Exchange Server 2010

August 4th, 2011 | Posted by rajkumar in Exchange Server 2010

The Client Access Server role provides mailbox access for all types of Exchange clients except Outlook MAPI clients, which as most of you are aware, connect directly to the Mailbox Server. This means the Client Access server manages access for any user who accesses their mailbox using Outlook Anywhere (formerly known as RPC over HTTP), Outlook Web Access (OWA), Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), POP3 and last but not least IMAP4. Also Client Access Server supports the automatic configuration of outlook Profile (Auto Discover), freebusy information (Availability Service), OOF message support (Availability Service), OAB distribution (Availability Service) and support for UM clients In exchange server 2007, we have the high availability option available for mailbox servers, with options like LCR, CCR, SCC and SCR. We dont have any concept informed by MS to have the high availability for client access server, where they recommend W NLB to achieve the HA. If we want to achieve High Availability for CAS server, we have to Implement Windows NLB and we give a common name to NLB and we use to access the NLB common cluster name to access mailbox using exchange supported clients, where in if any problem in one node on the NLB, still it will continue to accept the new connection from other node RPC Client Access Server Property in Mailbox Database In exchange server 2010, outlook MAPI client connection will be supported only using Client Access Server. We are using the same Windows NLB to achieve the high availability feature for client Access server and new concept called Client Access Array was introduced in exchange 2010, where it is limited to have 8 CAS servers as member server and if more we need a hardware load balance to load balance the client connection. Client Access Server Array, function same as WNLB CAS option in exchange server 2007. In the back ground of exchange 2010, each and every mailbox database will have a new property called, RPC Client Access Server which is set in all the databases. The RPC Client Access server property will point the client access server name, which needs to be used by all the mailboxes in that database. if the user having mailbox on a database initiate a client connection, it will look at the RPC client Access property on the database and CAS server mentioned will support that client. If that server fails, user will have problem in access the mailbox.

Read more: http://msexchange2010.info/archives/989#ixzz280Fea3dU