SBS 2003 Exchange Backup

[Joe]

When I run the SBS2003 Backup (standard with no changes to the wizzard), I see that Exchange has backed up, but when I go to restore I see that Exchange Store has the directories listed but no files.

I assume it is not working.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Joe

[Sean Daniel [MSFT]]

Hi Joe,

Can you provide more information on the steps your using to restore?

Thanks,
Sean

--
Sean Daniel
Windows Small Business Server
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Joe" <anon...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:16647CD0-2744-4D8B...@microsoft.com...

[Joe]

Thanks for the quick return.

I am not restoring, just looking to see the files. I see all of the files for Users folders, all of the SBS 2003 files, but when I look at the Exchange Store I see the directories but no files. I have read somewhere, that this is normal to not see the files in the NTbackup applet, but I want to be doubly sure.

Thanks,

Joe

[Phil S.]

Joe:

I hope someone else answers, but this is my personal experience with a third
party backup S/W.

The third party backup was a "brick-level" backup utility. When it came to
recovering a single message that was by error deleted, I had a lot of
problems. As you stated, I could only recover an exchange folder or
sub-folder. I could not recover just a single e-mail message to the inbox
with Exchange 2003. Additionally, I could not recover to any folder, or
sub-folder that was held "open" by the system. I had to restore to a new
temp folder with the same sub-folder substructure as the original folder.
(aside: the "open" folders were Inbox, and any folder referenced by any
"rule" for moving inbound messages, and any shared folders. This included
the Deleted Items folder.)

The process reminded me of a ZIP file. It was as if each folder in the
exchange mailbox structure was its own ZIP file, where you could restore
from backup a ZIP file, and then extract a file, but in the backup process
you could not extract a file directly from the compressed ZIP file. If the
system needed a ZIP file open to process an incoming message, it was marked
as open. Obviously, the end-use had to have Outlook closed at the time of
the restore or it wouldn't work either.

I created in the end-users email box, a new folder RestoreInBox, and
provided the entire contents of the Inbox from the backup tape. This, of
course, triggered the mailbox limit warning. After adjusting the limit, I
got the end-user to open Outlook, find the folder, Move the restored message
to a save place, and then delete the temporary folder and all contents.

Learning Curve time: 6 hours
Actual recover time: 20 minutes (mostly for utility to find spot on tape)

Just sharing a war story, this may not help your case.

Phil S.

"Joe" <anon...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:70AA23E9-722D-4A30...@microsoft.com...

[Joe]

Thanks Phil for the update. So does this mean that when I open the NT Backup program and look at all the folders I see files, but when I look at Exchange I see no files just directories? The logs tell me that Exchange was backed up with 32,000 or so files, but there are no files there, only directories.

Did you see that too?

Thanks,

Joe

[Phil S.]

Joe:

Yes! if I understand your question. NT backup will tell you it had backed
up so many messages, which I presume by nomenclature the SW is calling
files. When you restore, however, I believe the lowest, or smallest
restorable unit is the entire contents of an Exchange mailbox folder.

As a test. In an active email account (your email ?) create a test folder,
and a sub-folder and place a different message in each folder.
Let a Normal backup occur and try to restore the two messages to a new
created folder named restore. Try with an attachment

I am going to try this on my test box at home myself. However I need to
re-install SBS eval copy as the 14 days initial un-registered has passed.
It could be Saturday before I can reply on my testing. (You are asking
about ntbackup not third party SW results.)

Phil S.

"Joe" <anon...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:DDB22C99-A4DF-492C...@microsoft.com...

[Phil S.]

Joe:

I am wrong! NT backup is not like the third party SW I am accustomed
to.

Been doing some reading. With NT backup, the lowest restorable unit
is the entire Exchange Store. It is a multi part path. I am still going to
try it on a test setup.

Things I have learned about ntbackup:

1. Exchange backup should not be run with backup of system state on same
job. You should be doing two schedule backups, one using system state
information and a second one to backup the Exchange. It is Shadow Volume
holding needed files open for backup that Exchange backup needs. Maybe run
a backup of Exchange only to a file, and then run a normal backup of files
and system state to a tape?

2. To do a restore while Exchange is still running is complex, but the other
option is to take Exchange offline while you perform the backup. Requires
Exmerge.exe and creating an Exchange Restore Store. Restore to a temp
"store", and then Exmerge.exe the file(s) from temp store and then into
regular mailbox store.

3. Third party tools and utilities are easier to use, but you pay for what
you get.

Phil S.

"Phil S." <nospam-m-p...@123.net> wrote in message
news:elAKlM1T...@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

[Sean Daniel [MSFT]]

Hi Joe,

If you are looking at the restore tab of NTBackup, you can expand a backup
file and you'll see all the drives you've chosen to backup, as well as the
Exchange store and System State.

When viewing the Exchange store, if you expand it and click on the sub
directories, NTBackup does not show you any files (in the right-hand pane).
This is by design, but rest assured that your Exchange store is safely
backed up.

If you wish, you can navigate to your program files directory within the
backup, then /exchsvr/mdbdata and you'll see your Exchange store (with a
successful backup of course :o) )

I hope this helps answer your original question.
Sean

--
Sean Daniel
Windows Small Business Server
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"Joe" <anon...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:16647CD0-2744-4D8B...@microsoft.com...

[Phil S.]

Joe:

I am still working on how to restore from backup on SBS ntbackup.

I have created an attachment to this post. Will you look the recovery
procedure over for me?

I am sure I left out a step or two. I am going to post this again in this
NG
to see if anyone else will proof-read the procedure for me.

Phil S.

"Joe" <anon...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:1B9332F6-887F-4455...@microsoft.com...
> Sean and Phil:
>
> Thanks for all of your information. I feel better that my data is backed
up. Now I am going to try your suggestion Phil and practice restoring.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Joe

[Les Connor [SBS MVP]]

Phil,

Do you have the following document ? (download, watch for URL wrap). This is
the documented, supported restore method when you use SBSbackup.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/d/8/bd8e1a40-d202-429a-8eb7-26300d62bcc9/BKU_BkupRstr.doc

--
Les Connor [SBS MVP]
-------------------------------------
SBS Rocks !

"Phil S." <nospam-m-p...@123.net> wrote in message

news:uH3OpN$TEHA...@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

[Phil S.]

Les:

Ah, heem, that document is for a different concept than I was going for.

Yes, using Outlook to recover a deleted file is a whole lot better, but this
thread is about
taking a back up set and proving a simple recovery of a low level message is
possible in
Exchange and what is the procedure for using ntbackup to recover a single
message in an
otherwise fully functional an OK mailbox. This is not Disaster recovery.

There is nothing in that document I can find about Recovery Storage Group,
Exmerge, or
problems with mail box rights during backup. True, the document you
referenced is
much better written that what I did, and it is written to a different level
than I aimed for.
and to be honest, it is way way more attuned to this NG.

BTW, my missing document is posted later in this NG, where you gave some
additional
links. I will be reviewing them later tonight.

Phil S.

[Les Connor [SBS MVP]]

OK, sorry. I only read that you were trying to test a restore of SBS from
backup ;-).

Yes, I think perhaps some of the links in the other post might be more
targeted to restoring all or part of an exchange store.

--
Les Connor [SBS MVP]
-------------------------------------
SBS Rocks !

"Phil S." <nospam-m-p...@123.net> wrote in message

news:eaJJhx$TEHA...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...