SnapManager for Exchange, DAG server changes from one node to the other

[miguel_maldonado]

Hello,

We have a SMEX solution on Exchange 2010 DAG. We have two servers, 1 and 2. All our databases are mounted on the server 1 and are healthy on the server 2. We connect both our servers (1 and2) and our DAG to the SMEX to the SnapManager for Exchange Managamente Console.

We schedule our backups on the DAG server and save the job on both servers. Here comes the question:

Our managed servers are showned like this:

name1(server1)

name2(server2)

DAG(server2)

Then one day we open the SMEX management console and the DAG server is: DAG(server1). Then 2 days later is server2.

However, we check our databases on the Exchange Management Console, and the databases are allways mounted on server 1 and healty on server 2.

Another thing we are seeing is that when we go to backup on server2, our databases are:

database1/server1

database2/server1

instead of

database1/server2

database2/server2

And on our server 1, they are the same:

database1/server1

database2/server1

So, why is the SMEX detecting our databases mounted on server2, like they were on server1? and why is our dag connecting to each server erratically?

Thank you for your help,.

Best regards,

Miguel

[qzhang]

I don't see anything out of ordinary here. The DAG server changing from one node to another can happen when there is a failover, i.e., the owner of the cluster (your DAG) is changed. You can find out why this was happening by looking at the event log. Note the owner node of cluster is different than the owner node of a database. It is normal that the owner node of cluster changed, but the owner node of a database does not change.

If you view the database from the standalone server connection in MMC, you will always see the databases from that server, i.e., database1/server1 will always be like that on server1, since you are connecting to server1. database1/server1 doesn't mean database1 is mounted on server1, it just means there is a database1 on server1, it can be either active or passive (you can find it out by clicking on that database), both can be backed up using SME.

Thanks,

-Qing

[miguel_maldonado]

Hello Qing,

Thank you for sharing your thoughs.  Let me show you some screens of our config. According to your second paragraph:

"you view the database from the standalone server connection in MMC, you will always see the databases from that server, i.e., database1/server1 will always be like that on server1, since you are connecting to server1"

I uplodaded a picture of server 2, you can see it in upper right corner, and its databases are not on server2 even though It sais server2. This is strange because when I launch a backup directly on server2, it fails. However, if I launch the backup from the DAG, by selecting databases on sever2, it doesn`t fail. On the other hand, from the backup and verify window on th DAG I can see databases mounted on both servers (see attached picture), and when I connect to server1, it shows its databases.

Hope this helps clarify my situation.

Thanks

Miguel