DrStern Posted March 18, 2003 Report Share Posted March 18, 2003 I have a relatively small network (4 servers and 6 workstations being backed up, 3 thin clients being ignored.) I have been trying to keep things simple by scheduling a single backup set for the entire network. I have Exchange Agent installed on the server/Retrospect client that runs Exchange Server. I have Open File Backup installed and operational for my backup operation. I understand that for restoration purposes, Exchange agent is the way to go for Exchange Server files. However, the question is will the use of Open File Backup cause any problems? If this is a problem, then I need to divide my network's backup operations into multiple sets, and my scheduling, tracking, and backing up the backup all get more complicated. If it is just a matter of using the files produced by Exchange Agent to put the final touch on an Exchange Server restoration, then I have no problem. Does anyone know for sure which it is? From the tone of the documentation I can't tell for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted March 18, 2003 Report Share Posted March 18, 2003 There are no conflicts between using both the Exchange Agent and Open File on the same machine. If anything, you'll have double protection for your Exchange data - the copy that the agent makes, and the copy that Open File makes. A comparison matrix of the two products can be found at: http://www.dantz.com/index.php3?SCREEN=kbase&ACTION=KBASE&id=27778 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikee Posted March 18, 2003 Report Share Posted March 18, 2003 Although I have OFB option I do not use it with Exchange, SQL or AD dbs. From all the info that I could find on the RS website I have yet to find what are the advantages over using Exchange Agent as opposed to regular NT Backup. Currently, I have scheduled NT backups of sys state and exchange stores to file that is picked up by Retrospect. The advantage, IMO, is that system and exchange backup and restore are handled by Microsoft product with MS Knowledge Base behind it. On the other hand many of the OFB errors are not documented at all. So, my advice is don't replace Exchange Agent (or any other program, like NT Backup, that is relaying MS API ) to do online backups with OFB. my 2 cents. Mikee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrStern Posted March 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2003 All I can say is be careful. I had a miserable failure using MS backup with exchange that led me to purchase Retrospect in the first place. I could not re-create the Exchange database on a re-built machine to save my life. If you have never tried to restore an Exchange system this way, I would recommend that you do so on an extra (non-production) machine, just do test your methods under non-critical circumstances. If it works for you, great. If not, you may want to reconsider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikee Posted March 19, 2003 Report Share Posted March 19, 2003 Rebuilding Exchange, especially Exchange 2000 is tricky. To get it right I recommend the following articles: Backing up with MS Backup Exch Backup and Restore I was hoping that my purchase of RS + Disaster recovery will make it easier to get it right as well. However, now that I tried it once (and run into backup errors that I cannot find explanation for) I'm still on the lookout for a better technology - maybe HD imaging by Ghost or UltraBac... This is not to say that RS is not good. Although I find the knowledge base lacking, and theres room for improvement, I find Proactive Backup working well for me. cheers, Mikee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayoff Posted March 19, 2003 Report Share Posted March 19, 2003 If you would like specific things added to the Knowlegebase, let us know. Post your feedback in the suggestion areas of the forum. We want the KB to have what you need in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrStern Posted March 19, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2003 ... I wish I had time to heed them. Since network management is only a minor sideline for my business, I just have to make do. Right now, I'm using Exchange agent, along with Retrospect/open file, and Disaster Recovery. My network is very small, and if I had to rebuild it, that would not be a terrible loss. So if I ever need these backups, and they don't work, I do have another plan that will at least retain my critical messages and contacts list (what's left of it after the catastrophic loss I suffered about 6 months ago.) I've started making copies of all the critical messages and contacts into a separate box on my local machine, through Outlook (local). If I have to rebuild, I can copy these items back into the new machine's server. It's rough, but at least I can rest knowing I won't lose the most critical items. Such an approach wouldn't work for anyone who is a serious Exchange user, but we're pretty casual with it here. (Thank goodness.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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