Pre-requisites

The following are general prerequisites and
configuration
notes for this guide:

• • It is assumed that the reader is a
    network administrator or person familiar with networking and general
    computer terminology

• • You have set-up your Microsoft
    Exchange 2013 environment and have installed your Edgenexus
    ALB-X application delivery controller

• When
  Microsoft refer to a hardware
  load balancer (HLB), this can either be a physical hardware appliance,
  or a virtual appliance load balancer. It is also equivalent to
  the industry term for such appliances, namely “Application
  Delivery Controller (ADC)”
• You are running Software Version 4.0.1 (Build 1576) or later on your Edgenexus ALB-X

Synopsis

This deployment guide explains briefly the concept of Exchange
2013 and how to use an ALB-X to load balance Exchange 2013 Traffic.

Overview

The ALB-X is an Application Delivery Controller (ADC)
sometimes referred to as a next generation load balancer.

This document assumes that you are already familiar
with using the ALB-X GUI.

This document assumes that you are already familiar
with the process of installing Exchange 2013 and creating a CAS Array.

Why Edgenexus?

	Layer 4 & Layer 7 Load Balancing	Application layer server health checks are able to detect and route around problems to eliminate downtime
	Reverse Proxy	Edgenexus ALB-X can provide Reverse-Proxy authentication and secure remote access to all Exchange HTTP-based client access services
	Compression	Content Compression features improve client performance
	SSL Re-Encryption	Enables end-to-end secure encrypted traffic between client and internal resources whilst still being able to provide acceleration and traffic manipulation with flightPATH
	flightPATH	Edgenexus ALB-X is able to intelligently redirect clients to the correct resources
	jetPACK	Quick and easy deployment using jetPACK application templates

What is a jetPACK?

A
jetPACK is a simple text file that you can upload to your appliance
that contains all of the configuration needed to deploy an application
such as Exchange 2013.

For more information on jetPACK see below.

jetPACK

	The Edgenexus ALB-X can be configured automatically with an Exchange 2013 “jetPACK” template, which is fully-tuned with all of the application-specific settings that you need in order to enjoy optimised service delivery from your ALB-X
	If you supply the virtual IP address and real server IP addresses to presales@edgenexus.io we will send you a custom jetPACK that you simply upload to the Edgenexus ALB-X
	The upload can be done via the GUI and will result in a fully configured ALB-X within less than 1 minute
	The relevant jetPACK can be applied to multiple Edgenexus ALB-X appliances saving valuable time and eliminating simple mistakes
	For more information and to download a jetPACK please go to our website jetpack

Exchange 2013 Description

What’s new in Microsoft Exchange 2013?

The most important change is the separation of server roles to Client
Access Server (CAS) and Mailbox server. The Client Access Server’s
primary role is a proxy that connects and authenticates clients to the
Exchange 2013 Mailbox Server. The Mailbox server hosts mailbox
databases and components previously associated with other exchange
Server Roles. As a result of this change persistence or ‘sticky
sessions’ are not required on load balancers.

Client Access Server (CAS) Role

• The Client Access Server (CAS) role accepts connections from a variety
  of clients to allow them access to the Exchange Server infrastructure
• Houses the logic to redirect a specific protocol request from a client to the correct Mailbox server
• No longer needs session affinity
• Handles all inbound and outbound external SMTP traffic via the Front End Service and provide client endpoint for SMTP traffic

Front End Transport Services

The Front End transport service on the Client Access server proxies the
incoming and outgoing SMTP message traffic. The Front End Transport
service quickly selects a single healthy Mailbox server to receive an
incoming SMTP message transmission.

Outlook Connectivity

In Exchange 2013, RPC/TPC has been removed and all Outlook connections take place via Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP).

This provides several benefits:

Standard Exchange 2013 Diagram

Diagram 1.1

Exchange 2013 Port Requirements

CAS Service Name	Protocol	TCP Port	Description
Outlook Anywhere	HTTPS	443	Also known as RPC over HTTP, allows client using Microsoft Outlook 2007, 2010 and 2013 to connect to their Exchange Servers
Exchange Web Services (EWS)	HTTPS	443	Provides client applications to communicate to Exchange Servers
Outlook Web App (OWA)	HTTPS	443	Provides access to Outlook and emails through a web browser
Exchange Active Sync (EAS)	HTTPS	443	Mobile Synchronisation
Autodiscover (ADS)	HTTPS	443	Automatic configuration and profile settings
Exchange Control Panel (ECP)	HTTPS	443	New web-based Exchange Admin Center
Offline Address Book (OAB)	HTTPS	443	Provides a copy of the address book viewable when disconnected
Powershell (PS)	HTTPS	443	Provides a powerful command line interface for administration tasks or automation
SMTP	SMTP/SMTPS	25/465	Simple Message Transport Protocol
POP3	POP3/POP3S	110/995	Post Office Protocol 3 supports offline mail processing
IMAP4	IMAP4/IMAP4S	143/993	Interactive Mail Access Protocol replicates folder structure

HTTPS Deployment

The Exchange 2013 HTTPS services can be deployed in 2 scenarios:

Deployment Type	Pros	Cons
Single Server with Single CAS group	Quick setup manually or jetPACK Consumes less resources on ALB-X Single Virtual IP address	Only one health monitor for all HTTPS services
Multiple Virtual Servers with Multiple CAS groups	Quick setup with jetPACK Health and performance monitoring per service	Multiple external IP addresses and URL’s

Certificate Requirements

All HTTP traffic to the Client Access Servers is encrypted using SSL
certificates. Please use the same certificate that is shared among the Client Access Servers.
A single certificate using Subject Alternative Name (SAN) extension can
be used to support all services on a Edgenexus ALB-X and Client Access
Server.

Importing a certificate

Navigate to Configure — SSL Certificates — Import Certificates
This section allows you to import a signed certificate from a trusted
Certificate Authority (CA). The signed certificate must be in PKCS#12
format. This container format can contain multiple embedded objects,
such as multiple certificates and is usually protected with a password.

To import your certificate:

• Give your certificate a name like Exchange 2013 Certificate
• Type the password you used to create the PKC#12 container
• Browse for the Exchange2013Certificate.pfx
• Click Upload
• Your certificate will now appear in the Basic SSL drop down

Real Server Monitoring

Navigate to Configure — Real Server Monitoring

• Click Add Monitor
• Double click in the Name column and enter the name of your monitor
• Tab to Description and enter an appropriate description
• Tab to Monitoring Method and choose HTTP Response from the drop down menu
• Tab to Page Location and enter a page location detailed in the table below
• Tab to Required Content and enter 200 OK

The following table details all of the Real Server Monitors that can be applied to a Channel/Virtual Server

Name	Description	Monitoring Method	Page Location	Required Content
Monitoring OWA	Outlook Web App	HTTP Response	/owa/healthcheck.htm	200 OK
Monitoring OA	Outlook Anywhere	HTTP Response	/rpc/healthcheck.htm	200 OK
Monitoring EWS	Web Services	HTTP Response	/ews/healthcheck.htm	200 OK
Monitoring EAS	Active Sync	HTTP Response	/Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync/healthcheck.htm	200 OK
Monitoring ECP	Control Panel	HTTP Response	/ecp/healthcheck.htm	200 OK
Monitoring ADS	Autodiscover	HTTP Response	/autodiscover/healthcheck.htm	200 OK
Monitoring OAB	Offline Address Book	HTTP Response	/oab/healthcheck.htm	200 OK

Note: You can configure as many Real Server Monitors as you wish but only one can be applied to a Channel/Virtual Service

Single Virtual Server with Single CAS group

IP Services

Deploying Edgenexus ALB-X as single virtual server with a single CAS
group for Exchange 2013 HTTP services is the simplest and quickest
approach. Only one real server monitor can be applied, which must therefore be considered a group monitor in this scenario.

To add a new Virtual Server or Channel:

Click on Setup — IP-Services

• • In the top Virtual Services section, click on Add IP
  • A blank row will appear, in the IP address column enter the IP address of your Virtual Server
  • Tab to the Subnet Mask column and enter the subnet mask details
  • Tab to the Port column and enter 443
  • Tab to the Service Name column and enter “Exchange 2013 HTTPS Services”
  • Tab to the Service Type and tap down arrow until “HTTP” is selected from the drop down box
  • Click Update to apply your changes

The cursor will then drop down to IP address box in the the Real Servers section

To add a Client Access Server:

• • With the cursor focus in the IP Address column enter the IP address of your Real Client Access Server
  • Tab to the Port and enter 443
  • Tab to Notes and enter a name for your client access server
  • Click Update to apply

To add your additional Client Access Servers Click Add Server
When you have added all the Real Servers you can rename the server group “Client Access Group”

Actions Settings:

Apply the following Actions settings to your Virtual Server (Channel) under the Basic tab

Apply the following Actions settings to your Virtual Server (Channel) under the Advanced tab

Note: The above screenshot shows “Monitoring OWA” as a server monitor. This must first be configured in the Configure — Real Server Monitor section

Multiple Virtual Servers with multiple CAS groups

This deployment requires the creation of a unique IP address for each
virtual server. This allows for an individual real server monitor to be
applied for each Exchange 2013 HTTPS service.

To add a new Virtual Server or Channel:

Click on Setup — IP-Services

• • In the top Virtual Services section, click on Add IP
  • A blank row will appear, in the IP address column enter the IP address of your Virtual Server
  • Tab to the Subnet Mask column and enter the subnet mask details
  • Tab to the Port column and enter 443
  • Tab to the Service Name column and enter “Exchange 2013 OWA Traffic”
  • Tab to the Service Type and tap down arrow until “HTTP” is selected from the drop down box
  • Click Update to apply your changes

The cursor will then drop down to IP address box in the the Real Servers section

To add a Client Access Server:

• • With the cursor focus in the IP Address column enter the IP address of your Real Client Access Server
  • Tab to the Port and enter 443
  • Tab to Notes and enter a name for your client access server
  • Click Update to apply
  • To add your additional Client Access Servers Click Add Server
  • When you have added all the Real Servers you can rename the server group “Client Access Group”

Actions Settings:

Apply the following Actions settings to your Virtual Server (Channel) under the Basic tab

Apply the following Actions settings to your Virtual Server (Channel) under the Advanced tab

Note: The above screen shot shows “Monitoring OWA” as a server monitor. This must first be configured in the Configure — Real Server Monitor section. Apply the relevant Server Monitor to the channel.

IMAP4, POP3 & SMTP

By default IMAP4 and POP3 services are disabled in Exchange 2013. To
support clients that use these protocols please see the link below:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj657728(v=exchg.150).aspx

Front End Transport Service is a new component in Exchange 2013 that
handles all of the inbound and outbound mails of the exchange
organisation.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj218640%28v=exchg.150%29.aspx

To add a new Virtual Server or Channel:

Click on Setup — IP-Services

• • • In the top Channel Details section, click on Add IP
    • A blank row will appear, with the cursor in the IP address column, enter the IP address of your Virtual Server
    • Tab to the Subnet Mask column and enter the subnet mask details
    • Tab to the Port column and enter the relevant port
    • Tab to the Service Name column and enter “Exchange 2013 IMAP” , “Exchange 2013 POP3” or “Exchange 2013 SMTP”
    • Tab to the Service Type and tap down arrow until “Layer4 TCP” is selected from the drop down box
    • Click Update to apply your changes

The cursor will then drop down to IP address box in the the Real Servers section

To add a Client Access Server:

• • • With the cursor focus in the IP Address column enter the IP address of your Real Client Access Server
    • Tab to the Port and enter the relevant port
    • Tab to Notes and enter a name for your client access server
    • Click Update to apply

To add your additional Client Access Servers Click Add Server

Actions Settings:

Apply the following Actions settings to your Virtual Server (Channel) under the Basic tab

Apply the following Actions settings to your Virtual Server (Channel) under the Advanced tab

Troubleshooting

Further help can be found on the main edgeNEXUS website

http://www.edgenexus.io/support/

Contact Us

We hope you have found this Deployment Guide informative, but if you
need any clarification or further information, please do not hesitate
to get in contact with edgeNEXUS Support:

E-mail	support@jetNEXUS.com
Phone	+44 (0870) 382 5529
Blog	http://jetNEXUS.blogspot.com/