Exchange Agent and Exchange 5.5 1

[eod]

We have backup exec 8.6 running on a NT4 server. One of my main concerns is how we backup out Exchange 5.5 server.
Currently we run the Exchange Agent for backup exec. So when my exchange backup job runs it backs up:

The Microsoft Exchange Directory
Microsoft Exchange Information Store

Is there anything else I should include in this backup job? Or is the exchange agent smart enough to grab everything I need in case of disaster.

 

[dkediger]

This should do it.

If Exchange sees it has been backed up, it should remove your log files and start new ones. If your log files are not being removed, there is something not right with the backup.

 

[eod]

Which log files should I look for (dir location, important one, etc) and should I be concerned with any sort of registry backup for a exchange restore?

 

[dkediger]

The Log files are located in the \EXCHSRVR\MDBDATA folder by default. They can be relocated to another location, and often are for performance/reliability concerns. The Logs are files that store the message stream before it is written to the Information Store. The theory is that after you have restored a backup, Exchange can re-read the log files to include messages that have been received since the last backup occurred. This is why the Log files are started over when a succesful backup occurs.

The files themselves by default are named EDBxxxxx.log where xxxxx can be any hex digit. There are three special logs that should always be present in the Log folder: EDB.LOG, RES1.LOG, RES2.LOG.

As far as a registry backup, that should be part of a system state, or disaster recovery option. Without these options, you'll need to make sure you have documented your Exchange settings so that you can reinstall after a failure, then restore your Information Store.

 

[eod]

Thanks for helping me understand a bit more about exchange (at times it seems quite nebulus). I checked the directory and displayed by date. Appears the only log files in there are from the time of my last backup. So I am assuming all is well there.

The exchange recovery proceedures are really my only concern at my job. Everything else is very straight forward and to the point. The exchange recovery faq seems long and quirky.

What else should I be looking for or doing in order to prepare my system for recovery. In theory could I take one of my backups and attempt to restore the exs server on a test server so I can get the process down a bit? We are upgrading to EXS2k down the road and one of my concerns is that since this is a microsoft product it'll most likely crap out during the migration and leave me with nothing on either side of the plate.

 

[dkediger]

Yes, if the Log files are dated after your last backup, all is well in backup land - at least as far as getting it to tape.

Also - to clarify - the Excahnge Agent will only grab the Information Store - not the actual setup of the Exchange Server. To do this you will also need to get the Disaster Recovery option for BE. Without this option you will need to reload and initialize everything from scratch.

If you have the spare hardware, by all means do a test recovery. Its very good experience to have, and can provide you with information to support getting a Disaster Recovery option.

If the Exchange Recovery FAQ is long and quirky - it really is because the Recovery process IS long and quirky

 

[eod]

How well does the Backup Exec "Intelligent Disaster Recovery" option work? What limitations does it have?

Really I guess what do most people use? What does your company use?

 

[dkediger]

We don't use the IDR option as our situation is a pretty basic setup. Outside of Exchange and NT, we only have about 8GB of data to restore.

If we were running other apps, say SQLServer, IIS, etc, it would probably change our assesment as the setup/initialization would be much greater in those circumstances.

 

[Qdog]

Required friggin reading for Exchange 5.5 admins:

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/techinfo/administration/55/BackupRestore.asp

When you do a backup of Exchange Directory and Info Store, you are grabbing everything as far as mailboxes, mail, etc. But make darn sure you grab the registry. And it is really important to do at least one flat file backup of the whole 'fing thing(Exchange directory on the C:\ drive, registry, the whole C:\ drive). But that is hard if you're a 24x7 shop.