1. Risks and Benefits of Exchange 2013
Joe Hoegler, Kraft Kennedy
September 1, 2015
Session
#066

2. Introduction Joe Hoegler
Practice Group Leader, Infrastructure & Enterprise Systems at Kraft Kennedy
Microsoft Certified Master | Exchange 2010
Microsoft Certified Master | Office 365: Exchange Online
Microsoft Certified Solutions Master: Messaging
Advised over 100 law firm clients totaling over 100,000 users on Exchange 2010/2013 projects
Exchange TAP participant since 2011

3. Session Goals Exchange 2013: Architecture, Features, & Functionality
Highlight key differences and benefits relative to previous versions
Discuss primary drivers for migration from previous versions
Identify specific benefits for law firms
Keys to Success with Exchange 2013
Common Pitfalls with Exchange 2013
Introduction to Exchange 2016
Questions

4. Exchange 2013: Architecture, Features, & Functionality

5. Overview of Key Considerations
Considered a “major upgrade”
Another server role architecture change
Outlook 2007 or later required
No support for Outlook 2003
Exchange 2007 or later required for coexistence
No supported direct upgrade path from Exchange 2003
Additional IOPS reductions
Focus on mobility and consistency of user experience
New and consolidated administration

6. Architecture Evolution: Exchange 2003

7. Architecture Evolution: Exchange 2007
Exchange Organization
Edge Transport server role
Hub Transport server role
Client Access server role
Internet
CCR Environment
Mailbox server role
(Active)
(Passive)
Unified Messaging server role

8. Architecture Evolution: Exchange 2010
Enterprise Network
Phone system (PBX or VOIP)
Edge Transport
Routing and AV/AS
Hub Transport
Routing and policy
External
SMTP servers
Mailbox
Storage of mailbox items
Unified Messaging
Voice mail and voice access
Mobile phone
Client Access
Client connectivity
Web services
Web browser
Outlook (remote user)
Line of business application
Outlook (local user)

9. Architecture Evolution: Exchange 2013
Enterprise Network
Edge Transport
Routing and AV/AS
Mailbox Server
Data Storage & Rendering
HA/DR
CAS
HTS UM
Public Folders
External
SMTP servers
Client Access Server
Protocol Proxy
Client Connectivity
Mail Routing
IIS
HTTP
SMTP
POP/IMAP
UM (SIP/RTP redirect)
Mobile phone
Web browser
Outlook (remote user)
Line of business application
Phone system (PBX or VOIP)
Outlook (local user)

10. Exchange Preferred Architecture

11. Exchange Preferred Architecture
Single namespace, unbound model
Layer 4 load balancing without affinity/persistence
Physical server deployment
2U commodity servers
4 database copies, 2 in each of 2 data centers
1 copy lagged by 7 days
JBOD storage
Exchange Native Protection
No dedicated replication networks
Witness in third data center

12. Outlook Web App Adaptive interface Optimized for touch
Enhanced resiliency with Offline OWA

13. Apps for Outlook/OWA 2013 Available through the “Office Store”
Unified code for OWA and Outlook client
Administrator control from Exchange

14. Site Mailboxes

15. In-Place Hold All changes/deletions kept in mailbox and recoverable
Captures BCC and DL expansion as of Exchange 2013 CU7 but not Drafts
Hold can be exposed or hidden from user
Content discoverable through Multi-Mailbox Search
Enabled with New-MailboxSearch Cmdlt or via EAC
Introduction of query and time based holds
One In-Place hold can encompass many mailboxes

16. Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

17. Modern Public Folders Renewed investment in public folders
Legacy Public Folders
Public Folders in Exchange 2013
Public Folder Databases
Public Folder Mailboxes
Public Folder Replicas
Database Availability Groups
Public Folder Hierarchy
Public Folder Hierarchy Mailbox
Public Logon
Renewed investment in public folders
Public folders move to mailboxes
Inherit all features and functionality (e.g. DAG) as traditional mailboxes

18. Keys to Success with Exchange 2013

19. Plan, Plan, then Plan Some More
High Availability and Site Resiliency
Virtual vs. Physical Deployment
Sizing – Compute, Network, Storage
Server Topology and Specifications
Namespace Planning
Load Balancing
Coexistence and Migration
Decommissioning

20. Architecture Fails..

21. Supported And Unsupported
Virtualization - Supported
All server roles
SVVP hypervisors
Hypervisor HA and clustering
VMotion and Live Migration
Jetstress in-guest (ESX 4.1 or later)
Block-level storage and SMB 3.0 for VHD
No direct access to SMB shares

22. Supported And Unsupported
Virtualization - Unsupported
Memory overcommit, memory reclamation, dynamic memory, mega memory, voodoo memory, etc.
Static memory required for all Exchange workloads
Greater than 2:1 CPU oversubscription
Differencing/delta disks
Thin provisioning not recommended (not supported for OS volume)
Avoid other storage “magic”
Hypervisor snapshots
Apps on the root (OS, A/V, management/monitoring only)

23. Supported And Unsupported
Hyperthreading
Whoohoo, free cores!!
*Not* supported for physical deployments
Supported for virtual deployments
Issues with .NET garbage collection don’t apply to virtual deployments

24. Supported And Unsupported
NFS
Not supported for physical or virtual deployments
Includes VMDKs stored on NFS shares
History of issues with performance and reliability
Performance less of an issue now
Reliability still concerning
Forced Unit Access / Write-Through
Write Ordering
Torn I/O Protection
No plans to change support stance

25. Supported And Unsupported
Strongly recommended to stay within support boundaries
Unsupported doesn’t mean the solution won’t work
Unsupported = risk

26. High Level Sizing for Exchange 2013

27. High Level Sizing for Exchange 2013
CPU, RAM and storage capacity requirements increased significantly over E2010
Due to architecture changes and move to Search Foundations (FAST)
CPU requirements increased ~2-3x
RAM requirements increased ~4x
Storage capacity requirements increased 20%
Storage performance requirements decreased 30-50%

28. High Level Sizing for Exchange 2013
Understand design requirements for high availability, site resiliency, etc.
Start with Mailbox Server role
Need user message profile and average message size
Determine required storage capacity
Verify achievable IOPS from capacity match user load
Verify Background Database Maintenance based on database copy count
Determine megacycles and CPU count – don’t forget ActiveSync devices!!!
Determine memory requirements
Size Client Access Server role based on Mailbox Server role

29. Sizing for Virtual Deployments
Size for physical then virtualize
CPU and RAM requirements significantly increased in Exchange 2013
Virtualization still provides benefits but need to understand cost vs. benefit
Ensure accurate user message profile data before sizing
Do not assume either value – you will undersize or oversize
Consider issues of oversizing when virtualizing
Jetstress is critical to validate the design
Virtualizing Exchange != server consolidation
Choose virtualization for availability/flexibility benefits

30. Sizing for Virtual Deployments
2:1 CPU oversubscription supported
1:1 CPU strongly recommended
If heterogeneous host environment, must ensure slowest host can handle Exchange CPU requirements
Memory overcommit unsupported
Use reservations to guarantee memory for Exchange
Choose the right storage presentation method
VMDKs in VMFS
Host-based RDMs
In-guest presentation

31. Sizing Conclusion Exchange Role Requirements Calculator
Just use it
Complete it accurately
Be sure to understand SPECint value for host vs. vCPUs assigned to the guest
Include hypervisor overhead
Also include mobile device and other overhead
Example client design increase (900 users):
E2010: 2 x HTS/CAS with 2 vCPUs and 8 GB RAM each; 2 x MBX with 2 vCPUs and 32 GB RAM each
E2013: 2 x Multi-Role with 8 vCPUs and 96 GB RAM each

32. Load Balancing Changes
Exchange 2010
Layer 7 with session affinity/persistence required
Required SSL to terminate on load balancer
Either re-encryption or SSL offload to CAS
Exchange 2013
CAS always proxies to the “correct” MBX
Session affinity/persistence no longer required
Layer 4 load balancing without SSL termination possible
Load balancing is now flexible with multiple options
Use to ascertain up/down status of protocol
to rewrite now included within Exchange (HTTP to HTTPS still required if desired)

33. Client Access in Coexistence
E2013 will proxy or redirect all protocols to the correct endpoint
E2007 requires a legacy namespace

34. Not Running Jetstress Common reasons for skipping Jetstress
My storage vendor said Jetstress is unrealistic and “always fails”
My storage is brand new and couldn’t possibly have issues
IOMeter says I will achieve 50,000 IOPS
I’m feeling lucky..
What could possibly go wrong?

35. Real World Issues Uncovered By Jetstress
Dramatically insufficient spindle count for storage performance requirements
Saturation of storage networking fabric (fiber channel or iSCSI)
RAID controller lost flush issues only encountered under load
Firmware issues resulting in drive failures only encountered under load
Storage traffic occurring over single iSCSI NIC and without jumbo frames
A/V software causing 85%+ reduction in IOPS even with proper exclusions
Bug in VMware vSphere 5.0 PVSCSI adapter causing I/O failures

36. Understanding Failure Domains
Exchange VMs on same single host
Database copies on same VMFS, RAID group, SAN, etc.
Network pathing
Dependencies on surrounding systems – AD, file share witness, etc.

37. Common Pitfalls with Exchange 2013

38. OAB Download Storm Issue Impact Mitigation Status
E2013 creates an OAB in a new format and, if a legacy mailbox database does not have a default OAB defined, the E2013 OAB will be chosen.
Impact
Full OAB download occurs, which can be painful for a large number of clients simultaneously and/or across a WAN.
Mitigation
Define default OAB on all mailbox database prior to first E2013 server installed.
Status
Documented -

39. Delegate Mailbox & Legacy PF Access
Issue
E2013 uses a new form of authentication called RPC Anonymous (displayed as Anonymous Authentication in Outlook), which is not properly understood by E2010/2007.
Impact
E2013 user opening legacy mailbox or PF resources will be prompted for authentication continuously.
Mitigation
Force NTLM authentication in E2013 until all mailboxes are moved.
Status
Documented -

40. E2013 Mailboxes Appear Larger
Issue
E2013 calculates the true size of a mailbox more accurately than in previous versions, accounting for mailbox impact on database-level tables, etc. Size on disk is unaffected but the reported size may increase by 30-40%.
Impact
Clients using mailbox quotas may see mailboxes above/at/near quota immediately following a mailbox move to E2013.
Mitigation
Increase mailbox quotas by 50-70% prior to migration.
Status
Documented -

41. E2013 CAS Array Namespace Usage
Issue
In E2010, it was common to use the RPC CAS Array namespace for both RPC connectivity as well as web-based connectivity (e.g. OWA, EWS, etc.). E2013 CAS does not have an RPC endpoint.
Impact
If cas.client.com is moved to E2013 as part of client access cutover, internal client access for E2010 mailboxes will be broken.
Mitigation
Force Outlook Anywhere for E2010 connectivity, change the RPC CAS Array FQDN in E2010, or use load balancer configuration to fork traffic.
Status
Documented -

42. Legacy PF Access Issues Impact Mitigation Status
Legacy PF access is not possible for E2013 mailboxes connecting via EWS (e.g. Outlook 2011 for Mac, Entourage, EWS API, etc.)
Legacy PF access not available in OWA
Legacy PF access not available from Windows XP
Impact
See above
Mitigation
Windows XP access is possible in SP1 (through CU6)
Status
Documented – Various Locations

43. Clients with E2003 Issue Impact Mitigation Status
Direct migration from E2003 to E2013 is not possible, including cross-forest
Impact
See above
Mitigation
Double-hop migration to E2007/2010 then E2013, PST export/import, third party, Office 365
Status
Documented – Numerous Places
Note Microsoft’s history and the impact on E2007

44. Delegate Sent Items Storage
Issue
E2010 SP2 RU5 introduced the ability to have items sent as a manager to be stored in the manager’s Sent Items, sender’s Sent Items, or both. This functionality is missing in E2013.
Impact
Items sent as others will exist in the sender’s Sent Items folder.
Mitigation
Behavior returns with E2013 CU9
Status
Blogged but not formally documented.

45. Cross Site RPC Client Access
Issue
Configuring AllowCrossSiteRpcClientAccess on a DAG to True was common in E2010 to allow a seamless client experience when databases activated across site boundaries. Setting this to True in E2013 causes unexpected Outlook Anywhere endpoints to be used.
Impact
If an unexpected endpoint is used, there could be performance issues across a WAN and outages if servers are rebooted.
Mitigation
Leave this at the default of False.
Status
“Working As Designed”
Undocumented – K&K discovered.

46. Database Copy Auto Activation Policy
Issue
DatabaseCopyAutoActivationPolicy on an MBX is used to control database copy activation behavior, most commonly to restrict out-of-site copies. Setting this to anything other than Unrestricted breaks client access when those copies are activated.
Impact
Outage for users in affected databases unless DCAAP is set back to Unrestricted.
Mitigation
Leave DCAAP at default of Unrestricted.
Status
“Working As Designed”
Blogged but not formally documented.

47. Logging Size Issue Impact Mitigation Status
E2013 leverages extensive logging, creates PerfMon captures to gauge server performance, etc. This can quickly consume a large amount of disk space on the Exchange binaries volume.
Impact
Exchange binaries volume could run out of space, causing an outage.
Mitigation
Leverage PowerShell script as Scheduled Task to purge after X days.
Status
Blogged but not formally documented.

48. NodeRunner CPU Utilization
Issue
During mailbox moves, NodeRunner (Search Foundations) causes 100% CPU utilization, even with 16 cores assigned.
Impact
High CPU utilization, some level of user performance issues.
Mitigation
Throttle CPU utilization for NodeRunner via registry.
Status
Under Investigation

49. Other Issues/Notes
XML configuration file changes overwritten with CUs/SPs
MapiBlockOutlookRpcHttp
Multi-role E2007 and Outlook Anywhere
Kerberos token bloat

50. Introduction to Exchange 2016

51. Disclaimer Exchange 2016 is still in development
All information is subject to change

52. Overview of Key Changes
Another server role architecture change
Resource requirements TBD
Focus on collaboration and anytime, anywhere access from any device
Outlook 2010 or later required
Exchange 2010 or later required

53. Architecture Evolution: Exchange 2016
Single building block
Client access proxy components
Includes core server protocols
Database availability group
Loosely coupled
Functionality
Versioning
User partitioning
Geo affinity

54. Exchange 2016 Supported Platforms
Operating System
Windows 2012, Windows 2012 R2, and Windows Server 10 (eventually)
Exchange
Coexistence with Exchange 2010 SP3 RU11 and/or Exchange 2013 CU10 or later only
Outlook
Outlook 2010 SP2 (with hotfixes), Outlook 2013 SP1 (with hotfix), or Outlook 2016
RPC/HTTPS and MAPI/HTTP supported
Active Directory
Minimum: Windows 2008 domain/forest functional level (was Windows 2008 R2)
Recommended: Windows 2012 R2 domain/forest functional level
Deprecated
Outlook 2007, Entourage 2008 Web Services
MAPI/CDO (yes, it’s dead…)
Note supportability about reintroducing legacy Exchange versions

55. Exchange 2016 Coexistence Option 1 – Exchange 2013 Up-Version Proxy
Leverage existing Exchange 2013 CAS to proxy to Exchange 2016 as it is deployed
Avoids needing to fully deploy all Exchange 2016 infrastructure to support the entire environment
Option 2 – Exchange 2016 Down-Version Proxy
Deploy entire Exchange 2016 infrastructure and cutover client access namespaces
Similar to previous migrations to Exchange 2007, 2010, or 2013
DAGs are still version-bound, in place upgrades unsupported

56. Client Access in Coexistence

57. Office Web Apps Server Previously for Lync/Skype PowerPoint streaming
Used by Exchange 2016 for rich browser-based content viewing
Enables side-by-side viewing and edit/reply in OWA

58. Document Collaboration
Integrated with OneDrive for Business
Send an attachment as a file or link
Access anytime, anywhere and from any device
Streamlined attachment view
View attachments inline within a message
Frictionless collaboration
Edit attachments and reply in a single view
Make attachments smarter

59. Document Collaboration: Sharing

60. Document Collaboration: Attachment Preview

61. Document Collaboration: Attach as File or Copy

62. Document Collaboration: Attachment Upload

63. Document Collaboration: Inline Attachment

64. Document Collaboration: Attach From Cloud

65. Document Collaboration: Requirements
Exchange 2016
New attachment experience, photo preview/thumbnail, download attachments only
Office Web Apps
Side-by-side document preview, edit/reply normal attachments
SharePoint 2016
SharePoint links, edit/reply cloud attachments, save to OneDrive for Business

66. Search Enhancements Faster performance More accurate/complete results
Search suggestions with “fuzzy” matching, tailored to you
Search refiners

67. Search Optimizations in Exchange 2016
MBX2016
MBX2016
Mailbox DB
Idx
Passive
Transport
Transport
Content transformation
Service
Mailbox
Local delivery
Store
ExSearch
CTS
Index node
Reliable
event
Read
content
Log DB
Idx
Log

68. Inbox Enhancements (Outlook)
Inline previews for URLs
Inline video player
Intelligent recipient selection and people search

69. Inbox Enhancements (OWA)
Improved HTML rendering
One-click archive
Common typos/suggestions
Import contacts from CSV
Better attachment view

70. Data Loss Prevention New sensitive information types
PolicyTips extended other Office apps
Extension of DLP to SharePoint

71. eDiscovery & Archiving
Search re-designed for improved reliability and speed
In-place hold for public folder data
Equivio Zoom in cloud for advanced analytics

72. Additional Technical Enhancements
Database corruption discovery via database divergence detection
Loose truncation to avoid long-term outages resulting in lack of free space dismounting the database
ReFS support – decreases file system corruption, reseed/rebuild times
Faster database activations
Faster site resilience activations
Additional IOPS reductions (> 22% lower vs. Exchange 2013 currently but subject to change)

73. Ongoing Release Cadence
Cloud-first Delivery
Continuous Updating in Office 365
Quarterly Cumulative Updates On-Premises
Potentially Service Packs On-Premises
Periodic Major Platform Versions On-Premises

74. Questions