Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Topic Last Modified: 2008-07-15

This topic explains how to configure network connections to support a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 clustered mailbox server in a cluster continuous replication (CCR) environment. Proper configuration of the network connections is necessary to ensure that client connections to the cluster server are possible and happen in a timely fashion. There are three procedures that must be performed prior to forming the clusters:

• Configure the network connection order
  
• Configure the public network connections
  
• Configure the private network connections
  

  Important:

  If you have a network adapter that can be manually configured to specify speed and duplex mode, and you are using a crossover cable, you should manually specify a speed and duplex mode. With network adapters that can manually specify a speed and duplex mode, make sure that you hard set them with the same configuration on all nodes and according to the manufacturers' specifications. For network adapters that do not support manual settings, follow the card manufacturer's specifications. The amount of information that is traveling across the private network is small, but latency is critical for communication. If you have the same speed and duplex settings, this helps to support reliable communication. If you are not sure of the supported speed of your card and connecting devices, or your manufacturer's recommended settings, we recommend that you set all the devices on that path to 10 megabytes (MB) per second and half duplex. This configuration provides sufficient bandwidth and reliable communication. For more information about the effects of using the Autodetect setting on network interface cards in cluster deployments, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 174812, The effects of using Autodetect setting on cluster network interface card.

 Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures on a computer that is being configured for a clustered mailbox server, the account you use must be delegated the following:

• Membership in the local Administrators group
  

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

You must have at least one network that has file-sharing capabilities for the Majority Node Set (MNS) quorum with file share witness to function. We recommend that you enable file sharing on multiple networks in the cluster to avoid a single point of failure for the quorum resource.

 Procedure

 To configure the network connection order for a clustered mailbox server

1. In Control Panel, double-click Network Connections.

2. On the Advanced menu, click Advanced Settings.

3. In Advanced Settings, on the Adapters and Bindings tab, under Connections, make sure that your connections appear in the following order:

   • <Public network name> (where Public network name is the name of your public network connection)
     
   • <Private network name> (where Private network name is the name of your private network connection)
     
   • Remote access connections
     

4. Click OK to save the changes.