Using our Exchange Agent, Exchange may now be backed up on-line, without stopping the services beforehand. This option is an Extra-Cost Option. The use of the optional Exchange Agent is controlled by the UltraBac.com licensing module. Pre-license evaluation versions of UltraBac default to Exchange Agent enabled status. Permanent licensing can be updated by telephone or web-site to include the use of the Exchange Agent after purchase. For phone numbers, addresses and web-site information:
See Web-site: UltraBac Licensing Center
UltraBac's Exchange Agent allows both Exchange Server Live Backups/Restores (Exchange Server) and Exchange Individual Mailbox Live Backups/Restores (Individual Mailbox). Exchange Server Backups backup Exchange's Directory and Information Stores (which includes the mailboxes) while the Exchange Individual Mailbox Backups backup the individual mailboxes. Note: Individual Mailbox backups are commonly referred to as Brick Layer Backups.
Individual mailboxes can easily be restored from an Individual Mailbox Backup. Single mailboxes can be restored from an Exchange Server Backup but is more complex. Complete restores should be performed from an Exchange Server Backup but are not practical from an Individual Mailbox Backup.
Individual Mailbox Backups should compliment and never replace Exchange Server Backups. In other words, Exchange Server Backups might be performed without an Individual Mailbox Backup but Individual Mailbox Backups should not be performed without also performing an Exchange Server Backup.
To demonstrate why let's use the example of a complete restore. Even with an Individual Mailbox Backup that includes all the mailboxes, a full restore would require the user to manually recreate each mailbox with the exact same specs and set up each user's settings and permissions before performing the restore. You would lose the "Single Instance Storage" (the information store would be much larger after the restore) and you would need to reconfigure the Exchange Server from a basic install, including all mail connectors, news feeds, etc. Using an Exchange Server backup instead would greatly simplify this restore.
Individual Mailbox Backups that include all mailboxes take considerable more time and storage space than Exchange Server Backups. We recommend you always perform an Exchange Server Backup. If adding an Individual Mailbox Backup that includes all mailboxes is unacceptable due to time or storage constraints, we suggest you prudently use the Individual Mailbox Backup. Backup the most important mailboxes and the mailboxes you will most likely need to restore in your Individual Mailbox backup.
Note: UltraBac's Exchange Server or Individual Mailbox Live Backups do not include a file-by-file backup of the server's files. Local or Network Sets (versus Exchange Agent Sets) must be created to backup the servers files.
The account that runs the "BEI Scheduler" service, usually "UltraBac", must be defined to Exchange and setup as an Exchange Administrator in order for unattended Exchange backups to occur. You must install the Exchange Administrator program on the UltraBac host machine in order to perform Exchange backups.
This account needs to be defined on the Exchange Server as a "Permissions Admin" or a "Service Account Admin". (Service Account Admin has more authority.) Exactly how you do this is up to the administrator, but one example follows:
Open Microsoft Exchange Administrator application on the Exchange Server (or from any NT/2000 Server if this application has been installed). The hierarchy is Site, Organization, Configuration and then Server.
Highlight the Site folder that contains the exchange server to be backed up. Click on the "Permissions" tab. Add UltraBac (the name of account name that the BEI/Scheduler Service logs on as) as a Service Account Admin to the Site.
Now highlight the Organization folder that contains the same exchange server. Click on the "Permissions" tab. Add UltraBac as a Service Account Admin to the Organization.
Now highlight the "configuration" folder contained by the above organization. Click on the "Permissions" tab. Add UltraBac as a Service Account Admin.
UltraBac with Service Account Admin authority should automatically be added to the exchange server. To check, highlight the exchange server folder. Click on the "Permissions" tab. UltraBac should appear with Service Account Admin authority. If it doesn't appear, add UltraBac as a Service Account Admin.
See UBQ: UBQ000022 Defining UltraBac Account as an Exchange Administrator
UltraBac.com offers an optional Exchange Agent that will back up active Exchange databases. When creating a backup set, the administrator can either backup the databases completely or incrementally or differentially.
A complete backup requires the "All Files" selection logic while the incremental and differential backups require the "Modified Files" selection logic. The incremental backup requires the "Clear Archive Bit" option enabled, while the differential backup requires it NOT enabled.
In order to use the Exchange Agent, the Exchange Administrator software must first be installed on the target machine. In order for unattended Exchange backups to occur, the account that runs the "BEI Scheduler" service (usually "UltraBac") must be defined to Exchange and setup as an Exchange Administrator.
Once set up, follow the instructions for creating a new backup set using the "Backup using the UltraBac Agent (Image, Exchange, SQL, NetWare, Windows 95/98)" option. NOTE: It is highly recommended that an additional set be created to backup the res1.log and res2.log files without using the agent (e.g. Use the Select local fixed drives to backup" option.) These files may save the user much time in case a restore is necessary.
Like SQL, the "Clear Archive Bit" determines whether Exchange's logs should be cleared after backup. Selecting only modified files will only backup the transaction logs - a full backup has to have been performed first in order to be able to do this. IMPORTANT: Circular logging must be disabled in order to be able to perform incremental or differential backups.
The current release allows multiple Exchange servers to be backed up per set. All of the Exchange Servers to be backed up by UltraBac need to be listed in the "Exchange Server List". Add to this list through the "UltraBac Exchange Server List" screen found under the option path "Tools"/"Edit Exchange Server List"
Figure 111: Creating an Exchange Server List
Using the "Add Server" option brings up the "Add Computer" screen. From here the user can either enter the computer name in the "Computer" text box, or expand the domain icons until the desired computer is displayed. Double click the computer you wish to include in the "Exchange Server List".
Highlight the computer you wish to remove from the "Exchange Server List" before using the "Remove Server" option.
If "Save Server List" has not been selected before selecting "OK" UltraBac will prompt the user to save the list.
The "Load Server List" option allows the user to load an "Exchange Server List" contained in a file other than the default "exchange.esv" file.
Complete the Exchange set by following instructions in the "Creating Backup Sets" chapter.
An example of the backup set creation screen follows:
Figure 112: Creating an Exchange Set
The Exchange services need to be running while performing an Exchange (live) Agent restore. This may include installing and configuring Exchange.
When restoring from a full backup, select "Yes" to "Delete Existing Logs" when prompted, and "Yes" to "Restart Services". When performing a restoration of an incremental backup, it is first necessary to restore the last full backup done prior to the backup of the incremental, deleting existing logs, but NOT restarting the services. As you restore each of the incremental(s), do not delete the logs or restart the services. When the last incremental is restored, you may select "Yes" to "Restart Services", or you may restart the services manually via the control panel.
When restoring to an exchange server, the following screen will appear:
Figure 113: Restoring Exchange databases
The "Delete Existing Logs before Restoration" option will remove log files pre-existing on the target exchange server. De-selecting this option will cause these log files to remain. After starting the service, and after the database commits transactions contained in the "restored" log files, all transactions contained in qualifying pre-existing log files will be committed. To qualify the pre-existing log files must be contiguous and must be sequential to the highest restored log file according to the numeric log file name sequence.
The restore target defaults to the server where the backup data originated. Enabling the "Restore Information Store to Alternate Server" option allows the user to redirect the restore to a different location by entering an Exchange Server Name in the "Restore To:" dialog box. The typical format of the complete path entry is "<Exchange Server Name>". Note: When a restore set contains multiple exchange servers, the restore cannot be redirected.
The "Restore Information Store to Alternate Server" also activates all other options within the within the "Information Store Options" dialog box. Select as desired the "Restart Services after Completing Restore Operations", "Private Information Store Only", "Public Information Store Only" and "Both".
If the storage media is password protected, enter the "password".
Note: This is not the only way to restore single mailboxes but may be necessary when an Individual Mailbox Backup that includes the desired mailboxes does not exist. See above documentation and the following link for more information:
If a redundant backup is desired then a flat file (static) database backup can be performed by shutting down services.
Note: Some users wish to have redundant Static (cold) backups of their SQL and Exchange databases. This can be done using the before and after job commands. In the past the task of restoring a Static (cold) backup has been relatively easy. However, this changes with Exchange 2000 and SQL 7.5. Now multiple Information Stores and SQL Servers run on a single computer. This adds a large degree of complexity and it is now suggested (by Microsoft and UltraBac) to only use Static (cold) backups for redundancy and NOT to rely on a Static (cold) backup as a means of recovery.
See UBQ: UBQ000020 Static Exchange & SQL Backups
UltraBac provides "Before" and "After" batch command line interface opportunities.
See UBQ: UBQ000077 Exchange Agent Troubleshooting
See UBQ: UBQ000185 - Individual Mailbox Backup Troubleshooting
At a minimum, the Exchange Administrator module must be installed on the computer that is running ULTRABAC in order to successfully backup Exchange.
Only the "Information Store" may be restored to an alternate server!
The ULTRABAC user account must be defined as an Exchange Administrator.
UltraBac's Exchange Agent does not support migration between versions of Exchange. The version and service pack of Microsoft's Exchange should be the same when restoring as when backing up.
Currently UltraBac's Exchange Agent does not support Exchange 2000.
See UBQ: UBQ000022 Defining UltraBac Account as an Exchange Administrator