Exchange 2003 backup using Netbackup 7.0

[MohdAlim]

Hi Guy Need some advise on configuring backup for Exchange 2003 clients using Netbackup 7.0. I have defined 2 policies to backup the Exchange 2003 stand alone server: 1st policy to backup the public folders & mailboxes. 2nd policy to backup the information store. Are these policies sufficient. And in the policy, I notice there are options such as snapshot and GRT. Are we required to make use any of the options, coz I did not select those options for my policies? Or when are we required to select those options?

[varunprakash]

GRT and snapshot are options of exchange backup. If you need you can go with the options. But you have to buy license for GRT.

 Granular mailbox protection

There are essentially two basic levels of Microsoft Exchange Server protection available. The first is referred to as database level protection, where Volume Shadowcopy Service (VSS) compliant snapshots or the Exchange backup API are used to perform full or incremental database backups. These backups can be used to recover individual databases within a Microsoft Exchange storage group, or an entire storage group. This method of backup is suitable for recovery from disasters or hardware failures.

The second basic type of Exchange protection is commonly referred to as a brick level backup. This type of backup uses MAPI (Messaging API) to protect Exchange mailboxes at a granular level. Mailbox backups are executed separately from Exchange storage group backups. Mailbox backups cannot be used to recover a database or storage group, but they can be used to recover individual mailboxes or mailbox content at a granular level. This method of backup is suitable for recovering accidentally deleted items.

The Microsoft Backup utility doesn’t support individual mailbox restores, or granular recovery of items within a mailbox. Microsoft does provide information detailing what a customer would need to do in order recover this data using what is referred to as recovery storage groups.

NetBackup for Microsoft Exchange Server includes the ability to perform both storage group and brick-level mailbox backups (dependent on the version of Microsoft Exchange being protected).

2.2 Volume Shadowcopy Service (VSS) snapshots

Exchange Server 2003 introduced support for backup in conjunction with Windows Server 2003 Volume Shadowcopy Service. For Exchange 2003 and 2007, Volume Shadowcopy Service acts as a mechanism for creating point-in-time copies of data that can be used for consistent Exchange storage group backup and recovery as an alternative to the older Exchange API backup method. Underlying Volume Shadowcopy Service provider components may be hardware or software assisted to improve snapshot performance and capabilities.

For further info:

http://eval.symantec.com/mktginfo/enterprise/white_papers/b-whitepaper_netbackup_for_ms_exchange...

[Oddy · Accepted solution]

MohdAlim,

Yes, your configuration is suffiecient to backup your exchange Database.
Directive
Microsoft Information Store:\
will backup all the storage groups with all the stores contents.

You use this backup to do a Disaster Recovery, to restore all the stores that is backed up.

The other policy as what I understand you have created is,
Microsoft Exchange Mailboxes:\*
Microsoft Public Folders:\*
This will backup all the individual messages in the mailboxes and public folder, these backup are very slow since it has to read each individual message in the mailboxes/public folder.
You can use this to restore individual items in the mailboxes/public folder.
This is the same backup you get if you configure a Exchange Granular backup running an Information store backup.
No need to take a snapshot to backup the Exchange Database.

I hope this helps.

/Oddy

[varunprakash]

If you want to restore a single mail of a user, normally you have to restore the storage group and from that storage group you have to move the mail to user mailbox. It will waste your time. If you use GRT option, you can able to restore that particular mail of the user.

Snapshot: Snapshot is used to take snap of a database and it is used for backup. You can use this snapshot for offhost backup which will reduce the backup load on your exchange server.

Snapshot is also used for instant recovery rollbackup.