Exchange 2007: Is that your Final Answer?

[cwatkins]

Hi All,

We've been having the same problems as everyone else with Exchange 07 backup using Build 7170.

Is this the final solution for everyone else that had problems too?:

Conditions:

1. Run latest Windows 2003 SP2, run latest 7170 AND 7170 Remote Agent on Exchange Server, with all available updates via LiveUpdate.

2. All latest Exchange 2007 Rollups (Rollup 4?)

Solution: Backup the server and Exchange Information stores seperately? One Job to do whole server minus the store. And one job just to do the store? When backing up server, use AOFO. When backing up exchange, don't use AOFO (I know its still used though) and Use GRT exchange option. Also backup to tape, because you cannot backup using GRT to disk, as there is a bug that slows it wayyyy down to an unacceptable speed.

If you try to backup both of them togeather you get one of the following:

1. Hangs at "Updating Catalogs"

2. Error querying writer stats

3. Most of the VSS writers break after 1 successful backup and server MUST be restarted to clear the condition.

Sounds familiar? So is my solution above how everyone else is doing it? We're at wits end. Symantec support points at microsoft ("They have a patch for you. I'm 100% confident"). And then Microsoft points back at symantec.

Just hoping this is the "magical" answer?

[ESabo]

So you went through symantec support?    That is the same thing they give to me everytime on support calls, I just wish both companies would work together to resolve the issue.

Maybe just maybe one day their product will just backup things without errors or conflicts.

[cwatkins]

Yes, we have a support agreement on the exchange agent when we purchased it. So I went through Symantec Support, and their outsourced technician was so sure that microsoft would fix my problem that he closed the ticket at the end of our conversation. I guess I should call back within my 10 day window to re-open it again.

The Mircosoft tech didn't know what Symantec was referring to, since the Symantec tech never gave me anything to refer to. The only thing about MS was I talked to the Server 2003 group instead of the Exchange Group as VSS is an OS issue.

By using the above mentioned method in my first post, I can now take multiple successful exchange backups. This makes me really happy. Although now Im having issues taking multiple Full OS backups. It gets stuck on my utility partition from the looks of it. Might have to exclude that.