Bacula-users

Re: [Bacula-users] Backup Exchange Server 2007

2009-09-29 11:53:21
Subject: Re: [Bacula-users] Backup Exchange Server 2007
From: Richard Kuhns <rjk AT wintek DOT com>
To: "bacula-users AT lists.sourceforge DOT net" <bacula-users AT lists.sourceforge DOT net>
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:38:30 -0400
Kevin Keane wrote:
> Graham Keeling wrote:
>> On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 02:46:40PM +0200, Torsten Maus wrote:
>>   
>>> I configured the client and job in backup, than I specified the fileset 
>>> which
>>> looks like this:
>>>
>>>
>>> FileSet {
>>>    Name = "exchange"
>>>    Enable VSS = no
>>>    Include {
>>>       File = C:/Program Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox
>>>       Plugin = "exchange:@EXCHANGE/Microsoft Information Store"
>>>
>>>    }
>>>
>>>
>>>    Exclude {
>>>
>>>
>>>       File = C:/Program Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox/First 
>>> Storage
>>> Group/Mailbox/E00.chk
>>>
>>>
>>>       File = C:/Program Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox/First 
>>> Storage
>>> Group/Mailbox/E00.log
>>>
>>>
>>>       File = C:/Program Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox/First 
>>> Storage
>>> Group/Mailbox/E000000F.log
>>>
>>>
>>>       File = C:/Program Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox/First 
>>> Storage
>>> Group/Mailbox/E0000010.log
>>>
>>>
>>>       File = C:/Program Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox/First 
>>> Storage
>>> Group/Mailbox/E0000011.log
>>>
>>>
>>>       File = C:/Program Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox/First 
>>> Storage
>>> Group/Mailbox/E00tmp.log
>>>
>>>
>>>       File = C:/Program Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox/First 
>>> Storage
>>> Group/Mailbox/priv1.edb
>>>
>>>
>>>    }
>>>
>>>
>>> }
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I swichted off VSS because I red in an other mail comment on the list, that 
>>> VSS
>>> should be disabled, or at least it makes it easier to identify whether the
>>> exchange plugin is working or not.
>>>
>>> So but if I run the job the plugin does nothing, because in the report 
>>> E-Mails I
>>> red:
>>>
>>> 29-Sep 13:45 exchange-fd JobId 19648:      Cannot open "C:/Program
>>> Files/Microsoft/Exchange Server/Mailbox/First Storage Group/Mailbox
>>> Database.edb": ERR=The process cannot access the file because it is being 
>>> used
>>> by another process.
>>>
>>> I do not know what I did wrong, or where is my mistake, helpfully you can 
>>> help
>>> me because I am quite frustrated.
>>>     
>> This is what the fileset that I've been using looks like:
>>
>> FileSet {
>>   Name = "Windows Exchange Server data"
>>   Ignore FileSet Changes = yes
>>   Include {
>>     Options {
>>       signature = MD5
>>       compression = GZIP9
>>       IgnoreCase = yes
>>     }
>>     Plugin = "exchange:/@EXCHANGE/Microsoft Information Store"
>>   }
>>   Exclude {
>>   }
>> }
>>
>> I have also left VSS turned on.
>> I don't think that you need all the random excludes that you listed.
>>   
> Not only that, these random excludes are actually harmful.

I've been following this discussion with some interest, since I'm most likely
going to have to backup Exchange Server 2007 in the very near future. Looking at
the page
<http://www.bacula.org/3.0.x-manuals/en/concepts/concepts/New_Features.html#SECTION003200000000000000000>,
I found the following:

<quote>
By default, a normal VSS fileset containing all the drive letters will also back
up the Exchange databases using VSS. This will interfere with the plugin and
Exchange's shared ideas of when the last full backup was done, and may also
truncate log files incorrectly. It is important, therefore, that the Exchange
database files be excluded from the backup, although the folders the files are
in should be included, or they will have to be recreated manually if a baremetal
restore is done.

FileSet {
   Include {
      File = C:/Program Files/Exchsrvr/mdbdata
      Plugin = "exchange:..."
   }
   Exclude {
      File = C:/Program Files/Exchsrvr/mdbdata/E00.chk
      File = C:/Program Files/Exchsrvr/mdbdata/E00.log
      File = C:/Program Files/Exchsrvr/mdbdata/E000000F.log
      File = C:/Program Files/Exchsrvr/mdbdata/E0000010.log
      File = C:/Program Files/Exchsrvr/mdbdata/E0000011.log
      File = C:/Program Files/Exchsrvr/mdbdata/E00tmp.log
      File = C:/Program Files/Exchsrvr/mdbdata/priv1.edb
   }
}
</quote>

My current plan (in my copious spare time) is to install bacula and Exchange
2007 on a virtual machine and crash test as hard as possible, unless someone
else has (multiple!) success stories already.

        - Rich

> The reason the original poster was having problems is that he was trying 
> to back up FILES. Exchange, by design, runs 24/7, and therefore keeps 
> the database locked. Thus the error. Enabling VSS would probably work 
> around that and let you back up the files, but that is still not the 
> proper way of backing up Exchange.
> 
> By excluding the log files, the original poster did two things. First, 
> he excluded an important part of the database. Second, he failed to 
> exclude all log files. Exchange will regularly create new ones, so this 
> Exclude will only leave out a few random ones out of the middle of the 
> database.
> 
> Exchange, like most databases, writes changes first to the log files 
> before it updates the actual database. The log files stay around until 
> the next backup of the database.
> 
> Doing a file-level backup of Exchange really doesn't do all that much 
> good. First, even if you can take a snapshot of the files, it still has 
> not been cleanly shut down. Second, Exchange never finds out about this 
> type of backup, and therefore never cleans up the log files. So the 
> number of log files (and the amount of disk space they take up) keeps 
> growing. I believe this will also slow down Exchange.
> 


-- 
Richard Kuhns <rjk AT wintek DOT com>     Direct Line:      765-269-8541
Wintek Corporation                 Internet Support: 765-269-8503
427 N 6th Street STE C             Cisco Consulting: 765-269-8504
Lafayette, IN 47901-2211           Accounting:       765-269-8502

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