Configuration Guidenance

[SGS]

Can someone assist me in the right path to follow regarding configuring CPS, BEXEC and Exchange 2007.

Need assistance with the following:

Selection of Exchange 2007.  What exactly should i should not backup and how many selections should i have.

Scheduling the types of selections how often and what should be CPS and what should not.

And what schedule to incorporate backup to tape

I have one Exchange 2007 and one Backup Exec server with 1TB data.

Please throw some ideas out for me.  Stilling trying to get my head around have seprate schedules to backup exchange system and stores.

Thanks

[RahulM]

Windows server can be backed up for a disaster by protecting the System volume,system state and the shadow copy components (when available).In your case you also have the MS Exchange running so you will need to protect the Microsoft Exchange Information Store which will be available/visible for selection only if you have a license for the Exchange Agent.

In the Job properties for the Exchange Job or the Full job you can go to Microsoft Exchange and select the option to ENABLE RESTORE OF INDIVIDUAL ITEMS FROM AN INFORMATION STORE BACKUP.

This option can also be selected in TOOLS>OPTIONS>EXCHANGE as a default.

To backup Exchange data you can select the Multiple storage groups,Individual Storage groups,individual databases.The backup of individual databases is not supported if you are using the snapshot technology

If you select a volume that contains Exchange data for backup, the Exchange Agent uses
Active File Exclusion to automatically exclude Exchange data that should not be included
in a volume-level backup. For example, .EDB and .STM files, as well as transaction log
files, should not be part of a volume-level backup because they are opened for exclusive
use by Exchange.
Without this exclusion, during a non-snapshot backup, these files appear as in use -
skipped. During a snapshot backup, these files may be backed up in an inconsistent state,
which could create restore issues.
While it is not recommended, if you want to include Exchange data in a volume-level
backup, you must first dismount the storage groups that you want backed up, and then
run the backup job.

CPS and Backup Exec are two separate applications that can work in conjunction with each other.

You can install CPS and Backup Exec on one server provided Exchange is installed on the same server as CPS cannot protect the resources on the server it is installed on.

Once  you have CPS and BEWS in place you can install the Continous Protection Agent on the Exchange Server also selecting RAWS (Remote Agent for Windows Server as a component).You can also install RAWS from BEWS server.Then you can configure a FULL Exchange Information Store job in BEWS with the option to continuously protect the transaction logs selected (you can select the desired period at which CPS will backup the logs).

For more information refer to the following articles.

Best practices for Backup Exec 12 installation

http://support.veritas.com/docs/298302

Best practices for Backup Exec 12 Agent for Microsoft Exchange Server

http://support.veritas.com/docs/298300

Best practices for Backup Exec 12 backup

http://support.veritas.com/docs/298301

Best practices for Backup Exec 12 Continuous Protection Server

http://support.veritas.com/docs/298298

[Fotis_Varetidis]

I have read the Best practices for Exchange Agent but i still have a couple of questions:

A) Do we have to choose between CPS and GRT or can we use a combination of both?

B) If i use CPS, do i have to make a full backup every day? Can i use a more efficient way, like one full backup every week (Monday) and then CPS for the rest of the week?

C) Does GRT means that i just have to make one full backup and then GRT will constanly makes images so that i don`t have to run a full backup every night? Will i still have to schedule full backup jobs?

Thanks!