Configure Exchange Server Backup
Overview
supports backup of Microsoft Exchange servers using Exchange Server Plugin. Exchange Server Plugin is an efficient way of backing up exchange servers.
The Exchange Server Plugin backup uses the VSS API [Volume Shadow Copy Services] for Exchange Server 2010 and ESE API for other lower versions of Exchange to backup Exchange Server databases. In Exchange Server backup, [except Exchange Server 2010 for which VSS is used] the initial backup will be compressed and dumped locally and thereafter transferred to the backup server. Locally dumped files will be deleted once the files are successfully transferred to the backup server thus releasing disk space in the local exchange server.
For Exchange Server 2000/2003/2007, the Exchange Server Plugin ESE API backup supports backup of storage groups in entirety, as well as individual databases within the storage groups. Because each storage group uses a single set of log files covering all of the databases in the storage group, restore and recovery operations should be done for the entire storage group.
Exchange Server 2010 no longer includes the concept of storage groups and since one set of log files is maintained for each database, the backup and restore operations are made simpler than other Exchange Server versions.
Backing up databases individually provides greater storage management flexibility. For example, critical databases might be backed up more frequently. Infrequently used or less critical databases might be backed up less frequently. Restoration of the storage group, however, should combine the archives and logs from all of the appropriate storage media, so that the database can be restored and recovered with minimal data loss.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure the following before configuring a Exchange Server backup.
- Ensure that the exchange databases configured for backup is mounted. A database must be online to be backed up. If a database has been dismounted it cannot be backed up, and the log sequence will not be truncated.
- If a Storage Group or database is configured for either incremental or differential log backups, then the circular logging option should be disabled for the Storage Group / database. After disabling circular logging, "Microsoft Exchange Information Store" service must be restarted for Exchange 2000/2003/2007 and the database must be dismounted and mounted for Exchange Server 2010. Once you have disabled circular logging, we recommend that you run a fresh full backup before running an incremental or differential backup.
Requirements
- Exchange Server 2000 with Service Pack 3 / Exchange Server 2003 / Exchange Server 2007 / Exchange Server 2010
- now supports backup of clustered Exchange Server Storage Groups. Click here to know more about configuring Exchange Server Cluster backup.
Exchange Server Backup Configuration
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Step 1: Schedule Name
Enter Backup Schedule Name: The first step in configuring the Exchange Server backup is to give a name for the backup schedule. supports creating multiple backup schedules each with its own configuration. The backup schedule name will uniquely identify the backup. While restoring your backup data, you need to choose the data to be restored using its schedule name.
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Step 2: Select Backup Source
On the left side of the "Add Exchange Server Backup" page, is the tree with a list of Storage Groups / Databases of the Exchange Server detected in the client machine. If a Storage Group / Database is already configured as part of another schedule, it will not be possible to include it in other backup schedules. In this case, the Checkbox will be displayed as an image.
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Step 3: Set Basic Configuration
Backup Type
Same Machine - You can backup this client machine to a drive attached to this client machine for the following two purposes:
- When large amount of data has to be backed up, it might take significant amount of time to transfer all the data to a remote backup server over WAN/Internet. You can take the backup to a local external drive connected to the client machine and then physically move the external drive to the backup server location to migrate the data into the backup server. In such cases, you can select the backup type to be 'Same Machine'. Once the data is migrated to the backup server using the Server Side Seed Backup Migration, you will have to perform Seed Backup Migration (under Backup -> Seed Backup Migration) in the client machine to make it to run its backups to the remote server directly thereafter.
If you want to keep a local backup copy that you want to restore quickly when needed.
Local Backup location: Enter the location/directory path where the backup is to be stored in the same machine. This location should be accessible to process and should have enough free disk space for the backup data. You can copy data from this location to the backup server as seed backup data. Or, you can leave the backups in the local drive if you want to maintain a local copy of the backup that you can quickly restore.
NOTE: Deleted File Retention policies and Time Based version file Retention policy will not apply for a local backup. Only Version-Based Retention is supported for a local backup schedule. The Retention policies configured for this backup schedule will work only if the backup data is migrated from the local backup server/external drive into a remote backup server (seed backup).
Remote Server - Select this option if you want the backup data to be transferred to a backup server directly when the backup schedule runs.
Also keep a copy locally (optional) : Enabling this option will backup the data to the backup server and also keep a copy of the backup data in a local location. First the data will be backed up to the backup server and on completion of the backup, the copy of the backed up data will be saved in the specified local location. The local copy will provide for faster restores and redundancy. You can always do a restore from the backup server as well.
Select Backup Server : This is the list of peers/backup servers in which the backup data can be stored. Once the backup server is selected, you cannot change the server name. In case the backup server name or IP address is to be changed in future, you can change it from the Seed Backup Migration page. The client will run the backup to the selected backup server.
Test connectivity - Before you select the backup server for this backup schedule, you can check the connectivity to backup server. It also checks the different settings configured in the backup server for this client and confirms if this client can backup to the chosen backup server or not.
Add Backup Server- If you don't see a particular backup server listed, you need to first add it by following this link before you can select it for this backup schedule.
Temporary location for backup dumps-
- Enter the location/directory path to which the Exchange Server database dumps has to be stored temporarily before uploading to the backup server. Please ensure that you have enough disk space in the configured temporary location (where the backup dump has to be saved). In Exchange Server Plugin, backup dumps stored in the temporary location will be deleted once backup dumps are transferred successfully to the remote backup server.
Encryption-
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Password Protect this Backup
This option is to enable or disable encryption of the data that is being backed up. uses a well known encryption algorithm, Blow fish. If enabled, a password has to be specified which will be used for generating the encryption key. Encrypting data ensures that it cannot be read in the destination machine (backup server) where your backup is stored, and is especially relevant for sensitive information.
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Password Protection
This option is to enable System Generated Encryption Key or use a Customized Encryption key for encrypting the backup data.
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System Generated: The selected files and folders will be encrypted using Blow fish algorithm with a 448 bit encryption key automatically generated by before been backed up. No password will be required while restoring the data. Make sure you use this option only when the backup server is setup such that the backup server requires the client machines to authenticate before accepting the backup from the client.
Custom: This will enable the user to select the custom Encryption Technique, Encryption Key Size and the Encryption Key that needs to be used for encrypting the selected files and folders. Please don't lose the customized encryption key, as the backed up data cannot be restored without this key.
Default Encryption Password: The selected files and folders will be encrypted with the Default Encryption Password as provided in the "Settings -> Advanced Options -> Default Encryption Password" page. Default Encryption Password is a convenient way to use the same password for all the backup schedules created in this client machine. It saves you from having to remember a different password for each backup set.
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Encryption Technique
supports encryption using Blow fish or Triple DES. The Blow fish is a commonly used open source encryption technique which provides encryption based on the size of the encryption key length (from 64 bits to 448 bits). Higher the number of bits stronger is the encryption. Triple DES is a block cipher formed from the Data Encryption Standard (DES) cipher by using it three times, this technique is also supported by for encrypting the backup data. By default, Triple DES encryption technique is chosen.
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Encryption Key Size
supports encryption using variable length (64 to 448 bits for Blow fish and 192 bits for Triple DES) keys. The key is generated using the password you provide. Basically the longer the key size you give the more difficult it is for someone to decrypt the encrypted files. For normal backup purposes the default 64 bit encryption should be good enough.
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Type Password
Provide a password here to generate the encryption key. If the password is forgotten the data can never be recovered as the data cannot be decrypted without this password. So, please ensure that you keep your password in a safe place.
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Step 4: Full Backup Scheduling (Decide When To Do Full Backup)
This step allows you to configure the frequency at which a full backup of the selected database has to be done. A full backup is a complete backup of the selected databases and all necessary log files. Once full backup completes, all log files older than the time when full backup started would be purged. Since full backups take more time to complete than a differential or incremental log backup, a full backup is typically configured to run weekly or monthly or much less frequently than differential or an incremental backup. Configuring a full backup scheduling is mandatory, i.e. this step cannot be skipped. will do a full backup dump of the Exchange Server database(s) whenever the full backup is scheduled and back it up.
This step has the following options from which any one can be chosen.
Run Monthly At - Choose the time and day of the month the backup should run. will run the backup every month on the particular day and time chosen. will run at the stipulated time/day only.
Run Weekly - Choose the time and the day of the week the backup should run. will execute the backup every week on the particular day and time chosen. Note that you can select multiple days of the week if you wish to run the backup on multiple days of the week. will run at the stipulated time/day only.
Run Daily - Choose the time at which the backup should run daily. This will execute the backup everyday at the time you have provided. will run at the stipulated time only.
Run Every Few Hours - Choose the hours/minutes interval between each time must run. If is restarted in the interim, the backup will run once starts. Thereafter, automatically reschedules the next backup after the period you’ve set. For example, if you created a backup schedule at 10 am and set it to run every 1 hour, will first run the schedule at 10am and the next scheduled time will be 11am. However, if at 10.15am, is restarted, then the schedule will run once at 10.15am and the next scheduled time will now be set to 11.15am.
Additionally, you can also select the days in which this schedule should run. For example, if you do not want to run this backup schedule on Saturdays and Sundays, uncheck the checkbox against these days.
Run Once Only - Choosing this option will do the backup only once at the stipulated time.
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Step 5: Synthetic Full Backup Scheduling (Optional)
Click here for more information on how Synthetic Full Backups works for Exchange Server Backups
This step allows you to configure the frequency at which a synthetic full backup of the selected database has to be done. A synthetic full backup is a complete full [backup] dump of the selected databases and all necessary log files but only the changed data with respect to the previous full backup /synthetic full backup [whichever is recent] is uploaded to the backup server. Once synthetic full backup completes, all log files older than the time when synthetic full backup started would be purged. Since a synthetic full backup takes lesser time to complete than the full backup, it is typically configured to run weekly or monthly or much frequently than full backup [and less frequently than incremental/differential log backup]. Configuring a synthetic full backup scheduling is optional.
This step has the following options from which any one can be chosen.
Run Monthly At - Choose the time and day of the month the backup should run. will run the backup every month on the particular day and time chosen. will run at the stipulated time/day only.
Run Weekly - Choose the time and the day of the week the backup should run. will execute the backup every week on the particular day and time chosen. Note that you can select multiple days of the week if you wish to run the backup on multiple days of the week. will run at the stipulated time/day only.
Run Daily - Choose the time at which the backup should run daily. This will execute the backup everyday at the time you have provided. will run at the stipulated time only.
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Step 6: Log Backup Scheduling (Optional Step)
Exchange Server Plugin users will have a drop-down box to optionally choose between Incremental/Differential Log Backups. will do a Incremental/Differential log backup dump of the database with respect to the previous full or synthetic full or incremental log backup whenever this Incremental/Differential log backup is scheduled.
Incremental Log Backup : An incremental log backup backs up only the log files since the last full or synthetic full or incremental backup. Once an incremental backup completes, all log files older than the time when incremental backup started would be purged. You cannot perform an incremental backup when circular logging is enabled in your exchange server settings. Since only changes are backed up, incremental backups typically run faster than full and synthetic full backups. Also, as only the log files since the last backup are backed up, incremental backups will run faster than differential backups too. Hence incremental backups are always configured to be scheduled more frequently than a full and synthetic full backup. Configuring incremental backup scheduling is optional.
Differential Log Backup : A differential backup backs up only the log files since the last full backup or synthetic full backup even when the last backup was a incremental backup. The logs are not deleted after the differential backup completes. You cannot perform a differential backup when circular logging is enabled in your exchange server settings. Since only changes are backed up, differential log backups typically run faster than full and synthetic full backups. But, as all the log files since the last full backup or synthetic full backup are backed up, differential backups will take longer to finish than an incremental backup. Hence differential backups are configured to be scheduled more frequently than a full and synthetic full backup. Configuring differential backup scheduling is optional.
This step has the following options from which any one can be chosen.
Run Weekly - Choose the time and the day of the week the backup should run. will execute the backup every week on the particular day and time chosen. Note that you can select multiple days of the week if you wish to run the backup on multiple days of the week. will run at the stipulated time/day only.
Run Daily - Choose the time at which the backup should run daily. This will execute the backup everyday at the time you have provided. will run at the stipulated time only.
Run Every Few Hours - Choose the hours/minutes interval between each time must run. If is restarted in the interim, the backup will run once starts. Thereafter, automatically reschedules the next backup after the period you’ve set. For example, if you created a backup schedule at 10 am and set it to run every 1 hour, will first run the schedule at 10am and the next scheduled time will be 11am. However, if at 10.15am, is restarted, then the schedule will run once at 10.15am and the next scheduled time will now be set to 11.15am.
Additionally, you can also select the days in which this schedule should run. For example, if you do not want to run this backup schedule on Saturdays and Sundays, uncheck the checkbox against these days.
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Advanced Settings (Optional)
If you want to configure some additional advanced options - like, CPU utilization, Compression settings, etc. click on the Advanced Options button.
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Advanced Backup Schedule Settings
There are some options here on how the backup should be scheduled.
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Maximum Number Of Full Backups : You can specify the maximum number of full backups that need to be stored in the server. For example if you configured a monthly full backup, then will take a full backup every month. After 6 months you will have 6 separate full backups in the backup server along with differential or incremental logs under each of the 6 full backups. If your policy is to retain only backup data for 6 months, then you can configure "Store maximum of 6 full backups" here. On the 7th month, , after finishing the 7th full backup, will delete the first full backup along with its differential or incremental log backups thus retaining the last 6 months (full) backups.
Run this backup immediately after saving this configuration (thereafter, Backups will be scheduled as per the schedule stipulated) : If you enable this option, then this backup schedule will be executed once immediately after you save this backup schedule – even if its not yet ‘time’ as per the schedule. For example if you configure a daily backup at 10.00 AM but you configured the backup at 8.00 AM, then the backup schedule will be run once immediately (8.00 AM) and then as per schedule (eg. daily at 10.00 AM).
Attempt to run this backup every 5 minutes in case of non completion because of a problem (Network error etc.) - If enabled, the user can choose to reschedule this backup every 5/10/15/20/25/30 minutes, whenever an attempted backup is incomplete because of a network error, server crash etc. The number of times the backup will be rescheduled (due to an error) can be configured to be in between 1-5 or unlimited, with the default setting as 5. This is to ensure that an incomplete backup is completed as soon as possible without waiting for the next actual schedule time. Note that this option is enabled by default.
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Other Backup Settings
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Set CPU Utilization
For each backup schedule, you can also specify the CPU utilization level as Low, Medium or High. When you set the CPU Utilization to high, the backup will be really fast - but the backup process may affect the speed of other active applications. If CPU utilization is set to Low, the backup will take longer but will be done in a non-intrusive manner allowing you to comfortably work on the computer as the backup continues in the background. In general for a continuous backup, it is best to set the CPU utilization to Medium or Low. For backups which are done every day or every week in ‘off-hours’, the CPU utilization can be set to High. Actual performance is obviously a function of your individual machine and your network. We encourage you to experiment with different settings to figure what works best for you.
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Set Compression
If compression is enabled, data will be compressed in the client before it is uploaded into the backup server.
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Enable - Compresses the data to the maximum. It might reduce the rate at which the client can send data to the backup server but it might save significant bandwidth and time when the data is backed up to a remote server over a WAN/Internet with limited bandwidth speed. Also, this saves disk space in the backup server.
No Compression - This option is suitable (fastest) for backing up data within a local network where bandwidth is not the limitation, but occupies more space on destination machine as no compression is being done.
Saving the configured backup
Once all the Exchange Server Storage Group(s)/Database(s) to be backed up are chosen and the configuration options are set, you simply need to click on the "Configure/Save Backup” button to activate the backup as per the schedule- on to the configured backup servers.
Troubleshooting Tips
Limitations
- If locally dumped Exchange Server backup data is deleted manually while backup is in progress, then will not have the information about the manually deleted file in client machine backup report and in server backup report.
- Local Dump path configured for Exchange Server backup should not contain special characters like single quote('), double quote("), forward slash(/), backward slash(\), question(?), colon(:), asterisk(*), lesser than(<), greater than(>), pipe(|) and plus(+).
- If Exchange Server backup schedule is suspended while local dump is in progress, then will suspend the transfer of files to the backup server (till after the local dump process is completed). On resuming the same backup schedule, the dump process will not occur in the next schedule; instead, the locally dumped files will be transferred to server and an error message will be reported in backup report.
- Please ensure that the dump location configured for the backup schedule has enough space and has valid read and write permission to accommodate the exchange dump data. Also, the dump location (full path) should be less than 256 characters.
- If the Storage Group or Database is configured as part of one schedule, then it cannot be included in other backup schedules. If Databases under same Storage Group are configured as separate schedules, then enabling Multi-threaded scheduling in is not recommended for Exchange Server backups.
- A Storage Group configured for backup in a backup schedule cannot be configured in a second backup schedule. If required, the first schedule has to be deleted first and thereafter configured in the second backup schedule.
- Everytime a new Database is added under a Storage Group of the Exchange Server, then before running a differential or incremental backup, "Additional Full Backup" should be configured to run through the "Edit Exchange Server Backup" configuration.
- When you try to restore an Exchange Database's full backup which was empty during its first full backup, then restore operation will fail. Hence you should ensure that Exchange Database is not empty when a full backup is scheduled.
- Currently you can seed the local data to the remote server only. After performing the seed migration, you can continue this backup schedule only to the remote server, not to both remote server and local backup.
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