Backup Exec Not Backing Up Files

[Pawelk]

Hello, I have a simple  backup exec setup for 2 servers. The main server running backup exec is our SBS 2011 server and there is a secondary 2003 standard server. I am doing a test/migration from these 2 physical servers to virtual machines under ESXi. Backups are configured for SDR with everything needed for SDR being checked and certain things I don't need excluded. This is a nightly backup and each morning I get a confirmation email that everything backed up fine. 

The SDR restore process goes fine, everything boots and it seems my file shares and other user data are all there on the ESXi server. But folders containing my edb files for exchange (which are selected for backup) and mdf files for my SQL databases are missing (unreleated catalog files are there however). This isn't an issue with the restore process, as when I go back to my backup server with the media attached and try to do the restore job the files are missing from there as well. They are simply being skipped by Backup Exchange. I can't verify all my file shares are getting backed up as there is a 203 file discrepency between the live server and the restored one, but this is likely due to my backup being a couple days old.

All this obviously leads to me being unable to mount any of my SQL databases nor mount my exchange datastores. Had this been a real emergency I would be in a lot of trouble. Can anyone explain what is going on? How can I get these files and mount my exchange stores and my SQL databases?

The version under help > about is ver 14.00 rev 1798 (64-bit). 

Edit: I should add that I have the SBS version of backup exec so I am licensed to backup exchange and SQL.

[pkh]

The .ebd, .mdf and .ldf files are automatically excluded from any backups by AFE.  To backup Exchange and SQL, you need to back them up using the corresponding agent.  For example, to backup Exchange you need to select the mailboxes under the Microsoft Information Store section of the selection list.

To restore your server whether by SDR or manually, you need to restore the application, i.e. the C: drive and then restore the data using the agent.  For example, you would then restore your Exchange mailboxes using the Exchange agent. It is always a 2 step process.

[Pawelk]

Thanks. So what is the process? Restore using SDR then use backup exec to restore exchange and SQL? Is there no way to back up those files as well for extra redundancy? 

[pkh · Accepted solution]

Yes.  It is a 2 step process.

There is no point in backing up the automatically excluded files because if you do try to restore them, you are likely to end up with an unusable database.