ESEUTIL & ISINTEG..routine maint? 3

[jwa49]

OK, here is the question. I was reading an article on Exchange 5.5 maintenance and the aurthor stated that is was a good idea to run eseutil and isinteg at least 4 times each year.

I had always been told that these utilities are last results. Any input? Does anyone use these for routine maintenance?

Also, in the server properties there is a "consistency checker" and thought on this tool?

Thanks,

Joe

 

[eightball]

I use these as tools for repair, only when I have issues arise.

 

[MarkSe]

It is generally a good idea to use eseutil /g and /d regularly. I would go as far as to say if you ahve time and reosources it is advisable to check backups with a /g (this ensures that all pages of the store are analysed and that there are no low level (JET) issues. I would however completely advise not to use a /p as this can be very dangerous and is a LOSSY process (a complete last resort if there are no backups).

The /d though can be used to regain white space and shrink priv and pub. hOwever 110% diskspace is required as the offline defrag creates a new store and copies the pages across. It would also be advisable when there is some down time t run Isinteg and to check the top/ store level to make sure all is well (run this in check mode and then fix mode if a lot of warnings or errors are detected). With Isinteg if any warning or fixes are detected it should be run multiple times until the errors and fixes show as all zeros.

To conclude I think running these tools every few months is a good idea and hopefully this information has convinced you. Baically its just a case of good house keeping!

HTH,
Mark

 

[makai]

A quick search on Technet or Google can usually uncover various articles on the pros and cons.

However, i always beleive that 'if it aint broke, dont fix it'


Cheers

 

[eod]

Personally I don't run it but thats only because I'm scared of breaking something that isn't broken. Exchange recovery can be a bit hairy sometimes.

 

[fuego007]

The advice from makai is the best here. I worked in a position supporting network managers at Air National Guard bases around the world. I found that the units that had the most problems were the ones who messed with things the most. The books I have on exchange all recommend basically the same thing. If you're not having problems, don't use the diagnostic and repair tools.

Running a manual defrag to regain unused space is a boondoggle unless you've deleted a large number of mailboxes and have a particular need to regain the disk space. Unless you're using the server for other applications or as a file server, you don't really need to regain the unused space, especially since the IS is going to grow anyway.

If you read up on these tools you'll find that they were not intended to be used for routine maintenance. The Exchange databases are generally very stable. My experience has been that most problems are due to external causes, such as improperly configured antivirus programs quarrantining transaction log files.

I'd like to recommend you get a copy of Exchange Server 5.5 Unleashed from SAMS publishing. Another good reference is Exchange 5.5 in a Nutshell from O'Reilly.

Also, since you're not experienced with these tools, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you think it's necessary to use them, do so only after consulting with someone who is very experienced with them. If you're in a time crunch, call Microsoft. the cost of the call is cheaper than your job.

Good luck,
Bob

 

[royalmail]

MarkSe and eightball both have good points. I would try to find a happy medium between the two. From experience, I have found the eseutil tools to be risky. When it comes to email, if it isn't broken then don't fix it. It isn't worth risking downtime.

If you are desperate to tidy up and reclaim space on your priv.edb then you have no choice but to run the offline defragmentation. However, if you do, be sure you have full backups. Also, this process takes a very long time, especially if you have a big priv.edb database.

I personally don't run the tools as general maintenance. Instead I make sure I have complete backups, and run full backups on all mailboxes every night.

Goes without saying, but if you have the resource, set up a test Exchange server and play around with these utilities first if you are unfamiliar with them.

 

[jwa49]

Thenks for all the input. I have used these utilities only once to repair the dbs when I started here. I had always read that they should be used only when necessary. However, I read an interesting article that stated that these tools should be used "at least 4 times a year". In any matter, the Exchange Server is running good, so I am not going to touch it.

Thanks again.