Re: Exchange 2000 and TSM's TDP for Exchange

Tony,

> 1.) Backup up the users individual mailbox (brick level) "directly" to a
PST
> file, so that I do not have to have a hot spare and so that I do NOT have
to
> use Exmerge. [if this is true, then all I would need to do is make the
PST
> available for the user to import into Outlook and they could copy up the
> folder/messages themselves]

Data Protection 5.1.5 included a document (BRICKBACK.DOC),
sample scripts and sample configuration files (ExMerge.INI and DSM.OPT).
The document describes a "Brick-Level" solution utilizing
a combination of of ExMerge (export to .PST file) and the TSM BA client
to back up the .PST file to the TSM Server. It also documents how
to use the TSM BA Client subfile backup feature so that only
the changes to the mailbox (generally speaking.. new and changed mail)
are backed up to the TSM Server. The document and scripts are included
in the Data Protection for Exchange 5.1.5 package since it is the
Exchange customers that use this solution. The Data Protection for
Exchange product executables are not used in the brick-level solution.
Yes, the documented solution does require additional disk, but it does
work,
and has a good side effect of a "local" quick cache of .PST files for those
item level restores you get hit up for. Also, don't forget about
the "deleted item restore" feature in Exchange 5.5 SP3+ and the
"deleted item restore" and "deleted mailbox restore" features Exchange
2000.
Also, with Exchange 2003, Microsoft has added a special
"Recovery Storage Group" that will allow you to restore a database
into a separate "location", not affecting the current users, and use
ExMerge to get access to the things you need.

> 2.) Other than allowing a "online" hot backup of the database, what does
the
> TDP do for me if I have to restore a users "Inbox" or message"

With Data Protection for Exchange you can always restore the databases
to an alternate server to get access to what you want.

But.. keep in mind... customers that use "brick-level" solutions also
need to use standard online backup solutions (like Data Protection
for Exchange) since there is no "brick-level" solution that will be
able to recover your *entire* Exchange Server in the event of a serious
Exchange server corruption... and even if some "brick-level" solution
could get close, any fairly large Exchange server restored via
"brick-level" would take a very, very long time.

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Del

----------------------------------------------------

Del Hoobler
IBM Corporation
hoobler AT us.ibm DOT com

- Remember that the best job security is
doing a job well and doing it cheerfully.