System recovery and Exchange server

[chrisf2]

I was testing System Recovery and my Exchange server database was corrupt after the restoration on the new server.  The server is running Windows 2003 SP2 with Exchange 2003 SP2.  Is there a way to verify that VSS quiesced the database properly because I think it did not.  This is not a heavily used Exchange server.  Is it more reliable to stop the Exchange servers with a batch script before the backup?  I would rather not do that, but I want reliable Exchange backups.

[Rich_L]

Hi chrisf2,

Backup Exec System Recovery 7.0.2 (fully patched with LiveUpdate) should not have any issues with creating a successful and uncorrupted backup of an Exchange 2003 SP2 on Windows Server 2003 SP2.  Make sure that Windows and Exchange are also fully patched and updated.

VSS should quiesce the Exchange Database properly.  You can create a Stop and Start batch file for the Exchange services.  Then use the .bat files thru the Backup Job to stop / start the Exchange services.

[chrisf2]

I would prefer not to use the scripts due to the possibility of Exchange not restarting.  I would like to know how to verify that the store was properly quiesced and the Exchange backup is not corrupt.  I don't see how to do this.  When I had Exchange corruption, the backup appeared to be good and there was no warning that the store did not quiesce.

Chris

[Martin_C]

Look for VSS errors in event viewer. BESR 7.x depends on VSS technology which uses Exchange specific writer in order to quiesce the Exchange database properly.

[chrisf2]

I did check when I had this problem, but I didn't see any errors.  Now I feel like I can't trust the Exchange backups created by BESR.  There is no way for me to determine that I really have a good backup.