Understanding the Exchange 2007 Store

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 Topic Last Modified: 2007-02-28

The Exchange store is a storage platform that provides a single repository for managing multiple types of information in one infrastructure.

Note:
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 tracks the attributes of its components across multiple servers by storing the attributes centrally in the Active Directory directory service, which contains objects for a number of Exchange 2007 components, including administrative groups, storage groups, and databases.

Note:
To assure the highest possible levels of availability for your Exchange organization, you can employ specialized and sophisticated storage group and database management methods. For more information about managing for high availability, see High Availability Strategies.

The following topics in this section provide an overview of the Exchange 2007 store components:

Logical Components of the Exchange Store
This topic provides details about three logical components within the Exchange store: storage groups, mailbox databases, and public folder databases.
File Structure of the Exchange Store
This topic provides details about the files used by the Exchange store, including Exchange database (.edb) files, transaction logging (.log) files, and checkpoint (.chk) files.
Recommendations for Configuring Storage Groups and Databases
This topic provides recommendations for configuring storage groups and databases, including database sizing and disk recommendations.
Understanding Transaction Logging
This topic provides a detailed description about how transaction logging works, including circular logging.

Storage Features in Exchange 2007 Enterprise and Standard Editions

Exchange 2007 is available in two server editions: Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition. Exchange 2007 Standard Edition is designed to meet the messaging and collaboration needs of small and medium corporations, and it may also be appropriate for specific server roles or branch offices. Exchange 2007 Enterprise Edition is designed for large enterprises.

The following table lists which storage group and database features are supported in each edition of Exchange 2007.

Feature	Standard Edition	Enterprise Edition
Storage groups	Five storage groups are supported.	50 storage groups are supported.
Databases	Five databases are supported.	50 databases are supported.
Single Copy Clusters	Not supported.	Supported.
Local Continuous Replication	Supported.	Supported.
Cluster Continuous Replication	Not supported.	Supported.

For More Information

For more information about managing storage groups and databases in Exchange 2007, see Managing Storage Groups and Databases.

For more information about managing public folders, see Managing Public Folders.

To learn more about storage in Exchange 2007, see the following Exchange Server Team Blog articles:

Note:
The content of each blog and its URL are subject to change without notice. The content within each blog is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. Use of included script samples or code is subject to the terms specified in the Microsoft Terms of Use.

For more information about storage design, see Going 64-bit with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

For a list of the Exchange Management Shell cmdlets that you can use to manage storage groups and databases, see Storage Group and Database Cmdlets.

For more information about cluster continuous replication, see Cluster Continuous Replication.

For more information about local continuous replication, see Local Continuous Replication.

For more information about single copy clusters, see Single Copy Clusters.