Backup Exchange Server

A backup Exchange Server is always crucial in a domain site where Exchange Server is being used. Not only it creates redundancy in terms of database duplication, this way being able to save data in case of a server crash, but also of services. This way, should one of the Domain Controller machines fail, another is ready to keep up Exchange's work.

Now, what is a backup exchange serve you may ask. What was said previously is already a pretty accurate description, but in detail what the backup server does is to create a service that's in constant dialog with the primary Exchange server to keep the database updated. Additionally, both servers can work in one of two modes where one will let the backup server act uniquely as a secondary server, or in other way both servers will be sharing the workload.

Microsoft Exchange Backup server is nothing more than a second installation of Exchange however. If you use the original CD-ROM, all you have to do is run the setup and you'll see an option to install Exchange Server on additional servers. The following steps and requirements will be just the same as those for your first Exchange installation.

Once installed, the secondary server will make a backup Exchange Server database so that in case the primary server fails the secondary one will have a perfect replica. After this point it should all be done and there is no need to configure Exchange backup server anymore. Just be sure to remember that the Exchange Server is there in case you intend to do something with the secondary Domain Controller.

Usually the system will prevent you from doing such mistakes, but just like removing a Domain Controller from the Domain itself without having the secondary Domain Controller contacting the primary one will create problems, so will the Exchange Server. Because the system still believes there is a second server somewhere, certain options only available to stand-alone servers will no longer be reachable.

Additionally to the situation previously described, this also means that you won't be able to undo the installation of the Exchange Server because the primary server will always try to obtain a confirmation that the secondary server has actually been removed. This can only be done if both servers are interconnected when the secondary Exchange Server is uninstalled.