Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 on the Hitachi Ams 2500

7/29/2019 Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 on the Hitachi Ams 2500

1/13

Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server

2010 on the Hitachi Adaptable ModularStorage 2500

August 2010

Implementation Guide

By Patricia Brailey


2/13

SummaryIT administrators need email solutions that provide data protection and simple management in environmentallyfriendly data centers. Using Microsoft

Exchange Server 2010 with SAN storage like the Hitachi Adaptable

Modular Storage 2000 family accomplishes those business-critical objectives.

This white paper describes how to implement Exchange Server 2010 with the Hitachi Adaptable ModularStorage 2000 family, thus leveraging changes in Exchange and the advantages of the 2000 family to loweradministration costs, improve system efficiency and enable virtualization. It focuses on deploying theExchange Server 2010 mailbox role and is intended for use by IT administrators responsible for Exchange andstorage.

For best results use Acrobat Reader 8.0.


3/13

FeedbackHitachi Data Systems welcomes your feedback. Please share your thoughts by sending an email message [email protected]. Be sure to include the title of this white paper in your email message.
mailto:[email protected]?subject=White%20Paper%20Feedback%20%25AS-052-00%3emailto:[email protected]?subject=White%20Paper%20Feedback%20%25AS-052-00%3e


4/13

Table of Contents

Solut ion Overview ................................................................................................................................................................ 1Solut ion Components .......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Hardware Components ............................................................................................................................................ 3Network Components ............................................................................................................................................... 3Software Components .............................................................................................................................................. 4

Solut ion Implementation ...................................................................................................................................................... 4Configuring the 2500 ................................................................................................................................................ 5Installing Exchange .................................................................................................................................................. 7Creating a DAG with Database Copies .................................................................................................................... 7


5/13

Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server2010 on the Hitachi Adaptable Modular

Storage 2500Implementation Guide

IT administrators need email solutions that provide data protection and simple management in environmentallyfriendly data centers. Using Microsoft

Exchange Server 2010 with SAN storage like the Hitachi Adaptable

Modular Storage 2000 family accomplishes those business-critical objectives. This white paper describes howto implement Exchange Server 2010 with the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 family, thus leveragingchanges in Exchange and the advantages of the 2000 family to lower administration costs, improve systemefficiency and enable virtualization.

Exchange Server 2010 can be deployed for many types and numbers of users in a wide variety ofinfrastructure topologies. By implementing Exchange Server 2010 with the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage2000 family of storage systems, you can effectively scale an environment from a few thousand users tohundreds of thousands of users. The active-active nature of the 2000 family controllers and the use of HitachiDynamic Provisioning software also allow you to combine different workloads in a single storage frame forgreater flexibility.

This implementation guide focuses on deploying the Exchange Server 2010 mailbox role and is intended foruse by IT administrators responsible for Exchange and storage. It assumes some familiarity with HitachiStorage Navigator Modular 2 software, Microsoft Windows 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010. Forinformation about deploying other Exchange server roles, see the Microsoft TechNet library Exchange Server2010.

Solution OverviewThe Exchange 2010 solution described in this implementation guide is based on the Exchange SolutionReviewed Program (ESRP) submission, Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2500 Dynamically Provisioned68,800 User Exchange 2010 Resiliency Storage Solution.The 68,800 mailboxes were distributed across twoHitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2500s and 32 servers at two sites. The tested implementation used 16Database Availability Groups (DAGs), each containing a pair of servers, one server at each site.

Figure 1 shows the complete Exchange 2010 solution.

1
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/ff182054.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/ff182054.aspxhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-ams-2500-68800-user-exchange-2010-resiliency-storage-solution.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-ams-2500-68800-user-exchange-2010-resiliency-storage-solution.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-ams-2500-68800-user-exchange-2010-resiliency-storage-solution.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-ams-2500-68800-user-exchange-2010-resiliency-storage-solution.pdfhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/ff182054.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/ff182054.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558.aspx


6/13

Figure 1. Solut ion Overview

This solution also used Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning software, which, when implemented with Exchange 2010,improves performance, capacity utilization and management. To implement Hitachi Dynamic Provisioningsoftware, enable the license key on the 2500. It provides the ability to wide-stripe data across one or morepools of disks. Distributing the I/O load across many disks in the pool reduces performance issues resultingfrom hot spots and provides a smoothing effect that is especially beneficial in an Exchange environment wherea mailbox or group of mailboxes can be unexpectedly busy. From these pools, Dynamic Provisioning virtualvolumes (DP-VOLs) are created for the Exchange active and passive database copies and the transaction logvolumes. The DP-VOLs are presented to the Exchange mailbox servers. The Solution Configuration sectionin this white paper describes how to implement Dynamic Provisioning pools and create DP-VOLs.

The solution described in this guide is intended for large organizations; however, Exchange 2010 can bedeployed for many types and numbers of users in a wide variety of infrastructure topologies. Thisimplementations 68,800 mailboxes have a quota of 1GB each and an I/O profile of 0.1 IOPS, which is theresult of sending or receiving 100 75K messages per day. Each server contains three Exchange databaselogical units (LUs) and three log LUs, and each database has an active and a passive copy for a total of twohigh availability copies.

The two Dynamic Provisioning pools on each 2500 for the Exchange database and transaction log data used aRAID-1+0 (4+4) configuration. All 480 450GB, 15K-rpm SAS disks are used. The 2500 features symmetricactive-active controllers that provide integrated, automated hardware-based front-to-back-end I/O loadbalancing. Both controllers in a 2500 storage system are able to dynamically and automatically assign theaccess paths from the controller to the LU. All LUs are accessible regardless of the physical port or the serverfrom which the access is requested. Utilization rates for each controller are monitored so that a more evendistribution of workload between the two controllers can be maintained. Storage administrators are no longer

2


7/13

required to manually define specific affinities between LUs and controllers, simplifying overall administration. Inaddition, this controller design is fully integrated with standard host-based multipathing, thereby eliminatingmandatory requirements to implement proprietary multipathing software. The Hitachi ESRP submissiondocument contains additional information about Dynamic Provisioning pool, LU, and path design for this testedimplementation.

For more information about Exchange 2010 design best practices, including sizing Exchange mailbox servers

and designing an appropriate storage configuration, see theDeploying MicrosoftExchange Server 2010 onthe Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2500white paper.

Solution ComponentsThe following sections detail the hardware and software components that were deployed in the Hitachi DataSystems lab.

Hardware ComponentsTable 1 describes the hardware deployed in the Hitachi Data Systems lab.

Table 1. Deployed Hardware

Hardware Quantity Configu ration

Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2500 storage system 2 Microcode 0890

2 storage controllers

16GB cache per controller

32 disk trays (RKA)

15 x 450GB 15K RPM SAS disks per tray

Sun Fire 4270 server 32 2 Quad Core Intel E5540 2.53GHz processors

32GB memory

2 Emulex LPe11002-MH4 Fibre Channel HBAs4Gb/s

Brocade 5320 switch 2 FOS 6.3.0b

48 4Gb Fibre Channel ports used per switch

You can use any server that meets Microsofts requirements for Exchange 2010.

Network ComponentsThis solution also uses two networks connected to two separate network adapters per server providingredundancy and enabling Exchange to distinguish between a server failure and a network failure. Each DAGmember must have the same number of networks and at least one MAPI network. Follow Microsofts guidanceregarding network latency for DAG members located in different geographic sites. For more information aboutnetwork planning for Exchange Server 2010, see the Microsoft TechNet article Planning for High Availability

and Site Resilience.

In a very large, site-resilient solution such as the one described in this guide, other networking equipmentincluding WAN optimizers and load-balancers are also needed at each site. The maximum network latency thatcan be tolerated by Exchange Server 2010 is 250ms. To maintain that level of latency, you will likely need aWAN optimizer. You must deploy a network load balancer in front of the client access servers to distribute theuser load, because this functionality is not built in to Exchange. Software-based network load balancers (likeMicrosofts NLB) can be used for smaller environments, but for a large environment like this one, use ahardware network load-balancing solution.

3
http://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-exchange-server-2010.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-exchange-server-2010.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-exchange-server-2010.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-exchange-server-2010.pdfhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd638104.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd638104.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd638104.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd638104.aspxhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-exchange-server-2010.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-exchange-server-2010.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-exchange-server-2010.pdfhttp://www.hds.com/assets/pdf/hitachi-exchange-server-2010.pdf


8/13

Software ComponentsTable 2 describes the software deployed in the Hitachi Data Systems lab.

Table 2. Deployed Software

Software Version

Windows Server 2008 R2, Datacenter

Exchange Server 2010

Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 9.0

Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning License key for microde 0890

Multipathing software, such as Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager software or Windows Server 2008 R2 nativeMPIO, is a critical component to this Exchange 2010 solution. Regardless of which multipathing software isused, Hitachi recommends using the round robin load-balancing algorithm to distribute the load evenly acrossall available HBAs.

Solution ImplementationTo deploy this Exchange Server 2010 solution, follow these high-level steps:

1. Configure the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2500.

2. Install Exchange.

3. Create the DAGs and add the Exchange mailbox servers to the DAGs.

4. Create the database copies.

These are general tasks that need to be completed for a successful deployment. Your checklist might varybased on your environment. Details about each of these steps are included in the following sections.

The specific activities and detailed processes for each of these high-level tasks are located in documentationprovided by Hitachi Data Systems and Microsoft. This documentation set is required to assist with deployingthe solution. For more information, see the following resources:

Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 online help

Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 Family Dynamic Provisioning Software users guide

Microsoft TechNet article Deploying Exchange 2010

4
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd351084.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd351084.aspx


9/13

Configuring the 2500You must create two pools on each 2500: one for the Exchange database volumes and one for the transactionlog volumes.

Creating a Dynamic Provisioning Pool

Follow these steps to create a Dynamic Provisioning pool:

1. Launch Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 software.

2. Click the Groups link on the Arrays pane.

3. Click the DP Pools tab.

4. Click the Create Poolbutton.

The Create DP Pool window displays.

5


10/13

5. Select a RAID level and combination and click OK.

Note that after a RAID level and combination are selected, all RAID groups in the DynamicProvisioning pool will be the same.

The Dynamic Provisioning pool is created. To add capacity to the DP pool beyond the initial RAIDgroup, follow these steps:

a) Select the pool and click theAdd Pool Capacitybutton.

b) Enter the number of drives for a single RAID group and click OK.

c) Continue adding capacity until the required size is reached.

Configure the active and passive copies of the Exchange databases and the transaction log volumes from theDynamic Provisioning pools on each of the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2500 storage systems.

6


11/13

Creating a Dynamic Provisioning LU

Follow these steps to create a Dynamic Provisioning LU:

1. Launch Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 software.

2. Click the Groups link on theArrays pane.

3. Click the DP Pools tab.

4. Click a pool number to open the pool.

5. Click the Create LUbutton.

6. Enter the required LU size and click OK.

The Dynamic Provisioning LU can now be assigned to a host group the same as a standard LU. For moreinformation about how to do this, see the Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 online help.

Installing ExchangeTo install Exchange on the mailbox servers, follow Microsofts instructions in the Deploying Exchange 2010section of the Exchange 2010 server library on TechNet. For any Exchange management tasks listed in thisguide, you can use either the Exchange Management Shell (command line) or the Exchange ManagementConsole (GUI). They are both part of the Exchange management tools.

To create a mailbox database namedDBO1, use the Exchange management shell to run the followingcommand:

New-MailboxDatabase Name DB01 EdbFilePath G:\DatabaseFiles\DB01.edb LogFolderPath H:\Logfiles\Log01

To mount the newly created databaseDB01, run the following command:

Mount-Database Identity DB01

These commands must be performed to create all of the active database copies. After you create all of the

active database copies, you can add them to a Database Availability Group (DAG).

Creating a DAG with Database CopiesA Database Availability Group is an object in Active Directory. The Active Directory stores information about theDAG such as the name, witness server information and IP address. A failover cluster is formed when a serveris added to a DAG. At that point, mailbox servers in the DAG begin to monitor each other for failures.Replication begins when database copies are added to the DAG.

A DAG can contain up to 16 mailbox servers. In this tested implementation, 16 DAGs were created with 2servers each. To create a DAG named DAG01 with a static IP address of 10.0.0.5, run the following Powershellcommand (cmdlet) in the Exchange Management Shell:

New-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup Name DAG01 WhitnessServer EXHUB01 WitnessDirectory C:\Quorum DatabaseAvailabilityGroupIPAddresses 10.0.0.5

This cmdlet also configures a witness server on the hub transport server named EXHUB01. If you plan to haveserver members in other subnets, you must assign additional static IPs for the DAG in those subnets. Themultiple IP addresses can be specified at the time of DAG creation or added later using theSet-DatabaseAvailabilityGroup command.

To add a mailbox server to DAG01, run the following cmdlet:

Add-DatabaseAvailabilityGroupServer Identity DAG01 MailboxServer ExMail01

7


12/13

8

After you add the mailbox servers to the DAG, you can configure additional properties, such as DAG networksfor client access or replication. To create a network for replication forDAG01, run the following cmdlet:

New-DatabaseAvailabilityGroupNetwork DatabaseAvailabilityGroup DAG01 NameRepNet01 Description Replication Network 01 subnets 10.0.0.0/8 ReplicationEnabled:$True

To set up additional networks for client access, use the same command without theReplicationEnabled parameter.

After you configure all the DAG properties, you can replicate the active databases on each server to the otherDAG members. To add a database copy to a secondary server namedExMail02, use the following cmdlet:

Add-MailboxDatabaseCopy Identity DB01 MailboxServer ExMail02 ActivationPreference 2

The ActivationPreference parameter is used to determine which passive copy should be activated in afailover or switchover situation. If the parameters ReplayLagTimeand TruncationLagTime are notspecified in the command such as in the example above, those parameters are set to the default value of 0seconds. The parameters specify the amount of time the replication service waits before replaying log files thatwere copied to the database and how long the replication service waits before truncating log files that werereplayed, respectively.

For more information about the cmdlets listed in this guide and high availability and site resilience in Exchange2010, see the Microsoft TechNet article High Availability and Site Resilience.


13/13

Corporate Headquarters 750 Central Expressway, Santa Clara, California 95050-2627 USA

Contact Information: +1 408 970 1000 www.hds.com / [email protected]

Asia Pacif ic and Amer icas 750 Central Expressway, Santa Clara, California 95050-2627 USAContact Information: +1 408 970 1000 www.hds.com / [email protected]

Europe Headquarters Sefton Park, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire SL2 4HD United Kingdom

Contact Information: +44 (0) 1753 618000 www.hds.com / [email protected]

Hitachi is a registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd., in the United States and other countries. Hitachi Data Systems is a registered trademark and service mark ofHitachi, Ltd., in the United States and other countries.

All other trademarks, service marks and company names mentioned in this document or Web site are properties of their respective owners.

Notice: This document is for informational purposes only, and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning any equipment or service offered

or to be offered by Hitachi Data Systems. This document describes some capabilities that are conditioned on a maintenance contract with Hitachi Data Systemsbeing in effect and that may be configuration dependent, and features that may not be currently available. Contact your local Hitachi Data Systems sales office for

information on feature and product availability.Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2010. All Rights Reserved.

AS-052-00 August 2010

Documents

Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 on the Hitachi Ams 2500