Exchange 2010 - Database Availability Groups - Part 2

In Part 1 of my DAG coverage, I gave some generic design considerations, and the how to configure a 2 server DAG. In part 2, I will cover adding an additional DAG copy of a database.

Before you begin, you need to rapidly deploy your OS and pre-requisites, and then you can deploy an additional DAG copy, with a few mouse clicks!

First, add your new server to the DAG group:
then, add the server we are adding to the DAG:

Then, add a database copy in the database management section of Organization Management:



And after some time seeding:

Now, let's test that UK server! First, I used OWA to send myself a recent email.

Then activate the EU server:

Choosing a lossless activation:

Now, this being a different AD site, I saw this:


Which was very concerning at first, but after some time (I have my VM's scaled down quite a bit) it synced up:


Confirming via the OWA CAS on EXCH2010EU, my latest email was intact:

That's it. We seeded, and failed to the UK site. Now we can seed back to the main server:

I performed another lossless activation, and it worked perfect:


And before I end part two, let's try and BREAK it � here I am hitting the hard power button on the activated DB server for geodb1.


After re-attaching RDP to the next server, and refreshing the view:


The local server mounted, and the UK site is healthy still. OK, let's plug in the power cord I "tripped" over and see how things go.
Few seconds after boot up:

At which point we can choose to move it back, or let Exchange manage it autonomously.