Exchange 2010 – Part 4 – Mailbox (MBX) Role

Hooray!  Fancy meeting you here.  Let's review our Exchange 2010 Project so far:

All caught up?  Great, let's jump in with the last role we care about during this install – the Mailbox (MBX) Role – we're gonna install this on both of our Exchange 2010 boxes.  This post will be long also – like the CAS role this is a lot of heavy lifting during config.  Have caffeine on hand.

Go For It
Um, yeah, so, launch the setup wizard…

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.53.03 AM

Choose Install Microsoft Exchange

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.54.48 AM

Yes.  Next.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 1.07.46 PM

Choose the Mailbox (MBX) Role.  Click Next.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 1.12.45 PM

Readiness Checks are good.  Install this thing already…

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 1.20.10 PM

That was fast.  Click Finish.  And… well, you know what to do.  Go do the same on Exchange02, reboot both boxes, and come back.  I'll wait for you.

Did It Work?
Just like in Part 2, we'll run a simple powershell script to make sure all is well…

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 2.19.57 PM

Yup, all appears well.  Now, let's do some config…

MBX Role Configuration (The L-O-N-G Part)
In our current Exchange 2007 Environment, we have created several database groups and such.  We're going to mirror that in Exchange 2010.  Open the Exchange 2010 Exchange Management Console and wander over to Organization -> Organization Configuration -> Mailbox

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 2.32.00 PM

Choose "New Mailbox Database" and launch that wizard

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 2.53.53 PM  

Great.  We'll create our Region01 database on Exchange01.  Next.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 2.54.04 PM 

Verify your paths.  Click Next.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 2.54.12 PM

Looks Good.  Click New.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 2.57.47 PM

Hello?  What's this?  It created but not mounted?  What?  Click Finish and let's do some google-fu… carry the one… Of course, Petri has an answer.  Wait.  Fine.  Let's wait a few minutes and try again…

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 3.05.14 PM 

Sure enough – it mounts right up.  Interesting.  Let's create the rest of our databases and get them all mounted.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 3.36.28 PM 

Hmm… when I get to #6, I get the error above.  Something about too many databases.  I've already installed my Enterprise license keys.  Exchange 2010 Standard only allows 5 Databases, but Enterprise allows like 100.  Something is br0k3d.  I've rebooted a bunch of times.  What in the world?  Well, this website gives the instructions for putting the keys in using the shell.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 3.46.18 PM

So I do that – multiple times – and eventually it works. Above you can see the output from my 2nd box. Be sure to restart your Infostore service. Looks like a bug, but anyway… let's carry on.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 3.50.02 PM

Great.  Now, what about the 2nd Exchange Box?  Here's where we're going to use Exchange 2010 Database Availability Groups (DAG).  You can read the "basics" and then more information here.  Get started in the EMC -> Organization -> Mailbox -> DAG Tab

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.04.17 PM

Click New Database Availability Group and start the DAG Wizard

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.09.13 PM

Choose a useful name for your DAG and then choose your Witness Server.  Click New.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.11.33 PM

Exchange 2010 wants the FSW to be on a HT Server.  But we don't have a HT Server that also doesn't have all the other roles.  So, we use "backup" – this warning tells you that.  Ignore it and click Finish.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.12.50 PM

Great.  Let's give it an IP – we'll use 10.5.1.20 and do this in the Exchange Shell

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.16.17 PM

Now, right-click on the DAG and Manage DAG Membership

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.21.39 PM

Click Add -> We'll add both Exchange 2010 Boxes

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.22.27 PM

Grab them both and click OK.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.22.59 PM

Looks good.  Click Manage and watch the magic!

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.28.46 PM

Sweet!  Click Finish.  And just for completeness, we'll verify that things were done right.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.30.34 PM

Yup.  There's our DAG "computer"…

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.31.17 PM

Hooray!  And there's the DNS.

Database Replication/Copies
We have Databases.  We have DAG.  Now, let's make sure the Database is copied and available on both servers in the DAG.  Right-click on one of the Databases, and choose Add Mailbox Database Copy to start the wizard

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.35.20 PM

Great.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.49.20 PM

That's the one.  Click Browse, and choose Exchange02.  Ok.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.49.42 PM

Just like that.  Click Add.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.50.03 PM 

What?  ERROR?  Click Finish.  Let's look at the copies.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.50.44 PM

It's there.  I wonder if this is another "wait" bug.  Right-click on the suspended copy, and choose "resume" like this

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.51.20 PM

That.  Now, what's it look like now?

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 10.52.20 PM

Better.  Do this on ALL the databases to make sure they are available on both Exchange 2010 boxes.  We'll double check this, when done, in the EMC -> Server -> Mailbox section…

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 11.01.32 PM
Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 11.01.39 PM

Good work.  Move along.

Offline Address Book
Okily dokily, let's create an OAB on Exchange 2010.  Head back to your Exchange Management Console -> Organizational Configuration -> Mailbox -> OAB Tab

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.09.00 PM

You can see the OAB for Exchange 2007 (MAIL01).  Click on New Offline Address Book to launch that wizard and set it up.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.10.50 PM
 

Give your OAB a Name, and Choose a Server.  Click Next.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.11.55 PM

We want Web-based distribution.  We don't need public folder distribution – no more Outlook 2003 / Entourage 2004.  Click Add and choose the right vdir / server.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.14.37 PM

Looks good.  Click OK.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.16.20 PM

Yup.  Click Next.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.16.45 PM

Looks great.  Let's do it.  Click New.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.17.21 PM

Great.  Finish.  Do it again for Exchange02 just to be ready.

Public Folders
Yes, we want them.  We don't need them for OAB (We're all Outlook 2007+) but we do have some things that people still use Public Folders for.  Back to the EMC -> Organization -> Mailbox and click on New Public Folder Database to start the wizard

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.42.39 PM

Give your PF a name and assign to a server.  Next.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.43.56 PM

Verify paths.  Next.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.45.34 PM

Yes please.  Click New.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.46.14 PM

And we're done… Public Folders exist…Now let's replicate them… Go back to the EMC -> Toolbox

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.50.59 PM

Launch the Public Folder Management Console

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.52.04 PM 

Right-click on Public-Folders

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.53.33 PM

Choose Connect to Server

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.53.44 PM

We want to connect to our Exchange 2007 Server – it currently holds the Public Folders

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.55.15 PM

Pick a Default Folder (parent folder) – for example Campus Calendars and choose properties -> Replication Tab

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.58.28 PM

We want to ADD Exchange01.  Click add.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.59.07 PM

Choose Exchange01.  Ok.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.59.13 PM

Looks good.  Click OK.  Replication starts.  Repeat this for all Public Folders that need replicated on Exchange 2010.  I'll wait.  When all this is replicated, do the same thing for Exchange02 (secondary Exchange 2010 Box).

Final Setup
Lastly, let's assign the Exchange01 Public Folders / OAB to all the new Databases we created above.  Head back to EMC and right-click on one of the databases -> Properties -> Client Settings Tab

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.26.41 PM 

Start by Clicking Browse under the Public Folder section.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 5.01.14 PM

Choose Exchange01 and Click OK.  Click on Browse under the OAB section

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 4.26.53 PM

That's the one.  OK.

Screen shot 2010-02-19 at 5.01.33 PM

Great.  Now Click OK.  Do this for all the databases.

Alrighty.  That's a lot of heavy lifting, but we're ready for users now!  CAS, HT and MBX Roles are installed and configured.  We'll pick up here in Part 5…I guess we'll have to move the mailboxes then…