problems with Continuously protecting Information Store

[William_Culver]

Backup Exec 11d.
Backup Exec CPS
Windows Server 2003 Standard

Both Backup Exec 11d and CPS are installed on our Media server.
We are choosing the option to Continuously protect transaction logs for our Exchange Server. Everything seemed to work great, but today, our server is crashing constantly.

We have a CPS job that backs up files on 2 servers.
We have 2 daily jobs with Backup Exec that also backup 6 servers.
The Exchange information store job is separate from those jobs.

We are backing up to a hot-swappable SATA drive configuration.

I set up the information store backup yesterday, and today we keep crashing. I have stopped all other jobs, and tried doing a simple manual Backup Exec Job, we then crash again.

It is my understanding that you can't have CPS jobs run at the same time as Backup Exec jobs, is this true?

I called a Symantec tech yesterday and they told me that you weren't supposed to have CPS installed on the same server as the Backup Exec media server. Maybe a week ago a Symantec Tech told me I had to do this, now they are telling me I shouldn't?

Hopefully you guys can drill me some more and we can find the real problem.

[William_Culver]

anyone?

[perry_baker]

William I apologize for the confusion; below are the steps that should work. I believe I have provided understandable information but please reply to this thread if you find something that is not understandable. I want to turn this information into a technote and would like feedback. Also, this is written from the perspective of giving steps from the very beginning.

Steps for a Continuous Exchange Backup job.

Install Backup Exec on a server other than your Exchange server; to use CPS with Backup Exec and run a Continuous Exchange Backup the Backup Exec Media Server cannot be the Exchange Server.

The first CPS server is called the Continuous Management Server (the CMS); it establishes the Backup Group. This server should not be the Exchange Server due to performance hit. It would be best to install the CMS on a third server if possible but you can install the CMS on the Backup Exec Media Server. Be certain to select the Exchange Agent during CPS installation.

If the CMS is also the Backup Exec Media Server, then go to the next step. If the CMS is a third server, then push the CPS Continuous Protection Agent from the CMS to the Backup Exec server; during CPS installation opt to place the Journal Files on a drive other than the drive where the Backup-to-Disk folder used in the Continuous Exchange Backup job will reside (read this entire document and plan ahead). Be certain to select the Exchange Agent during CPS installation. The CPS installation will require a reboot.

From the CMS push the CPS Continuous Protection Agent to the Exchange server. Be certain to select the Exchange Agent during CPS installation; during CPS installation opt to place the Journal Files on a drive other than the drive where the Exchange transaction logs reside (read this entire document and plan ahead). Make certain you have also installed the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Servers on the Exchange Server; this could have been done via Backup Exec for Windows Servers or at the time the Continuous Protection Agent was installed. The CPS installation will require a reboot.

At this point the Backup Exec Media Server and the Exchange Server will both have the Continuous Protection Agent installed and be ready for the configuration of a Continuous Exchange Backup job.

A Continuous Exchange Backup job can only run to a Backup-to-Disk (B2D) device and it's recommended that a separate B2D device be used exclusively for the Continuous Exchange Backup job and not mix other resources such as file system backups (files, folders, drive letters), System State backups, Shadow Copy backups or other agent backups (SQL, Oracle, Sharepoint, etc).

Open a backup job in Backup Exec.
Browse to and select the remote Exchange Servers Information Store.
On the left hand pane select Microsoft Exchange to view the settings that can be applied to Exchange backup operations.
On the right hand pane select the following:
Full - Database & Logs (flush committed logs) method.
Continuously backup transaction logs with Backup Exec Continuous Protection Server.
An informational prompt may appear, if so, read the information and click OK.
Upon clicking OK, notice a second child check box has also been enabled to create recovery points every 8 hours.
Recovery Points are browsable backup sets that appear as if hey are a full Exchange backup. For more information on Recovery Points please review the Backup Exec Administrators Guide, section titled Continuous protection for Exchange Data. It's recommended to use caution when selecting the frequency of recovery points since each Recovery Point will occupy additional disk space.

On the left hand pane select the Schedule option. The Exchange Full Backup should run on a regular schedule.

In between the Exchange Full Backups, CPS will replicate the Exchange transaction logs to the B2D device in a sub-folder named .exchange with sub-folders for the storage groups. When a Recovery Point is run Backup Exec will issue the command to the remote Exchange Server for it to truncate its logs. For this reason no other Exchange backups that affect the Exchange transaction logs or are based on the Exchange transaction logs should be run.

Duplicate backup sets can be run for the Exchange Full backups or for the last Recovery Point prior to the Exchange Full backup.

After a Continuous Exchange Backup has been created and run do not change the B2D device. If a new B2D must be used a new Continuous Exchange Backup job should be created and the old one deleted.

Do not delete any data in any of the B2D sub-folders as this could cause all backup data to be rendered unusable.

[William_Culver]

"A Continuous Exchange Backup job can only run to a Backup-to-Disk (B2D) device and it's recommended that a separate B2D device be used exclusively for the Continuous Exchange Backup job and not mix other resources such as file system backups (files, folders, drive letters), System State backups, Shadow Copy backups or other agent backups (SQL, Oracle, Sharepoint, etc)."

That part helped me, I was backing up to the same device.
I will see if that helps us some.