*.DB & *.MDC Files

[anon1m0us1]

I know the MDC file is located in the userprofile\local\kvs....and can be set in the policy "Root Folder"

But where can I find the *.db file or set its location? It is not with the *.mdc files.

Also, is there an issue with hiding these files so user's will not know where it is?

[JesusWept3]

DB files will always be placed with the MDC files along with a couple of INI and XML files
You should be able to hide them , but its not a default or supported configuration, so if you every have any issues, you may be asked to unhide them to see if that stops any issues you may be having

[anon1m0us1]

I do not see any other files in the C:\Users\Testuser\AppData\Local\KVS\Enterprise Vault\514E6CC0FF8F92483j4B8C2602124BE besides 2 MDC files and two temp. What does this mean?

[JesusWept3 · Accepted solution]

OK so it means one of a few things

1. BITS is throttled or disabled on the client
2. BITS is throttled or disabled on the EV Server
3. EV is having issues creating the DB/PST files on the server
4. Your desktop policy is set for Vault Cache and Virtual Vault to do Headers Only

The way that it works is that the DB Files are downloaded in Quarters and EV uses the MigratorServer to create the DB/PST Files on the server first, and then the client downloads the DB files to the application directory using BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Services)

Some companies will throttle their end users BITS to 32k/s on the desktop, and when you're trying to download a 256mb file, you may just end up closing Outlook before its ever finished etc.

BITS also needs to be enabled on the server as well, and the Vault Cache Location needs to be set up with 20gb free and configured via the Computer properties and such

You should also look at the event logs on the EV Server to make sure there are no issues.
Check the Temp location to see if there are any DB files hanging around there, if you have anything like PSTDisableGrow in place then you might have some issues, and that registry key will need to be removed.

Also try going to http://yourEVServer/EnterpriseVault/VCView.aspx and this will show all the Vault Cache builds recently submitted to the server from that user (this is also held in the EnterpriseVaultdirectory database in the AdminJob table) and that might give you some clue also

[anon1m0us1]

Ok, we only do headers so I guess that explains why I do not see any DB files. If I have a 5GB Max size cache policy, will this ever take effect if I do not have any DB files?

[JesusWept3]

Typically the MDC will be 10%-15% of your full archive size so to reach 5GB you would need a ~50GB archive, which is not impossible but not likely at this moment The bad news is though that the MDC does not adhere to the sizing limits placed through the policy, that only affects the DB files and which mail to keep offline

[Rob_Wilcox1]

Another reason to not see any .DB files can be when the store size is set to 'too small' a value.  Eg if it's set to 1 Gb, and your MDC file is 2 Gb, then you'll get no .DB files.

[Ben_Heymink]

As a side note, BITS is not a pre-req on the server for Vault cache, nor is it required on the server; I've seen this mentioned a couple of times now so thought I'd pipe up!

[JesusWept3]

Logically that makes sense, just didnt put two and two together I stand corrected, thanks :)

[anon1m0us1]

Ok, I changed my policy to download all email content. However, when viewing my virtual vault directory path, I still do not see a .db created.

Why? I waitied over 24 hours, synched the users etc.

[Rob_Wilcox1]

Can you post some screenshots of both your file system (where the MDC etc are located) and the Vault Cache synch/options dialogs?  You may also want to grab a copy of bitsadmin and use that to view the jobs (if any are queued).

[anon1m0us1]

I ran the bitsadmin found ..https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/testing-bits and it completed sucessfully.

Just wondering, if I change my policy from headers to full content, do I need to "reset cache" or should this be automatically?

[Rob_Wilcox1]

With regards to whether you have to do a reset or not...

No, however after changing the policy (and synchronising the archiving task to this mailbox) you do need to make sure you open/close Outlook, and do a synchronise from the Vault Cache window.

I also might have missed it in your comments so far...

1. What size is your MDC?
2. What size (from your Outlook Add-in) is the maximum OV Store Size which is allowed?

[anon1m0us1]

Ok, this seems to be a consistant theme with EV. It takes like 24 hours for the policyt to take affect. Now I see my DB files etc.

Just to clarify, the DB files are the emails while MDC is the directory structure. Is there a setting that limits the size of the DB file before createing a new one? What about MDC?

[Rob_Wilcox1]

Changes you make to mailbox policies have to be synchronised down to the mailbox.  This happens automatically depending what options you have selected on the 'settings' tab of your Exchange Archiving Task(s).

To your other questions:

Essentially yes the DB files contain the mails, and the MDC is the structure (and stub information)

The MDC will grow to however big it needs to be, you can't limit the size of it.  If 1.5 Gb is needed to hold the metadata relating to your archived items, then that's what size the file will be on your local disk, and it's built locally on the end-user machine.  

The DB files can be limited in size, the registry key to do is an internal only key at this time..  but if you have a dire need/business-case I would think you would be able to get the information from Support.  However, there is an existing bug relating to the limiting of the DB file size whereby the units of measure are a little bit askew, meaning that the limits are not enforced properly.  So...  it's best to leave the DB files to their natural sizes.