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666 Views 7 Replies Last post: Sep 6, 2011 12:32 PM by zlatan24 RSS
Ken.Cline Champion
Ken.Cline
5,167 posts since
Jul 7, 2004
Currently Being Moderated

Feb 17, 2009 10:23 AM

Exchange 2007 - How are you backing it up?

 

I'm interested in learning how people are backing up their E2K7 environments that are running within VMware. Could you please let me know how you're backing up your's?

 

 

1. How large is your environment (# mailboxes, average mailbox size)

 

 

2. What backup application are you using?

 

 

3. Are you using VCB?

 

 

4. How do you do your restores?

 

 

5. Anything else you think that might be helpful.

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

Ken Cline

Technical Director, Virtualization

Wells Landers

TVAR Solutions, A Wells Landers Group Company

VMware Communities User Moderator

 

 

Ken Cline VMware vExpert 2009 VMware Communities User Moderator Blogging at: http://KensVirtualReality.wordpress.com/
 
Tags: exchange, backups
DobsonConsult… Novice
DobsonConsult…
6 posts since
Feb 9, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
1. Feb 17, 2009 10:34 AM in response to: Ken.Cline
Re: Exchange 2007 - How are you backing it up?

 

I have 200 mailboxes, I am doing CCR replication across the Atlantic and have about 8 SGs and DBs.

 

 

I use EMC Replication Manager clones to the backup server, which backs up the EDB files and runs eseutil to reset the logs, etc.

 

 

For restores I use Kroll Ontrack to read the EDB files and allow me to pick out individual emails, mailboxes, etc. and restore to a PST.

 

 

Replication Manager is Exchange aware so it handles everything from the clone, to the backup.  The actual backup software used is Networker.  Replication Manager calls networker once the edb files are ready for backup. 

 

 

fhpaschen Enthusiast
fhpaschen
30 posts since
Nov 30, 2007
Currently Being Moderated
2. Feb 17, 2009 8:49 PM in response to: Ken.Cline
Re: Exchange 2007 - How are you backing it up?

 

We're running NetApp filers behind our VMware implementation so we use SnapManager for Exchange.

 

 

We present iSCSI LUNs to the Exchange virtual machines that house the information stores.

Using SnapManager for Exchange we create daily snapshots of the LUNs

We use BackupExec for the weekly backups to tape using the Exchange agent

 

 

Restores generally occur inside our snapshot retention period.  Here we FlexClone the LUN and present it to a second virtual machine running NetApp's Single Mailbox Recovery tool which is very much a rebranded Ontrack tool for opening the EDB files directly.  Once mounted, we can open the information store, find the data we need, and drag/drop copy to the live Exchange server.  

 

 

We could probably eliminate BackupExec by using NDMP backups of the actual LUNs directly from the filer but haven't implemented that.

 

 

Kevin

 

 

Ken.Cline Champion
Ken.Cline
5,167 posts since
Jul 7, 2004
Currently Being Moderated
3. Feb 18, 2009 5:43 AM in response to: Ken.Cline
Re: Exchange 2007 - How are you backing it up?

Thanks! Keep them coming. Is anyone using VCB with VSS integration to do their E2K7 backups?

 

Ken Cline

Technical Director, Virtualization

Wells Landers

TVAR Solutions, A Wells Landers Group Company

VMware Communities User Moderator

Ken Cline VMware vExpert 2009 VMware Communities User Moderator Blogging at: http://KensVirtualReality.wordpress.com/
DobsonConsult… Novice
DobsonConsult…
6 posts since
Feb 9, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
4. Feb 18, 2009 6:36 AM in response to: Ken.Cline
Re: Exchange 2007 - How are you backing it up?

 

The solution I mentioned above uses VSS, but not VCB.  For my non-Exchange VMs I am using ESX Ranger, which uses VCB and VSS to backup the entire VM.

 

 

Sean

 

 

asatoran Champion
asatoran
3,621 posts since
Jun 23, 2006
Currently Being Moderated
5. Feb 18, 2009 2:04 PM in response to: Ken.Cline
Re: Exchange 2007 - How are you backing it up?

 

Currently a very small Exchange 2007 server with just 5 mailboxes at a secondary location.  Backup with Backup Exec 12.5 to file.

 

 

Near term project for the main office is to upgrade from Exchange 2000 to 2007.  Currently using BE12.5 to VTL and LTO tape but will be installing VCB when we upgrade to 2007.  This is also a relatively small server.  Only 50 mailboxes.  Most mailboxes are in the 5MB range, with the managers in the 20MB to 200MB range, and the COO over 1.5GB.  :-O  But otherwise very small.

 

 

Because of the small server sizes,backup and restores are very basic. Full backups daily with bricklevel backup of all mailboxes so I'm able to restore individual mailboxes.

 

 

(Sorry, that probably wasn't the level of detail or complexity that you were looking for.  My operation is quite small.    )

 

 

Ken.Cline Champion
Ken.Cline
5,167 posts since
Jul 7, 2004
Currently Being Moderated
6. Feb 19, 2009 8:40 AM in response to: Ken.Cline
Re: Exchange 2007 - How are you backing it up?

Thanks, everyone. I've awarded points, but would appreciate continued responses. This is an interesting topic and I'd like to hear more

 

Ken Cline

Technical Director, Virtualization

Wells Landers

TVAR Solutions, A Wells Landers Group Company

VMware Communities User Moderator

Ken Cline VMware vExpert 2009 VMware Communities User Moderator Blogging at: http://KensVirtualReality.wordpress.com/
zlatan24 Novice
zlatan24
13 posts since
Jun 13, 2009
Currently Being Moderated
7. Sep 6, 2011 12:32 PM in response to: Ken.Cline
Re: Exchange 2007 - How are you backing it up?

edb   recovery has many effective features due to it can solve out troubles   with corrupted or deleted .edb files. It has easy to use interface, uses   modern methods of recovering exchange data, can start under all system   configurations.

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