NBU7 - Exchange 2003 configuring

[pmc214]

We currently have NBU 7.1.0.2 Win2008, MS Exchange 2003 and also have the MS Exchange Extension. We have never used this before and would like to try to cut our current Exchange backup times down by using this feature. I just recently took over our NBU duties and am in beginner mode. What details/advice/options/help about backing up our Exchange 2003 with NBU . TIA

[Mark_Solutions · Accepted solution]

You can see the full Exchange Admin Guide here:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC3669

Basically as long as the NetBackup Client is installed on the Exchange Server set its NetBackup client service to use an Exchange Admin Account and then create a new policy of type MS-Exchange-Server, add your schedules, add your client and in the files list choose the directive of MS_Exchange_Database + Microsft Information Store. 

There is lots more that you can do such as GRT for individual maiobox backups and MAPI mailbox backups but this is the basic information

The guide will give you the rest

[pmc214]

Thank you! Another question:

The way I understand it from our Exchange admin... what we have now takes forever, we need a faster alt.

We do not have Circular Logging enabled so we need to clear out the transaction logs and backup the database which has the mailbox store. We are currently archiving and NBU is backing up the LiveExchangeBackup now with a basic MS Windows (non-Exchange) policy. Hopefully I have said this correctly.

Would this require a grt since we can retreive from the archive if needed (which we almost never do)?

TIA

[Mark_Solutions]

To keep your logs under control and protected you can run incremental backups at regular periods

To restore individual e-mail messages, contacts etc. then you either need to restore to a Recovery Storage Group and extract the onformation using standard Exchange Tools or perform GRT backups (must be backups to disk) from which you can restore any mailbox item straight back to exchange (just pops back into your inbox)

The incremental backups do not capture GRT information, only Full backups

Hope this helps

[pmc214]

by using the MS Exchange Server policy type will our transaction logs be cleared out automatically? I guess that is our main goal, that and backing up the db. We thought that would be the case with this extension.

[Mark_Solutions]

As long as all is well with the exchange server then the logs will be cleared down at the end of the full backup

[pmc214]

 "set its NetBackup client service to use an Exchange Admin Account ".

is there directions for this operation? I have an admin acct on the exchange server.

[Mark_Solutions]

Pretty detailed instructions for this should be in the exchange admin guide linked above See the section on individual mailbox backups - that has quite a lot in it Hope this helps #edit# in exchange system manager at the very top level right click and select "delegate" - you can then select the account and give it full exchange admin rights, if it already has it then just use that account for the NetBackup client service account on the exchange server and also make sure it is a member of the local administrators group

[pmc214]

how does netbackup know where our transaction logs are located? we have them on a different drive, the db knows where they are. curious, setup never asked for locations or nothing.

Thanks

[Mark_Solutions]

The NetBackup agent uses API calls into Exchange

When it does the database backup it just instructs Exchange that it has been completed and Exchange itself will then perform any required truncation

Again, during Incremental backup the API call interfaces with Exchange itself so Exchange passes the required files to NetBackup

All pretty smooth!

[pmc214]

Excellent.

I am trying it today. Is there any way to get it to write to more than one drive? I have 3 idle and only one working the backup. Anything to speed up the process?

Thanks!

[Mark_Solutions]

You could split your job up according to Storage Groups.

If you have four storage groups then make a policy for each with the selections similar to the following (dependant on what your are called - you can actually browse to them in the selections tab of the policy):

Microsoft Information Store:\SG1

Microsoft Information Store:\SG2

Microsoft Information Store:\SG3

etc.

Just remember that if any new Storage Groups are added you need to know about them so that you can add them into your backup policy

The reason for seperate policies is that if they were all streams in a single policy and one failed it can prevent the logs for all databases being truncated where as if each is in its own policy only the failed databases logs would not be truncated.

This then gives you as many jobs running as you have Storage Groups in Exchange

Hope this helps