Installing PATROL for Microsoft Exchange Servers on an Exchange cluster

This section provides information for installing PATROL for Microsoft Exchange Servers on your clustered Exchange servers.

 Preparing to install in a cluster environment

Before you begin installing in a clustered environment, use the following table to help you decide which cluster configuration you will use with PATROL for Exchange Servers:

 Supported cluster configurations

If you select the node-level configuration, install a PATROL Agent and PATROL for Exchange Servers on each cluster node. These agents run independently and are not part of an Exchange cluster resource group.

If you select the resource group-level configuration, install a PATROL Agent and PATROL for Exchange Servers on each cluster node. After installation, you must run the PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard to cluster the PATROL Agent and make it part of the Exchange Virtual Server.

Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003 support up to two virtual servers per node in an active-active cluster configuration. When installing into a resource group-level configuration, you could have up to two PATROL Agents running on any one node to monitor Exchange.

 Account considerations in clustered environments

Create a domain PATROL account with local administrator rights on the following computers on which PATROL will be installed:

  • All Exchange server nodes in the cluster
  • A cluster-level computer that is not part of the cluster but is used to monitor the cluster

Using the PATROL account, install the following products on the Exchange server nodes:

  • PATROL Agent
  • PATROL for Exchange Servers
  • PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard
  • PATROL KM for Windows Operating System

Note

Depending on what you want to monitor on these nodes, you might also want to install other PATROL products at this time.

Using the PATROL account, install the following products on the cluster-level computer.

  • PATROL Agent
  • PATROL Console
  • PATROL for Exchange Servers

For more information about the accounts required by PATROL for Exchange Servers, see Accounts roles.

 PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard

The PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard provides an easy-to-use interface with which you can configure the PATROL Agent for failover in a Microsoft Cluster Server environment. While guiding you through the process, the wizard collects the required configuration data and updates the system environment to integrate the PATROL Agent into the cluster.

Configuring the PATROL Agent for failover support allows you to record history data for a clustered application within a single history database. This feature prevents you from having to reconcile the two different history files that would normally be created when an application class fails over from one node to another.

For more information about installing the PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard, see the PATROL for Microsoft Windows Servers Getting Started.

For more information about using the PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard on Exchange clusters, see Using the PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard.

 Installing PATROL for Microsoft Exchange Servers in a clustered environment

Depending on your cluster configuration, you will install PATROL differently. The following sections provide information about where to install the different PATROL products.

Node-level agent configuration

Install the following products on the Exchange server nodes:

  • PATROL Agent
  • PATROL KM for Windows Operating System
  • PATROL for Exchange Servers

For installation instructions, see First-time-installation.

Example
  • Two Node Windows Server 2003 or Exchange 2003 Cluster
  • Two Node Windows Server 2008 or Exchange 2007 Cluster

PATROL for Exchange Servers monitors all virtual servers running on this cluster node along with Exchange Server Health and Server Performance. It displays the virtual server data in the MSEXCH_Cluster_Container application class, labeled as XVS1CL1 Virtual Server, as shown below:
image2013-12-6 12:6:31.png

In the MSEXCH_Cluster_Container application class there is an additional application class called Resources which monitors all cluster resources that belong to the Exchange Virtual Server group.

image2013-12-6 12:8:27.png

Resource group-level agent configuration

Install the following products on the Exchange server nodes:

  • PATROL Agent
  • PATROL KM for Windows Operating System
  • PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard
  • PATROL for Exchange Servers

For installation instructions, see First-time-installation.

After installation, you must run the PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard to create a PATROL Agent cluster resource and add it to the Exchange Virtual Server Group.

Example
  • Two-Node Windows Server 2000 or Exchange 2003 Cluster
  • Two-Node Windows Server 2008 or Exchange 2007 Cluster

PATROL for Microsoft Exchange Servers displays virtual server-level information for each virtual server as shown in the following two screenshots:

image2013-12-6 12:10:17.png 

image2013-12-6 12:11:9.png

 

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