How to Move a Clustered Mailbox Server in a Single Copy Cluster

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Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Console or the Exchange Management Shell to move a clustered mailbox server (CMS) from an active node to a passive node in a single copy cluster (SCC). This procedure is referred to as a handoff or a scheduled outage.

Moving a CMS between nodes results in a brief interruption in service. In addition, any backups of any storage groups on the CMS are stopped. If a failure occurs late in the move process, the transition of the CMS to the passive node occurs. However, any affected databases are left offline or dismounted.

Although the Failover Cluster Management tool (Windows Server 2008), Cluster Administrator (Windows Server 2003), and the Cluster.exe command-line tool in both operating systems can be used to move a CMS between nodes, we recommend using one of the following procedures to move a CMS from the active node to the passive node because they allow you to specify a reason for the handoff.

Note

The Exchange Management Console procedure can only be performed by using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedure, the account you use must be delegated the Exchange Server Administrator role and local Administrators group for the target server. For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange 2007, see Permission Considerations.

You can use the Get-ClusteredMailboxServerStatus cmdlet to determine the node that is currently hosting the CMS. In addition, you can monitor the progress of the move to the passive node via the Get-ClusteredMailboxServerStatus cmdlet.

Procedure

To use the Exchange Management Console to move a CMS between nodes in an SCC

  1. Open the Exchange Management Console.

  2. Expand Server Configuration, and then select Mailbox.

  3. In the result pane, right-click the CMS to be moved and select Manage Clustered Mailbox Server.

  4. The Manage Clustered Mailbox Server wizard starts. On the Introduction page, in the Management Action area, select Move the clustered mailbox server to another node, and then click Next.

  5. On the Move Clustered Mailbox Server page, click Browse to select the node to which you want to move the CMS. Select the passive node and click OK.

  6. In the Move comment field, type a comment or administrative note about the move and click Next.

  7. On the Progress page, click Move to hand off the CMS from the active node to the passive node.

  8. After the handoff has been successfully completed, the Completion page appears. Click Finish to close the wizard.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to move a CMS between nodes in an SCC

  • Run the following command.

    Move-ClusteredMailboxServer -Identity:<CMSName> -TargetMachine:<PassiveNodeName> -MoveComment:<Comment>

For More Information

For more information about the command syntax for the Move-ClusteredMailboxServer cmdlet, see Move-ClusteredMailboxServer. For more information about the command syntax for the Get-ClusteredMailboxServerStatus cmdlet, see Get-ClusteredMailboxServerStatus.