Exchange server 2007 and Virtualization
Hi to all.since 3 weeks we have virtualizated [VMware 3.5.0] our new Exchange Server 2007 [Version: 08.01.0393.001] (installed on 2 to windows 2003 R2 x64, one is the cas server and one is mbs server). The VM machines are stored on a Netapp storage [FAS2050]. Every working day at 13:00pm we do a snapvault to our Disaster Recovery site (where we have the second Netapp [FAS2050] storage) of the volumes where the VM machines are stored.So during the replication of the volumes our Outlook clients are disconnected from the server (for about 10min). If we check the Event Viewer of the clients we found the following entries:Event ID 26Type: InformationSource: OUTLOOKTime: 13:16Description: Connection to the Microsoft Exchange Server has been lost. Outlook will restore the connection when possible.Event ID 26Type: InformationSource: OUTLOOKTime: 13:31Description: Connection to the Microsoft Exchange Server has been restored.This is very annoying because every day somebody call us asking what happen on their Outlook, why it happens,... and so on.Does any body have a similar problem and could help me ?Any suggestions will be appreciatedThanksMarco
January 18th, 2010 5:20pm
Actually, I would ask NetApp support.Also ensure you are within Microsoft' supportability:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794548(EXCHG.80).aspx
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January 18th, 2010 8:43pm
One thing I did to allow me to work on Exchange without the annoying popup that prompts so many help desk calls was to turn down the notifications in Outlook via Group Policy. You'll have to download the Office ADM files and load them into your domain. i can now reboot my exchange server without getting a single call.I know this doesn't really answer your question, but it may help for more than just your netapp backup.Out of curiosity, does Netapp have an agent that may be stopping services so that it can copy the database file and ensure consistancy?SteveH
January 18th, 2010 10:50pm
Microsoft will support Exchange 2007 in an VMWare environment. I have been running Exchange 2007 in VMWare since ESX 3.0. and have used their services. Exchange 2007 doesn't know it is in a virtualized machine and (according to vmware's performance tests) runs better than on a dedicated box. If they believe that that the problem is machine related they may ask you to reinstall on a hardware box - however, they have never asked me to do that and have always provided support - usually without even asking what it is running on.SteveH
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January 18th, 2010 10:57pm
What messages are in the logs on the Exchange server? It sounds like your RPC latency is excessively high due to lagging I/O during the snapvault. In which case you should talk with NetApp for a solution. I would of course recommend moving your replication to another time window - preferably outside of business hours.
January 19th, 2010 4:23am
Microsoft will support Exchange 2007 in an VMWare environment. I have been running Exchange 2007 in VMWare since ESX 3.0. and have used their services. Exchange 2007 doesn't know it is in a virtualized machine and (according to vmware's performance tests) runs better than on a dedicated box. If they believe that that the problem is machine related they may ask you to reinstall on a hardware box - however, they have never asked me to do that and have always provided support - usually without even asking what it is running on.
SteveH
Yep, but within the parameters of:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794548(EXCHG.80).aspx
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January 19th, 2010 4:54am
Hi,Please check that VMARE is not in the support list from Microsoft Support policy.
Microsoft Support Policies and Recommendations for Exchange Servers in Hardware Virtualization Environmentshttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794548(EXCHG.80).aspx Regards,Xiu<!---->
January 20th, 2010 12:32pm
I am having the same issue, so maybe VMWare or how VMWare handles the network traffic is the problem?
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/exchangesvrclients/thread/109099d5-43aa-4014-b5fa-00b7fac9425f
What network card are you using in your WMWare box?
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October 25th, 2010 10:11pm