Introducing Dell™ NetVault™ Backup Plug-in for Exchange
Dell NetVault Backup Plug-in for Exchange: at a glance
Key benefits
Feature summary
Target audience
Recommended additional reading
Defining an Exchange data protection strategy
Defining a strategy
Planning your Exchange Server deployment
Installing and removing the plug-in
Exchange Server databases
Exchange Server transaction log
Reviewing the available backup methods
Managing transaction log files
Reviewing the backup types
Examples of backup sequences
Installation prerequisites
Configuring the plug-in
Backing up data
Restoring data
Disabling Circular Logging in Exchange 2007
Installing the plug-in in standalone and LCR deployments
Installing the plug-in in high-availability deployments
Removing the plug-in
Disabling Circular Logging in Exchange 2007
Disabling Circular Logging in Exchange 2010
Disabling Circular Logging in Exchange 2013
Enabling services
Configuring localization settings
Enabling and using Deleted Item Recovery features
Additional requirements for DAG, SCC/Failover Cluster, and CCR deployments
Restore and recovery overview
Restoring data using the plug-in
Troubleshooting
Setting restore options
Using advanced restore procedures
Setting restore and recovery options for Exchange 2007
Setting restore and recovery options for Exchange 2010 and later
Setting security options
Finalizing and submitting the job
Performing post-restore steps for CCR and SCR environments
Performing post-restore steps for SCR environments
Performing post-restore steps for DAG environments
Examples of restore sequences
Single Copy Cluster (SCC) or Failover Cluster
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Supported Exchange Server Versions: Exchange 2007 only |
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Supported Exchange Server Editions: Enterprise only |
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Supported Backup Methods: ESE and VSS |
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Plug‑in for Exchange License Required: Plug‑in for Exchange Enterprise Edition Cluster Support |
SCC or Failover Cluster is a clustered solution that uses a single copy of a Storage Group on storage that is shared between the nodes in the cluster. In an SCC deployment, the Plug‑in for Exchange is aware of which node is the active node and performs backups of the Active Copy of the Storage Groups. During the restore process, data is restored to the active node. For more information regarding Exchange 2007 SCCs, see Single Copy Clusters at: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb125217.aspx.
In an SCC deployment, the plug-in is installed on the Exchange Virtual Server. The Exchange Virtual Server is a group of nodes and hosts that make up the cluster. The NetVault Backup Server sees the cluster as a single client, which is called a Virtual Client. When installing the Plug‑in for Exchange on the Virtual Server, the plug-in is installed on all nodes by using NetVault Backup’s Cluster Support. NetVault Backup’s Virtual Client is used to back up a single clustered resource, which in this example is the Exchange Virtual Server.
Figure 4. SCC deployment
Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR)
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Supported Exchange Server Versions: 2007 only |
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Supported Exchange Server Editions: Enterprise only |
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Supported Backup Methods: ESE (Active Copy only) and VSS (Active or Passive Copy) |
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Plug‑in for Exchange License Required: Plug‑in for Exchange Enterprise Edition Cluster Support |
CCR is a clustered solution that uses built-in asynchronous log shipping technology to create and maintain a copy of each Storage Group on a second server in a failover cluster. CCR is either a one or two data-center solution, providing both high availability and site resilience. According to Microsoft, CCR uses the database failure recovery functionality in Exchange 2007 to enable the continuous and asynchronous updating of a second copy of a database with the changes that have been made to the active copy. During installation of the passive node in a CCR environment, each Storage Group and its database is copied from the active node to the passive node. This operation is called seeding, and it provides a baseline of the database for replication. After the initial seeding is performed, log copying and replay are performed continuously. For more information, see Cluster Continuous Replication at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124521.aspx.
In a CCR deployment, the plug-in is installed on the Exchange Virtual Server. The Exchange Virtual Server is a group of nodes and hosts that make up the cluster. The NetVault Backup Server sees the cluster as a single client, which is called a Virtual Client. When installing the Plug‑in for Exchange on the Virtual Server, the plug-in is installed on all nodes by using NetVault Backup’s Cluster Support. NetVault Backup’s Virtual Client is used to back up either the Active or Passive node, which in this example is the Exchange Virtual Server.
Figure 5. CCR deployment
Installing and removing the plug-in
Installation prerequisites
If either an Incremental or Differential Backup type is to be created, ensure that Circular Logging is disabled. The Exchange Server overwrites files if Circular Logging is enabled, making it impossible to reliably restore from the transaction logs. For more information on Backup Types, see Reviewing the backup types. To disable Circular Logging, perform the steps in the applicable section: