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Marc4056
Copper Contributor
Aug 23, 2023

Clean Shutdown of All DAG Members During Storage Maintenance

We run 6 virtualized Exchange 2019 Mailbox servers within a single DAG. Our configuration ensures that each database has two copies. The arrangement is such that every pair of servers share the same database copies. This means:

  • Server 1 shares database copies with Server 2
  • Server 3 shares with Server 4
  • Server 5 shares with Server 6

Our storage team has informed us of an upcoming maintenance session where the storage connected to all these Exchange servers will be temporarily offline. I want to ensure a clean shutdown of all the Exchange Mailbox servers prior to the outage, and safely bring them online post-maintenance, with an added check to verify the storage's integrity.

 

Proposed Shutdown and Startup Sequence:
Before Storage Maintenance:

  1. Place Exchange Servers 2, 4, and 6 into Exchange maintenance mode, and then shut them down. This will keep all DB copies active on servers 1, 3, and 5.
  2. Dismount all databases.
  3. Stop all Exchange services on servers 1, 3, and 5.

After Storage Maintenance:

  1. First, inspect and verify the storage's health.
  2. If everything checks out, initiate all Exchange services on servers 1, 3, and 5, and verify their status.
  3. Mount all databases.
  4. Power on Exchange servers 2, 4, and 6.
  5. Remove Exchange Servers 2, 4, and 6 from Exchange maintenance mode.

 

Feedback Request:
I would greatly appreciate insights or recommendations to enhance this approach. Are there any precautions or additional steps I should consider?

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