Selecting for Exchange Server Deployments

11.17.09 |

A lot goes into the right choice of storage system for Exchange Server 2007 deployment. The Exchange Server is compatible with three primary types of system: DAS, iSCSI and SAN protocol. Each system has benefits and setbacks in terms of storage management.

Microsoft has a number of tools that are designed to help users identify their storage concerns and to quantify these requirements. Identifying your use of storage before opting for a particular system can save you a lot of time and money.
DAS has been widely used for decades. It is a common choice among small and medium-scale businesses. It is also increasingly popular among enterprises as well. But if you’re looking to opt for DAS when it comes to your Exchange environment, you might want to look into the many RAID array options as well as the use of multiple disks.

SANs are scalable and dependable for centralized data storage resources. They operate through independent networks and mostly use Fibre Channel based connection sin order to communicate between connected managed hosting and disks. However, they are more complicated and relatively more expensive. The software for SANs is usually packaged separately from the hardware but DAS features a range of utilities.

Finally there is the iSCSI. This is a storage protocol that can connect to a network device and move storage related data. Clients are able to send SCSI commants to consolidated and remote storage targets as efficiently as they would with a locally attached disk. These devices are also less expensive than FCs but you will still need dedicated cables and hardware.you should have at least a dedicated virtual LAN if you’re going to use this server environment.