Disk Space not being reclaimed

[Diblik]

I am adding another Exchanger server to my site but when I moved the mailboxes to the new server the Disk Administrator on the old box shows no change in the amount of disk space used. What can I do to reclaim the disk space?
TIA

 

[Invincible]

Check to see if the file Priv.edb is still on the old box. Priv.edb is the Private Information store and includes all mailboxes.

 

[age]

You need to run an offline defrag... even though you have moved mailboxes, the priv.edb file where those mailboxes used to be stored doesn't get any smaller until you defrag it. see

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q186/2/91.ASP

for more info.

Adrian

 

[Invincible]

The offline defrag (Eseutil) is a very good utility, but if the exchange server has now been moved onto a different box, then this utility will have no effect on the old server. Exchange should now be uninstalled off the old box to free up the space.
Am I understanding right ?

 

[age]

as long as the old exchange installation is to be decommissioned, then yeah, I entirely agree... but if the old exchange server is to be retained as an exchange server, then a defrag would reclaim the wasted space.

 

[Invincible]

Totally agree !

 

[Diblik]

Thanks for all the feedback.
Only one mailbox remains on the old server yet the file and size of the priv.edb are still 8.2GB - as before we started moving mailboxes. 8.2GB was the original size. The new server shows a priv.edb of 7.7GB.

I thought that the offline defrag (eseutil /d /ispriv) requires equal amounts of free disk space to do the defrag. I only have 10% free.

I have also noticed that the online defrag has not worked on the old server's priv.edb file, all others worked. Is this due to disk space??

Eventually I do want to turn off the olf server but I need to make sure the new one is running before I try this.

Thanks again!

 

[age]

You do need plenty of spare disk space for the defrag to work, but if the servers to be switched off, then I wouldn't bother defragging it anyway! As for the new server, as it is new the 7.7gb is probably fairly accurate... If you want to check (and you like adding up long columns of numbers) you can always look in the Mailbox Resources container in Exchange Administrator and add up all the mailbox sizes ) ...

My advice for what it's worth would be to get the new server working as you want it, and then turn off the old one and forget about it... If the old server is to be used as something else eventually, just format the hard disk!!

 

[Diblik]

Thanks - I will shut down the old server after everything is moved. But the one thing that still bothers me is why the online defrag stop working. I couldn't to it manually either. But not worth wasting anymore of your time.

Thanks again All!