Choosing a Partner E3K

[aamercado]

Hi

My customer has only one server which is acting as AD3/E3k and currently has resource issues. He would like to place a new partner e3k as a front end bridgehead server. This bridgehead server would not host any mailboxes and would be dedicated to processing Unity voice messages.

Is that possible? If so what are the pros/cons?

Thx

[Hin Lee]

I don't understand how the new exchange 2k3 server is going to help if you are not going to have unity mailboxes on it? The voicemails still have to be stored on the Ad/exch server anyway.

[d.albertson]

Important safety tip: you cannot use an Exchange Front End Server as a Unity Partner Server because the Front End Server does NOT allow MAPI connections (which Unity requires for operation).

From microsoft:

A front-end server is an ordinary Exchange server until it is configured as a front-end server. A front-end server must not host any users or public folders.

Dave

[aamercado]

Hi

I thought a front end server DOES support MAPI as long as you do not remove the store.

I will not call it a front end server a bridgehead server so as not to confuse things. I thought a bridgehead server will work as the bridgehead server will have a information store but no mailboxes will be created on it. The store will remain empty. This bridgehead server will filter the incoming message traffic to the back end mailbox servers therefore aleviating it from taxing the resources on one of the back end mailbox servers.

Can you point to any links?

[aamercado]

I am still trying to understand bridgehead on searching this forum:

http://forum.cisco.com/eforum/servlet/NetProf?page=netprof&forum=IP%20Communications%20and%20Video&topic=Unified%20Communications&CommCmd=MB%3Fcmd%3Dpass_through%26location%3Doutline%40%5E1%40%40.1dd933d6/1#selected_message

http://forum.cisco.com/eforum/servlet/NetProf?page=netprof&forum=IP%20Communications%20and%20Video&topic=Unified%20Communications&CommCmd=MB%3Fcmd%3Ddisplay_location%26location%3D.1dd6dd33

It does imply it works. BTW, I have 405 with Failover so wondering if any caveats.

TIA

[d.albertson]

In Exchange 2003 a front-end server is different from a bridgehead server. A bridgehead server can have mailboxes on it, but usually doesn't (and can be a Unity partner server). A front-end server must not host any users/mailboxes.

I should have said a front-end server does not allow MAPI connections to front-end server mailboxes. When you tell Unity which partner server to use, it installs a system mailbox on the partner server and needs to connect to it using MAPI.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/guides/E2k3ClientAccGuide/ec546a82-c56b-4509-b827-54f02504c6ba.mspx

A front-end server acts as a MAPI proxy so MAPI connection requests get sent to the back-end server that has the mailbox.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/guides/E2k3FrontBack/9713985e-8847-4104-be02-6d00af9243e1.mspx

You could possibly move the Untiy system mailbox(es) to back-end servers after going through the Unity installation but I haven't tried it and don't know if it is supported.

Dave