I'm running Exchange 5.5 with SP4.  E2k isn't supported until SnapManager for Exchange v2.0 comes out Real Soon Now(tm).  I'm running 1.1 which has NetApp Drive in it.  It's a little clunky but works just fine.
 
Our Exchange site consists of 2 Exchange 5.5 SP4 servers.  One server houses all mailboxes and is attached to the Filer.  The other houses all connectors like Zetafax and the IMS and is not using the Filer.  The server with no mailboxes does all the verifies for the other server.  Nobody ever notices when Snapshots take place.  I run 2 snapshots a day.  Once at noon and again at 8:00pm.
 
I've noticed that the server with all the mailboxes doesn't have to work as hard anymore.  I rarely see drive activity and the processors are rarely above 10%.  It's performance is better now than it's ever been.
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Luchtenberg [mailto:joe.luchtenberg@data-line.com]
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2001 9:58 AM
To: 'Jay Newton'
Subject: RE: Good experience with Netapp & exchange

Just curious, what is your particular configuration?  Exchange 5.5 or 2K?  SnapManager 1.1 or 2.0?  If 2.0, what has been your experience with NetApp Drive?
 
TIA.  Joe
 

Joe Luchtenberg
Dataline, Inc.
757-858-0600
757-285-1223 (mobile)
757-858-0606 (fax)
joe.luchtenberg@data-line.com
www.data-line.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Jay Newton [mailto:jnewton@chkenergy.com]
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2001 10:32 AM
To: 'toasters@mathworks.com'
Subject: RE: Good experience with Netapp & exchange

I just finished migrating a 43 gig InfoStore to our 840 Filer.  I created a new Exchange server and added it to the site.  I then moved the new databases to the Filer and set up all the Snapshot stuff with SnapManager for Exchange.  I then migrated all 679 mailboxes to the new server on the Filer and voila!  99% of the user population did not notice the difference.  Address books and calendars pop up a little quicker as well.  I then back up the Snapshot once a day to our tape library using CommVault Galaxy which has incredible Exchange support.

There are a couple of really important things to remember when doing this.  First, you really need a private network of 100 megabit or better for the Exchange server to talk to the Filer.  You don't want to share traffic with everyone else.  Use a crossover cable and use the IP in the path just to be 100% certain traffic is on the private network.  Next, buy a copy of SnapManager for Exchange.  It makes the whole thing work more smoothly.  Finally, make sure you have another server attached to that private network to run Snap verifies.  Snap verifies make sure the Snapshot you just took is consistent and restorable.  You can Snap an Exchange database and defer verification until later and on another machine.  That gives you about a 15 second window where performance marginally degrades every time you do a Snapshot.  Our experience is 1 gig per minute doing a verify.  Ours were taking 45 minutes and was slowing down the server pretty drastically.  By moving to another server on the private network, we only incur the 15 second penalty instead of the 45 minute one.

Not only does this run great, but test restores I have done to another server are incredibly fast.  It takes longer to install the OS and Exchange than it does to restore the database!  There was no data loss and logs rolled forward. 

-----Original Message-----
From: netapp netappliance [mailto:netapp@mail.be]
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2001 8:43 AM
To: toasters@mathworks.com
Subject: Good experience with Netapp & exchange


I'm looking for good experience of migrating exchange to netapp ?

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