Time Required for Offline Defrag of Exchange 2003 Server
Hi. I am planning an offline defrag that is long overdue of my Exchange 2003 Store. In reading various articles, I see estimates ranging anywhere from 4-9GB per hour throughput on this process, with some improvements on those numbers when using the '/p' switch.
My question is this - If I want to calculate roughly how long this will take, should I just use the reported numbers when looking at the .edb and .stm files in My Computer, or should I be subtracting the value reported as free space in the most recent Application Log Event ID 1221 - The database <dbname> has xxx megabytes of free space?
The reason I ask this is because I have also been moving mailboxes from this large store to newly created stores, so the 1221 Event is reporting a number that is significant, about 50,000 megabytes as of this posting.
Thanks.
My question is this - If I want to calculate roughly how long this will take, should I just use the reported numbers when looking at the .edb and .stm files in My Computer, or should I be subtracting the value reported as free space in the most recent Application Log Event ID 1221 - The database <dbname> has xxx megabytes of free space?
The reason I ask this is because I have also been moving mailboxes from this large store to newly created stores, so the 1221 Event is reporting a number that is significant, about 50,000 megabytes as of this posting.
Thanks.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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I would not recommend it at all and no official way of pausing it :-)
Yes ..you cannot simply pause the deframgement process, since it is actually done in following way.
1. Database is copied to a temp location, usually the same path where you are running eseutil from if you hvaent specified otherwise using /t switch
2. The temp database is defragged
3. The defragged database is replaced by original database ( if you run /p alongwith /d switch the 3rd step is not carried out)
it runs at 4-6 GB an hour & requires 110 % free space of the database files in the drive where you run eseutil from or the drive which you specify using /t switch
1. Database is copied to a temp location, usually the same path where you are running eseutil from if you hvaent specified otherwise using /t switch
2. The temp database is defragged
3. The defragged database is replaced by original database ( if you run /p alongwith /d switch the 3rd step is not carried out)
it runs at 4-6 GB an hour & requires 110 % free space of the database files in the drive where you run eseutil from or the drive which you specify using /t switch
ASKER
OK, one final thought - Since I am in the process of moving mailboxes into different stores anyway, is it reasonable to simply move all of my mailboxes into new stores, and then just delete the original store? Or, at least move all of the mailboxes out, perform the defrag on an essentially empty store, and then move mailboxes back to it, if it must remain for some strange coding reason (as it is the default from installation 'First Mailbox Store')?
Thanks.
Thanks.
First Mailbox store typically have only one special reason to remain ..since its the only mailbox store which has the "System Attemdant Mailbox" by default, which can be moved as well.
However if you move all your mailbox to a different store & delete these database files then mount the first Mailbox store back it will create new database files & will have the default system mailbox recreated in there ...this approach has no problems if you do not want to wait to defrag a large mailbox store & incure dome downtime for production mailboxes.
defragmentation of empty mail box store is no good...you should recreate the DB files if you empty that mailbox store by moving all mailboxes off it.
However if you move all your mailbox to a different store & delete these database files then mount the first Mailbox store back it will create new database files & will have the default system mailbox recreated in there ...this approach has no problems if you do not want to wait to defrag a large mailbox store & incure dome downtime for production mailboxes.
defragmentation of empty mail box store is no good...you should recreate the DB files if you empty that mailbox store by moving all mailboxes off it.
ASKER
So emptying the Store (moving mailboxes), and then deleting the priv1.edb and priv1.stm? That sounds like a frightening proposition given the importance of the System Attendant mailbox. You're telling me that just remounting the First Mailbox Store without any database files under it will automatically create new files and subsequently recreate a functional System Attendant mailbox with no side effects?
How about if I leave some mailboxes, such as disabled accounts from people who are no longer with the company? That way, I don't affect any live users, as their mailboxes have been moved to other stores, and keep the original System Attendant Mailbox in place.
How about if I leave some mailboxes, such as disabled accounts from people who are no longer with the company? That way, I don't affect any live users, as their mailboxes have been moved to other stores, and keep the original System Attendant Mailbox in place.
SOLUTION
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If you are replacing the default store, then the system mailboxes will be recreated by restarting the Information Store. Therefore move all the content, then drop the original store and immediately restart the Information Store Service. The system mailboxes will be automatically recreated. Total downtime is about a minute and an offline defrag completely unnecessary. Why waste the defragging an empty store?
-M
-M
ASKER
This is a major concern for me, as time windows are going to make this project very difficult to pull off.