How to backup and restore for exchange server 5.5 on win2000 server

First point : To make back-up of exchange you need an exchange compliant software.

Second : the media : Do you need to have a backup in another physical site?  Does the information enter on one cd and if not are you gonna stay there to change cd every times?  DVD : if it enter on one dvd and there is a lot of place to expand i would say it is a good choice but verify that the writer will be compatible with your backup software if you do not use ntbackup of win2k.  Finally, tape is reliable, proven, the most common, tapes are sometimes expensives and need to be changed regularly following manufacturer recommendation (it is magnetic like video cassette heh!)  Be careful with cd and dvd: cheap ones does not support well sun.  Tapes does not support magnetical fields.  

Third : Backup type : Does it cost a lot to your company if it takes longtime to restore?
Do you have performance issue during the backup process, if it is long, does it affect operations of the company?

Fourth : Schedule : Ask yourself every how much time i should have a backup?  Every 12h?  Every days? Every two days is enough?

Backup types :
     Full = the first backup.  It set the archive bit on each files(1 i think).  When a file change or a new file is created : no archive bit (0 i think).

     Copy = does not change archive bit.  (need copy that does not affect regular backup? this is it)

     The quantity of information that change and is added dictate you if you want to make only full backup every times or just backup what have changed, modified and added.  (it is resource exhausting doing the full backup every times but easy to do, manage, and to restore.  It is not the fastest to backup but the fastest to restore.

     Incremental backup : does backup only what changed since the last backup.  (wheter it is full, incremental or differential)  So it is the fastest to backup but little bit more to manage and may be very long to restore.

     Differential = Backup what is added or changed since the last full backup.  So it is fast to backup, fast to restore but with the time can be largest than the full backup!  
     With a full backup and differentials backup, to restore, you need only the full backup and latest differential backup.  Easy, little managment, often the best when information does not change so much.

You can use combination : full-differential-incrementals  It is more managment, used to optimize all what i said before.  You would not have to change drives too often heh?  But not have a puzzle if there is a major problem and your boss is behind you?  Also, imagine to have only one e-mail to restore... lol  If there is 10 backup incremental... nah!


http://www.backup4all.com/differential_backup.php 

*****Remember***** : Destruct well, very well media before disposal.  CD, DVD can be read even in pieces...  Tape can be reassembled...  Well all that depend on what are on those media of course!  (security+ certification treat topics such like this)

I hope this helps you, please keep me informed and if it helps you but not 100%, keep me first for the points please.

Thanks so much for the detailed info.
Where can I find exchange compliant software? How much is it? I need to backup exchange server data for 15 mailboxes asap. at least into hard disk for now. Could you simply explain it?