Archive:Exchange configuration guide for SEP sesam Version 4.4.2.x

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Icon archived docs.png THE CONTENT OF THIS PAGE IS OUTDATED
SEP AG has discontinued support for obsolete SEP sesam versions. Instructions are still available for these SEP sesam products, however, SEP AG accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies in the instructions or for the incorrect operation of obsolete SEP sesam software. It is strongly recommended that you update your SEP sesam software to the latest version. For the latest version of SEP sesam documentation, see documentation home.

Overview

This article describes configuration of SEP sesam Exchange Recovery Pro and Exchange backup, introduced in SEP sesam version 4.4.2. Note that this is not the latest version of SEP sesam Exchange documentation and, as such, does not provide information on features introduced in 4.4.3 and described in Exchange configuration guide for SEP sesam Version 4.4.3.x. For details on any of the previous Exchange extensions, check SEP sesam Exchange main page.

Exchange Recovery Pro is a powerful recovery solution for Exchange that allows you to browse or search through backed-up mailboxes and emails and to restore individual emails, calendars, journals, notes, contacts and mailboxes using simple drag-and-drop functionality. Exchange Recovery Pro is only supported on Windows systems and must be installed on the system that serves as the SEP sesam Server or SEP sesam RDS. To use the full Exchange Recovery Pro functionality, all SEP sesam clients using Exchange backup functionality must be updated to SEP sesam version 4.4.2.

On Linux systems, Exchange can only be restored manually using an integrated SEP sesam restore wizard in combination with Recovery Pro to recover to a live Exchange server or mailbox.

License

Exchange Recovery Pro licenses are issued for a specific number of mailboxes. Only one such license is required since it covers all the mailboxes (user and archive mailboxes) in all Exchange databases. For example, for Database Availability Groups (DAGs) environments, you only need a single Recovery Pro license that supports all your Exchange databases. The license can be installed on different SEP sesam RDS systems so as not to overload your network. Note that you will not be able to restore your data using Exchange Recovery Pro if the number of backed-up mailboxes exceeds the number of mailboxes specified in the license!

Configuring the Exchange components

Prerequisites

  • A SEP sesam Server or SEP sesam Remote Device Server (RDS) running on Windows x64 with Microsoft Outlook (32-bit, 2007/2010/2013) and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 installed. An additional Outlook license is not required and does not need to be activated.
  • A SEP sesam data store or SEP sesam Si3 data store is required for instant single item recovery.
  • If the backups are encrypted, compressed or stored on tape or a Linux datastore, a manual restore to a Windows x64 system (with installed SEP sesam Client, Exchange Recovery Pro for Exchange, Microsoft Outlook (32-bit, 2007/2010/2013)) is required.
  • Make sure that there is sufficient free space on the Windows x64 system that will be used to recover the Exchange database and corresponding transaction log files.

SEP sesam components for the Exchange environment

  • Install the latest SEP sesam Client/RDS version (4.4.2 or higher) on all Microsoft Exchange nodes with the default properties.
  • Repeat the installation procedure for Database Availability Groups (DAGs) environments (SEP sesam version 4.4.2 or higher required).

Installing the Exchange Recovery Pro package

Make sure that Microsoft Outlook (32-bit, 2007/2010/2013) and SEP sesam Exchange Recovery Pro are installed on the Windows x64 system that serves as the SEP sesam Server or RDS. Outlook does not require special configuration, nor is an Outlook license required.

  1. Download SEP sesam Exchange Recovery Pro from SEP sesam Exchange download.
  2. Extract the files to a directory of your choice. Double-click setup.exe and follow the instructions. If any necessary components are missing, you will be prompted to install them.

Installing the Exchange Recovery Pro license file

You need a special license file for the SEP sesam Exchange Recovery Pro feature. Licenses are made available immediately your purchase/renewal is completed.

Information sign.png Note
The license counts all the mailboxes (user and archive mailboxes) in all Exchange databases. If the number of mailboxes does not match those specified in the license, restore will not work!
  1. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Exchange Recovery Pro. The message "License file not installed" appears.
  2. Click the License info button and import the license.ini file.

Configuring an Exchange backup

Starting with Exchange 2007, SEP sesam supports backup for Exchange Servers (see #Configuring Exchange Server backup task) and Exchange Server databases in a Database Availability Group (DAG) environment (see Configuring an Exchange DAG backup task). DAG enables replication from one Exchange Server database to another server running Exchange 2010.

Backup types

Four different types of backup are available for Exchange Servers: FULL, DIFF, INC and COPY. Below is an excerpt from the article Overview of Exchange Server Backup Methods describing the different types of backup (© 2011 Microsoft. All rights reserved):

  • Normal (or Full): The normal backup process backs up the directory or Exchange store in its entirety, as well as the log files. To restore from a normal backup, only one normal backup is needed. A normal backup marks the objects it has backed up so that incremental and differential backups have context. This is accomplished by backing up the entire database and all the log files, and then purging the log files.
  • Copy: The copy backup is the same as a normal backup except no marking takes place to give incremental and differential context. This means that performing an incremental backup after a copy backup is equivalent to performing it before a copy backup. Use a copy backup to get a full backup of the directory or Exchange store without disturbing the state of ongoing incremental or differential backups.
  • Incremental: An incremental backup backs up the subset of the component that has changed since the last normal or incremental backup. Then it marks these objects as backed up. To restore from incremental backups, each incremental backup since the last normal backup and the normal backup are needed. An incremental backup backs up only the log files, and then purges them.
  • Differential: A differential backup backs up changes in the directory or Exchange store that have occurred since the last normal backup. To restore from differential backups, one differential backup and one normal backup is required. A differential backup backs up only the log files but does not purge them.
Attention: Circular logging

To perform incremental (INCR) or differential (DIFF) backups of Exchange databases, circular logging must be disabled. If circular logging is enabled, incremental or differential backups will fail. For more information, see the Microsoft article Circular Logging Prevents Backing Up ...

Configuring an Exchange Server backup task

  1. To configure a new Exchange Server backup task, go to Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients, select the Exchange Server and click New backup task.
  2. Note that the backup type must be Exchange Server and the restore granularity must be set to Databases (with Exchange Recovery Pro, the Mailboxes and Single items granularity levels are no longer required for single item restore.)
  3. If you want to create a task for a single database, browse and select it under Source. Note that the source path is case sensitive.
Bck task exchange.png


Configuring an Exchange DAG backup task

  1. To configure a new Exchange DAG backup task, go to Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients, select the Exchange client and click New backup task.
  2. Note that the backup type must be Exchange Server DAG and the restore granularity must be set to Databases (with Exchange Recovery Pro, the Mailboxes and Single items granularity levels are no longer required for single item restore.)

The Exchange Server DAG backs up all DAG replicated databases that currently exist on the client.

Attention

Back up passive DAG databases only!
Backing up active DAG databases has a negative performance impact on the productive Exchange operation.

Best practices for Exchange DAG

  • Replicate all active databases on only one DAG node.
  • Backup all passive databases only from this passive DAG node.
  • Never try to backup an active DAG database.
Bck task exchange-dag.png


Troubleshooting

For troubleshooting Exchange issues, such as Exchange backup fails with VSS API error due to missing Microsoft Exchange VSS writer, see Troubleshooting Microsoft Exchange Server.

What is next?

Restoring Exchange