High availability: Exchange, Active Directory & databases
Mail, sign-in and databases are the systems a business notices first when they stop. Our team designs them so a failed server, a patch night or a lost site does not become an outage, and we test failover before anyone depends on it.
What we do
- Exchange DAG design, seeding, switchover tests and patching order
- Active Directory site, subnet and replication design for multiple offices
- Domain controller placement, FSMO role planning and health monitoring
- Tiered administration so domain admin accounts never sign in to workstations
- SQL Server Always On availability groups with listener and failover testing
- PostgreSQL streaming replication with monitored lag and tested promotion
- Failover runbooks and scheduled switchover drills
- Backups kept separate from the replication design
For Microsoft Exchange Server we have worked with database availability groups (DAGs), which keep several copies of each mailbox database on different servers. For Active Directory we plan sites and subnets, domain controller placement, replication and a tiered administration model that keeps domain admin credentials off ordinary machines. For SQL Server we have worked with Always On availability groups, and for PostgreSQL with streaming replication and managed failover.
High availability is not a backup. We pair every design with tested, immutable backups and a documented recovery plan. This work supports our Managed IT Services and Cloud Management practices and the recovery side of Cybersecurity.
Leading platforms we work with
- Microsoft Exchange Server
- Microsoft Active Directory
- Microsoft SQL Server
- PostgreSQL
Platforms and practices
- Microsoft Exchange Server database availability groups (DAG)
- Active Directory sites, replication and domain controller placement
- Active Directory administrative tiering
- SQL Server Always On availability groups
- Windows Server Failover Clustering
- PostgreSQL streaming replication
- Failover testing & runbooks
References
- Microsoft Learn: Exchange database availability groups
- Microsoft Learn: Designing the Active Directory site topology
- Microsoft Learn: Enterprise access model (administrative tiering)
- Microsoft Learn: Always On availability groups overview
- PostgreSQL documentation: log-shipping and streaming replication standby servers
Sources last checked .
Product names are trademarks of their owners and are listed to describe our experience; they do not imply endorsement or partnership.
How we use High availability: Exchange, Active Directory & databases for clients
Managed IT Services
We run your IT day to day so it stays secure: help desk, devices, Microsoft 365, Exchange, Active Directory, backups, networks and monitoring.
Learn moreCloud Management
Cloud cost review and management, without compromising on quality or security.
Learn moreCybersecurity
We find out whether everything you run is safe from attackers, then we fix it.
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