Backup Exec 2012 & Exchange 2007

[beebob]

Hello,

Currently we have four Information stores and are looking to back them up to disk across a network share. The second store is Exchanges public folders. The server is on Windows 2008.

We are set four full backups set Fri to Mon and then Incrementals the other nights.

We have had Snapshot Technology ticked, along with process backup logical volumes and enable checkpoint restart.

The main problems that we have had is each night the  Incrementals have ran the Exchange server has stopped processing mail and has needed to be rebooted:

Errors include:

*The job failed with the following error: Resources specified for snapshot do not have any valid data on them. Check if files were deleted or renamed

*Checkpoint restart cannot be applied to the restarted backup job. The backup job will not run.

*The job failed with the following error: A failure occurred querying the Writer status.

I am just wondering; 

*Is there is more information on the Checkpoint restart?

*Is it better to turn off the Snapshot Technology? or use the Microsoft Volume Technology.

*Is worth getting rid of Incremental backups and performing just Full backups?

Many Thanks

[Colin_Weaver]

You cannot backup Exchange via a shares or the file system, even with Snapshot technology enabled, the Exchange files are ignored because Active File Exclusion (AFE) blocks the backup.

Hence if you run a job with only Exchange files selected you will get a resources specified have  no valid data message as trhere is nothing to backup that is not blocked by AFE

You should be backing up the Exchange Information Stores with our Exchange Agent (which also makes use of VSS but also uses the Exchnage API from Microsoft to protect the system). Note The Exchange agent needs licensing.

If you use the Exchnage agent you also get individual e-mail restore and Exchange log truncation, both of which would also not be possible with a file system backup of the Exchange files.

[beebob]

Thanks for the reply - we do have the Agent installed on the Exchange server, along with the main Console

[VJware]

If using the Exch agent, uncheck the AOFO option from the backup job properties...

Regarding checkpoint restart, have a look at this KB article - http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO74232

[Divs]

If I am right, you are backing up the Information store using Exchange agent to a backup to disk on a network share. check the following steps: 

1) Whether or not Advanced open file option used, its by default a Snapshot based backup. so you can leave that option enabled. And you can disable Check point restart, Refer article http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO74232

2) In the failed job log, make sure to check, to which database the error occurred. Sometimes issue might be on specific database after backing some other databases or it can fail immediately without any byte count.

3) Make sure to check the timestamp of error in job log and compare it with the Application even viewer on Exchange server ( source could be from ESE or MSExchangeIS or VSS)

4) Check the status of writers on Exchange server to find out which writer had failed which requires reboot by running cmd "vssadmin list writers".

5) Make sure that the backup time window does not conflict Exchange database maintenance time window.