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Hi Guys<br />
<br />
I am getting slightly confused by what a VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) backup exactly is, say in the context of an Exchange server.<br />
<br />
I've read the following article.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822896" rel="ugc nofollow">http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822896</a><br />
<br />
Just to confirm, would I be correct in thinking that that the VSS backup application takes a snapshot of the mailbox data and transaction logs, and then backs this data up so that the 'live' data is not interfered with?<br />
<br />
And how does VSS work with file servers? Is this where I can find a snapshot that was taken at 7am, 10am etc? Where is this data actually held?
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Hi Guys

I am getting slightly confused by what a VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) backup exactly is, say in the context of an Exchange server.

I've read the following article.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822896

Just to confirm, would I be correct in thinking that that the VSS backup application takes a snapshot of the mailbox data and transaction logs, and then backs this data up so that the 'live' data is not interfered with?

And how does VSS work with file servers? Is this where I can find a snapshot that was taken at 7am, 10am etc? Where is this data actually held?

VSS Backups

The term "Backup" means the methods and processes involved to copy computer data (system data as well as application data) to media other than the ones where the data originally live (disk, tape, optical, cloud). "Restore" in turn means the methods and processes involved in data recovery, i. e., bringing back copied computer data to their original location. Backup/Restore primarily serves as a means of protection against data loss, be it due to disaster, corruption or sabotage. It can also be used for recovering data from an earlier point in time and even for cloning machines or applications. There is a wide variety of backup/restore software available, from expensive commercial products to free or open source tools.

Storage Software

Windows Server 2003 was based on Windows XP and was released in four editions: Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter. It also had derivative versions for clusters, storage and Microsoft’s Small Business Server. Important upgrades included integrating Internet Information Services (IIS), improvements to Active Directory (AD) and Group Policy (GP), and the migration to Automated System Recovery (ASR).

Windows Server 2003

Exchange is the server side of a collaborative application product that is part of the Microsoft Server infrastructure. Exchange's major features include email, calendaring, contacts and tasks, support for mobile and web-based access to information, and support for data storage.