With the new Database Availability Group (DAG) feature in Exchange 2010 RTM, the default behavior, when you created a DAG, were to use a DHCP assigned IP address for the DAG object. Although this made it a rather seamless process to deploy a DAG, the reality is that far from all customers want to use a DHCP assigned IP address for a DAG. They would rather use a static IP address which with the Exchange 2010 RTM version force Exchange administrators to have to use the Set-DatabaseAvailbilityGroup with the DatabaseAvailabilityGroupIpAddresses parameter.
During the Exchange 2010 RTM TAP, I was among the folks that asked for the option of being able to set static IP addresses for a DAG using the Exchange Management Console (EMC).
Well it’s good to see that (once again), the Exchange Product group listened because with the upcoming Exchange 2010 SP1 this will be possible. When you have created a DAG and added at least one member server to it, you can open the property page and here find a new tab called “IP Addresses”.
Figure 1: DAG created with one member server
Under this new tab, you can add all the static IP addresses required for the respective DAG. For instance, if the DAG has member servers from different AD sites (and therefore also different subnets), you can enter an IP address for the DAG for each subnet.
Figure 2: IP Addresses tab
I know this is not one of the big improvements in the upcoming Exchange 2010 SP1, but the small improvements definitely also counts.
Update: Noticed Scott Schnoll’s has a few details around the above over at his blog too.
Cheers,
Henrik Walther
Technology Architect/Writer
MCM: Exchange 2007 | MVP: Exchange Architecture
MCITP: EMA + EA | MCSE: M + S | TechNet Influent
