stm file doesn't shrink after offline defrag w eseutil in exch 200

[Bill Coulter]

In a mixed environment with Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2007, an Exchange 2003
server has eight mailbox databases and one public folder database. We are
gradually migrating users to Exchange 2007 and have also consolidated some
users from one database to another on the Exchange 2003 server in hopes of
reducing the number of databases as the number of users on this server is
reduced.

One of the eight mailbox databases now has zero users, all having been moved
to other databases and/or another server. In the mailbox container it shows
one SMTP (GUID) object and one SystemMailbox (GUID) object. The presumably
empty database was dismounted and an eseutil /d offline defrag was
successfully performed a couple weeks ago, and another one yesterday.

After offline defrag however, the edb file remains at 631 MB and the stm
file remains at 18.7 GB.

We don't want to recklessly delete anything, there are many users still on
this server in other databases. But we wonder why this large amount of data
remains, how we might discover what continues to be needed, and how we might
reduce anything that isn't needed.

Thanks
Bill

[Martin Blackstone [MVP]]

What does event ID 1221 tell you?
I would ensure that Deleted Item Retention and Deleted Mailbox Retention is
set to zero on that store. Then let the online maint run again and see what
that event 1221 tells you.

"Bill Coulter" <BillC...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
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[Bill Coulter]

Event ID 1221 said only 49 MB free. Deleted items was set to 14 days, deleted
mailboxes to 60 days. No deleted mailboxes show in the mailboxes container.
Could the 18.7 GB stm file be filled with mailboxes that were moved to
another server or another database? I've just changed the policies on that
database to lower values. Thanks for the clue, please clarify if possible.

[Ed Crowley [MVP]]

If there's no free space in the database then it won't compact no matter how
many times you run ESEUTIL /D.

You've run the Mailbox Cleanup Agent on that store, right? Deleted
mailboxes won't show until after that has been run.

More than likely what's there is deleted item retention content.
--
Ed Crowley MVP
"There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."
.

"Bill Coulter" <BillC...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

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[John Fullbright]

Dismount the empty database and delete the files. Then mount the database
and click through the warningthat the files can't be found and a new
database will be created. A new SMTP and System mailboxes will be created
in the new blank database. I don't see the point in trying to do an offline
defrag in this case.

"Bill Coulter" <BillC...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
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