SBS 2003 Exchange GRT Restores Blank Messages

[tmt]

Hey guys,

     I seem to have some issues trying to restore individual messages from mailboxes after running backups (full or incremental). I have tried both tape and disk restores but I get similar results. Basically what happens is some messages will have their content and attachments stripped off, leaving behind a blank email and the subject and recepient addresses while some others will have the email intact. I backed up the entire information store with AOFO switched off. I'm running Backup Exec 2010 R2 with SP1 installed on WS 2008 R2 and SBS 2003 running Exchange.

Here's what the logs have spit out:

Job ended: Tuesday, 9 August 2011 at 12:12:18 PM Completed status: Failed Final error: 0xe000fe2d - The backup of the item is bad. Final error category: Resource Errors

Restore- \\PC8002.tmtrov.internal\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group
Error writing file data.

I would greatly appreciate any assistance in this as we can't recover Exchange data reliably.

Regards

Javier

[CraigV]

Hi,

Might be worth your while to do a free upgrade to BE 2010 R3. Once done, apply the available patches and try the restore again...

[tmt]

HI Craig,

We upgrade to R3 and we are still experiencing the same results. Blanks emails and stripped attachments for selected. The logs say the backup of the item is bad and Error writing to file.

Job ended: Friday, 12 August 2011 at 2:49:11 PM Completed status: Failed Final error: 0xe000fe2d - The backup of the item is bad. Final error category: Resource Errors For additional information regarding this error refer to link V-79-57344-65069

Restore- \\servername\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group 
Error writing file data.

Error writing file data.

Error writing file data.

Error writing file data.

Are there any possible suggestions you could think of?

[tmt]

I've tried both AOFO and non-AOFO options and I'm still getting the same result. The only way I can get the backups to work is if I enable Legacy backup methods (Eg selecting all exchange mailboxes) Surely there is a way to perform a GRT restore without that.

[ZeRoC00L]

Is the Recovery Storage Group  created on  the Exchange server ?

[CraigV]

...and I take it that the media server is fully patched with the available patches, and that these were also pushed out to any remote servers you might have?

[tmt]

Hi CraigV,

Yes, the media server has been fully patched and all agents have been pushed out after that. I've installed another BE instance on the Exchange Server itself which is performing legacy backups just so I have something to restore from.

[tmt]

Hi ZeroCool,

Yes, a RSG has been created on the Exchange server. Would I need that to perform a GRT restore? Or are you refering to using ExMerge to recover from it?

[CraigV]

Hi TMT,

Next thing to try is manually staging to disk first before running the restore. By default, BE stages to disk in C:\Temp <-- and if there isn't enough disk space there it tends to come up with some funny issues.

Read my article below, try the manual duplication to disk and restore, and report back...

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/restoring-exchange-or-individual-mailboxesitems-usi...

thanks!

[tmt]

Hi CraigV,

Thanks for offering the solutions provided above. I've tried out the steps that you have described in the link but I'm still getting messages with blank contents as well as the same "Error Writing File Data" messages in the log. Some of them restore fine with their attachments while others only restore with the headers.

I've also checked that I have enough space on the BE server to stage the information store on. I'm at my wits end on trying to get this to work

[CraigV]

Hi,

Check out the TN below...it refers to doing backups when using AOFO, but read the details about the AOFO cache file becoming full, and make the settings changes suggested:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH27738

The only other reference to that error is in EV. Not sure if you use it or not as you never mentioned it:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH62912

If you don't come right, post back here and I will raise the support flag...hopefully someone from Symantec picks up on it when they're trawling the forums.

THanks!