Veritas Backup exec - Skipped files.

[Biafra70]

I use Compaq DLT, and Veritas Backup Exec v8.6 on Windows 2000, to back up my Exchange 2000 server. I also use the same backup program to backup other servers in my Enterprise. But I continue to get failed backups with the Exchange server, and a high percentage of skipped files, an average of 21%. The log file shows the files skipped for reasons such as:
Unable to open the item account support [account support]? top of information store? Deleted items?
Access denied to file.....
Other user accounts are mentioned as in the example above.
I observed that disabled and or deleted accounts are always mentioned. And information which are likely to have been deleted from the users inbox, and mateials in the calender are also enumerated.
I did instal Open file option, Please I need to know what else to do to solve this problem. Note, every other of my servers are having a successful backup, except this Exchange.
Thanks for your anticipated help.

 

[SQLBill]

Do you have the Exchange Agent installed?

I had to ask, but I assume you do have it.

Go to Job Descriptions tab, right click on the job, go to Selections tab.

Drill down (expand) until you get to the files you are backing up. Are there any files there that you 'shouldn't' be backing up (because they are really deleted, etc.)? If so, uncheck them so BE doesn't try to back them up.

Are the files temporary files? Once BE starts it's backup it 'knows' which files it's supposed to backup. If those files are deleted as the backup is starting then you may get those type of errors.

Lastly, on access to the file issue, the files might be administratively 'locked'. Does Backup Exec have permissions to access the files?

-SQLBill

 

[Biafra70]

Obviously, I have Exchange agent installed, and the exchange account has all the required administrative rights. I have thought of drilling down the job selection and deselecting the affected files. But this seems very impractical, if not tedious, considering the percentage of files and users involved. Could'nt backup exec detect deleted files or temp files and not attempt to back them up?. How else can a file be administratively "locked" to prevent the backup exec account with the necessary administrative rights from opening it, and what is the way around it.

 

[SQLBill]

Are any of the files password protected? The admin can also limit who has access to files and folders.

I don't think BE is 'smart' enough to detect deleted or temp files and ignore them. That's why it tells YOU there was a problem. So you can check it out and remove them from the backup job.

BE does what it's told...if you tell it to backup a file, then it's going to try and do that.

-SQLBill

 

[Kopfjager]

The error you listed in your post is from a mailbox backup. The deleted items it is referring to is the deleted items folder of the user. So as long as that user still has them in there, they exist.

Your problem is not open files, it is that BE cannot access those particular items.

There are a couple things to try, but before I write a number of things down, I have a question. Do you run Norton Anti-virus for Exchange? If so, go to there site and search on VAPI. This is a mode they use that causes that error on exchange backups. If you don't, let me know and I'll give you a couple other things to try

Hope that helps.

 

[Biafra70]

I use Norton Anti-virus corporate edition (Not specified for Exchange). I hope to check out the information on VAPI that you mentioned. Meanwhile, I still welcome your lead and others, as this appears to be pointing to a solution.

Thanks

 

[Pokaroo]

I have had similar problems with this before and it appeared to be linked to the archive settings in the Outlook clients. When I set all of the archive settings the same on the clients and explained to users not to interupt the archive process, it has for the most part stopped. I don't think the details of the settings are whats important but here they are: Archive every two weeks, items that are older than 2 months. This is set on every folder in the users mailbox. Unfortunately, unless someone knows of a way of managing this from Exchange, it has to be set on each machine. Is it reasonable to do this in your situation? Other wise user training on the archive process may help.
Jenn

 

[Biafra70]

Hello Folks
This issue is yet to be resolved. But I found something that I suspect is the cause of the problem, but a solution I don't know. When I opened the M drive -the virtual drive, and drilled down to individual mailboxes, I discovered that the service account and the administrators accounts to which the service account is a member has been denied access to these mailboxes. (This is an inherited deny). And when I try to open the security tab of the M drive and the MBX folder, I get "Unable to display securtiy information".

Could any body assist on the solution to this problem.

 

[SQLBill]

Find out why those accounts have been denied access. Is somebody trying to hide something?

Either get permissions changed so BE does have access or 'deselect' those files so BE doesn't try to back them up.

-SQLBill

 

[Biafra70]

I finally got this issue resolved by upgrading to Veritas Backup Exec v9.0. Thank you all, who tried to assist.

 

[soulofmischief]

im having a similar situation to the above. im having backups (BE8.0 i think) fail because of a single users mail box. that user was deleted and recreated. but when the account was deleted thru ADUC it did not delete the original mailbox.

it gives the error:

Directory not found. Can not backup directory ?username [username] and its subdirectories.

so i figure if i delete the mailbox (m:\company.com\mbx\username) it would be good to go. but i have the same problem as above. unable to display security on the drive, cant change anything on the folders because of security settings. this is an enterprise admin, w/ exchange enterprise admin rights. i cant change any of the rights nor can i take ownership. access to ALL mailboxes in the mbx folder is denied.

any way i can just delete that users "old" mailbox?