Question

Check size of Exchange Server 2003 database logical size

Asked by: DFUYT

When my Exchange database logical size went close to the limit, I received a 9688 event saying:
The logical size of this database (the logical size equals the physical size of the .edb file and the .stm file minus the logical free space in each) is 70 GB. This database size is approaching the size limit of 74 GB.
Then, I asked the user to clean up, and after a few days, the nightly warning disappeared, but I didn't find a way to check the logical size.
If I add the .edb and the .stm sizes, I get 76.7 GB, and the free space, according to the event log is almost 7GB, so, if I do the math suggested, I still get around 70 GB used, but then I don't know why the warning disappeared.
Do I have a way to ask Exchange for this value?
There used to be a script here http://www.petri.co.il/reporting_storage_size_in_exchange.htm but it seems it's no longer available.

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2009-10-22 at 06:43:05ID24834421
Tags

exchange server 2003 database size

Topic

Exchange Email Server

Participating Experts
3
Points
250
Comments
12

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. Moving .edb and .stm file
    We use to host the Exchange Server 2003 but we didn't want to host it anymore so we had our consultant to host our Exchange Server on their site with their computer. The problem is that they are not doing a good job to maintain it so we decided to host it ourself. Can I jus...
  2. Using Disk Defragmenter to defrag a partition with an excha…
    I'd like to defragment the partition that is currently storing my .stm and .edb files on it to improve performance. (not using exchange to defrag the store.) At the same time, not really interested in destroying my exchange server. I've done some research and seem to find ...
  3. Exchange 2003 Defrag EDB and STM using different tem…
    Hello, I've reached a limit on my Exchange 2003 server - My EDB file is 13GB and the STM is almost 7GB. Exchange crashes every couple days because of it. I'm trying to run a defrag using the 'eseutil' tool but encounter an error "no space left on disk" jet error 1...
  4. Exchange 2003: EDB, STM, and Transaction Log
    So I understand with Exchange 2003, we have: Exchange Database (EDB) Exchange Streaming Database (.STM) Transaction Logs We currently have the Transaction Logs and EDB/STM on separate drives. 1. Can we realize any performance by moving the STM to the Transaction Log drive ...
  5. Microsoft Exchange .stm and .edb over 80GB! How to…
    Hi All, I have just performed an offline defrag of our exchange mail store and still the edb and stm file total over 80gb, which will cause the store to frequently dismount. The defrag did manage to reclaim some space from the edb, but the .stm is still over 30GB. We have se...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-22 at 06:54:16ID: 25634176

The script is also available here: http://theessentialexchange.com/blogs/michael/archive/2007/11/13/finding-disk-space-used-by-exchange.aspx

Also look for event 1216 in the application log that will tell you the database size.

 

by: JoWickermanPosted on 2009-10-22 at 06:57:59ID: 25634219

Hi DFUYT,

You can use this link. Basically the same script:

http://theessentialexchange.com/blogs/michael/archive/2007/11/13/finding-disk-space-used-by-exchange.aspx

Hope this helps.

Cheers

 

by: DFUYTPosted on 2009-10-22 at 07:54:49ID: 25634950

I tested the proposed script, but this is the output:
    Store: Mailbox Store (EXCHSRVR)
      EDB file: D:\Program Files\Exchange
      Size: 54,057 megabytes
      SLV file: D:\Program Files\Exchange
      Size: 24,528 megabytes
      Store Size Total: 78,585 megabytes
    Storage Group total: 78,677 megabytes
This coincides with the physical size of edb + stm files, but I'm pretty sure the 'logical' size of the database is below 67GB, since at that mark the warnings start to appear (90% of 74GB) and I have no warnings.
I want to know the 'logical' size of the database (and eventually measure its evolution over time) since it's the one that matters.  The physical size doesn't matter as long as you have available disk space, and I have plenty of it.

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-22 at 07:55:54ID: 25634967

check for event 1216 in the Application log

 

by: DFUYTPosted on 2009-10-22 at 08:08:09ID: 25635100

The event 1216 talks about the physical size of the database, not the logical one.
Besides, I don't know what triggers the event 1216, but it was only recorded 20 times in the last 6 months, and the last time it was on 9/26, so not very useful.

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-22 at 08:13:13ID: 25635156

The maintenance schedule triggers the event.

The event tells you the physical size and the ammount of White space.

The logical size is the physical size of the EDB+STM- Whitespace

there is no other report.

Check the properties of the mailstores to see when the maintenance schedule runs

 

by: DFUYTPosted on 2009-10-22 at 08:56:48ID: 25635696

Nope.
The maintenance schedule runs every night, and it reports all kind of things, but it doesn't trigger the event 1216.  Anyway, last time this event was triggered, on 9/26, it wrote:

The Exchange store 'First Storage Group\Mailbox Store (EXCHSRVR)' is limited to 74 GB. The current physical size of this database (the .edb file and the .stm file) is 69 GB. If the physical size of this database minus its logical free space exceeds the limit of 74 GB, the database will be dismounted on a regular basis.

So, as I said, it talks about the physical size, but it doesn't say anything about the white space amount.

I need something that I can run manually, that retrieves the 'logical' size of the database, as considered by Exchange Server in event  9688:

The logical size of this database (the logical size equals the physical size of the .edb file and the .stm file minus the logical free space in each) is 70 GB. This database size is approaching the size limit of 74 GB.

The problem is that this event is a warning, and it is only triggered over the 67GB mark.  I need a way to get this value on demand, so I can track it.

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-22 at 09:01:30ID: 25635745

Perhaps you should have a look at this document: http://blog.sembee.co.uk/archive/2009/07/21/105.aspx

 

by: DFUYTPosted on 2009-10-22 at 09:15:26ID: 25635892

Tnx, I had already read it.
I did it again, just in case.
No useful info regarding my question there.
(It contains a mention to ms kb 912375, regarding how to set the limits of the database logical size, that I had already read it, also)

 

by: demazterPosted on 2009-10-22 at 09:21:49ID: 25635965

I don't think there is a way of reporting the logical size in one place.

There is the event which reports whitespace and then you can use the script to report physical space and subtract one from the other.

I don't think there is an automatic way to do what you want?

 

by: MesthaPosted on 2009-10-22 at 14:14:08ID: 25639109

The logical size is only reported when you go above a certain percentage limit.
Therefore if you have the limit set at 75gb and you have the reporting limit set to 5% then you will only get messages when there is less than 5% left.

Nice to see my article being used for its intention, to clear up queries with the database, but this question is actually answered by the articles on setting the limit.

From: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998066(EXCHG.65).aspx

"Database Size Buffer in Percentage
The Database Size Buffering in Percentage setting is a configurable error threshold that will warn you with an event log entry when your database is at or near capacity, and will shut down within 24 hours of the event being logged. By default, Exchange Server 2003 SP2 logs events when the database has grown to within 10 percent of the configured database size limit. This threshold is configurable. The smallest buffer is 1 percent of the configured size limit"

Although the wording could be better because you can cross the warning threashold but if your growth isn't very great the database may not shutdown within 24 hours.

Simon.

 

by: DFUYTPosted on 2009-11-06 at 08:57:54ID: 31644495

this was not exactly what I wanted, but it worked.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...