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DR for MS Exchange 2003 on Different OS

So our setup in our primary facility is running Exchange 2003 Enterprise SP2 on MS Windows 2003 Enterprise Service Pack 2.

We are trying to build out or disaster recovery scenario but the problem is the server for DR is built out as MS Windows 2003 Standard R2 Service Pack 2, but Exchange is the same (2003 Enterprise SP2).

I was just wondering what kind of complications this could cause, if any. To further complicate things we are running a NetApp 3020 and will be synchronizing the replication of changes from each SAN (in primary site and in DR).

e_vanheel

Your best bet is rebuild the offsite server with Windows Enterprise Edition and use the clustering service to build redundancy. You will need to build a new Exchange server cluster and migrate the data to the virtual instance on that cluster.

If you can't do that, I recommend using the SAN to SAN replication to get the data off-site. Leave your Exchange server offline at the DR site, then bring it up if you have a disaster. Take a look at this:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2006/08/ExchangeRecovery/

Without the Windows Clustering service, there is no way to make this an automatic process.

RTM2007

ASKER

Thanks.

Yes we are currently doing SAN to SAN using SME (SnapManager for Exchange).

Unfortunately it may not be possible to rebuild the offsite server with Enterprise (don't ask), so I wanted to know what the risks would be running it on slightly different OSs.

Thoughts?

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

e_vanheel

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