backUp (Exchange and Windows Server 2000)

[benhandley79]

(I've already posted this message in Business Applications, but it only got 6 hits, and I'm sure 3 of them were me, so I'm gonna see if it does better here)

Hello All,
I'm after some more help and advice.

I work for a small Charity, which unfortunately is having some funding problems. This is very bad timing, as we have a backup problem too.

I know throwing money at the issue would solve it, but that is not currently an option.


Here’s our setup:

Windows Server 2000
- File Store (10 Users My Docs)
- MS Exchange Server (10 users)
- Symantec Anti-Virus 10.
- Backup Tape Drive DDS3 (8 x12GB tapes)
and
Windows XP (x 10 users)

My problem is; BackUp isn’t running, and I can’t afford to get professional advice or help (other that you!).
I’d like to think I can do it, but when I follow instruction, I get a warning in the morning saying ‘insert tape #2’, or something to that effect. I figured I have too much data backup.

I need to know:
What Backup software should I use? I have been using NTBackup in the past.
Should I use the last of our cash, and buy VERITAS?
I’m told VERITAS would compress the data, and I wouldn’t need to get bigger tapes (and possibly a newer tape drive to cope with the new tapes).
Or should I buy bigger tapes, (DDS3 24GB) and would they work on with the Tape drive I have?

Or does anyone have any better suggestions?

Please help.


Ps. I’m in London (Old Street), so if anyone wants to pop round out of the goodness of their heart to help, I’m more than happy.
Here’s where I work for http://www.vertic.org

 

[wedor]

So you have two servers? One running exchange and one just running server?

IMHO veritas would be a waste of money and would not solve your problem, ntbackup is based on veritas software.

 

[wedor]

And there are no 24GB tapes, those are 12 GB tapes that "might" hold 24GB of compressed data, more like marketing hype than reality, you already have this size tape.

 

[benhandley79]

Thank you for getting back to me.

We only have one server (which is Win2000, and runs exchange)

Do you have any suggestions about my backup?

 

[wedor]

The native back-up should have the ability to do compression.

Do you know what exactly is being backed-up? What comprises the 12+ GB of data that is fillling up the tape?

Most small companies with that few users only have a few GB of data, you need to figure out what is stored on your server and being backed-up.

 

[benhandley79]

This is where I'm sure I'm going wrong. I think I'm backing up too much.

I'm backing up:

• C: System

• D: Data

• MS Exchange Server (Information Store - First Storage Group)

• and System State

(NOT M: Exchange)
Does that sounds right, or should I be leaving some out (other than M?

I processed the Backup to a sepreate computer to see how much date is comes to, and it's 19GB.

Thank for you help

Cheers,

Ben

 

[wedor]

That is exactly what you sould be backing up but how big is each part?

How many GB is data? How many Exchange?

You may need to research what is on the server to see if it all needs to be there or if you can pare some fat and get it to fit on the tape again.

If this indeed all "required" data then you will need to pursue a different back-up medium not a different back-up program.

Depending on who is responsible for backing up and taking data offsite portable hard drives might work for you and would be cheaper than a new back-up program.

Or if you need to stick with tapes you will need a larger tape solution, that would mean a new drive and new tapes.

 

[benhandley79]

Hello Wedor, You're very quick at this. Every time I look back you've replied. Thanks for that.

All the Data on the sever adds up to 19GB. And it looks like Exchange is taking up most of that.
In this folder alone (D:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\MDBDATA) it's 11.6GB.
Does this sound right to you?
We've had exchange for just over two years, over that time we’ve had 20 users (only every 8 staff at any one time).
5 of the mailboxes are 800,000KB. The rest are nowhere near that.
I have deleted all the old mailboxes.

Any suggestions??

Regards,


Ben

 

[wedor]

What in world are those people storing in their mailboxes that requires that much space? I suggest you have the users clean out old and irrelevant e-mails to free up some room on the server and decrease the size of your back-up, sounds like the cheapest alternative at this point.

I actually thought I had been a bit slow at replying, I saw your original post but forgot to respond to it, I have been rather busy so I only post when I can.

 

[benhandley79]

All the help you are giving me is great! We really can't afford to get an IT company right now, and we can't afford for the BackUp to not work either.

Before I tell everyone to cull their mailboxed, I thought I'd ask one more question, if that's ok??

I've had a look at the MDBDATA folder (the one that's 11.6GB).
Most of it is made up of .txt files. See attachment.
Are these relevant? Should they be there?
They don't date back to when the server was bought, nor do they date back to when we had a major hard-drive failure, and had to use NTBackup to restore everything.


Cheers,

Ben

 

[benhandley79]

Wedor, no need to answer this one. I've sussed it out.
I did some more research on the log files. And to purge them, you need to Backup Exchange - which was exactly what I couldn't do as my tapes weren’t big enough.
So, I ran the backup (only the Exchange Information Store part) to a spare computer, and I ran in about 6 times, each after one another (took about 4 hours). This purged the backlog of logs files, making my Exchange Database file only 5gb.

Now, when I run a backup tonight, it’ll fit onto the 12gb tape.

All I need to do now is find out how to get it to run each night.


Anyway, much happier, as we don’t have to spend a fortune with an IT company.


If I get stuck again, I may ask you some more questions, if that’s ok?


Ben

 

[wedor]

Ask away, that is what we are here for.