Error making backup to Exhange 2003 with Brightstor Arcserve

Hi,

Is the backup agent for open files installed on the exchange server?  This is also needed for Windows-based agent backups.

Travis

Also, is exchange running?  And does the backup user have rights to login to exchange?

- Travis

Yes, it is the Exchange Service Account and the Exchange is running, it is an online backup with the Brightstor Exchange Agent installed.

Regards,

Ok, a toughie no doubt.  There goes the easy answer!

- Travis

All agents are installed and licensed on the server (NT Agent, Opn Files Agent & Exchange Agent)

Regards,

OK,

How many mailboxes?  Is this a cluster?  Is webaccess running?  Also, is there a lot of user activity during this process?  How much ram in the server?  

These could all be part of it.

Travis

There are 3 databases, there is 560 mailboxes on the server, the night shift is working in the backup time, but there are not much users, the server is 2GB of RAM w/ 2 Processors and it not running webaccess.

Ivan

Ok, good, how big are the message stores, both private and public?  Also, have they been defragmented recently?

Travis

They were degragmented recently, and the DB size are:
Pub=334MB
Priv1=43GB
Supervisor=15GB
ADM=40GB

OK, what is the max store size you have set?  When it backs up, sometimes it can temporarily double the store size.  Also, those dbs are huge, you should set some mailbox policies and get some of that mail out of the live dbs.

Travis

Mailbox policy is activated, there are different max size, for example the Priv1.edb max size is 25MB

OK, if you're running exchange 2003 sp2, the max store size is 75 gigs.  My theory is this:  since your stores are 40+gigs in size you're running into the 75 gig limitation during the backup.  I think the backup is trying to temporarily increase the store size by making a 'working copy' of the data within the same store.  I think you may need to get the store sizes down below 35 gigs or so to make this work.  Again, this is my theory, but it's been true before on non service packed stores having the 16 gig limit in my experience.

Travis

Also, how much free space on the store drives?  This needs to be double the space used by the stores also.

Travis

Is not double..

The error message looks like the backup agent is bombing in the backup preparation phase.  You can try just backing up the Supervisor store if you can (if there's 15 gigs free on the drive).  If that works, set some policies to get the db sizes down and think about expanding drive space or moving the locations of some of the stores.

Travis

Also, has this worked before?  If so, did anything change?

Travis

yes it use to work!

How recently did things go bad?  Did the stores' sizes increase significantly when or just before it started crashing?  Is the drive's free space just under twice the size of the stores?  You may have just reached the limit of space when it started crashing.

Travis

If you feel that you have to backup at the database level instead of the document level, be sure the backup user is a member of exchange administrators also.

Travis

I quit the SRS Option in the BArcserve Console i did not find the registry key:
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\ComputerAssociates\Cheetah\DSAgent\CurrentVersion\agent\<agent>\UseTCP

and I changed this one on the Exchange Server:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\ComputerAssociates\BrightStor Arcserve Backup\Dsagent\CurrentVerSion\agent\dbaexch

On the right hand side check the value of UseTcp, if its set to 1 make it to 0 and then recycle the services."

Recycle the services mean restart it?, other thing how can I change the answer, because by mistake I choosed the first one.

Regards,

ok, try with just quitting the srs option, but recycle means restart the services, but dont do that yet

travis

Ok, I did everything you told me, let's wait until tomorrow to see if it works.!

Regards,

Ditch the agent, use Windows Backup to backup the IS then write the Windows Backup file to tape.  It's way easier to restore ;)

Thank you GuruTC it is working now, I just have an Incomplete warning, but it is for a file that I need to restart the server to run a CHKDSK.

Regards,

hoo ray!  why can't brightstor figure that out and include it in their tech support?

cool that you're working, can i have an 'A'?

 ;-)

travis

I gave you an A..

Keep up the good work!

Thanks!