Hi.. We have a Lab with CCR and SCR servers. We have 1 cluster with 1 Active and 1 passive node in CCR. We also have different HUB,CAS and unfied messaging server roles installed on different server. We dont have Edge transport role in our enviorment, we are using a different thrid part spam filter server for that. Now I want to test the Disaster recovery procedure in LAB to failover everything to SCR. We have a server in SCR which has all 4 roles installed on it.I would glad if you can provide me step by step procedure to test the disaster recovery. Thanks in advance.Sunil Bansal.

Since it is stand alone mailbox server with other roles installed, you need to activate it with Database Portability. Here is step by step procedure... Standby Continuous Replication: Database Portability http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb738132.aspxAmit Tank | MVP Exchange Server | MCITP: EMA | MCSA: M | http://ExchangeShare.WordPress.com

Thanks Amit, These are very useful link. But I have got few more queries.1. What is portability feature? Can't we restore the target database?2. How to go back to Production? 3. We have 8 databases , what do you think how much time would it take to failover to SCR considering we have 2 GB per database size. Thank you very much for your quick response. Regards,Sunil Bansal.

hi,there is a webcast for it;http://exchangepedia.com/blog/2008/08/technet-webcast-disaster-recovery-and.htmland also please look at here;http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/power/Dell_ExchSP1_HA.pdfhttp://www.cemaphore.com/downloads/WinItPro_Whitepaper_0507.pdfregards,Mumin CICEK | Exchange - MVP | www.cozumpark.com | www.mumincicek.com

#1 Database Portability feature gives you ability to mount mailbox database to any other mailbox server in same Exchange 2007 organization. If you are doing restore from backup then there isn't need of enabling SCR... :) If you have enabled SCR then Exchange replicate the database copy at the target server (since it is already there then you NO need to restore the database) and you need to just use Database Portability feature to Move-Mailboxes with-ConfigurationOnly switches so it will change the mailbox server and database attribute in AD on all users so their outlook start pointing to SCR server. #2 Check the webcast and video suggest by Mumin to get further information what next when original server is back into production. After SCR Activation - What Next? http://blogs.technet.com/scottschnoll/archive/2007/11/26/after-scr-activation-what-next.aspx #3 Since you don't have to restore the DBs on SCR target and just need to rehome the mailboxes with -ConfigurationOnly switch, it doesn't take much time. Amit Tank | MVP Exchange Server | MCITP: EMA | MCSA: M | http://ExchangeShare.WordPress.com

Hi Amit,Mumin Thank you so much for reply. I think, I am confidence enough now to do the exercise. I am planning to do it for 1 database first. I will update the results here. Thank you so much for your help. Regards, Sunil Bansal.

Hi Amit, I have successfully failover one database on SCR site. Even we are able to open a mailbox from the database from SCR server through outlook. But we are not able to send/receive any mails. I research and found that we should have one CAS and HUB rule at every site. In our case, we have only mailbox role installed on SCR target server. Please suggest, if we can install other roles as well on SCR target server. Thanks. Regards, Sunil Bansal.

Oops, I think we missed out that portion, but yes, AD site which has mailbox server role installed should have a Hub and a CAS for mailblow and non-mapi mailbox access. Also a DC required in case full site goes down Exchange needs at least a DC. If SCR target doesn't run on cluster (stand alone mailbox server) then you can install CAS and Hub both roles on same box. Standby Continuous Replication http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb676502.aspx Planning for Standby Continuous Replication http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc164368.aspx Amit Tank | MVP Exchange Server | MCITP: EMA | MCSA: M | http://ExchangeShare.WordPress.com

Hi Amit, Thank you for all your help. I am done with all the testing. And I got very postive results. Thanks.Regards,Sunil Bansal.

Hi Sunil:How R u? we areworking on the sameabove mentionedsetup and now we have finished building the ccr environment in primary site; the next step is to build the backup site which will contain the following:DconeExchange servercontains all required roles (cas,hup,mailbox)Antispam Barrucudanow wewill install the exchange server anddeploy it asthe scr targetso does we need special installation precedure forthe backup exchange server? oriinstall exchange as usual (when install it choose the roles) and go on?does i need to make send and reciev connectors for the backup server?How can i enable thereplication for this server through scr?thanks

do you have clear steps for what you did?

Hi Ashraf, Well we need not create anysend connectors. This will get replicated automatically as this information is stored in configuration partition. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123494.aspxComing to enabling storage group opy Enable-storagegroupcopy StorageGroupName\DatabaseName -standbyMachine SCRTargetServerName -ReplayLagtime (for drills its better to have this set to 0:00)Thanks Shiv

Hi Amit:How R u? we areworking on the sameabove mentionedsetup and now we have finished building the ccr environment in primary site; the next step is to build the backup site which will contain the following:-Dc-oneExchange servercontains all required roles (cas,hup,mailbox)-Antispam Barrucudanow wewill install the exchange server anddeploy it asthe scr targetso does we need special installation precedure forthe backup exchange server? oriinstall exchange as usual (when install it; Ichoosecas,hup,mailbox) and go on?does i need to make send and recieve connectors for the backupexchange server (scr target)?In case of the primary site goes down and i switched to the backup site (scr target) ;how can i go back to the ccr environment (primary site) and be sure that what happned scr target will be replicated to primary exchange server(ccr) ?thanks

hi shiv:i didnt mean by creating send and recieve connectores between two sites; i mean that if all the primary site goes down then how can i send and reciev emails?thanks