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How can I unmount a filestore from the command line to assist backup

I wish to make a nightly backup of an exchange 2000 system.
To keep things really simple avoiding NTbackup etc , I'd like to do the following:
Unmount the store.
Do a net stop on the relevant Exchange services.
Copy the store to offline location (eg USB Drive)
Do a net start on the relevant Exchange services.
Remount the store
As I understand it, there will be no log files since these will have been incorporated into the exchange database during the above processes (if there were - I could back those up as well).

I have seen scripts on the net suggesting you just need to do a net stop Msexchangeis, then backup the database, however when I tested a database bacckuped like this is was described as corrupt. Thus, I believe it may need to be dismounted first.

Any pointers would be gratefully received.

Thanks
Mark

I have found scripts

peakpeak

Here's how:
http://hellomate.typepad.com/exchange/2003/12/command_line_st.html

LeeDerbyshire

I'd have thought that NET STOP MSExchangeIS (which you tried) was sufficient. But what's wrong with NTBackup?

thegiantsmurf

ASKER

Knowing unfortunately next to nowt about vbs, I get the following error

Line 5
Char 1
A referral was returned from the server
Facility LDAP Provider
ID No. 8007202b
Microsoft CDO for exchange management

Code 8007202B
Source (null)

The Server is called Hestia, the domain syspal.co.uk, everything else looks OK to me.

In answer to why not use ntbackup, I want to be able to run offline tests on the file to check integrity. I have recently had to restore from a tape backup of exchange, which claimed not to have been shut down cleanly - I must have a clean copy of the exchange database as a backup, and it is much harder to test with ntbackup (I think).

Thanks
Mark

Set oDB = CreateObject("CDOEXM.MailboxStoreDB")
 
strDB = "CN=Mailbox Store (Hestia),CN=First Storage Group,CN=InformationStore,CN=Hestia,CN=Servers,CN=First Administrative Group,CN=Administrative Groups,CN=Exchange,CN=Microsoft Exchange,CN=Services,CN=Configuration,DC=syspal,DC=co.uk"
 
oDB.DataSource.Open strDB
oDB.Dismount()

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Sembee

The thing is though - Exchange is not designed to backed up in the way that you are trying to do - it is also not designed to be stopped every night. During the night Exchange runs maintenance tasks on the server, if the database is stopped then those don't run. Furthermore the transaction logs are only flushed by an Exchange aware backup being carried out. A flat file backup is not an Exchange aware backup.

Simon.

thegiantsmurf

ASKER

OK, but I would still like to get the file to test periodically, monthly maybe, from what you have said I need to create it immediately after an exchange aware backup - we currently use ultraback.

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Sembee

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thegiantsmurf

ASKER

The solution seems to be don't do it,
experience tells me that in a disaster situation we always have an exchange daytabase that needs to be rebuilt!

LeeDerbyshire

If you really need a copy of the files, I would do the Exchange-aware backup first (to flush as many .log files as possible), and then copy all the files in the mdbdata folder, not just the .edb ones. Testing them in this way is quite an unusual thing to do, though, and I've no idea if you're even /supposed/ to be able to mount older copies without using isinteg .

thegiantsmurf

ASKER

I just want to check the integrity - since I have has two occasions when restoring from backup, when the integrity was questioned, and I don't know if that was caused by a corrupt (but working) exchange dayabase - I want to know if what I am backing up has good integrity.

Thanks
Mark