Backup Exec 15-Exchange 2010 Backup failed due to file system limitation and database corruption.

[pfcITAdmin]

Hello, I need your help

The Image below shows the error message I get when I try to backup my Exchange 2010 server. I'm currently using the trial version of Backup Exec 15 with all updates installed. When I try to research the final error: 0x299, no valuable information comes up. Can anyone point me in the right direction for overcoming this issue. I'm new to backup exec and have been struggling with backing up the exchange server for a while now. 

Feel free to ask any questions. Thank you in advance.

[Colin_Weaver]

Where are you backing up to?

Is it a Backup to Disk Folder on NTFS or FAT?

If it is a Backup to Disk folder, have you tested it with B2DTest.exe?

If it is a Backup to Disk foldr, what is the sector size of this location compared with the sector size of the volume that holds the Exchange edb file?

[CraigV]

...what is the size of your B2D file? Is it the default size of 4GB, or have you made it much larger?

Thanks!

[pfcITAdmin]

The job was a Backup to Disk Folder with a maximum file size of 4GB. After looking into my Exchange .edb file, I found that it is about 300 GB. I have increased the maximum file size to 500GB in Backup Exec, restarted the server and ran the job again, I will post my results here later.

I'm not familiar with the B2DTest.exe, I will definitely look into it.

Thank you.

[VJware]

Keep it default 4GB.

Here is the link to the B2D test tool - https://support.symantec.com/en_US/article.tech69107.html

Is this a local B2D or a remote B2D ?

Are any of the volumes compressed ?

[pfcITAdmin]

Hello,

I ran the job Friday night with the maximum file size of 500BG and the backup failed, The error message is attached below

Monday morning when I got to work I ran the B2Dtest.exe and those are the results I got. From what I can see, everything is as it should by lookling at all the PASSED statements.

I'm trying to back up a MS Exchange 2010 to a remote B2D folder that is on a physical server. My Exchange resides on a Vistual VMwarevSphare Server. I'm using no compression and I changed the maximum file size back to 4GB. Any ideas for making this work? I will wait for more imput from you before I run the job again.

Thanks!

[pfcITAdmin]

I just performed a Test Run on the same job I'm having problems with and the job was performed successfully with no errors\exceptions. Full backup continues to fail. I'm really confused by this. 

[CraigV]

...do you have enough disk space locally on the media server to run a backup to that of Exchange?

[pfcITAdmin]

The Virtual Server's C: drive on which the Backup Exec 15 is installed on has about 25GB of empty space. The Physical server where B2D folder is has about 1.2Tb of space. The exchange server is about 700GB total.

[CraigV]

Oh...you realise that BE on a media server access real devices isn't really supported? B2D should be fine though. Are you in a position to assign disk space to the BE media server? Or try loading BE on the server where the B2D is located to try running a backup there?

If not, I would then recommend you open a support case with Symantec around this.​

[VJware]

A Test Run validates just three checkpoints. It doesn't really confirm if the actual backup will be successful or not.

What is the sector size of the Exchange volumes and the B2D volumes ? (Run the fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo command to get this output)

[pfcITAdmin]

I do not have the available space to assign to the BE media server nor I am able to install Backup Exec on the server where the B2D folder is. Currently Backup Exec 15 and Exchange 2010 are both installed on a Virtual Server and the B2D folder is on a Physical Server. All 3 run on Windows Server 2008 R2

VJware, I do not completely understand how to run the commands your specified, what server do I do it on?

As for opening a case with Symantec, I'm using a free trial version of Backup Exec 15 and I did not pay for support. The only way I will purchase this product is if it can backup my Exchange Server succesfully. 

[VJware]

Open a cmd on the Exchange server and the server where the B2D resides.

If D:\ hosts the .edb, then the command to be run is -

fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo D:\

Repeat the same for the volume where the B2D resides.

Post the results over here. Thanks.

[pfcITAdmin]

Okay, I hope I did this right.

This command was ran on the server where Exchange is installed. My .edb file is hosted on the E:\ drive. Results are below:

My B2D folder resides on a D:\ drive on a physical server. Results of the command are below:

[pfcITAdmin]

I was going through my Backup Exec Active Alerts for the Exchange server I'm trying to backup and I noticed something confusing to me, The image below is from this morning at 6:00AM

Hour and a half later I got this alert: The job Failed

All of the alerts above perain to the same server and the same job that ran for over 15 hours before failing.

I'm confused on whether my server is backed up or not. The first alert told me that " the computer is now fully backedup" and hour and a half later I get a "Job Failed" alert telling me my database is corrupt.

Why is this happening? and what is the SDR Full Backup?, Today(8/18) is the first time I got that alert. 

[VJware]

SDR Full backup alert is generated when all critical components of the server such as C:\, System State are backed up. This does not include Exchange. Which is why you get a SDR alert when C:\, System State gets backed up successfully and then get a failure towards the Exchange resource.

First, i would recommend to split off the backup jobs.

One job to contain the C:\, System State and any other drives. Keep Advanced Open File option enabled for this backup job.

Second job to contain only the Exchange resource and keep Advanced Open File option disabled.

Also, what are the retention settings of the backups ?

[pfcITAdmin]

The same job ran over night with the whole server and every drive selected and it failed again with the errors shown below.

Right now, all I'm running is the C:\ Drive and the System State backup on its own with Advanced Open File option enabled. I will post my results here later.

As for my retention settings of the backup, do you mean how long my data is kept for? I have that set for 2 weeks:

[pkh]

Have you tried backing up to a local disk within the virtualised media server?

[pfcITAdmin]

I'm unable to do so because non of my Virtualised Media Servers have enough free space on their drives. 

I tried running just the C:\ and System State Backup like VJware advised with no success, the errors are just getting longer and more concerning. 

I'm so lost with this. What else can I do? My Exchange server has not been backed up in a long time. There is a lot of pressure from upper management for me to get this done. 

[pkh]

Virtualised media server support only a limited number of configurations. The recommendation is to use a physical machine for the media server.