Exchange 2003 introduces the concept of recovery storage groups. The utility of recovery storage groups is IMNSHO somewhat limited and there are only a few scenarios where I think the benefit is anything more than marginal. Sometimes marginal is a calm port in a storm, but I haven't used it as a solution of first resort in any of the DR scenarios I've worked on lately. Still, it's an additional tool one should be aware of and put in their toolbox.
You can also look at snapshot technologies and backups to disk as ways to further reduce restore times. As databases grow, anything you can do to speed the process of restoring a database can make a huge difference in the RTO. There are still a number of products which promise real-time replication of Exchange data (generally at the byte level). I'm admittedly biased in my experience in and around such solutions, so I'll just let others tout their success stories with such products and keep my opinions to myself. <g> <vendor plug> Our EMS solution allows for immediate failover (less than 2 minutes) for some or all of your Exchange environment to an alternate messaging system in the event of a server failure or other disaster. </vendor plug> There's a strong push for more robust failover in Exchange and I know it was top of mind for the Exchange team as they started working on the next version. Since this next version will likely involve some major rewrites, it's very possible a more robust solution may be on the horizon. -- Chris Scharff MessageOne -----Original Message----- From: Mike Anderson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Posted At: Friday, March 12, 2004 1:37 PM Posted To: swynk Conversation: Exchange 2003 (mirroring and/or failover options) Subject: Exchange 2003 (mirroring and/or failover options) Hello All, I know this topic has been often discussed in the past, in hopes of finding a way to either reduce downtime due to a catastrophe, or eliminate one altogether - due to proper planning, the right hardware, etc. As of that time, there were still no real options, that would be totally self-sustaining (in order to avoid the famous 2am phone call). There was still a lot of legwork required, getting backups together, etc. Now with Windows 2003 Server combined with Exchange 2003, are there NOW any options available to people, that will provide real-time mirroring, or some type of failover - in which the downtime would be practically eliminated (if not radically reduced)? I know some wonderful people on this list (and one in particular comes to mind) have published whitepapers on how to prepare yourself for disaster recovery, in which steps could be taken to get you back on track quite quickly. With all that said, what is available (either hardware, software or both) on the market that can radically minimize the downtime of an Exchange 2003 Mail Server. My top preference, would be to mirror the server, or at least have a real-time copy of the mail store, so one could get back up and running ASAP. Thanks in advance for any information offered, Mike _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Web Interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=exchange&text_mode=&lang=english To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with.
