Installing SME after Exchange Up and running

[gisabella]

Hi,

First post, looking for a little advice.

Have a S550 with and SBS 2003 VM (Esx 3.5) running with exchange.

Created the MS Exchange LUN using Wizard and now have 2 luns with (assigned F: and G:).

I now want to use SM for Exchange. It is my understanding that SME would require me to move Exchange to new luns.

Is this accurate ?

I was hoping to preserve my drive letters as the admin staff are still "drive centric".

TIA

Genito

[joshual]

Genito,

Did you create the LUN's (F: and G:) using SnapDrive? When you create the LUN's using SnapManager for Exchange there is a migration tool that will move data for you. Did you get this option?

[gisabella]

Hi Joshua,

I installed the server SBS 2003 and I had created the drives with Snapdrive. In the drop down menu's of snap drive I selected exchange.

Genito

[sflynn]

Hi Genito...

In your environment, where is Exchange located? As in, the directory paths?

It is true that in order to use SME, your Exchange data must reside on NetApp LUNs. Those LUNs can be mounted to a drive letter, or to a volume mount point. Depending on the location of your Exchange data and the drive letters associated with those paths, we might be able to do some creative drive letter shifting to make this work.

Once you reply back, I'll have a better understanding on what we can do here.

Thanks...

Shannon

[gisabella]

Hi,

When Exchange was installed it was a new sbs 2003 installation. I had installed the hotfixes and snapdrive. From there I created the Exchange luns (snapdrive presented those choices). So now I have a F:\ and G:\ that hold my exchange db and exchange luns.

I want to enable snap manager for Exchange but it appears that SME needs to re-arrange drive letters and locations and luns.

I'd like to keep the drive letters I'm using for management purposes.

Hope this helps.

Genito

[sflynn]

Hi Genito...

As long as the LUNs were created via SnapDrive, everything is all set for SME to use them and protect your valuable Exchange data.

Now, since you created the LUNs, and installed Exchange onto those LUNs, all you'll need to do with SME is run the Configuration Wizard. Since your Exchange data is already on NetApp LUNs, the Configuration Wizard *will not* move any data at all. It'll simple ask you to specify the locations of the database and transaction log files, then ask you where you'd like to store the SnapInfo directory (where SME stores it's metadata for backups and truncated transaction logs) and a few other questions. Once you're at the end of the Configuration Wizard, it will identify that your Exchange data will not be moved, and simply set all the remaining options that you selected in the Wizard, and then finish. Once it's finished, you are all ready to take backups, perform restores, verifications, etc...all the great benefits that come with SME.

I hope that helps you out...

Shannon