What to Back Up - Exchange 5.5

Backup procedures must capture two types of data:

 

• User data&emdash;In the information store (PUB.EDB and PRIV.EDB), .PSTs, .OSTs, .PABs, and transaction logs.

 

• Configuration data&emdash;In the Exchange directory (DIR.EDB), the Windows NT registry, and various subdirectories under the Exchange Server installation path (and perhaps paths created after running the Exchange Performance Optimizer program).

 

The table below shows the database file default locations. From the Database Paths page on the server object, you can reconfigure all database file paths during installation by selecting a different path than the default shown in the table (\exchsrvr). You can also use the Exchange Performance Optimizer to put the transaction logs on a separate physical disk from the information store and directory files.

 

Key Management (KM) server data and the KM server startup disk generated when KM is installed are not automatically backed up by the online backup program. You must do this manually. Exchange 5.5 KM server data is located in exchsrvr\kmsdata. (In Exchange 4.0 and 5.0, it is in a directory called \Security.)

 

Exchange database file locations

Component

 File

Default path

Information store

Private

\exchsrvr\mdbdata\PRIV.EDB

 

Public

\exchsrvr\mdbdata\PUB.EDB

Directory

 

\exchsrvr\dsadata\DIR.EDB

Transaction logs

Information store

\exchsrvr\mdbdata\*.LOG

 

Directory

\exchsrvr\dsadata\*.LOG

KM server

Exchange 4.0 and 5.0

C:\security

 

Exchange 5.5

\exchsrvr\kmsdata

 

In addition to this data, you should regularly back up:

 

• The Windows NT registry&emdash;Configuration information pertaining to the Exchange services as well as the Security Accounts Manager database (SAM) containing the Exchange service account.

 

• Data in the Exchsrvr subdirectories&emdash;For example, the TRACKING.LOG directory that contains message tracking data, IMCDATA that could contain archived Internet messages, and so on.

 

.PST (Personal Message Store)

Be sure that backup routines include any .PSTs stored on file servers (home directories). If a .PST is lost or corrupted, recovery is as simple as restoring the .PST and adding it to an existing user profile. You can repair a damaged .PST by running the SCANPST program. Sometimes users store .PSTs on local drives that are not regularly backed up or they password-protect their .PSTs and forget the password. In either case, the data is gone forever. Make sure users understand this.

 

.OST (Offline Message Store)

.OST data is at risk when changes to the local .OST have not yet been replicated up to the server-based store. If a user machine crashes after replication is complete, a new .OST can be created on the replacement computer and all server-based information can be sent down to the .OST file using synchronization. You can repair a damaged .OST file by running the SCANPST program.

 

.PAB (Personal Address Book)

Personal address book files can be stored locally or on a server directory. The latter is safer because most servers are backed up regularly. Users who store their .PAB locally must back it up themselves. A lost .PAB can cost hours of work and productivity.