Designing a High Availability Messaging Solution using
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Course 5054A: Two days; Instructor-Led
Preliminary Course Syllabus
Introduction
This 2-day course teaches messaging engineers
to design a high availability messaging solution
using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Students
will create a high availability design to meet
service level agreement requirements and learn
strategies for gaining approval for the design.
They will learn how to identify risks and create
mitigation plans to maintain the business
continuity of the messaging system. Students
will also learn how to design a backup strategy,
disaster recovery procedures, and test plans for
those procedures.
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Audience
This course is intended for people with 3 or more years
experience working with previous versions of Exchange Server
and experience implementing Exchange Server 2007. Most
students will have managed enterprise-level Exchange Server
organizations. Students are expected to be new to
participating in designing high availability solutions for
Exchange Server 2007 or be planning to design high
availability solutions for Exchange Server 2007 in the near
future. Students may have done some design for Exchange 2000
Server or Exchange Server 2003 deployments but want to learn
how to design Exchange Server 2007 environments. Students
may have experience in designing and managing high
availability solutions for other network services.
At Course Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:
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Describe foundational high
availability concepts for messaging. |
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Evaluate high availability
messaging technologies for Exchange Server 2007 |
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Create a high availability
messaging strategy. |
| |
Design the messaging portion of
a business continuity plan. |
| |
Design backup for a high
availability messaging environment. |
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Ensure recovery readiness of a
high availability messaging environment. |
Prerequisites
Before attending this course, students:
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Must have a basic understanding
of high availability concepts. For example, how
clustering works at the operating system level
(Windows clustering) and how network load balancing
works. |
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Must have a basic familiarity
with deriving business requirements. For example,
gathering business requirements and understanding
that business needs come from a variety of sources
(direct personnel needs, regulatory, business
operations requirements). |
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Must have a basic understanding
of backup systems. For example, types of backups
(disk to tape, disk to disk, Storage Area Networks
(SAN) snapshot, imaging, etc.), backup rotation
schemes, and offsite backup procedures. |
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Must already know how to use: |
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Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
Management tools |
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Exchange Best Practice Analyzer
(ExBPA) |
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WinNT backup (ntbackup.exe) |
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Microsoft Visio or Microsoft
Office PowerPoint 2003 (to create infrastructure
diagrams) |
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Must understand hardware
concepts. For example, what redundant array of
independent disks (RAID) is, what a storage area
network (SAN) is, processor options, memory
requirements, how disk I/O functions and the
limitations of disk I/O, and storage options for
Exchange server. The differences in addressable
memory spaces between 32 and 64 bit architectures. |
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Must have extensive detailed
knowledge of Active Directory concepts and design
principles. For example, site replication,
integrated authentication, schema extension, Domain
Name Systems (DNS), group and organization unit
structure and inheritance, etc. |
| |
Must have working experience
with designing and implementing Active Directory
directory services in Microsoft Windows Server
2003. |
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Must understand Exchange
architecture. For example, the purpose of server
roles, functions of specific server roles, how
message routing and queuing works in Exchange,
standard messaging protocols (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol [SMTP], Internet Message Access Protocol
version 4rev1 [IMAP4], Post Office Protocol version
3 [POP3]), how Exchange replicates data stores,
client access methods, etc. |
| |
Must have working experience
with Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003
and Exchange Server 2007. For example, must have
installed, maintained, and supported a production
Exchange environment. |
| |
Must already know how to use: |
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Exchange Server 2007 management
tools |
| |
Exchange Best Practice Analyzer
(ExBPA) |
| |
Microsoft Visio (to create
infrastructure diagrams) |
| |
Must have familiarity and
experience with a Windows scripting or command line
scripting |
Course Outline
Module 1: Foundational High Availability Concepts for
Messaging
This module explains the concept of service level
management and how it relates the maintenance of Exchange
Server 2007. As well, an overview of the high availability
technologies for various network and data center components.
Lessons
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Introduction to Service Level
Management |
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Overview of High Availability
Technologies |
Lab: Foundational High Availability Concepts for
Messaging
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Exercise 1: Discussion:
Refining the Scope of SLA Requirements |
After completing this module, students will be able to:
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Explain service level
management. |
| |
Describe high availability
technologies. |
Module 2: Evaluating High Availability Technologies for
Exchange Server 2007
This module explains how to evaluate the high
availability technologies for Exchange Server 2007. Options
for Mailbox and non-Mailbox servers are covered.
Lessons
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Evaluating High Availability
Options for Mailbox Servers |
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Evaluating High Availability
Options for Non-Mailbox Servers |
Lab A: Evaluating High Availability Messaging
Technologies
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Exercise 1: Configuring LCR |
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Exercise 2: Configuring CCR |
Lab B: Evaluating High Availability Messaging
Technologies
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Exercise 1: Testing CCR |
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Exercise 2: Discussion:
Recommendations for Using the High Availability
Solutions |
After completing this module, students will be able to:
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Evaluate high availability
options for Mailbox servers. |
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Evaluate high availability
options for non-Mailbox servers |
Module 3: Creating a High Availability Messaging Strategy
This module explains how to create a high availability
messaging strategy. This includes creating solutions for
Mailbox and non-mailbox servers.
Lessons
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Designing a High Availability
Strategy for Mailbox Servers |
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Designing a High Availability
Solution for Non-Mailbox Servers |
Lab: Creating a High Availability Messaging Strategy
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Exercise 1: Designing
High-Availability Improvements for a Messaging
Infrastructure |
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Exercise 2: Justifying
Messaging Infrastructure Design Decisions |
After completing this module, students will be able to:
| |
Design a high availability
strategy for Mailbox servers. |
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Design a high availability
solution for non-Mailbox servers. |
Module 4: Designing the Messaging Portion of a Business
Continuity Plan
This module explains how to design the messaging portion
of a business continuity plan. As well, information about
identifying threats to the messaging organization and
mitigating those threats is covered.
Lessons
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Overview of Business Continuity
Planning |
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Identifying Threats to the
Messaging Organization |
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Mitigating Threats to the
Messaging Organization |
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Designing the Business
Continuity Plan |
Lab: Designing the Messaging Portion of a Business
Continuity Plan
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Exercise 1: Identifying Risks
to a Messaging Environment |
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Exercise 2: Discussion:
Mitigating Risks to a Messaging Environment |
After completing this module, students will be able to:
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Describe business continuity
planning. |
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Identify threats to the
messaging organization. |
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Mitigate threats to the
messaging organization. |
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Design the business continuity
plan. |
Module 5: Designing Backup for a High Availability
Messaging Environment
This module explains how to identify the backup
requirements and design the backup procedures for a high
availability messaging environment.
Lessons
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Identifying Backup Requirements |
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Designing Backup Procedures |
Lab: Designing Backup for a High Availability
Messaging Environment
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Exercise 1: Identifying Backup
Requirements |
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Exercise 2: Discussion:
Creating Backup Procedures |
After completing this module, students will be able to:
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Identify backup requirements. |
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Design backup procedures. |
Module 6: Ensuring Recovery Readiness of a High
Availability Messaging Environment
This module explains how to ensure recovery readiness of
a high availability messaging environment by designing
recovery strategies and evaluating disaster recovery
readiness.
Lessons
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Designing Recovery Strategies |
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Evaluating Disaster Recovery
Readiness |
Lab: Ensuring Recovery Readiness of a High
Availability Messaging Environment
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Exercise 1: Defining Recovery
Procedures |
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Exercise 2: Evaluating Disaster
Recovery Readiness |
After completing this module, students will be able to:
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Design recovery strategies. |
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Evaluate disaster recovery
readiness. |
