Exchange 2003 and the Windows Storage Server Feature Pack

Most Exchange Server pros believe that Exchange doesn't support Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices. This idea has been around for a long while, even though versions earlier than Exchange 2000 Server actually could be used with some types of NAS units. (For an overview of the history of Exchange and NAS interaction, see the Web-exclusive sidebar "Exchange and NAS," http://www.windowsitpro.com/microsoftexchangeoutlook, InstantDoc ID 43547.) Thus, Microsoft recently made waves when it announced that it was extending Windows Storage Server 2003 to allow its use with Exchange Server 2003. (For information about Windows Storage Server, see the Web-exclusive sidebar "Bits in a Box," InstantDoc ID 43548.) The Windows Storage Server 2003 Feature Pack (which I simply call the Feature Pack hereafter) lets you put your Exchange 2003 databases and logs on a Windows Storage Server machine.

Is that a good idea? It depends. Windows Storage Server is relatively new, and many Exchange administrators aren't familiar with it. Let's look at how Windows Storage Server works with Exchange 2003 and when using it as an Exchange storage mechanism does (and doesn't) make sense. . . .