Hi guys, I want to setup the warm DR site for my primary site which consists of Windows 2003 single forest single domain with Exchange 2007 Single copy cluster and 2 Hub/CAS servers (same H/W CAS with NLB). My warm site is always passive and I have to restore the both AD and Exchange data manually to the warm site bi weekly. My warm site design consists of same name of the active directory domain of the primary site and same name of the primary site domain controllers. One Exchange 2007 mailbox server & one Exchange 2007 Hub/CAS server reside in warm site. I will plan my Exchange 2007 mailbox server is the same virtual name of the Exchange 2007 single copy cluster server in the primary site and also assign the Hub/CAS server name to the same virtual name (NLB Virtual name) of CAS server in the primary site. Please advise me on how this configuration works and what are the configuration challenges I will face once I restore the system state backup of AD and Exchange database taken from the primary site to the warm site. Customer cannot effort to go for any DR solution like SCR.Pls help me on this.....Cheers,AFRAZ

Hi, Base on my experience, I recommend you to deploy another domain controller in the DR site so that it can replicate AD data from the primary site. We do not need to move AD data manually. Besides, since we only can do system state backup, it may depend on the hardware configuration. Microsoft do not recommend customer to restore AD date to different hardware. For Exchange, in theory, we can do disaster recovery on mailbox role. Since you have SCR configured in the primary site, then I think you can try to add a passive node to the DR site or just move the passive node to DR site. Besides, if it is a remote location, then you can refer to the article below to deploy CCR-to-SCR model. Standby Continuous Replication http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb676502.aspx For server name, these server should be the part of the domain, so you cannot use the same server name. You can use other name for CAS/HUB. Besides, If MX=10 points to the primary site, then you can make MX=20 point to the DR site. More related information share with you: 263532 How to perform a disaster recovery restoration of Active Directory on a computer with a different hardware configuration http://support.microsoft.com/kb/263532139822 How to Restore a Backup to Computer with Different Hardwarehttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/139822 Best regards, Xiu

Dear Xiu, Thank you very much for your advice. Actually my customer cannot effort for to setup the live DR scenario due to the licensing cost involved. They needaDR site thatwill be fully passive and during the time of disaster they have to maually up the DR site, which consists of almost identical configuration of primary site.So please be advice, how can I configure the Exchange servers in the DR site, which I mentioned earlier. If you can provide me some working order in order to intiate the Exchnage installation in the DR site and restore the cluster database to the standalone server (non cluster Exchange server).Thanks & Regards,AFRAZ

Dear Xiu, Support links that you provided are not working....AFRAZ

I would not use the configuration you have in mind. The recovery strategy with restoring AD seems to difficult to me. If you cannot afford the licenses, then I would switch from the SCC mailbox server to a single server and use the safed server in your DR site. I would use a standard configuration like SCR instead of a manual backup and restore to the DR site.

Sorry for my late update.I have edited my previous post.Link has also been updated.Regards,Xiu