Backup Exec Job failed on Exchange 5.5

[techonsite]

Hello and thanks in advance.

I have Exchange 5.5 sp4 on Windows 2K server with Backup Exec 9.

On the job completion Status I get
Completed Status: Failed
Final error code: a000fe30 HEX
Fincal error description: A communications failure has occurred.

In the errors section
Backup - \\server\Microsoft Exchange Information Store
The Exchange Store service is not responding. Backup set canceled. Database was not found, or could not be accessed.

Verify - \\server\Microsoft Exchange Information Store
Unexpected end of backup set encountered on Quantum 1.

I have looked through Microsoft and Veritas knowledge base without a resolution. I have run offline maintenance on the information stores and consistency is good with zero errors.

Can anyone help me out?

 

[zbnet]

Has it ever worked?

Does the account you're running the Backup Exec services under have full rights on the Exchange server?

 

[techonsite]

It has never worked. The account used by BE is the administrator account. How do you know if it has full rights to Exchange? Thanks.

 

[blakey2]

Hi techonsite,

-- I agree with zbnet. You do not have full exchange admin rights to perform the backup.

To my knowledge, the best is to install backup program from the account which exchange was installed with. I believe this is the 'system attendant account' - though I could be worng as I have never installed exchange

This account has complete and unrestricted access to all things exchange. The local/network administrator does not necessarily have these permissions, and certainly not by default.

Then once backup software is installed, if I want to perform a brick level backup, I need to supply the credentials of this 'system attendant' account, though i have found it easy to log on as the 'system attendant' account and create the backup jobs from there.

In my case the 'system attendant' account is called 'exadmin'. Once again I have no idea if this is a standard name, or the name picked by the person whom installed exchange at the time (many many years ago ).

Cheers - Chris.

 

[zbnet]

exadmin isn't a standard name, the service account can be called anything you like.

More importantly, any account can be given Service Account rights on your server by adding the account to the Permissions in the Exchange organisation hierarchy in Exchange Admin. So you can run your backups under a dedicated backup account, and give it the right access to Exchange - I would say this is preperable to using your service account for scheduling backups.

 

[techonsite]

Exchange services start with the user account domain\MA. The service account also belongs to domain\MA.

Backup Exec starts with domain\administrator. I added the MA user account to the backup credentials for Exch IS, mailbox, etc.

But still the backup job fails with communications failure error.

I also started BE services with user MA and created a backup job using that user but still no go.

Should Exchange services start with a user other than the system logon account?

 

[lb63640]

We have BEAdmin as the BackupExec user account.

 

[blakey2]

Should Exchange services start with a user other than the system logon account?

<arrgh> Just realised that my ramble (below) does'nt actually answer the quote above. Left it in though as it may be of interest. </arrgh>

- I believe so. I actually use arcserve not veritas, but in principle it is the same. The backup software needs to run certain processes (in the background). These run irrespective of whom is logged into the server (if anyone at all).
When you installed the backup software, I imagine that it would have asked you for a username and corresponding password with administrative permissions over the local machine. - If it did not then there is a fair chance that it just used your default account settings, this is why (I have read), it is suggested that you install the backup software being logged in as the 'system attendant'/'exchange install' account.

Then again when you install the exchange agent (if you have/need one to perform brick level backups and the like), you should specify again an account with system attendant priviliges.
- In my case I used the 'exadmin' account. As zbnet has pointed out, this is not necessary, though if you are having problems with permissions, I sugest you give it a try as it certainly has access to all things exchange.

If you wish to look at what permissions the processes are running as look in control panel-->Services. Have ye a gander, find the veritas processes look at their properties and somewhere within it should specify the account with corresponmding ******* for the password. - Ensre that this, in your case, is the account 'BA' and not something else.

It is unclear whether you have already done this or not, but I would completely uninstall then reinstall the software and components, ensuring that you specify accounts which have exchange system attendant permissions. - On the off chance that there is some process somewhere which is still holding on the wrong credentials.

Question: Are there any entries in the event viewer/log?

Final stab (in the pitch black) - if you are backing up to a device (ie tape) will it talk to the backup software?? I found my tape drive worked fine with windows backup of exchange database, yet went bananas after I installed arcserve. After much trawling the arcserve website I located a service pack which addressed the issue and we all lived happily ever after.

Apologies for the long winded ramble - Chris.