Exchange Transaction Logs (Not the usual Question)

[Michael_Ellis_2]

I am running Backup Exec 9.1 with SP2 and I am backing up Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003.

When the backup of Exchange completes successfully and you review the log it indicates that no log files were backed up.

When you go to perform a restore from the backup above and expand the image it also indicates that no log files were backed up.

NTBackup also indicates no log files were backed up during a successful backup.

The log files on the Exchange server are being truncated so that is telling me that the backup was successful. Exchange would not delete the logs if the job failed.

How come I do not see the log files container within the backup image when viewed with the restore application?

Why were no log files backed up when I am sure some log files were backed up?

I did find one post on this site but I did not find the answer acceptable. The unacceptable answer was something like my restores work so dont worry about it.

Thanks,

Mike Ellis
michael.ellis@jfcom.mil

[Dave_Bunye]

Are all of these backup jobs Full backups, or are some differential, incremental, copy, etc?

Can you paste a portion of the job log which contains the comments about no log files beign backed up?

What level of logging are you using in Backup Exec (it defaults to summary info only)?

[Michael_Ellis_2]

> Are all of these backup jobs Full backups, or are
> some differential, incremental, copy, etc?
>
> Can you paste a portion of the job log which contains
> the comments about no log files being backed up?
>
> What level of logging are you using in Backup Exec
> (it defaults to summary info only)?


All backups are configured as Full and Flush Committed Logs.

Backed up 5 Exchange Server Store (s)
Backed up 0 Exchange Server log (s)
Processed 39,989,843,558 bytes in 43 minutes 42 seconds
Throughput rate 873 MB/min

Logs set for default detail level

[Ken_Putnam]

IIRC, Veritas has always had problems with Exchange Logs.

It's been quite a while since I did much with Exchangem but i seem to remember that I had to do a Full Backup, immediately followed by a Log FIle/Flush Logs job to get BackupExec to actually flush the logs. the Full/Flush logs just would not flush logs on Exchange 5.5

[Michael_Ellis_2]

> IIRC, Veritas has always had problems with Exchange
> Logs.
>
> It's been quite a while since I did much with
> Exchangem but i seem to remember that I had to do a
> Full Backup, immediately followed by a Log FIle/Flush
> Logs job to get BackupExec to actually flush the
> logs. the Full/Flush logs just would not flush logs
> on Exchange 5.5

The transaction logs are being flushed on the Exchange server.

I do not have any record of the transaction logs being backed up before they were truncated.

[John_Chisari]

BE and any other backup software will only backup the logs that are created during the backup - this is so when you do a restore of the Full Backup - it will be at the point at the end of the backup.

Depending on how busy the server is will depend on how many logs are actually backed up - usually there are 2-3 on a normal server - but I have seen 20 or so on very busy servers.

0 Transaction logs means what it says, no logs were actually backed up.

If you do a Differential or an Incremental of the Exchagne data it will show 0 Exchange Stores backed up - and a number of Exchange Transaction Logs backed up.

Hope that answers your questions.

[Michael_Ellis_2]

That was helpful, but you stated that normally 2-3 logs would be created during the database backup and the 15 meg of transaction logs would be backed up after the database was backed up.

I find it hard to accept that I consistently have no transaction logs being backed up. I run Full and Flush Daily.
The logs on the server are being flushed.

I will try to run a backup during the day on one of the servers to see if I backup any logs.

[Michael_Ellis_2]

Ran a successful backup on one of the boxes during the day. No transaction logs were backed up. With the Backup Exec logging cranked up to the max I could see what logs belonged to each store, but none of them are on tape.

/Rant On

Maybe a high dollar engineer can tell us how this works instead of me wasting my time.

/Rant Off

The other folks have been doing their best to help.

Thank you

[Michael_Ellis_2]

From Appendix C of "Using Exchange 2003 Recovery Storage Groups"

After the database file has been backed up, Exchange copies at least one transaction log (and usually several of them) to the backup set. These are the transaction logs generated from the time the backup starts until just after it finishes.

One transaction log must be in the backup set and I dont get any. Using NTBackup or Backup Exec.

[John_Chisari]

I would help more - but the information I need is at work at the moment.

Maybe this question would be better asked in a Microsoft Exchange forum - as Ntbackup is doing exactly the same thing as BE - this is because they are both using the same API to do the backup.

Though, if you can wait a week or so - I should have an answer for you.

[Michael_Ellis_2]

I am able to get a successful??? backup on another server.
Meaning Backup Exec reports that the job is successful, but no transaction logs backed up.

I run full backups only on the Exchange servers. I will try looking around M$ for an answer provide an update.

[Renuka_-]

Hello,

It is a Microsoft requirement that a transaction log be backed up before it can be flushed. Probabely Microsoft will be better able to help on this.
In case of incremental backups only the transaction logs modified since the last full will be backed up and flushed.

"NOTE : If we do not receive your intimation within two business days,
this post would be 'assumed answered' and archived."

[Sheetal_Risbood]

Archiving the post as per our previous reply