Re: [Networker] Exchange Directed Restore for DR purposes

EMC NetWorker discussion <NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU> wrote on 
04/18/2008 07:57:27 PM:

> Hello all,
> 
> Here's the info from the Admin Guide:
> 
> To replicate an Exchange database on recovery server, the following
> conditions
> must be met:
> * The recovery server must be in a different Active Directory forest
> than the
> original Exchange server.
> * Storage group and database names must match exactly.
> * The recovery server must be configured with the same organization name
> and administrative group name as the original Exchange server.
> 
> The first requirement, wrt a different forest, is required only if the
> original Exchange Server is in place and running -- they will fight each
> other if they're in the same forest.  If they are in separate forests
> then they will not discover each other.  The forest name will not be an
> issue.  If you were doing a real DR, you would not need a new forest.

AH. I was thinking of a "real" D/R - i.e., the old server has gone away 
(probably involuntarily), and so you'd want to restore into the same 
forest (which hopefully you won't also have to restore).

> The virtual system idea is indeed an excellent idea -- a separate AD
> controller / forest to test the DR situation without need for a separate
> hardware testbed.
> 
> Thanks,
> _Scott
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: EMC NetWorker discussion [mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU] 
> On
> Behalf Of MIchael Leone
> Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 5:22 AM
> To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: [Networker] Exchange Directed Restore for DR purposes
> 
> EMC NetWorker discussion <NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU> wrote on 
> 04/18/2008 04:57:25 AM:
> 
> > Hello,
> > 
> > we must do a (test) directed restore of 1 Exchange Storage Group. 
> > Environment  NSR 7.2 on windows exchange  with NME 4.1
> > 
> > the goal was to set up a new server with identical windows and 
> > exchange setup (but on different hardware) in the production
> environment
> >  then just do a directed exchange recover.
> > 
> > however the NME admin guide state that this recover server must be 
> > in a different activ directory forest
> > 
> > does anybody knows how we can prove (by only using networker) that 
> > the exchange backup can be restored in case of disaster. we thougt of
> 2 
> ways
> > 1) test in in production, like described above, but then a new 
> > forest must be built (is this really needed?)
> 
> I don't use Exchange here, but that sounds ... not correct .. it would 
> really defeat the purpose. Exchange is tightly tied to Active Directory,
> 
> and Exchange won't start, if it finds itself in a completely different
> AD 
> environment. If it can, it's probably highly complicated to get it to 
> transfer from the old forest name to the new ...
> 
> > 2) set up a test environment, but then you need to set up a active 
> > directory as well and Networker can only recover this as part of the
> > SYSTEM save sets, which need Identical Hardware for production and 
> > recover server --> not possible
> 
> Virtualize. :-) At my old job, I had domain controllers (not the FSMO
> role 
> holders) that were in a VMware environment. We restored the AD image to
> a 
> new VMware server, completely separate from the old domain. When the DC 
> came up, we seized all the AD roles, and it all worked - the virtual DC 
> was now authoritative for the domain. Granted, in our tests then, we 
> didn't restore Exchange, but we did restore other servers, and they
> didn't 
> care - they saw the AD domain they were looking for.
> 
> 
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