Exchange transaction logs not being flushed

[alvin_cho]

i'm on windows 2003 running exchange 2003. backupexec 10.0 is on a windows 2000 server.

the backups are completing but the logs are never removed. i found the KB article but doesnt help at all. i've checked and unchecked the boxes and i am doing full backups.

any clues?

[472513851]

I am experiencing the same issue. My media server is Windows Server 2003 with Backup Exec 10.0 Rev. 5484. I have Backup Exec SP1 installed with Hotfixes 7,11 and 16 also on the media server. Exchange 2003 Ent. Ed. (w/ SP1) is running on Windows 2003 server.

I have also read KB article 268948 and it has not resolved the issue of Exchange logs not getting flushed during a backup. When I select the "Microsoft Information Store" in my backup selections, a checkmark appears in the box and then I save the backup job. However if I then go back to the selections I made for the backup job, a "slash" appears in the box next to Microsoft Information Store. The slash always comes back, even if I place a checkmark in the box again. When I expand "Microsoft Information Store", all of the information stores are selected. The only caveat to my backup selections is that I have 2 mailboxes configured to be excluded from the backup selections. FYI, I do full Exchange backups every night and I do Incremental backups for files during the week and Full Backups for files on Friday night.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Renuka_-]

Hello,



1. Have you disabled circular logging? If yes:



This occurs because the ESE in Exchange has received the command from VERITAS Backup Exec to flush the logs, but did not respond to the command, because it considers the logs as necessary.


This can be a sign of some corruption, especially if no logs at all are being flushed and there's a massive accumulation of logs within Exchange 2000.
This condition can also occur if some other utility has marked a logs as being in use, but in fact they are not. This condition will prevent Exchange from flushing the logs.


To determine which log files have been committed to the Priv.edb, Pub.edb, or Dir.edb file, you can use the Eseutil utility to view the contents of the Edb.chk file. To dump the file to screen, run eseutil /mk edb.chk | more. If you do not run eseutil run from the folder where the Edb.chk file is located, you must provide the full path.


Work Around:


Running a backup with NTBackup will flush the logs. After this initial purging of the logs Backup Exec should operate without the problem reoccurring.


The following utilities can be used to help troubleshoot problems with Exchange 2000 or 5.5


Utilities for troubleshooting Exchange 5.5 or 2000 server


Error.exe - Converts store, MAPI, and database error coded to error message strings


Filever.exe - Displays the versions of .EXE and .DLL files
Isinteg.exe - Checks the integrity of the Information Store
Eseutil.exe - Offline database consistency checker
Mdbvue32.exe - Displays information about information stores and .PST and .OST files


Microsoft Knowledge Base Q182961: Using Eseutil to determine which logs have been committed.




This issue could also occur if not all Stores in a Storage Group were selected for backup when performing a Full or Incremental backup job in VERITAS Backup Exec.


If one or more Mailbox or Public folder stores are backed up from within a storage group but not all stores in that group are selected, then the logs for that group are not going to be flushed on either a Full or Incremental backup job.


In Exchange 2000, Storage Groups are a logical grouping of Information Stores (either Mailbox or Public folder) which share a common data path. Because of this, every store in a particular Storage Group shares the same set of log files. When a particular Information Store is selected for backup from in a Storage Group, but do not select all of the stores for that group, it is not possible for the logs to be purged (truncated) because the log files still contain transactions that may be needed to recover one of the other stores for that group which has not been backed up. This will be true in the case of either a Full or Incremental backup job, which are both expected to flush any committed logs. A Differential or copy job will never flush the log files and are not expected to.


NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answeredand would be moved toanswered questions pool.null

[alvin_cho]

i've already done ntbackups before to flush the logs, but veritas still didnt not flush the logs.

Also, all items were selected in my store. i only have one with mailbox & public folders.

[Herv__Giauque]

Exactly the same problem for me.

Windows Backup Exec 10.0 SP1, Hotfix 16, 8. running on a Windows 2k3 Server SP1, all hotfixes.

Exchange Server 2k3 running on a Windows 2k3 server SP1, all hotfixes.

I will try this morning to flush the logs with NTBackup full backup job.

edit : NTbackup successfull, logs flushed, will see on my next BE backup if it works.Message was edited by:
sysman

[Renuka_-]

Hello,


1. The commited logs will be flushed only in the case of either a Full or Incremental backup job, which are both expected to flush any committed logs. A Differential or copy job will never flush the log files and are not expected to.


So please verify which transaction logs have actually been committed at the time of backu. Refer to :Microsoft Knowledge Base Q182961: Using Eseutil to determine which logs have been committed.


2. We also wssume that you have disabled circular logging.


NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answeredand would be moved toanswered questions pool.

[Herv__Giauque]

ok, but this thread only apply to Exchange 2000 et 5.5... :\

[Herv__Giauque]

For my case, after the ntbackup job who flushed the logs, the backup exec job did not flushed the logs again...

[Ashwin_Apte]

Hi,

Does the Exchange backup job also contain normal backup sets? or is it just an Exchange backup?

In your backup job properties, is the AOFO option selected?

Try creating a separate Exchange backup job, by unchecking the AOFO option in the Backup job properties and verify if the transaction logs get flushed after this backup.

Also in one of your interactions you had written that, you have excluded two mailboxes from the backup job, try selecting those also for backups and check if the transaction logs get flushed.

- Regards

---------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked "assumed answered" and would be moved to "answered questions" pool.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Herv__Giauque]

Hi,

My backup job contains a normal backup sets and also an exchange backup, the AOFO option is selected.

I tried to create a new exchange backup job, without normal backup sets and without the AOFO option, and it works... the logs were flushed.

Do u think it's the only way to make it work ? I think it's not very usefull... :(

In any case, thanks for your help

[John_Alvarado]

> I am experiencing the same issue. My media server is
> Windows Server 2003 with Backup Exec 10.0 Rev. 5484.
> I have Backup Exec SP1 installed with Hotfixes 7,11
> 1 and 16 also on the media server. Exchange 2003
> Ent. Ed. (w/ SP1) is running on Windows 2003 server.
>
>
> I have also read KB article 268948 and it has not
> resolved the issue of Exchange logs not getting
> flushed during a backup. When I select the
> "Microsoft Information Store" in my backup
> selections, a checkmark appears in the box and then I
> save the backup job. However if I then go back to
> the selections I made for the backup job, a "slash"
> appears in the box next to Microsoft Information
> Store. The slash always comes back, even if I place
> a checkmark in the box again. When I expand
> "Microsoft Information Store", all of the information
> stores are selected. The only caveat to my backup
> selections is that I have 2 mailboxes configured to
> be excluded from the backup selections. FYI, I do
> full Exchange backups every night and I do
> Incremental backups for files during the week and
> Full Backups for files on Friday night.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Same setup as above except I do a FULL backup everynight.

Are we all still waiting on a hoffix?

I betcha it has something to do with Windows Server 2003 SP1 and some mysterious port or DCOM procedure that was closed or something lame like that.

[Herv__Giauque]

Sure... for the moment I think we're only waiting on a hotifx... :\

[Renuka_-]

Hello Hervé,

Thank you for the update

Since the transaction logs are now being flushed, we asumme this thread can be moved to assume answered pool.

We ask you to uncheck AOFO since backup execv10.0 performs a snapshot backup of exchange 2003 installed on server 2003. It uses Microsft Vss services to snapshot the data. This is a utility provided by Microsoft.

If you uncheck AOFO however the backup is done solely by Backup exec using the legacy method.

For more information please refer the admin guide for 10.0. Chapter Using Snapshot Technology With the Exchange Agent page 1112. and the following technote:



Title : How to back up Microsoft SQL and Exchange with Backup Exec 10.0 using Microsoft Shadow Copy Services

http://support.veritas.com/docs/268040


Title : VERITAS Backup Exec (tm) 10.0 for Windows Servers Administrator's Guide (English)

http://support.veritas.com/docs/269777

NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answeredand would be moved toanswered questions pool.

[Herv__Giauque]

Ok,

I will try to uncheck the AOFO on our full backup (including files and exchange) to see if it works and if the problem only come from the AOFO.

=> edit: So in real fact, this is not a problem, just a configuration error...

Thanks you very muchMessage was edited by:
Hervé Giauque

[Madhuri_Shenoy]

Hello Hervé,

Awaiting your update on this issue!


Thanks!

NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked ‘assumed answered’ and would be moved to ‘answered questions’ pool.

[Herv__Giauque]

Hi,

It works for my case... the full backup (files and exchange) has completed successfully dans the logs were flushed, using the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service.

The only "problem" for me is that I need to create two backups jobs because i'm not only backuping Windows 2k3 servers but also Windows 2k servers...

thanks for your help

[Renuka_-]

Hello Hervé,


Thank You for the update. Glad that your error is resolved, will be moving this thread to the assumed answered queue.


Regards

[bert_kleimann]

We have the same problem that logs will not flush, and using AOFO. So we will try to set AOFO off.

But it worked in version 9.1 Is this the improvement to version 10.0. Do you have maybe find an other solution?