster Administrator.
  2. Select the cluster node.
  3. Select File and then Configure application.
  4. The Cluster Application Wizard starts.
  5. Click Next on the Cluster Application Wizard Welcome page.
  6. On the Create new Virtual Server page, select the Create New Virtual Server option and then click Next.
  7. When the Resource Group page opens, select Create New Resource and then click Next.
  8. Provide a name for the resource group.
  9. Provide a description for the resource group. Click Next.
  10. On the Virtual server access information page, in the IP address box, provide the TCP/IP address for the Exchange virtual server. Click Next.
  11. On the Advance Properties page, specify the desired properties for Exchange virtual server. Click Next.
  12. When the Create Application Cluster Resource page opens, click No and then click Next.
  13. Proceed to open the properties page of the Exchange Virtual Server Resource and then configure the nodes as possible owners.
  14. To create the Network Name resource, select the Exchange 2003 virtual server, select File and then select New and Resource.
  15. Configure the Network Name resource for the Exchange virtual server and configure the TCP/IP Address, DNS information and dependencies.
  16. Right-click the Exchange virtual server and select Bring Online from the shortcut menu.
  17. Next, add disk resources to the Exchange virtual server resource group.
  18. Proceed to create the Exchange Server 2003 System Attendant resource for the Exchange virtual server resource group.
  19. Select File, select New, Resource, and then select Microsoft Exchange System Attendant as the resource type.
  20. Next, add the Network Name and Disk resource as Microsoft Exchange System Attendant dependencies.
  21. Specify the administrative group and routing group for the Exchange virtual server.
  22. Provide the path for the data directory.

How to create an Exchange 2003 virtual server

  1. Open the Cluster Administrator management tool on the first node in the cluster.
  2. In the left pane, right-click the Groups container and select New and then Group from the shortcut menu.
  3. The New Group Wizard launches.
  4. Enter the name of the Exchange Server 2003 group in the Name box.
  5. In the Description box, provide a brief description for the new group. Click Next.
  6. Specify the appropriate nodes in the Preferred Owners box on the Preferred Owners page.
  7. Click Finish to create the new group.
  8. The Exchange 2003 virtual server is now listed beneath the Groups container in Cluster Administrator.

How to create an IP Address resource for the Exchange 2003 virtual server

  1. Click Start, Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
  2. Expand the Groups folder.
  3. Right-click the Exchange 2003 virtual server, select New and then select Resource from the shortcut menu.
  4. The New Resource Wizard initiates.
  5. When the New Resource page opens, provide a name for the new IP Address resource in the Name box.
  6. In the Description box, provide a description for the new IP Address resource.
  7. In the Resource Type drop-down list box, choose IP Address as the resource type.
  8. The Group drop-down list box should reflect the name of the Exchange group. Verify this and click Next.
  9. On the Possible Owners page, enter the appropriate nodes in the Possible Owners list and then click Next.
  10. On the Dependencies page, ensure that the Resource Dependencies list contains no information, and then click Next.
  11. On the TCP/IP Address Parameters page, provide the static IP address of the Exchange 2003 virtual server in the Address box.
  12. Ensure that the correct subnet mask for the Exchange 2003 virtual server is specified.
  13. Ensure that the LAN connection to the public network is selected
  14. Click Finish to create the IP Address resource for the Exchange 2003 virtual server.

How to create a Network Name resource for the Exchange 2003 virtual server

  1. Click Start, Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
  2. Expand the Groups folder.
  3. Right-click the Exchange 2003 virtual server, select New and then select Resource from the shortcut menu.
  4. The New Resource Wizard initiates.
  5. When the New Resource page opens, provide a name for the network name resource in the Name box.
  6. In the Description box, provide a description for the new Network Name resource.
  7. In the Resource Type drop-down list box, choose Network Name as the resource type.
  8. The Group drop-down list box should reflect the name of the Exchange group. Click Next.
  9. On the Possible Owners page, enter the appropriate nodes in the Possible Owners list and then click Next.
  10. On the Dependencies page, select the IP Address resource for the Exchange 2003 virtual server in the Resource Dependencies list, and click Add.
  11. Click Next.
  12. On the Network Name Parameters page, provide a name that will identify the Exchange 2003 virtual server on the network in the Name box. Click Next
  13. Click Finish to create the Network Name resource.

How to create a Disk resource for the Exchange 2003 virtual server

  1. Click Start, Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
  2. Expand the Groups folder.
  3. Right-click the Exchange 2003 virtual server, select New and then select Resource from the shortcut menu.
  4. The New Resource Wizard initiates.
  5. When the New Resource page opens, provide a name for the Disk resource in the Name box.
  6. In the Description box, provide a description for the new Disk resource.
  7. In the Resource Type drop-down list box, choose Physical Disk as the resource type.
  8. The Group drop-down list box should reflect the name of the Exchange group. Click Next.
  9. On the Possible Owners page, enter the appropriate nodes in the Possible Owners list and then click Next.
  10. On the Dependencies page, ensure that the Resource Dependencies list contains no information, and then click Next.
  11. On the Disk Parameters page, choose the disk. Click Next
  12. Click Finish to create the Disk resource for the Exchange 2003 virtual server.

How to create the Exchange System Attendant resource

  1. Click Start, Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
  2. Expand the Groups folder.
  3. Right-click the Exchange 2003 virtual server, select New and then select Resource from the shortcut menu.
  4. The New Resource Wizard initiates.
  5. When the New Resource page opens, provide a name for the Exchange System Attendant resource in the Name box.
  6. In the Description box, provide a meaningful description for the Exchange System Attendant resource.
  7. In the Resource Type drop-down list box, choose Microsoft Exchange System Attendant as the resource type.
  8. The Group drop-down list box should reflect the name of the Exchange group. Verify this and then click Next.
  9. On the Possible Owners page, enter the appropriate nodes in the Possible Owners list and then click Next.
  10. On the Dependencies page, select the Network Name resource and Physical Disk resource for the Exchange 2003 virtual server in the Resource Dependencies list, and click Add.
  11. Click Next.
  12. On the Data Directory page, specify the location for the data directory.
  13. Click Finish to create the Exchange System Attendant resource for the Exchange 2003 virtual server.

Managing an Exchange Server 2003 Cluster

The Cluster Administrator management tool is used to configure and manage an Exchange Server 2003 cluster.

A few management tasks that need to be performed for an Exchange Server 2003 cluster are listed here:

The failover policy assigned to a particular resource group stipulates the resource group’s actions during the failover process. A failover policy has to be determined for each resource group in the cluster.

The following failover policies can be stipulated for a resource group:

How to configure a failover policy

  1. Open Cluster Administrator.
  2. Select Open Connection to Cluster.
  3. Specify the name of Exchange Server 2003 cluster.
  4. Right-click the cluster group and then select Properties from the shortcut menu.
  5. Click the Failover tab.
  6. Specify how many failovers are allowed for a specific time period.
  7. Click OK.

How to pause/resume a node

  1. Click Start, Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
  2. In the left pane, select the node which you want to pause.
  3. Select the Pause Node command from the File menu item.
  4. To resume the node that was paused, in the left pane of Cluster Administrator, select the node which was paused.
  5. Select the Resume Node command from the File menu item.

How to back up a cluster node (ASR backup)

The Automated System Recovery (ASR) is a new feature found in the Windows Backup utility. ASR works by writing operating system files onto backup media and writing disk configuration information to floppy disk.

For ASR to work, you need you to create an ASR set, which includes the following:

When performing an Automated System Recovery, you need the following components:

ASR consists of the following two components:

The Windows Backup utility is used to create ASR sets. You can access the Backup Utility through one of the following methods:

Should the Backup utility automatically display the Backup And Restore Wizard, click Advanced Mode. You can initiate the Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard:

To back up a cluster node;

  1. On the cluster node to be backed up, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then select the Backup utility.
  2. Click Advanced Mode.
  3. To start the Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard, click Automated System Recovery Wizard.
  4. The Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard launches.
  5. Click Next on the Welcome to the Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard screen.
  6. On the Backup Destination screen, select the backup type and location for the ASR files and then click Next.
  7. The ASR preparation process next commences.
  8. Click Finish.
  9. When the wizard is closed, the backing up of your system files starts automatically.
  10. When prompted, insert a blank floppy disk into your drive to create the ASR disk. All necessary system settings are copied to the floppy disk.

To restore a cluster node;

  1. Shut down the cluster that failed.
  2. Log on to the cluster node that is still active.
  3. Open the Cluster Administrator.
  4. Select File and then Open Connection.
  5. In the Active drop-down list box, select Open Connection to Cluster.
  6. In the Cluster or Server Name drop-down box, enter a period (.).
  7. Click OK to establish the connection.
  8. For each cluster group, disable failback so that the cluster groups do not failover to a node which is not fully restored.
  9. Close Cluster Administrator.
  10. On the failed cluster node, insert the Windows Server 2003 installation CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
  11. Enter the text-mode part of setup.
  12. When prompted, press F2 to start the Automatic System Recovery process.
  13. When prompted, insert the Windows Automated System Recovery disk into the floppy drive and then press any key to continue.
  14. Setup prepares for the Automated System Recovery.
  15. The basic version of the operating system is next loaded.
  16. Setup now proceeds to copy files to the hard drive, and then restarts the computer.
  17. The Automated System Recovery Wizard appears automatically, requesting the location for the backup.
  18. Select the backup location to continue with the remainder of the setup.
  19. After the Automated System Recovery process completes, the Backup utility opens automatically to restore the system.

Configuring NLB with OWA

The Network Load Balancing Manager (NLB) Manager administrative tool is used to configure Outlook Web Access (OWA) servers into a load balanced cluster.

How to configure the network cards for the OWA servers

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. Proceed to select the properties of the Network Connections icon.
  3. Access the properties of each network card.
  4. Then bind the appropriate cluster and dedicated IP addresses to the network card of each node.

How to configure the NLB cluster

  1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Network Load Balancing Manager.
  2. Click the Cluster menu and then select New.
  3. In the Cluster IP configuration area of the Cluster Parameters dialog box, specify the IP address, Subnet mask and Full Internet name for the new NLB cluster.
  4. In the Cluster operation mode section area of the Cluster Parameters dialog box, select the mode for the cluster.
  5. On the Cluster IP Addresses dialog box, click the Add button if you want to load-balance multiple IP addresses. Click Next.
  6. On the Port Rules dialog box, the default port rule is displayed. Click the Edit button to configure port rules.
  7. The Add/Edit Port Rule dialog box opens. You can add and remove port rules.
  8. Click Next on the Port Rules dialog box.
  9. On the Connect dialog box, provide the name of the host in the Host field and then click the Connect button.
  10. Specify the network interface which should be load balanced. Click Next.
  11. On the Host Parameters dialog box, specify the Priority, Dedicated IP address and Subnet Mask information for the host.
  12. Set the Default State of the host to Started.
  13. Click Finish.
  14. The Network Load Balancing Manager opens, displaying the new cluster.

Best Practices for installing and configuring Exchange Server 2003 Clusters

A few best practices for installing Exchange Server 2003 clusters are listed here:



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