correct device type to use for exchange database... ?

Software-based VM-centric and flash-friendly VM storage + free version

Moderators: anton (staff), art (staff), Max (staff), Anatoly (staff)

Post Reply
dcox
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:38 pm

Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:03 am

I'm not sure all the possibilites, but it appears there are at least two.

What would be the best type of device to create to hold the exchange data if it would be stored on an iSCSI target?

"Image File device" or "Snapshot, CDP & De-Duplication device" or something else?

I'm not familar yet with the snapshot solution, so I'm not sure if that would apply for a DB or if it was more designed for files.

Thanks,
Duane Cox
dcox
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:38 pm

Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:11 am

sorry, this is meant to be under the StarWind topics...
User avatar
anton (staff)
Site Admin
Posts: 4008
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2004 12:03 am
Location: British Virgin Islands
Contact:

Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:47 am

If you don't want to protect your database content with the CDP and if you don't want to take any snapshots - obviously use flat image file as it's faster (CDP thing needs some extra CPU cycles for internal housekeeping).
Regards,
Anton Kolomyeytsev

Chief Technology Officer & Chief Architect, StarWind Software

Image
dcox
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:38 pm

Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:32 pm

is it possible to use CDP with exchange? Meaning, would I be able to resotre an individual email and not the entire DB? I plan on using tape to do off site storage and long term archiving...

I wasn't sure CDP would give me the benefit of selecting individual emails as a restore option, rather I invisioned it restoring the entire DB...

Please clarify.
User avatar
anton (staff)
Site Admin
Posts: 4008
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2004 12:03 am
Location: British Virgin Islands
Contact:

Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:41 pm

Any application which is VSS aware will be usable with CDP.
dcox wrote:is it possible to use CDP with exchange? Meaning, would I be able to resotre an individual email and not the entire DB? I plan on using tape to do off site storage and long term archiving...

I wasn't sure CDP would give me the benefit of selecting individual emails as a restore option, rather I invisioned it restoring the entire DB...

Please clarify.
Regards,
Anton Kolomyeytsev

Chief Technology Officer & Chief Architect, StarWind Software

Image
dcox
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:38 pm

Fri Nov 21, 2008 3:00 pm

so do I use the iSCSI CDP over top of VSS (in addition to), or aside from?
Sorry, I'm new at this and trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible.
User avatar
anton (staff)
Site Admin
Posts: 4008
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2004 12:03 am
Location: British Virgin Islands
Contact:

Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:47 pm

We use VSS to signat to the application it should suspend writers. So if application is VSS-aware (does process VSS callback to hold the writes) we'll create consistant image. If not (application is old and broken) - we'll create inconsistant snapshot (or CDP increment).
dcox wrote:so do I use the iSCSI CDP over top of VSS (in addition to), or aside from?
Sorry, I'm new at this and trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible.
Regards,
Anton Kolomyeytsev

Chief Technology Officer & Chief Architect, StarWind Software

Image
dcox
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:38 pm

Sat Nov 22, 2008 11:45 pm

In that case, am I to load the "StarWindVSS.x64.exe" VSS Helper on the iSCSI Target Server?
User avatar
anton (staff)
Site Admin
Posts: 4008
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2004 12:03 am
Location: British Virgin Islands
Contact:

Sat Nov 22, 2008 11:59 pm

On initiator side.
dcox wrote:In that case, am I to load the "StarWindVSS.x64.exe" VSS Helper on the iSCSI Target Server?
Regards,
Anton Kolomyeytsev

Chief Technology Officer & Chief Architect, StarWind Software

Image
dcox
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:38 pm

Tue Nov 25, 2008 8:07 am

any users out there (on the forum) that's using exchange with this kind of setup?

What's the feedback?
User avatar
anton (staff)
Site Admin
Posts: 4008
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2004 12:03 am
Location: British Virgin Islands
Contact:

Tue Nov 25, 2008 12:21 pm

No idea about the forum but we do have customers with such a configuration.

dcox wrote:any users out there (on the forum) that's using exchange with this kind of setup?

What's the feedback?
Regards,
Anton Kolomyeytsev

Chief Technology Officer & Chief Architect, StarWind Software

Image
Post Reply