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In Exchange, a storage group is a logical
grouping of mail databases that share a single set of logs. As
previously mentioned, each Exchange 2007 server can have up to 50
storage groups, a significant increase from Exchange 2003, which
allowed a maximum of 4.
Each storage group can have up to 5 databases. However, Exchange Server 2007 servers are limited to 50 databases total.
Each
instance of a storage group can use a significant amount of server
resources, so you should plan your storage group and database design
carefully.
Creating a New Storage Group
Creating a new storage group in Exchange 2007 is an extremely simple process. To do so:
1. | Start the Exchange Management Console.
| 2. | In the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and select Mailbox.
| 3. | In the results pane, select the server where your new storage group will reside.
| 4. | In the action pane, click New Storage Group. This starts the New Storage Group Wizard.
| 5. | The server name is automatically filled in for you. Continue on the page, filling out the following fields:
- Storage Group Name—
The storage group name will be displayed in the Exchange Management
Console. Select a name that meets your organization’s naming
conventions.
- Log Files Location— You can click Browse to relocate the log files associated with this storage group. The default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\Mailbox\storage group name.
- System Files Location— By default, these are stored in the same directory as the log files.
- Local Continuous Replication System Files Location—
This option is only enabled if the Enable Local Continuous Replication
for this Storage Group option at the bottom of the page is enabled. The
default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\Mailbox\LocalCopies\storage group name.
Note
New
in Exchange Server 2007, Local Continuous Replication (LCR) is a
single-server solution that utilizes built-in asynchronous log shipping
technology to create and maintain a copy of a storage group. This copy
is stored on a second set of disks that are connected to the same
server as the production storage group. LCR allows for a quick manual
switch to a secondary copy of the data in the event of a failure.
- Local Continuous Replication Log Files Location—
Like the system files, this option is only enabled if Local Continuous
Replication is enabled on the storage group. The default location for
the log files is in the same directory as the Local Continuous
Replication system files.
| 6. | Click New to continue and create the storage group.
| 7. | On
the Completion page, you can review the summary to ensure the storage
group was successfully created. Click Finish to close the wizard.
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Creating a New Database
Like
the storage groups, creating a new database is a straightforward
process in the Exchange Management Console using the wizard. To do so:
1. | Start the Exchange Management Console.
| 2. | In the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and then select Mailbox.
| 3. | In the results pane, select the server, and then the storage group where your new database will reside.
| 4. | In
the action pane, click either New Mailbox Database or New Public Folder
Database, depending on the type you want to create. This launches the
New Database Wizard.
| 5. | The
storage group name is automatically filled in for you with the selected
server and storage group. Continue on the page, filling out the
following fields:
- Mailbox Database Name—
The database name will be displayed in the Exchange Management Console
and used whenever new mailboxes are added. Select a name that meets
your organization’s naming conventions.
- Exchange Database File Path— You can click Browse to relocate the database you are creating. The default location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\Mailbox\storage group name.
- Local Continuous Replication Exchange Database File Path—
If you have created the storage group with Local Continuous Replication
enabled, this option is available. If LCR was not enabled on the
storage group, you won’t see this option now.
- Mount This Database—
By default, this box is checked, instructing Exchange to mount the
database upon creation. If you do not want the database mounted
automatically, uncheck this selection.
| 6. | Click New to continue and create the new database.
| 7. | On
the Completion page, you can review the summary to ensure the database
was completed and mounted successfully (if the mounting option was
selected). Click Finish to close the wizard..
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Setting Limits on Databases
After
you have created a database, it can be configured to mandate storage
limits and deletion settings. These settings apply to all user
mailboxes stored on that database. However, user settings on individual
mailboxes can be configured to override these settings. This can be
useful when you want to set a limit for all users on a particular
database, but you have one user who needs more (or less) restrictive
settings. To configure these options, perform the following tasks:
1. | Start the Exchange Management Console.
| 2. | In the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and then select Mailbox.
| 3. | In the results pane, select the server, storage group, and database you want to modify.
| 4. | In the action pane, click Properties to open the database properties sheet. Select the Limits tab.
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Several limits can be set regarding server configurations. You can configure the following settings on the database:
Storage Limits—
The. storage limits allows you to configure restrictions on all
mailboxes located within that database. The available storage limits
options are as follows: Issue Warning At (KB)—This
option allows the Exchange system to automatically send a warning
message to users whose mailbox size exceeds the size limits set. It is
important to note that this size includes all data stored in the
mailbox. Users often overlook their Deleted Items and Sent Items
folders and wonder why their mailboxes are still over the limits. In
addition, outdated calendar items (often with large attachments) can be
forgotten when users are cleaning their mailboxes. Prohibit Post At (KB)—This
option allows administrators to enforce storage limits by restricting
the ability of offending users to send messages until their mailbox
size has fallen below the prescribed limits. This is often used in
conjunction with the Issue Warning At setting, and is usually set to a
higher limit to allow users adequate time between receiving a warning
and having their ability to send messages restricted. Prohibit Send and Receive At (KB)—The
most restrictive of the storage limits, this setting blocks both the
sending and receiving of messages after the limit has been reached.
This setting is not normally enforced, except in the strictest of
environments, because the overwhelming need for uninterrupted business
communications often outweighs the unyielding enforcement of size
limitations. Use this option with caution, and ensure there is full
executive approval before implementing. Warning Message Interval—By
default, storage limit warning messages are sent daily at 1:00 a.m.
This selection can be customized to perform the warning at a different
time of the day, or even to send multiple messages at various times of
the day. Click Customize to change the default setting.
Deletion Settings—
The deletion settings dictate how deleted items and mailboxes in the
database will be dealt with. The available deletion settings options
are as follows: Keep Deleted Items for (Days)—By
default, mailbox databases are configured to keep deleted items for 14
days. This default setting is increased from Exchange Server 2003,
which defaulted to 7 days. Note
There
is often some user confusion as to what messages can be recovered using
the Tools, Recover Deleted Items option in Outlook. There are two types
of deletion—Hard (or physical) deletion and Soft (or logical) deletion.
When a user deletes an item, it goes to their Deleted Items folder and
can be recovered simply by dragging and dropping it back into their
Inbox. If the user goes to the Deleted Items folder, and again deletes
the message, or if they select Tools, Empty Deleted Items Folder, the
item has been soft deleted and can be recovered using the Tools,
Recover Deleted Items option. This recovery can be accomplished as long
as it is initiated within the window set in the Keep Deleted Items for
(Days) section field. However, if a user enters the Recover Deleted
Items utility, and selects to purge a message, or if the Keep Deleted
Items for (Days) period has expired, the item is hard deleted and
cannot be recovered without resorting to backup/restore methods.
Keep Deleted Mailboxes for (Days)—In
Exchange 2007, deleting a mailbox does not mean that it is permanently
purged from the database immediately. The mailbox is flagged for
deletion and can no longer be accessed by users. After the mailbox
retention period controlled by this setting has been reached, the
mailbox is then purged from the system. This option is extremely useful
in the event of a user deletion that is the result of a mistake, and
allows the administrator to re-create the user object and reconnect the
deleted mailbox. By default, this setting is set to 30 days. It can be
configured anywhere from 0 (immediate purge upon deletion) to 24,855
days. It is unlikely you will ever need the upper limit (equivalent to
a little over 68 years), but this setting can be adjusted to meet your
organization’s needs. Unless disk space becomes an issue, it is
recommended that you do not disable the deleted mailbox retention feature. Do Not Permanently Delete Mailboxes and Items Until the Public Folder Database Has Been Backed Up—This final setting is not enabled by default. By checking this option, you instruct Exchange to not
delete items or mailboxes, even after the retention period has expired,
until the database has been successfully backed up. By selecting this
option, you ensure that you are able to recover critical items or
mailboxes from backup tape, even after the purge has been completed.
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