funky data base file size

[Rokudan]

I have a 20 gig private database file
The system manager reports three mailboxes all three below
2 gb. How is this possible?
I have defraged. logged found nothing.
What could be using all this space. I haddn't planed on enlarging the
data base on day one with this small installation.

 

[gavm99]

Normally you do have a large database size because space is taken and not returned when emails are received and deleted so this does sort of make sense.

A defrag does normally resolve this though, can you confirm you have done an offline defrag? You definatly need to do this to reduce the size, not an online defrag.

 

[Rokudan]

I unloaded all the Exchange services and ran the eseutil defrag and it didn't reduce it.
The server went down due to the over 16 gig limit, at that time I was just rolling out the first user (Outlook 2003/Vista). After I imported his PST file to his mailbox the database just started clicking up in 100mb incraments. It stopped a 16 when the database was unloaded the it contiued to 17 GB and seemed to stabalize there after I bumped up the database size to 70GB. It seeems to have stopped going up but I can't figure out whats in it. The data base is about 1000 times the size of all the mailboxes combined and the server has only been active for 48 hours.

 

[58sniper]

Trojan/virus

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP

 

[xmsre]

What is the size of the system mailbox? The smtp mailbox? How much whitespace is reported inevent 1221? How long are you retaining deleted items? How many messages/bytes are sent/received per day? What about logs? Are you generating a number of logs on par with the database growth?

 

[Rokudan]

The system mailbox is only about 300k and the smtp mailbox is about 3gb total. I have been logging and it looks fine. Not sure hpw to check the white space.
The retained deleted is a 30 days I just moved it to one perhaps I have a ton of deleted.
Whatever it was it seems to have stopped, I suspect virus activity. I'm just trying to figue out how to fix this huge (20gb) private databse file.

 

[58sniper]

Look for some 1221 event log entries in the application log. They will indicate the whitespace. There should be at least one for the Public Folder store, and one for each Mailbox store.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP

 

[Rokudan]

The private is showing 15946MB and the public is floating back and fourth between 3 and 1 MB

 

[xmsre]

It likely was Deleted items retention then. The first time online maintenance/online defrag ran after expiration after the new DIR setting, it all showed up as whitespace (about 16GB).


I wouldn't rush to do an offline defrag. Exhange will reuse the whitespace before enlarging the database further.

 

[Rokudan]

Well, I set the deleted retention to 1 day so I assume extra junk should have been removed overnight. I did change it at about 10:30an yesterday so perhaps I need one more night to see results.

I also scanned for viruses, it's clean
I still have a 20 GB private database file that should only be 3GB (according to the mailbox sizes reported in the system manger).

Very odd indeed

 

[58sniper]

IIRC, there is a perfmon counter that will show you the number of items in the dumpster.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP

 

[xmsre]

OK, so

1. wait for DIR to expire
2. wait for online maintenance to complete
3. wait for online defrag to complete
4. check your event id 1221

 

[DanMIS]

Make sure your backups are working too. Without a successful backup a lot of stuff stays around, if I remember correctly.

Dan

CCA Citrix 4.0
MCP 2003
70-290 Passed
70-291 Passed

 

[xmsre]

If you check that don't remove till it's backed up box - it overides DIR. Make sure your online maintenance/defrag is completing. If it doesnt, the stuff never goes away and the db keeps growing.