Setting up Highly Available Enterprise Vault Structure with Windows Failover Cluster
Hello all,
In this article I want to cover the steps of two nodes Enterprise Vault Failover Cluster with Windows Failover Cluster Feature. Actually I prepared a guide before and I want to share it. If you have any suggestion it would be improving.
Since it is not my point, I won’t mention about configuring Windows Failover Cluster in this guide. If you need to configure Windows Failover Cluster feature, you can browse this web site.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff182338(v=ws.10).aspx
Now I assume that you have configured windows failover cluster feature with two nodes. It should be good to mention about my test environment.
1 domain controller, windows server 2008 r2
1 Exchange Server 2010 (running on domain controller)
1 SQL Server 2008 R2
2 nodes for Enterprise Vault, windows server 2008 R2
1 iSCSI target server software running on domain controller (for shared disk)
Lets begin with failover cluster management console.
1- Open failover cluster management console. Overview of console is as shown below. As you can see from image the failover cluster name is ha.test.ev , two nodes (n1 and n2)
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3- I have configured two network interface connections. One for cluster heartbeat and one for client access. I have configured four iscsi disks for quorum resource, msmq , index/cache and vault stores partition. I want to use separate disks as it is written in best practice documentations.
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5- Now, we need to build a service for which will be used by Enterprise Vault Cluster structure. Right-Click “services and applications” and start the wizard as you can see from step 4. I wish there was a built-in Enterprise Vault service support, but for now we need to configure the properties of service manually. Choose “other server” and continue.
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7- Give a proper name to your cluster. Client Access Point is name of the Enterprise Vault Cluster. I generally use “archive” for client access point. :) We will use an alias to point the client access point later. Use an appropriate Internet Protocol address for “archive”.
8- Choose the cluster disk which will be used by “archive”.
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10- I will use these disks for msmq, index/cache and vault store partition. You can use the summary as shown below.
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12- Now we have a service named “archive” for Enterprise Vault Cluster and you can see the failover cluster management console below. “archive” is online, current owner is “n2”.
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14- As you know Enterprise Vault also depends on MSMQ service. But we have not configured an msmq service for “archive” yet. Right-Click on “archive”. From the context menu choose “Add a resource”. Expand it. Expand the “More Reources”. Choose 8 as shown below.
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16- Now MSMQ is added as a resource to “archive”. Bu it is not online. At this point I want to explain a couple of things. As you can see below, “archive” service has some resources (server,MSMQ and Drives). Resources have dependencies. If their dependencies are not set correctly, you can’t bring them online! Let’s observe some of them.
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18- Client Access Point dependency is shown below. It has (needs) IP Address Resource which we configured earlier.
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20- Dependencies for MSMQ are shown below. It needs a disk resource and client access point name resource. These are set properly as shown below.
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22- I want to add a dependency list from Symantec’s web site. You can use the list for your future configurations or changes
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24- Now, Cluster service for Enterprise vault is set. We can deploy Enterprise Vault Application to two nodes. Before this you should use “prepare my system” and “deployment scanner” for a proper installation.
25- You can find both of these tools from EV Install Launcher as shown below.
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27- In fact, for both two cluster nodes some more configuration steps and application installations are needed to be done before Enterprise Vault installation. You can find more information from that web link http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/archiving-exchange-server-2013-enterprise-vault-10 . After all preparation is done, install the Enterprise Vault application on both nodes. Reboot both nodes. After login, wait for post install configuration.
28- Begin EV configuration with hitting Enterprise Vault Configuration button :)
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30- You can find it from Start Menu as shown above.
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32- The wizard is aware of cluster service as shown above!
33- You need to choose cluster service. As you can see it below, the service must have proper resources. As you remember we correctly configured resources earlier!
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35- Choose your service (mine is “archive”) and hit next..
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37- We do not have any vault directory. So we create new one. Next…
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39- This is a generic question :)
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41- Provide proper EV admin account and password information as asked above.
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43- SQL Server fully qualified domain name!
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45- Choosing a path for database files and log file on SQL Server. These are Vault Directory database and Vault Directory log paths.
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47- Now, choose your SQL Server for EVOM database and Log file.
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49- Same as step 44 and 45. Surely you can use different paths for each EV database if you have sufficient environment.
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51- Firstly, create a DNS alias record that points to “archive” service. (“archive” is meant to be archive.test.ev)
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53- Choose index location and cache location paths from available cluster disk resources.
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55- You can check the box to bring resources online or you can do this later.
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57- Carefully read the report in case of any failure or error. Go on after viewing report.
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59- These options shown above are up to you. You can run getting started wizard now. I generally choose “just close this wizard”. I do configurations manually later.
60- Now 1st enterprise vault cluster node is configured properly.
61- You can add 2nd enterprise vault node to the EV cluster now! Easy job :)
62- Actually with same way as you did with 1st node. Push the EV Configuration Wizard.
63- Select the 2nd option as you can see at step 31.
64- You will be asked for Resource Group, you know this information.
65- Mine is “archive”
66- You will be asked for Enterprise Vault Admin account password. You know this.
67- After a couple of “Next”, 2nd node is configured as 2nd Enterprise Vault Cluster Node!
68- As a Result we have properly configured Highly Available Enterprise Vault Structure now…
69- You can do some tests. Move cluster service to other node and call it back. Shutdown one node and observe the situation. Cluster service will be moved to online node in few minutes.
70- If you want to observe some official documentation, you can browse that web site.
71- http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO58149
Conclusion:
If you want to establish a highly available Enterprise Vault structure you can use Windows Failover Cluster feature. Another way is using another product, Veritas Cluster Service.
If a disaster recovery site is needed to be built, the combination of Storage Foundation, Veritas Volume Replicator, Veritas Cluster Service are nice products.
You can find different ways for DR sites. For example; Microsoft Hyper-V 3.0 VM replication(I think the easiest way :) )! Vmware products can be used as well.
For hyper-v 3.0 virtual machine replication;
For Storage Foundation;
http://www.symantec.com/storage-foundation-basic
For Veritas Cluster Service;
http://www.symantec.com/cluster-server
For Veritas Volume Replicator;
http://www.symantec.com/replicator
This is the end. I hope this is informative for you.
