====== 2 Preparation for Backup and Restore ====== ===== 2.1 Requirement ===== ==== 2.1.1 Software Requirement ==== Refer to the following article for the list of compatible operating systems and application versions. [[public:8001_faq:ahsay_software_compatibility_list_scl_for_version_8.1_or_above|FAQ: Ahsay Software Compatibility List (SCL) for version 8.1 or above]] ==== 2.1.2 Antivirus Exclusion Requirement ==== To optimize performance of AhsayOBM on Windows, and to avoid conflict with your antivirus software, refer to the following article the list of processes and directory paths that should be added to all antivirus software white-list / exclusion list: [[public:8014_faq:suggestion_on_antivirus_exclusions|FAQ: Suggestion on antivirus exclusions to improve performance of Ahsay software on Windows]] **NOTE:** The bJW.exe process is automatically added to Windows Defender exclusion list for Windows 2016 and 2019, during installation / upgrade via installer or upgrade via AUA. ==== 2.1.3 AhsayOBM Installation ==== AhsayOBM v8.1.0.0 or above must be installed directly on the MS Exchange Server 2007 /2010 /2013 / 2016 / 2019 hosting the database. AhsayOBM v8.1.0.0 or above must be installed directly on the individual nodes for MS Exchange Server 2010/2013/2016/2019 DAG. ==== 2.1.4 Microsoft Exchange Server Add-On Module ==== Make sure the Microsoft Exchange Server feature has been enabled as an add-on module in your AhsayOBM user account. Please contact your backup service provider for more details.\\ {{public:documents_and_guides:v8:obm:microsoft-exchange-database:preparation1.png}} ==== 2.1.5 Backup Quota Requirement ==== Make sure that your AhsayOBM user account has sufficient storage quota assigned to accommodate the storage of additional Microsoft Exchange Server backup set and retention policy. Please contact your backup service provider for more details. ==== 2.1.6 Continuous Backup Module ==== The Continuous backup add-on module is required if you would like to enable the continuous backup feature. ==== 2.1.7 Java Heap Size ==== The default Java heap size setting on AhsayOBM is 2048MB. For Exchange Server 2007/2010/2013/2016/2019 Database backup, it is highly recommended to increase the Java heap size setting to be at least 4096MB to improve backup and restore performance. The actual heap size is dependent on amount of free memory available on your Exchange 2007/2010/2013/2016/2019 server. ==== 2.1.8 Temporary Directory ==== Temporary Directory folder is used by AhsayOBM for storing backup set index files and any incremental or differential delta files generated during a backup job. To ensure optimal backup/restoration performance, it is highly recommended that the temporary directory folder is located on a local drive with sufficient free disk space. It should be on another location other than Drive C: (e.g. Drive E:). The Exchange Server 2007/2010/2013/2016/2019 database files are no longer stored in the temporary directory during backup. However, the VSS-based Exchange backup will still require certain amount of disk space to operate. Microsoft suggested that certain shadow copy mechanism may require free space around 100% of the original database. Refer to the following URL for more information. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/client-developer/exchange-server-development ==== 2.1.9 System State ==== For Exchange server with Active Directory installed, as part of the restore, the system state of the server must also be restored. Running regular system state backups of the Exchange is therefore crucial, as it ensures that the system state data is synchronized with the Exchange database data. ==== 2.1.10 MS Exchange Information Store Service ==== Ensure that all MS Exchange related services have been started, particularly the **MS Exchange Information Store Service**. To verify this setting, launch Services in Windows by clicking Start then typing “Services” in the search box. All Exchange related services should be started by default, in case if it is not, turn it on by right clicking the item then selecting **Start**.\\ {{public:documents_and_guides:v8:obm:microsoft-exchange-database:preparation2.png}} Also make sure that circular logging is disabled for all Information Store(s) or Public Folder selected for backup. **I. Information Store - Exchange 2007** The Information Store of Exchange 2007 contains both mailbox store and public folder store data. The server stores data in two files, namely the .edb and the .stm file, that form an Exchange store repository. The default mailbox store on an Exchange 2007 server uses filename Priv1.edb and Priv1.stm; the default public folder store uses the filename Pub1.edb and Pub1.stm. The .edb file contains tables that hold metadata for all e-mail messages and other items in the Exchange store, while .stm stores native Internet content. **II. Information Store - Exchange 2010/2013/2016/2019** The Information Store of Exchange 2010/2013 contains data, data definitions, indexes, checksums, flags, and other information that comprise mailboxes in Exchange. Mailbox databases hold data that is private to individual user and contain mailbox folders generated when a mailbox is created for that user. A mailbox database is stored as an Exchange database .edb file. Public folder databases contain the data, data definitions, indexes, checksums, flags, and other information that comprise any public folders in your Exchange organization. In Exchange Server 2010/2013, public folder is an optional feature. ==== 2.1.11 .Net Framework ==== **.Net Framework 3.5 Features for Exchange Server 2013/2016/2019** Ensure that **.Net Framework 3.5 Features** is installed. This feature can be enabled by accessing Server Manager > Dashboard > Add Roles and Features Wizard > Feature Page.\\ {{public:documents_and_guides:v8:obm:microsoft-exchange-database:preparation3.png}} ==== 2.1.12 Microsoft Exchange Writer ==== Ensure that the **Microsoft Exchange Writer** is installed and running on the Exchange Server, and the writer state is **Stable**. This can be verified by running the **vssadmin list writers** command. Example: | C:\Users\Administrator>vssadmin list writers vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool\\ (C) Copyright 2001-2013 Microsoft Corp.\\ \\ Writer name: 'System Writer'\\ Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}\\ Writer Instance Id: {a2f2507d-b348-493a-9685-da3f20959e9d}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'COM+ REGDB Writer'\\ Writer Id: {542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f}\\ Writer Instance Id: {60b9b261-ab81-4c4d-be0f-5d432a4dea64}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'ASR Writer'\\ Writer Id: {be000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4}\\ Writer Instance Id: {1aab9829-3b91-46bc-a7f1-ae9e1123c2fe}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ **Writer name: 'Microsoft Exchange Writer'\\ Writer Id: {76fe1ac4-15f7-4bcd-987e-8e1acb462fb7}\\ Writer Instance Id: {2e8409fa-1dd8-483c-ba95-5c9277be0509}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error**\\ \\ Writer name: 'IIS Metabase Writer'\\ Writer Id: {59b1f0cf-90ef-465f-9609-6ca8b2938366}\\ Writer Instance Id: {3303e28e-afae-4c99-8f1a-2ce23e6455a7}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'FRS Writer'\\ Writer Id: {d76f5a28-3092-4589-ba48-2958fb88ce29}\\ Writer Instance Id: {d35e3901-f9b9-4fa6-86af-36b8a4872933}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'Shadow Copy Optimization Writer'\\ Writer Id: {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f}\\ Writer Instance Id: {8e19e851-95ca-4c97-813d-4bc51898c7ac}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'WMI Writer'\\ Writer Id: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0}\\ Writer Instance Id: {0619e684-14f3-495b-be59-e35fc0ec212b}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'BITS Writer'\\ Writer Id: {4969d978-be47-48b0-b100-f328f07ac1e0}\\ Writer Instance Id: {94991e66-e5c7-47a4-a0c9-3771e4761262}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'Registry Writer'\\ Writer Id: {afbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485}\\ Writer Instance Id: {73c66436-c2e8-4d46-b88a-d866617eb95d}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'NTDS'\\ Writer Id: {b2014c9e-8711-4c5c-a5a9-3cf384484757}\\ Writer Instance Id: {14cedc8b-4c51-4a12-85c4-8cf8aa3545b6}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error\\ \\ Writer name: 'IIS Config Writer'\\ Writer Id: {2a40fd15-dfca-4aa8-a654-1f8c654603f6}\\ Writer Instance Id: {5939e29f-bf43-4a39-a6b7-e3a838e75e3e}\\ State: [1] Stable\\ Last error: No error | ===== 2.2 Best Practices and Recommendations ===== - For Exchange server with Active Directory installed, a Windows System State backup must be performed regularly with the MS Exchange Server backup. - System State backup must be performed regularly for the domain controller of the Exchange DAG setup. - Scheduled backup is required if you choose to back up with DAG option, as AhsayOBM on all DAG members will base on the scheduled backup time to start backups on individual DAG member at the same time.\\ A DAG backup cycle is considered complete only when scheduled backup on all DAG members have been carried out. An email report will be generated when a complete DAG backup cycle has taken place.\\ Please keep in mind that manual backup will only be considered as individual mail-level backup, and therefore will not be counted as part of the DAG backup cycle. - The MS Exchange Server Backup module will protect the Exchange server at the database level. If a full system backup (for bare-metal recovery) is required, please consider setting up a MS System Backup for each DAG member server. - To back up mailbox database within an Exchange DAG, AhsayOBM is required to be installed on each DAG member with mailbox role (e.g. servers that are hosting the mailbox databases). It is not necessary to install AhsayOBM on Exchange server with CAS (Client Access Server) role only. - To ensure optimal backup/restoration performance, it is recommended that the temporary directory folder is set to a local drive with sufficient free disk space and must be on another location other than Drive C: (e.g. Drive E:). - The periodic backup schedule should be reviewed regularly to ensure that the interval is sufficient to handle the data volume on the machine. Over time, data usage pattern may change on a production server, i.e. the number of new files created, the number of files which are updated/deleted, and new users may be added etc.\\ Consider the following key point to efficiently handle backup sets with periodic backup schedule. * Hardware - to achieve optimal performance, compatible hardware requirements is a must. Ensure you have the backup machine’s appropriate hardware specifications to accommodate frequency of backups, * so that the data is always backed up within the periodic backup interval * so that the backup frequency does not affect the performance of the production server * Network - make sure to have enough network bandwidth to accommodate the volume of data within the backup interval. * Retention Policy - also make sure to consider the retention policy settings and retention area storage management which can grow because of the changes in the backup data for each backup job.