There has been a lot of interest and discussion about the MCM | Exchange Server 2007 Program since Microsoft announced it earlier this year, and as the PM responsible for the Exchange Program I wanted to give you some of the history of the program, tell you more about what to expect from the program, try to answer some of the many questions I receive every day about the program, maybe try to motivate you to apply, or perhaps even dissuade you from applying if you aren't quite ready.

So what's the Program all about?

Well, the official version is here - but I want to give you a more personal take on what the program is about, having been through the previous version of the program myself (known at the time as Exchange Ranger) around 3 years ago. The experience is one I look back on as the most rewarding six weeks (as it was then) of my professional career, and the major milestone of my career; I have never been so busy since (a blessing and a curse, but mostly a blessing).

The program we refer to today as MCM grew out of that very successful Exchange Ranger program, established 5 or so years ago by the Product Group to help customers successfully deploy Exchange and avoid hitting problems that many customers faced. Back in those days Exchange was responsible for generating a lot of support calls. It was, and still is, a complex product, and it was too easy for customers to get themselves into a mess, and then call Microsoft hoping we would be able to fix the problems over the phone. Often this wasn't the case, as their original design was often flawed, their implementation was poorly completed, the solution itself was too complex, or for one of many other reasons. The goal of the Ranger program was to highly train consultants and architects who would then go out and make sure the design was done right, make sure the solution was tested, make sure it really met the requirements, and ultimately, to reduce the number of customers getting themselves into situations that required a call to Product Support.

The program was very successful in accomplishing these goals. Critsits (Critical Situations - if you don't know what it is; trust me, you don't want one of those) were proven to have been reduced. But you may wonder why you have never heard of the Ranger program. That's because, just like Fight Club, the first rule of Ranger was not to talk about Ranger. OK, not really, although it seemed like it. But it was because the program started originally as a Microsoft Internal-Only program, and no-one else needed to know about it at that time. Over the years, though, the program was opened up to Gold Partners. Now, many of the people who have been through the program work for partners, some small and others large partner organizations, as well as graduates from storage and hardware vendors. In short, a real mix of individuals, all of whom come together in a community of peers - but more about that later.

I had first learned about the program when I joined a Microsoft partner company who had sent several people through Ranger, and it was clear those guys knew some serious stuff. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about Exchange, but they had forgotten more than I knew, had access to stuff I could only dream of, and frankly, got all the great jobs, the money and the fast cars; they got the lot. I never had the chance to go whilst at that company because I left to join Microsoft.

Six months after joining, and whilst working for MCS in the UK, I got my chance to go to Ranger and spent six weeks (six of the hardest working weeks of my life I will add) in Redmond attending the training. I was fortunate enough to pass the exams, and pass the Qual Lab at the end and in those days when we also ran the Review Board for MCA | Messaging at the same time, I managed to scrape through that, too. Sound easy? Not when you understand that only 3 of 16 who attended got the whole way through that first time, and I can assure you that I was in a class full of people I have the utmost of respect for. It was very tough and intensive, and some of my classmates have subsequently gone on to pass the required pieces.

But whether we passed or failed the first time around, we all learned an incredible amount, and what's more, we shared an incredible experience. Spending that much time with a group of very bright individuals is a learning experience in its own right. We learned from each other, we learned from the instructors, we learned about ourselves. That sounds cliché, but when you have worked six days a week, twelve to fourteen hours a day, you really find out what you have to do to learn, to survive, to succeed. It's not just a training course, it's an experience. To this day I could email any one of my classmates with a question or request for help, and I'm certain they would offer it, as would I for them.

The fact that this is an experience and not just a training course you turn up for and sit through, is what makes Ranger, sorry, Master, what it is. Many of the things that made Ranger what is was still are there in Master. I know, because that's how I want it to be. During the training you might wonder why some things are done they way they are, but I can assure there's rarely anyone who doubts that the methods used make sense when they get to the end. There's a lot to learn and the only way to do it is to get your head down and work hard. That is of course, if you want to get the most from it.

Who is the Program Aimed At?

The program historically was aimed at those working in the field of consulting. As time went by people from engineering roles and support roles began attending and now I tend to think of the program at being aimed at consulting or field engineering roles. I would also like to add Enterprise Administrators of Exchange systems to that list too, but whatever your job title is, the key thing is this: you need to have had a lot of hands-on experience working with, designing, troubleshooting and migrating/upgrading to Exchange 2007.

We try to keep all technical sessions at around level 300 - 400, and that level means you already need to know some stuff. If you are lost from the start, you will be wasting your money. This is one of the reasons why we require not only some MCP exams, but also your resume. I want to see what kind of experience you have before I accept you into the Program. I want you to be successful, and if you don't have enough experience to carry you through when the going gets tough, you will struggle. In most cases, I would rather people in that position wait a year or two before applying again, and during that period spend time working with the product, learning skills and gaining experience, because experience is probably the most important factor in success in the program, and experience takes time, it's as simple as that.

What Will I Learn and Who Will Be Teaching?

From 22 Ranger deliveries and 1 Master delivery I have yet to meet anyone who can say they were not blown away by how much they learned, or more interestingly, how much they realized they didn't know. One of the key tenants of Ranger is "know what you know, know what you don't know, and never confuse the two" and this is something I make sure all of our candidates live by. No one knows everything, but it takes a special kind of person to admit it sometimes, in this world of technical one-up-man-ship that we work in. And we do, don't we?

So I'm not going to post the full agenda here for many reasons (it changes as things change in the product, that's the main one; this is never a locked-down course), but I will outline it for you as follows:

• During week 1, we spend two-and-a-half days on CAS, and two-and-a-half days on transport. We spend a lot of time going into the design of namespace, proxying, redirection, certificates, securely publishing CAS, etc., during the CAS sessions. In transport, we dig deeply into the transport pipeline, routing, hygiene, tuning and troubleshooting. There will be plenty of light-bulb-coming-on-over-your-head moments as some things start to make sense.
• During week 2, we spend the majority of the 5 days looking at the Mailbox role and associated technologies, digging deep into database internals, storage, and continuous replication, as well as looking at performance troubleshooting and sizing. The final day that week is spent on UM, configuring UM, making phones ring, setting up Auto Attendants, all that good stuff.
• The final week brings Exchange back together again, looking at Exchange as a whole, and spending time on High Availability, as an entire solution, and then migration and co-existence.

In addition to the time in class, which is five days a week, 8am to ... well, it varies, but on average, 7 pm-ish, there are weekend projects/assignments, some evening homework, as well as some social events to help break the routine up a bit. Three weeks go very fast.

As for instructors, I don't want to drop names here either. I could, but I won't. All of them know their stuff, and I mean, really know their stuff. In the first two weeks I tend to use instructors who are focussed on the one area we are covering; the transport guy, for example, does nothing but transport, the UM guy does nothing but UM, etc. The third week, which as I said is more about Exchange as a whole, is taught by people with years of field expertise. Consultants, Architects, Existing Rangers, basically people who have been there, done that, know all the tricks and how to use them. Their years of experience benefit the class, and their mistakes can hopefully be avoided (by you).

Aside from the instructors and the agenda though there's another great resource to help you: the rest of your class. Exchange is a huge technology, covering many areas and over time people tend to specialize, or simply gain experience in specific areas. And so a large part of the learning is based on group discussion and white-boarding. We can all learn from each other, from our own real world deployment experiences. This is not the kind of training where you just sit and listen to an instructor whilst he or she makes their way through 495 PowerPoint slides. When I went through the program, one of the most valuable sessions lasted three 14 hour days and the instructor used about 60 slides in total. There was a lot of discussion, hands on with labs and white-boarding, and it was awesome.

How Much Will This Cost?

To attend the three weeks of training, it will cost you $18,500. That program fee gets you the training and your first attempt at all four exams. It does not include your expenses or travel.

At first glance that's a lot of money. At second glance, it is a lot of money. And we know this will put it out of reach for some people, particularly the self-employed, but it's a question of value, not just one of cost. Is the training valuable? Without doubt, no one who experiences it will ever disagree. The question is more whether it is value for money. Rather than me trying to convince you, here are some comments from the first Master delivery we just completed (these are uncensored and verbatim):

• It was an great experience, It really worth, even coming from my pocket
• Given the price and the time commitment required from this program, I wasn't coming in with moderate expectations. I expected the best, and that's what I got.
• Worth every penny and hour of aggravation

Obviously the cost/value discussion is not one I can win with everyone reading this, but I will add that we hope to deliver this program elsewhere in the world, and that may ultimately have an effect on cost. We may even look to provide discounted rates for particular audiences. But those cases and others like them are still 'maybes' at this time. That may change, so keep your eye on the Web site, as that is likely where we will announce any promotions like this.

The other side of the cost/value discussion is one of your increased marketability once the training is completed. Based on feedback Microsoft has received from IT professionals and leaders who have successfully completed the MCM training program, some of the MCM program graduates have achieved return-on-investment numbers such as 90 percent project success rate, 95 percent customer return rate, and 50 percent increase in billable rate. I'm not stating that Microsoft can guarantee that any of your rates will increase by obtaining the MCM credential, but based on past experience, it could happen. It worked for the partner I worked for before Microsoft - the Ranger was charged at a higher rate than me, because he knew more than me. Customers were educated about the value of the program and certification, and were prepared to pay more for it. This is a fact, it happened to me.

So Am I Buying a Certification?

No, certainly not. You are buying training which potentially leads to certification. Sure it's a hot new certification if that's what you are interested in, but you won't be getting that certification just because you showed up to class and know a bit about Exchange. That won't get you very far, as you are going to have to work very hard to pass the exams.

What I have found interesting is the attraction people have with regard to the training as an experience and the certification itself, which nicely leads me to the next section.

What Are The Benefits To Me?

There are several. First off, you get the training. I honestly believe that will give you more value in the long term than any certification. The certification though is of course your proof to your customers and partners (and the personalized letter signed by Rajesh Jha for you won't harm either), but the training you will get will make your projects more successful, your designs more complete and make you the go-to guru for Exchange amongst all your peers.

Aside from those benefits, there is one other key benefit to becoming a Certified Master - inclusion in the Ranger/Master community. Community is a big part of the program, and I work hard to give our community real benefit and value. The best and simplest example of that value is the community DL - on that DL are a couple of hundred people: all the graduates of the program and the instructors, plus some others of special value, such as Product Group folks, MSIT engineers, etc. Basically people we see as having value in their opinions and contributions. I have kept every thread since I joined that DL three years or so ago and it comes in VERY handy from time to time. One of the coolest things is that the background and experiences of those on the DL all vary so widely that community members can get answers to storage questions, security questions, and architecture questions from the people who are creating and documenting best practice, not just following best practice.

Another thing we do is something we call Continued Education. Twice a year, we arrange some kind of session or short course where we offer the chance to come back and do a refresher or learn something new. Sometimes it's something outside of Exchange (we ran a three day ITIL course earlier this year, enabling attendees from our community to become ITIL certified), sometimes it's something inside Exchange (hands on sessions with the next version of Exchange is another good example).

If you can't make the trips to Redmond, then I also arrange community conference calls. In the last few months, we have had sessions on CAS/Hub Transport scalability, Loadgen, and the perception and statistical analysis of Exchange in the newsgroups and on blogs. Sometimes technical, sometimes industry related, to give some broader perspective which we all need from time to time.

Aside from those things I have already mentioned we try to do lots of other things whenever we can; dinners, discounted trade show passes, the chance to interact and provide feedback with the Product Group, access to pre-release builds, that sort of thing. In short, if we know there's something we can do to give the community something back, we try to find a way to do it.

How Can I Learn More? What Can I Do to Prepare? How Can I Apply?

I hope I haven't put you off applying, with all that talk of 14 hour days, no time for sleep, and a class full of other geniuses. I haven't? Good! You can apply by following this link, but before you do, ask yourself this: are you sure you are ready? Do you already know Exchange from end-to-end and are you already at the top of your game? If so, go for it! We have some seats available in the March and May 2009 sessions and will be adding more in 2009 very soon. Those two deliveries are on the main campus in Redmond, but I am hoping to do some further afield next year, as well, so keep your fingers crossed if there's no chance of making it to Redmond.

The reason I am trying to make sure you are sure about your skills before you apply is because the target audience for this program is the top 1% of certified IT Pros. I want those that attend to succeed. The classes are hard to get in to, they are usually less than 20 people, and so I want to be sure the people in that room are likely to pass and do well (as well as contribute to the learning of everyone else), and are not there to learn how to use Exchange; to use an Americanism, this is not Exchange 101.

If you do decide you want to apply, and become accepted then you need to get ready. Here's my advice and my tips for survival and success, both leading up to the training, and during:

• Before turning up, take a long hard look at Exchange and list your weakest areas, the areas you really wouldn't want to have me interview you on, and then work on them. I did this before I turned up and it meant my weaker areas were strong enough to keep me just following the content, which is the bare minimum place you want to be.
• Clear all other projects from your plate for the duration of your visit. Aside from the fact that I don't allow email, IM, phone calls, etc., in class, you won't have time to work on anything else whilst in Redmond. Really, you won't. A recent candidate told me he wanted to blog of his experiences as we progressed. He didn't have the time to write one article whilst the training was on. It's intensive. Give it 100% and you'll do well, give it 80% and you will fail - and there's a good chance your boss isn't going to let you come again.
• Speak up if you don't understand something. Don't be shy. You are here to learn, showing you don't know something is not a sign of weakness, but quite the opposite. It takes a brave person to admit they don't know, and that person is braver than the one who was too scared to admit they didn't understand something.
• If you can't work with a hangover, don't go drinking. Simple as that.
• Keep your brain and body fuelled. Drink, eat, exercise, sleep when you can, and relax when you can. It's a test of endurance as much as Exchange at some points.
• Contribute - if you have something to add, speak up. We all make mistakes and you probably will too. That's ok. See the previous point. I don't mind people getting things wrong, as long as they learn from it. I also mean contribute to the team, and help each other. We all have strengths and weaknesses; play to your strengths and help others and hope someone can help with your weaknesses.
• Study in whatever way suits you best. Some people like to study in a group, some study alone; do whatever suits you best.
• Enjoy yourself. It is a lot of fun. Spending that much time without outside distractions working just on Exchange, is great fun. If you don't feel like that about Exchange, you're probably not ready for this. It's an Exchange love-in. With tests.

Summary

I hope you get a bit more of an understanding now about the program, the way it works, what you can expect from it, and if so, I'm happy with that as a result. If you have any more questions about the program though please feel free to email me directly, grtaylor at the usual place, and I'll do my best to get you the answers you are looking for.

So, do you have what it takes? I hope you do, I'm sure plenty of you do. So go fill out an application.

-- Greg Taylor

Update Rollup 5 for Exchange 2007 SP1 (announced a few days ago) has been released. The rollup is available on the Download Center here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=652ED33A-11A1-459C-8FFE-90B9CBFE7903&displaylang=en

The rollup will go live on Microsoft Update in 2-3 weeks from now (will be announced here). Localized versions for all supported languages are now available on Download Center.

KB 953467 has more details about this release and the included fixes.

We specifically want to call out two fixes related to the overall installation experience:

1) Service startup issue described in KB 944752 and a previous blog post.

• The rollup installer will now make the required modifications to the config files, even create new config files if not found. If customers have already modified the config files and have a generatePublisherEvidence setting, it will be left intact. Note that you still need the right version of .NET (see KB 944752) for the fix to take effect.
• Uninstalling the rollup will not rollback the addition of generatePublisherEvidence to config files.

2) Blank OWA logon page after installation of rollups 3 and 4, if you have modified logon.aspx file

• The rollup installer will now overwrite any OWA script files if required to ensure proper operation of OWA. You will need to redo any customization after installation of the rollup.

- Nino Bilic

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Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 can help you deliver the advanced protection your company demands to safeguard its messaging environment-anywhere access people require to boost productivity and operational efficiency to cut costs. Tune in to a webcast or take part in a virtual lab to learn how Exchange Server 2007 can help you optimize your hardware and networking investments and provide anywhere access to e-mail, voice mail, calendars, and contacts from a variety of client computers and devices. Also, please - please provide feedback on these Labs here in our comments so we can improve them and provide the highest quality information on your behalf!

TechNet Labcast: Exchange Server 2007 (Part 1 of 5): Installing Service Pack 1 and Transitioning from Exchange Server 2003 to Exchange Server 2007 (Level 200)
Friday, December 5, 2008
11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. Pacific Time

TechNet Labcast: Exchange Server 2007 (Part 2 of 5): Configuring an Edge Server and Compliance and Retention Using Exchange Server 2007 RTM (Level 200)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. Pacific Time

TechNet Labcast: Exchange Server 2007 (Part 3 of 5): Managing and Administering Exchange Server 2007 Using the Management Console and Management Shell (Level 200)
Friday, December 12, 2008
11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. Pacific Time

TechNet Labcast: Exchange Server 2007 (Part 4 of 5): Configuring Unified Messaging and Enabling Remote Client Access (Level 200)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. Pacific Time

TechNet Labcast: Exchange Server 2007 (Part 5 of 5): Using Local Continuous Replication and Cluster Continuous Replication (Level 200)
Friday, December 19, 2008
11:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M. Pacific Time

BTW, here's a link to the main page:
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9637353

- Joey Masterson

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This is a heads up that Rollup 5 for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 is in the final stages of getting released and should be out in a couple of days. The next step for the Exchange team will be to release the Update Rollup onto the Download Center and then publish it to Microsoft Update. Microsoft Update publishing will happen 2-3 weeks after the Download Center publishing, due to internal policies and processes. We will let you know when this happens.

Regarding the overall patching experience, we have addressed the issue of Exchange 2007 managed services might time out during certificate revocation checks. While we will have a full list of issues fixed when the Rollup releases, some of major issues are:

• CDCR: Need an option to apply ELC policy to only the root instead of applying it recursively to root and all subfolders
• CDCR: Add generatePublisherEvidence enabled="false" to Exchange Services Config Files
• SCR does not copy logs in a disjoint namespace scenario
• SCR cannot be enabled when DNS suffixes differ on source/target in disjoint namespace scenarios
• Exchange 2007 CAS cannot copy the OAB from the OAB share on Windows Server 2008-based Exchange 2007 CCR clusters 
• Messages get stuck in outbox on Windows Mobile 6.1 devices When using  CAS proxy
• CDCR: MSI patching doesn't update logon.aspx if the file is modified by customer

PS. The "CDCR" listed in titles above stands for "Critical Design Change Request" - as in actual design changes that we took on in this Rollup (we usually take on a few of those in every Rollup)

- Scott Roberts, Nino Bilic

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Our friends over at Office Communication server wanted to get the word our on their upcoming release which they are promoting through their website. Here's their announcement, go check it out!

Office Communications Server 2007 R2 will launch on February 3rd 2009. We are trying something new this time and will do the launch through a website that mimics a live event.  The website will include: keynote, breakout sessions, customer evidence and partner's booths.  Access to the website will be FREE, so why wait? Sign up for the event now at www.microsoft.com/ocs

-- Joey Masterson

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In my last post I showed how to set up OWA certificate based authentication on a Windows 2003 CAS with ISA 2006. In this post, I will cover how to set this up when your Client Access server is running on Windows 2008 server without being published with ISA server.

Note: These steps are only for Exchange 2007 mailboxes, and will not work for the /Exchange virtual directory. Your PKI infrastructure should already be in place as well. This can be a Windows 2003 or Windows 2008 certificate server, or your favorite third party vendor.

First up is to see if the Client Certificate Mapping Authentication [Web-Client-Auth] component of IIS is installed. This component is not required to install Exchange 2007 so will most likely need to be installed. You can add this via Server Manager or with the ServerManagerCMD like below.  A reboot of the server is required after the install.

1. ServermanagerCMD -query  will give you a list of components installed. Look at the Web Server/Security section and see if Web-Client-Auth is installed. If not, install it.
2. ServerManagerCMD -install  Web-Client-Auth

After the reboot you can begin configuring IIS.
1. Open IIS Manager and highlight the server name in the left hand pane.
2. Double click the Authentication icon in the middle pane.
3. Right click on Active Directory Client Certificate Authentication and select Enable.
4. Select the OWA virtual directory in the left pane under the Default Web Site.
5. Double click on the SSL Settings icon.
6. Set the Client Certificates radio button to Require.
7. Click Apply.

The next settings for IIS need to be done using the appcmd.exe command line utility. This is located in the windows\system32\inetsrv directory. This command allows you to unlock the XML configuration file to allow Client Certificate Mapping Authentication to be enabled.

1. appcmd unlock config /section:clientCertificateMappingAuthentication
2. appcmd set config "Default Web Site/OWA" -section:clientCertificateMappingAuthentication /enabled:true

Now just configure the OWA virtual directory from the Exchange Management shell. This will turn off forms based authentication, set Windows Authentication and Basic Authentication to false. Users will be required to present a certificate to access OWA after this step.

1. set-owavirtualdirectory -identity "server-name\OWA (Default Web Site)" -WindowsAuthentication:$false -BasicAuthentication:$false FormsAuthentication:$False
2. IISreset /noforce

More information:

There is a new IIS 7 Administration Pack that has been released. This tool adds a configuration editor to the feature view in IIS manager. This will allow you to make the certificate mapping changes in IIS manager instead of using the AppCmd.exe utility. This tool is still a technical preview tool so I did not cover the steps. If you are interested you can get more details over on the iis.net page here, and download the tool here.

-- DJ Ball

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It's now been 3 whirlwind weeks since taking the helm of the Exchange team. As I'm getting to know the team, I wanted to take this opportunity to better introduce myself to the Exchange community.

I feel fortunate to inherit such a strong product and exceptional team. The talent within the Exchange team has always been viewed as top-notch and I now deeply appreciate why. The people I've met and the processes I've learned about are nothing short of world-class. And, appropriately so, our partner and customer community is equally as impressive! Based on what I knew about Exchange before taking this role and even more so based what I've learned in the past few weeks, there is no question in my mind that Exchange is poised for continued, long term success.

In terms of my background, I have spent my entire career at Microsoft. I joined the Microsoft back in 1990, directly from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In my 18 years at Microsoft, I have worked on client and server software and services for both consumers and businesses. These experiences have helped me prepare for the opportunity I have to lead Exchange through the next several versions where we deliver on the S+S vision with Exchange Server and Exchange Online. Outside of work, you will often find me playing sports with my two sons. I am an avid sports fan and love to watch and play football, soccer, golf- sometimes more than my wife appreciates. ;)

Since coming onboard, I have been asked about this change in leadership, and my priorities for the Exchange business. I thought it would be great to share some of my thoughts with you too:

Why was there a leadership change and how does it impact Exchange's priorities?

This leadership change was a routine shift in executive duties for both Terry and me. Terry's exceptional people leadership and technical acumen will be a tremendous asset to the Windows Mobile team. My diversity of software and services experience made me a good fit for Exchange as we fully embrace and deliver on the S+S vision. With that said, our top priority for Exchange remains unchanged. We continue to focus our energies on delivering the best communication experience across the PC, web and other devices for all of our customers.

Is the fact that you are running both Office Live and Exchange telling of a strategy change for Exchange?

The short answer is no. Exchange and Office Live are two businesses with independent strategies and goals. There are some synergies between the Office Live service and Exchange Online from a services management perspective that I am leveraging across my two businesses, however.

What is your leadership style?

At my core, I am passionate about delivering great value for our customers and partners through strong engineering teams. You will see this passion play out as I lead Exchange. My focus as a leader is on creating a team that is unmatched in technical talent, drive to win and passion for exceeding customer expectations. I believe in taking risks, but always being accountable to deliver for our customers and the company. With an active and changing competitive landscape, I expect to keep a deep focus on customer value and satisfaction. Exchange leads the industry in customer satisfaction and strength of community. My goal in leading Exchange is to continue this trend and take it to the next level.

I really look forward to meeting more of the Exchange community in the weeks and months to come. Exchange has had a long history of energetic and participative community and I'm thrilled to become part of the mix.

 

-- Rajesh Jha

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As we have released Exchange 2007 SP1 Update Rollup 4 on Microsoft Update two days ago, a question came up: how do you tell which version of the Update Rollup is installed?

The simplest answer is to go to Add or Remove Programs Control Panel applet. Then:

1. Make sure that "Show updates" checkbox is checked
2. Click on the Update Rollup that you are trying to figure out version information for
3. Click on the "Click here for support information" link

The version will be displayed like this:

This applies to pretty much all other updates too, Exchange related or not.

- Nino Bilic

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Overview

Earlier versions of Exchange did not scale well enough, at a low enough cost per mailbox (because of expensive hardware and recovery options) to allow IT administrators the ability to match the ever increasing mailbox sizes of personal e-mail accounts. Exchange 2007 offers dramatic performance and scalability improvements when compared to prior versions of Exchange. Long recovery times have been a significant impediment to the adoption of larger mailbox sizes. The introduction of cluster continuous replication (CCR) offers the ability to rapidly recover from outages at a low cost. These performance and rapid recovery improvements enable IT departments to deploy large mailboxes easily and at a low cost. Increased mailbox sizes improve end-user productivity and satisfaction, reduce IT administrative costs, improve security, and help meet business and regulatory compliance requirements.  For more information on the end user and IT benefits that are available by deploying large mailboxes in Exchange 2007, please see the whitepaper, Planning for Large Mailboxes with Exchange 2007.

In order to move forward with various designs like large mailboxes, IT departments need to understand one of the chief costs associated with Exchange mailbox servers, namely storage.  To that end, the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Cost Calculator is designed to help you determine a portion of the mailbox server cost, namely the disk cost (purchase price and lifecycle power and cooling costs).  The calculator helps in two ways:

1.       The calculator takes a series compares a series of storage design configurations and determines their respective costs.  The underlying goal here is two-fold:

a.       To show that you can achieve the same capacity and I/O requirements utilizing Small Form Factor SAS disks for relatively the same cost as Large Form Factor FC disks.

b.      To show that there are other disk solutions (e.g., SATA) that can be viable and reduce the disk footprint cost.

2.       In the situation where you are unsure whether you want to deploy Single Copy Clusters (SCC) or Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR), the calculator can compare SCC+SAN disk configurations against CCR+DAS disk configurations from a cost perspective.

Hopefully these measurements will show the value from a cost perspective in considering other disk designs, coupled with large mailboxes and continuous replication.

In order to utilize the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Cost Calculator, you need to understand the solution you are planning to deploy.  In particular, you need to know:

·         Number of mailbox servers

·         Number of mailboxes and their mailbox size

·         High availability model that will be used

·         Number of database copies that will exist

·         Power and cooling costs

·         Storage design

·         Disk costs

·         Disk active power consumption

In addition, you should also keep in mind that this calculator model only focuses on the associated disk costs.  For a complete end-to-end cost/mailbox these items will also need to be considered, just to name a few:

·         Server costs

·         Array controller costs

·         Disk enclosure costs

·         Fibre/network fabric costs

·         Datacenter/floor space costs

·         Software costs

·         Other operational management costs. 

How to Use the Calculator Input Worksheet

When you launch the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Cost Calculator, you are presented with the Input worksheet.  This worksheet is broken down into 7 key areas.

Important: The example configuration provided within this calculator is just that, an example, and as such, each input option needs to be evaluated as to how it will affect your design.

Step 1 – Gather Storage Requirements

The Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Cost Calculator can work hand-in-hand with the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Storage Requirements Calculator.   You should first scope out your mailbox server storage design using the Requirements Calculator as its output can be inputted into this calculator.

Step 2 – Solution Information

In this section you are asked to fill in the necessary information about your mailbox server solution:

Exchange Configuration<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Value

Number of Mailbox Servers

1

Number of Mailboxes / Server

4,000

Large Mailbox Size Deployment (1GB+)

Yes

High Availability Model

CCR

Number of Database Copies / Mailbox Server via Continuous Replication

2

Third-Party Data Replication Solution in Use

No

 

·         For Number of Mailbox Servers, simply enter in the number of mailbox servers or number of clustered mailbox servers you will deploy.

·         For Number of Mailbox Servers / Server, simply enter in the number of mailboxes that will be deployed on each mailbox server or clustered mailbox server.  This value can be obtained from the Requirements Calculator Storage Requirements worksheet’s Solution Configuration table (Single Server column).

·         For Large Mailbox Size Deployment (1GB+), select Yes if you are planning to deploy large mailboxes and No if you are planning to deploy small mailboxes.  Large mailbox deployments require a fast recovery mechanism in order to meet most RTO requirements; therefore, if you are deploying large mailboxes without continuous replication, you will need a VSS clone backup methodology (the calculator will assume this and include the appropriate number of disks necessary to support 2 clone backups).

·         For High Availability Model, select the type of model that you plan to deploy: SCC, CCR, LCR, or none.

·         For Number of Database Copies / Mailbox Server via Continuous Replication, enter in the total number of mailbox copies you will have for each mailbox server instance.  This value can be obtained from the Requirements Calculator Storage Requirements worksheet’s Number of Servers & Data Copies table.

·         For Third-Party Data Replication Solution, select yes if you are planning to utilize a data replication mechanism for your Single Copy Cluster or standalone mailbox server environment.  By selecting yes, the storage calculator will double the number of disks required for the SCC or standalone solution (database, log, restore LUN, and VSS clone disks) so that the replicated hardware can take ownership and become the primary copy without losing any functionality.

Step 3 – Operational Metrics

In this section you are asked to enter in the power and cooling operational costs and how many years you expect this solution to remain in production. For determining your power and cooling costs, please consult your data center management staff.

If you would also like to see a complete solution cost, then you may enter in any other associated costs (e.g., server costs, storage controller costs, etc) into the Additional Costs field.

Category

Value

Power Cost ($/kwh)

$0.12

Cooling Cost ($/kwh)

$0.12

Production Lifecycle (years)

3

Additional Costs ($)

$0.00

Step 4 – Disk Configuration

In this section you are asked to enter in the various disk design configurations you wish to analyze from a cost perspective.  For comparative analysis, you should enter at least 2 different disk configurations.  This data can be obtained from the Requirements Calculator Storage Design worksheet’s Storage Design Input Factors – Disk Selection section.

Database Disk Type

Log Disk Type

Restore LUN Disk Type

Configuration 1

146GB 10K 2.5" SAS

146GB 10K 2.5" SAS

500GB 7.2K 3.5" SATA

Configuration 2

300GB 10K 3.5" FC

300GB 10K 3.5" FC

500GB 7.2K 3.5" SATA

Configuration 3

500GB 7.2K 3.5" SATA

500GB 7.2K 3.5" SATA

500GB 7.2K 3.5" SATA

Step 5 – Number of Disks

In this section you are asked to enter in the number of disks required for each disk design configuration you wish to analyze.  This data can be obtained from the Requirements Calculator Storage Design worksheet’s RAID Configurations / Server table (Note: when populating this table, only focus on the primary database copy and ignore the disk requirements for the continuous replication replica of disks).

Number of Database Disks

Number of Log Disks

Number of Restore LUN Disks

Configuration 1

125

24

10

Configuration 2

60

12

10

Configuration 3

70

8

10

Step 6 – Disk Cost

In this section you are asked to enter in the disk cost for each type of disk you entered into Step 4.  You can obtain this data from your storage vendor or from whatever purchase vehicle you utilize.

Database Disk Type Cost

Log Disk Type Cost

Restore LUN Disk Type Cost

Configuration 1

$298.00

$298.00

$130.00

Configuration 2

$595.00

$595.00

$130.00

Configuration 3

$130.00

$130.00

$130.00

Step 7 – Disk Power Consumption

In this section you are asked to enter in the active power consumption for each type of disk you entered into Step 4.  You can obtain this data from your storage vendor or from the disk manufacturer’s product literature.

Database Disk Active Power Consumption (w)

Log Disk Active Power Consumption (w)

Restore LUN Disk Active Power Consumption (w)

Configuration 1

8.0

8.0

10.6

Configuration 2

18.0

18.0

10.6

Configuration 3

10.6

10.6

10.6

Storage Cost Results Worksheet

After entering in the required information on the Input Worksheet, you can access the Storage Costs Results Worksheet. 

Storage Cost Calculations Section

For each disk configuration entered into the Input Worksheet, the calculator will derive the following information:

·         Total Number of disks required.  Recall that if you are deploying a SCC configuration with large mailboxes, this value will reflect an additional 2 copies required for database and logs in order to allow for fast recovery.  This model will also include the necessary disks required to meet the number of standby continuous replication targets that were entered into the Input Worksheet.

·         Total disk cost.

·         Total power consumed for the required disks.

·         Yearly power cost for the required disks.

·         Yearly cooling cost for the required disks.

This information is then utilized in the results section.

Storage Cost Results Section

Based on the information provided in the Input Worksheet, the calculator will generate two tables.

The first table outlines the total number of disks required for each disk configuration, the yearly power and cooling cost for the required number of disks, the production lifecycle power and cooling cost, and the total disk cost.  The calculator will also visually show how the costs compare with one another: green indicates the most affordable solution, yellow indicates the second affordable solution, and red indicates the most expensive solution.

Total Number of Disks

Yearly Total Power/Cooling Cost

Production Lifecycle Power-Cooling Cost

Total Disk Cost

Total DPC Cost

Configuration 1

318

$5,457.83

$16,373.49

$91,404.00

$107,777.49

Configuration 2

164

$5,895.13

$17,685.39

$88,280.00

$105,965.39

Configuration 3

176

$3,922.24

$11,766.71

$22,880.00

$34,646.71

 

The second table outlines the disk cost per mailbox and the production power and cooling cost per mailbox.  Like the first table, this table also visually depicts the most affordable solution.

Disk Cost / Mailbox

Production Lifecycle Power-Cooling Cost / Mailbox

Total DPC Cost / Mailbox

Total Solution Cost / Mailbox

Configuration 1

$22.85

$4.09

$26.94

Configuration 2

$22.07

$4.42

$26.49

Configuration 3

$5.72

$2.94

$8.66

Storage Cost Charts Worksheet

The Storage Cost Charts worksheet simply takes the data that is provided in the Storage Cost Results section and provides it in a graphical form which can then be used in presentations, delivered business decision makers, etc.

SCC vs. CCR Worksheet

This worksheet is designed to help you when you want to understand the differences between deploying in an SCC configuration or a CCR configuration; differences like:

·         CCR provides two copies of the data.  SCC provides only a single copy of the data (unless deployed with a third-party data replication solution).

·         CCR provides a built-in fast recovery mechanism.  SCC does not provide a built-in fast recovery mechanism.

·         CCR due to its fast recovery mechanism can handle large mailboxes without an impact to RTO.  SCC requires a fast recovery mechanism like VSS clones to satisfy meeting the RTO requirements.

All of these factors are included in the calculations performed in this worksheet.

Step 1 - SCC vs. CCR Input Factors – Storage Controller Type

This worksheet will leverage the input factors set on the Input worksheet.  In addition, to perform the SCC and CCR comparison, please select the type of storage controller you plan to deploy for each disk configuration.  Configurations that utilize a SAN storage controller will be considered Single Copy Clusters, while configurations that utilize a DAS storage controller will be considered Cluster Continuous Replication environments.  If you wish to not include a particular storage configuration in the comparison simply select "Exclude."

Storage Controller Type

Configuration 1

Exclude

Configuration 2

SAN

Configuration 3

DAS

Step 2 - SCC vs. CCR input Factors – Solution Information

If you are planning on deploying your Single Copy Cluster environment in a geographically dispersed model or if you are planning to enhance your solution by replicating the mailbox store data to another storage enclosure, you can select “Yes” to the Third-Party Data Replication Solution (SCC) input.  By selecting yes, the storage calculator will double the number of disks required for the SCC solution (database, log, restore LUN, and VSS clone disks) so that the replicated hardware can take ownership and become the primary copy without losing any functionality.

If you would also like to see a complete solution cost for either the SCC or CCR  environments, then you may enter in any other associated costs (e.g., server costs, storage controller costs, etc) into the Additional Costs fields.

Category

Value

Third-Party Data Replication Solution (SCC)

Yes

SCC Additional Costs ($)

$0.00

CCR Additional Costs ($)

$0.00

SCC vs. CCR Calculations Section

For each disk configuration entered into the Input Worksheet, the calculator will derive the following information:

·         Total Number of disks required.  For SCC configurations with large mailboxes, this value will reflect an additional 2 copies required for database and logs in order to allow for fast recovery; for CCR configurations, this value will reflect a total of 2 copies for the database, logs, and restore LUN.  Also note that for the SCC vs. CCR comparison, standby continuous replication database copies are excluded.

·         Total disk cost.

·         Total power consumed for the required disks.

·         Yearly power cost for the required disks.

·         Yearly cooling cost for the required disks.

This information is then utilized in the results section.

SCC vs. CCR Results SectionThe first table outlines the total number of disks required for each solution configuration, as well as, the number of data copies that exist for each solution.  Remember that for SCC solutions that deploy large mailboxes, you will have 2 VSS clones in addition to the active copy of the database.  If you also select to deploy a third-party data replication solution for SCC, this will increase the copy count by one.

Total Number of Disks

Total Number of Data Copies / Server

Configuration 2 - SAN (SCC)

2,712

4

Configuration 3 - DAS (CCR)

1,056

2

 

The second table outlines the yearly power and cooling cost for the required number of disks, the production lifecycle power and cooling cost, and the total disk cost for the SCC and CCR disk configurations.  The calculator will also visually show how the costs compare with one another: green indicates the most affordable solution, yellow indicates the second affordable solution, and red indicates the most expensive solution.

Yearly Total Power/Cooling Cost

Production Lifecycle Power-Cooling Cost

Total Disk Cost

Total DPC Cost

 

Configuration 2 - SAN (SCC)

$8,396.99

$25,190.96

$129,820.00

$155,010.96

Configuration 3 - DAS (CCR)

$3,922.24

$11,766.71

$22,880.00

$34,646.71

 

The third table outlines the disk cost per mailbox and the production power and cooling cost per mailbox for the SCC and CCR configurations.  Like the first table, this table also visually depicts the most affordable solution.

Disk Cost / Mailbox

Production Lifecycle Power-Cooling Cost / Mailbox

Total DPC Cost / Mailbox

Total Solution Cost / Mailbox

 

Configuration 2 - SAN (SCC)

$64.91

$12.60

$77.51

Configuration 3 - DAS (CCR)

$5.72

$2.94

$8.66

 

In addition, this section will also include a graph that highlights the production lifecycle disk capital and operational costs per mailbox.

You can download the Exchange 2007 Mailbox Server Storage Cost Calculator from http://msexchangeteam.com/files/12/attachments/entry450038.aspx. We hope you find this calculator helpful for analyzing various disk configuration costs for Exchange 2007 mailbox servers. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email strgcalc@microsoft.com.

-- Ross Smith IV