You could have a server with windows on hand and rename it. You'd still need to install Exchange at that point and then restore the databases to that server. That's certainly an option in many scenarios.
Last restore I did using this technique took about 8 hours though due to the replay time from tape (hence my penchant for backing up to disk and then to tape). Testing this to a. verify your backups are good and b. understand what your realistic RTO is with this technique would be an excellent idea. :) -----Original Message----- From: Mike Anderson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Posted At: Friday, March 12, 2004 5:29 PM Posted To: swynk Conversation: Exchange 2003 (mirroring and/or failover options) Subject: RE: Exchange 2003 (mirroring and/or failover options) Thanks both of you - those were both excellent answers! Overall, wouldn't you say, that the most prohibitive part of Exchange Restores, is Active Directory - and the fact that you simply can't "Plop" in another server, to assume the old one's role? (unless you Ghosted the original one, so the Domain Controller wouldn't know the difference) Aren't Machine Names, SID's, etc. the biggest things keeping you from simply copying the Mail Store from the old Server (assuming you have it mirrored somewhere) to a new one that you have as a stand-by - and firing it up on the network? Also, if I heard right, don't SID's change from time to time? If that is true, then a Ghost backup made a few weeks or months back, would not restore a machine to it's true 100% operational state would it? Could somebody clarify that for me? Unless I am totally off here - these seem to be the largest issues - and I would love to be corrected and educated as to this whole process. Presently, I back up our ENTIRE message store every night, using Veritas Backup Exec. It's a wonderful system - but I have to be honest with you all, I've never attempted to recreate a disaster recovery scenario - in which I took one of our actual backups, and performed a sample restore - just to see if this whole thing works in real life. I know - this probably isn't the smartest way to perform my Administrator duties - and would like to get a better handle on if we are truly protected. We go 14-days back with our backups - so we have 2 weeks to pick from - if we wanted to pick any particular date... Again, any additional comments would be massively appreciated. Thanks, Mike -----Original Message----- From: Chris Scharff [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 2:43 PM To: Exchange Discussions Subject: RE: Exchange 2003 (mirroring and/or failover options) 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. _________________________________________________________________ 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. _________________________________________________________________ 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.
