To perform an Exchange Server backup, complete the tasks outlined in Table 13 on page 54. The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Release 3.0 SP1 Administration Guide provides additional details about configuring backups with NMM.
Table 13 Tasks for configuring an Exchange Server backup
Backup task Consideration
• Full backups include all of the data specified in an NMM client resource save set.
• Incremental backups include only the data that has changed since the last backup. Only non-persistent snapshots (Retain=0) support incremental backups.
• Client Configuration Wizard — To configure client resources for the entire setup at one time.
• NetWorker Management Console — To configure client resource for each resource on the setup individually.
Task 1: Configure a backup pool You must create a backup snapshot pool to store the save sets that contain snapshot metadata. Snapshots create metadata that is used in the management of snapshot operations such as an instant recovery operation.
“Task 2: Configure snapshot policies” on
page 55 “Persistent and non-persistent snapshots” on page 47 and the NetWorker Module for Microsoft Release 3.0 SP1 Administration Guide provide details. This task is not required for RolloverOnly backups.
Task 3: Configure a backup schedule Backup schedules determine the days on which NMM performs full or incremental backups:
“Backups types and levels” on page 29 and the NetWorker Module for Microsoft Release 3.0 SP1 Administration Guide provides details.
Task 4: Configure a backup group resource Backup groups enable you to balance backup loads to reduce the impact on the storage and network resources. If you have configured a pool for this group, return to the pool data source properties and attach it to this group. You must clear the Force Incremental checkbox in the Backup Group properties.
You must create a group resource so that you can add the client resource to the required group. You must select the Snapshot checkbox when configuring the group resource. You can also select the snapshot policy manually.
For backups in an Exchange CCR or DAG environment, add the virtual and physical clients to different NetWorker group resources.
The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Release 3.0 SP1 Administration Guide provides details about configuring a group resource.
“Task 5: Configure Exchange client
resource” on page 56 To configure an Exchange client resource, you can use either of the following methods:
“Configuring a LAN-based Exchange server with a SAN and a proxy client” on page 36 provides details for configuring proxy client resources. The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Release 3.0 SP1 Administration Guide provides details about configuring a client resource.
Task 6: Configure NetWorker administrator
privileges You must grant NetWorker administrator privileges for the NMM client to perform media database operations during snapshot deletion.
The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Release 3.0 SP1 Administration Guide provides details about granting NetWorker administrator privileges.
Configuring Exchange backups 55 Backups
Task 2: Configure snapshot policies
The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Release 3.0 SP1 Administration Guide provides the information you need to create snapshot policies. In addition, review the following Exchange-specific information on snapshot policies:
◆ You can retain snapshots only for full level backups, not for incremental level backups.
Use the NSR_EXCH_RETAIN_SNAPSHOTS=yes attribute to configure persistent snapshots for full backups. Add this attribute in the Client Properties > Apps &
Modules tab > Application Information field when configuring the client resource. In the snapshot policy, the Backup Snapshot field should list FULL. Clear the Force Incremental checkbox in the Backup Group properties.
The Client Configuration Wizard does not insert the
NSR_EXCH_RETAIN_SNAPSHOTS=yes parameter into the Application Information field.
You must enter this manually after completing the wizard.
Although the following warning message appears in the NMM.raw log, ignore this message and continue with the client resource configuration steps:
The specified snapshot policy allows snapshots to be stored locally on the client for a period of time before expiration. Locally stored snapshots present a risk of data loss if there is a failure of the local media containing the snapshot, or if a snapshot rollover fails and the corresponding locally retained snapshot expires before a manual rollover can be performed. Group: "%s" Snapshot Policy: "%s"
Snapshots Per Day: "%s" Retain: "%s" Backup Snapshots: "%s" Level:
"%s".
◆ When creating the snapshot policy in the Client Properties window in the NetWorker Management Console:
a. Set the number of snapshots that you want to retain on the NMM client in the Retain Snapshots field.
For incremental backups, set the Retain Snapshots value as “0.” Otherwise, an error occurs and the following error message appears in NMM.raw:
NMM .. Error: Local retention of snapshots is not allowed when snapshot level is not set to "full". Group: "%s" Snapshot Policy:
"%s" Snapshots Per Day: "%s" Retain: "%s" Backup Snapshots: "%s"
Level: "%s".
NMM.. Unable to continue backup. "APPLICATIONS:\Microsoft Exchange 2007" snapshot policy requirements are not met.
b. Type First, Last, All, everyn, or nin the Backup Snapshots field for the snapshots that you want to rollover to the NetWorker server on a daily basis. Backup Snapshots should always be All if you plan to only retain snapshots for full level backups.
None and 0 are invalid entries for this field.
This configuration results in the most recent “x” backups being stored locally on the NMM client, where “x” is the number added in the snapshot policy's Retain Snapshots field. If the snapshot policy designates a backup to be rolled over to the server, it will also be retained locally until there are “x” newer snapshots present.
◆ When using snapshot policy 4, 2, or All, perform only one Exchange Server 2010 client backup at a time with a particular backup group. Multiple Exchange 2010 client backups using same backup group must not be performed.
56 EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft for Exchange VSS Release 3.0 SP1 User Guide Backups
◆ Use the RolloverOnly backup policy for federated backups. Persistent snapshots are not supported for federated backup.
The snapshots are stored locally on the NMM client and not on the NetWorker server.
Snapshots that are stored locally only present a risk of data loss in the following situation:
1. There is a failure of the local media that contains the most recent snapshot, which has not been backed up to a NetWorker server.
2. A need then arises to recover an Exchange database or storage group after the snapshot storage media fails, but before another snapshot is created.
3. Because the most recent snapshot is unavailable, it is necessary to restore from an older snapshot, and data newer than that snapshot is lost.
Task 5: Configure Exchange client resource
A client resource specifies what to include in a snapshot of an NMM client. NMM associates client resources with other backup resources, such as groups and snapshot policies. NMM treats public folders as stand-alone databases.
Table 14 on page 56 and Table 15 on page 57 list the different procedures for backing up Exchange 2010 and 2013 and Exchange Server 2007 databases.
Table 14 Procedures for backing up Exchange Server 2010 and 2013 DAGs Exchange client resource Examples
Note: While you can perform backups on active database copies or passive database copies, you can only perform recoveries to the Exchange server that is hosting the active database copy.
Exchange DAG When backing up active or passive database copies in the Exchange DAG environment, use the federated backup solution in order to best handle failover scenarios. Using the federated solution will allow backups of passive database copies to continue even when the passive database copies move among Exchange servers. Refer to “DAG federated backups (Exchange Server 2010 and 2013 only)” on page 75, or use the client configuration wizard to configure the client resources necessary for a federated backup.
Table 15 Procedures for backing up Exchange 2007 databases Exchange client
resource Details Examples
• Client for Physical Node 1
• Client for Physical Node 2
• Client for Virtual Node
Note: While you can perform backups from both the active node and the passive node, you can only perform recoveries to the active node.
• Scenario 1: Perform backup from passive node — To perform backup from a passive node, you must configure three client resources:
— Client for physical node 1 (NSR_INDEX_CLIENT and NSR_VIRT_SERV attributes are required)
— Client for physical node 2 (NSR_INDEX_CLIENT and NSR_VIRT_SERV attributes are required)
— Client for virtual node (NSR_INDEX_CLIENT and NSR_VIRT_SERV attributes are not required)
Public folders are not included in backups from the passive node.
• Scenario 2: Perform backup from active node — To perform backups for an active node, you must perform the backup from the virtual node client resource. Configure:
— Client for Physical Node 1 (NSR_INDEX_CLIENT and NSR_VIRT_SERV attributes are not required)
— Client for Physical Node 2 (NSR_INDEX_CLIENT and NSR_VIRT_SERV attributes are not required)
— Client for Virtual Node (NSR_INDEX_CLIENT and NSR_VIRT_SERV attributes are not required)
Configuring Exchange backups 57 Backups
To create a client resource, you can use either of the following methods from the NetWorker Management Console: