Understanding Exchange Server routing groups

Please let others know how useful this tip is via the rating scale at the end of it. Do you have a useful Exchange or Outlook tip, timesaver or workaround to share? Submit it to our tip contest and you could win a prize.

Introduction

Exchange Server routing groups have one job: to keep your network bandwidth links from being overrun by replication traffic. In this article, I explain how Exchange routing groups work, issues to watch out for when using them, and routing group topology options that are available to you.

How routing groups work

If you have routing groups implemented, you can have one routing group at the corporate office and a separate routing group at a remote office. The routing groups would be joined by a routing group connector.

That connector would designate one server in each routing group as a bridgehead server. (Exchange traffic flowing between routing groups can only be sent between bridgehead servers.)

Let's say that an Exchange server in your main office has been updated, and that update needs to be replicated to 10 servers at a remote office. With routing groups set up, rather than sending 10 copies of the update across the WAN link, the server could send the update to the local bridgehead server. The local bridgehead would then send the update to the remote bridgehead server. The remote bridgehead server would distribute the update to the machines at the remote office.

So, instead of having to send 10 different copies of the update across the wire

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Exchange Server Administration Tips Fixing DPM 2007 inconsistent replica errors in Exchange Server Using Mobile Device Manager 2008 server roles in Exchange 2007 An introduction to the DSAccess service in Exchange Server 2007 Exchange Performance Monitor tracks domain controller communication Exchange Server 2007 SP2 reinstates built-in backup capabilities Three Performance Monitors counters to use in Exchange Server 2007 Scheduling multiple Performance Monitor alerts in Exchange Server 2007 Which ActiveSync authentication method is best for your mobile device? Configure Performance Monitor alerts for Exchange Server 2007 Disable ActiveSync in bulk with Exchange Management Shell commands Microsoft Exchange Server Sync and Replication Issues Relocating Outlook email messages on a hosted Exchange 2007 server Pushing a public calendar out from a private Exchange account Synchronized Exchange mobile device showing deleted appointment Working with continuous replication in Exchange Server 2007 Troubleshooting Apple iPhone and Exchange Server integration issues How continuous replication works in Exchange Server 2007 Prevent SSL-related synchronization errors on emulated mobile devices Troubleshoot Windows Mobile device emulator synchronization errors Share and sync calendar data between two Exchange Server sites Troubleshoot Outlook 2007 error 0X8004010F on Exchange Server 2007 Microsoft Exchange Server Sync and Replication Issues Research

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

, the update only has to be transmitted once. This saves a tremendous amount of bandwidth.

Routing group caveats

Before you start dividing your own organization into routing groups, there are a couple of issues you need to be aware of:

Routing group topology options

As I talk about topologies, remember that I am referring to routing group topologies, not physical network topologies. Routing groups and routing group connectors function completely independently of the topology of the underlying network (as long as some sort of connectivity exists).

Conclusion

Implementing routing groups can dramatically reduce the amount of Exchange replication traffic flowing across your WAN links. But, if you decide to implement them, make sure you design your routing group topology in a way that avoids single point of failure.

About the author: Brien M. Posey, MCSE, is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with Windows 2000 Server and IIS. Brien has served as the CIO for a nationwide chain of hospitals and was once in charge of IT security for Fort Knox. As a freelance technical writer he has written for Microsoft, TechTarget, CNET, ZDNet, MSD2D, Relevant Technologies and other technology companies. You can visit Brien's personal Web site at http://www.brienposey.com.

Reference Center: Exchange replication and synchronization

---

Rate this Tip To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchExchange.com. Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member. Submit a Tip DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.