Avamar 6.0 for Exchange and VSS

GUIDEP/N 300-011-633

REV A01

EMC CORPORATIONCORPORATE HEADQUARTERS:

HOPKINTON, MA 01748-91031-508-435-1000

WWW.EMC.COM

EMC AVAMAR 6.0FOR EXCHANGE VSS

EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 2

Copyright and Trademark Notices

Copyright 2002 - 2011 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

Published April, 2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTSPreface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Scope and intended audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Product information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Your comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Typographic conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Safety admonitions and notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Important terms and concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Avamar for Exchange VSS plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Stand-alone and high-availability deployments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Database Availability Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Windows clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Exchange Server 2007 replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Supported configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Supported cluster configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Hardware requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Multi-streaming hardware and resource requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Exchange configuration requirements for multi-streaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Windows Exchange GLR plug-In requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 3

Capabilities and limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Important information about Windows clusters and Exchange Server 2007 CCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Road map for Windows Exchange VSS installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Installing the Avamar Windows Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 with User Account Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Important Installation Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Installing the Windows Exchange VSS Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Configuring a child domain for message level restores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Adding parent domain administrators to the local administrators group on the child domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Enabling the Backup Agent service and the EMC Avamar Exchange GLR Service on the child domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Configuring Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 for message level restores . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Download and install MAPI client libraries and CDO 1.2.1 version 6.5.8153.0 or later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Create AvamarBackupUser user account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Configuring the Avamar Cluster Client (Exchange Server 2007 clusters) . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Uninstalling and upgrading Avamar for Exchange VSS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Resetting the Avamar Windows Cluster Client. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Upgrading from the previous cluster client to Exchange Cluster Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Exchange backup types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Important information about Exchange backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Performing on-demand backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Backing up Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 from the passive node . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Backing up Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 from the active node . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Backing up the entire server for Exchange Server 2010 or 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Scheduling Exchange server backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Create a dataset for Exchange server backups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Setting up scheduled Exchange server backups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Enabling scheduled Exchange server backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Exchange recovery types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Performing Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Important notes about restore with the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in . . . . . . . . . 64Restoring an active copy of an Exchange database in a stand-alone setup . . . . . . . . . . 66

Important notes about restore with the Windows Exchange GLR plug-in . . . . . . . . . 69Performing a granular level recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Restoring to an Exchange Server 2010 RDB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Configure an Exchange Server 2010 RDB with Exchange Management Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Restore to an Exchange Server 2010 RDB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Performing a directed recovery to an Exchange Server 2010 RDB at an alternate location on the same server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Performing a directed recovery of an Exchange Server 2007 or Exchange Server 2010 database to an alternate path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Performing a directed recovery to an Exchange Server 2010 RDB on a different server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Performing the directed recovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Creating the destination RDB and adding the recovered databases to the RDB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Restoring to an Exchange Server 2007 RSG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Configure an Exchange Server 2007 RSG with Exchange Management Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Restore to an Exchange Server 2007 RSG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Performing a directed recovery to an Exchange Server 2007 RSG on a different server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Restoring from a passive node (replica) backup in Exchange Server 2010. . . . . . . . . . . 94Restoring from a passive node backup in Exchange Server 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Restoring from an active node backup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Recovering in an Exchange server high availability environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Re-seeding and resuming replication in Exchange Server 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Re-seeding and resuming replication in Exchange Server 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Starting the cluster resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Appendix A Plug-in Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Important terms and concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Windows Exchange VSS plug-in options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Appendix B Manually Creating the AvamarBackupUser Account . 110Download and install MAPI client libraries and CDO 1.2.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Create an AvamarBackupUser account and mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Configure two services to run as AvamarBackupUser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Activate the AvamarBackupUser mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 5

PREFACE

Scope and intended audienceScope. This publication describes how to install, configure, administer and use Avamar for Exchange VSS.

Intended audience. The information in this publication is primarily intended for:

System administrators who are responsible for installing software and maintaining servers and clients on a network

Microsoft Exchange Administrators who are responsible for backing up and maintaining Microsoft Exchange servers

Prerequisites. Persons using this publication should have current practical experience with the following:

Operating system shell commands on your Exchange platform (root permission required)

The specific version of Microsoft Exchange currently deployed at your site EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 6

Product informationFor current documentation, release notes, software updates, information about EMC products, licensing, and service, go to the EMC Powerlink website at http://Powerlink.EMC.com.

Your comments

PREFACE

Avamar SupportBefore contacting EMC Technical Support, please go to the Avamar Support landing page at https://support.EMC.com/products/Avamar and:

Refer to the Product Documentation Check the listed Support Topics for:

How-to's Troubleshooting

Search the Avamar Knowledge Base (KB) for applicable solutions using the convenient search engine:

Enter the KB solution number (for example, esgxxxxxx) Enter keywords

If none of the previous resources resolve your issue, many issues can be successfully resolved through live interactive chat. You can engage EMC Technical Support using live interactive chat by selecting Additional Resources > Live Chat on the Avamar Support landing page.

If more in-depth help is required, or if you have an existing open Service Request (SR), you can submit or review a service request through Powerlink:

To review an existing SR, go to http://Powerlink.EMC.com and select Support > Request Support > View Service Requests

To open a new SR, go to: http://Powerlink.EMC.com and select Support > Request Support > Create Service Request

EMC recommends that all Avamar systems have ConnectEMC and Email Home enabled to facilitate the best possible support. Systems with ConnectEMC configured and enabled will be able to automatically generate SRs when appropriate and as noted in this guide.

Your commentsYour suggestions will help us continue to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of our documentation. You may email comments to:

[email protected] include the following information:

Product name and version Document name, part number, and revision (for example, A01) Page numbers Other details that will help us address the documentation issueEMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 7

Safety admonitions and notices

PREFACE

Typographic conventionsThe following table provides examples of standard typographic styles used in this guide to convey various kinds of information.

Safety admonitions and noticesThe following safety admonitions and notices appear in this guide:

Danger safety admonitions indicate a hazardous situationwhich, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury.

Warning safety admonitions indicate a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury.

EXAMPLE DESCRIPTION

Click OK. orSelect File > Close.

Bold text denotes actual buttons, commands, menus, and options that initiate action.Sequential commands are separated by a greater-than (>) character. For example, the second example instructs you to select the Close command from the File menu.

Type: cd /tmp

Bold fixed-width text denotes shell commands that must be entered exactly as they appear.

--logfile=FILE All caps text often denotes a placeholder (token) for an actual value that must be supplied by the user. In this example, FILE would be an actual filename.

Installation Complete. Regular (not bold) fixed-width text denotes command shell messages, code, and file contents.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 8

PREFACE

Caution safety admonitions indicate a hazardous situationwhich, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderateinjury.

IMPORTANT: Important notices contain information essential to software or hardware operation.

NOTE: Notes contain information intended to clarify a topic or procedure. Notes never contain information that will cause a failure if ignored.

TIP: Tips present optional information intended to improve your productivity or otherwise enhance your experience with the product. Tips never contain information that will cause a failure if ignored.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 9

INTRODUCTIONEMC Avamar for Exchange VSS 6.0 provides a complete backup and recovery solution for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 platforms, using Microsoft VSS writer technology.

The Avamar for Exchange Guide provides information about non-VSS backup and recovery of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 or 2003, using the Windows Exchange Database plug-in and the Windows Exchange Message plug-ins.

For backup and recovery for Exchange Server 2000, use Avamar Exchange Client 4.1.

NOTE: Though either the older non-VSS Windows Exchange Database plug-in or the current Windows Exchange VSS plug-in can be installed on Exchange Server 2007, installing and using both is not supported. Microsoft recommends using VSS-based backup. If you need to back up a CCR passive node in Exchange Server 2007, you must use the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in and cannot use the Windows Exchange Database plug-in.

Important terms and concepts EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 9

Recovery data stored in an Avamar system is inherently on line all the time. Once an Exchange server has been backed up to the Avamar system, the entire Exchange server can be quickly recovered without having to locate and mount tape media.

Avamar for Exchange VSS plug-Ins Avamar for Exchange VSS provides advanced backup and recovery features specific to the capabilities and architecture of the version of Exchange you are using. This plug-in provides two plug-in components, the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in and the optional Windows Exchange GLR plug-in.

Important terms and concepts

INTRODUCTION

Windows Exchange VSS plug-in:

Is always installed by default by Avamar for Exchange VSS setup. Provides full database backup and recovery. Uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) snapshot technology. Required for all Exchange Server 2010 backup and recovery. Required for Exchange Server 2007 CCR passive node backup and recovery. Supports Exchange Server 2007 (non-CCR) backup and recovery. Does not support Exchange Server 2003 backup and recovery.

Windows Exchange GLR plug-in:

Provides granular level recovery similar to that offered by recovery to Recovery Storage Group (RSG) or Recovery Database (RDB) databases, but quicker.

Is optional, and can be installed during Avamar for Exchange VSS setup. Is in addition to, not in place of, the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in.

Stand-alone and high-availability deploymentsMicrosoft Exchange Server can be deployed in various configurations.

The simplest configuration is a single Windows network host running Microsoft Exchange Server. This will be referred to as a stand-alone configuration in the remainder of this publication.

However, most larger enterprises typically deploy Microsoft Exchange Server in some form of high-availability configuration. The name and technologies differ slightly in Exchange Server 2010 and Exchange Server 2007:

In Exchange Server 2010, this typically involves the use of DAGs. In Exchange Server 2007, this typically involves the use of Windows clusters,

Exchange Server 2007 replication, or both.

Database Availability GroupsExchange Server 2010 uses Database Availability Groups (DAG) and mailbox database copies to replace the following features from previous versions of Exchange Server:

Cluster continuous replication (CCR) Local continuous replication (LCR) Standby continuous replication (SCR) Single copy cluster (SCC) Clustered mailbox servers

These improvements in high availability and site resilience functionality also simplify installation and configuration of Avamar Exchange Client for backup and recovery.

To use clustering in Exchange Server 2007, you must install and configure Windows failover clustering (Windows Server 2008) or Windows clustering (Windows Server 2003) prior to installing Exchange. You do not need to install and configure any Windows clustering prior to installing Microsoft Exchange Server EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 10

2010. An Exchange administrator can add high availability to the Exchange Server


INTRODUCTION

2010 environment after Exchange has been deployed without having to uninstall Exchange and then reinstall in a high availability configuration.

In addition to not requiring prior installation of Windows clustering, with Exchange Server 2010 you do not install or configure the Avamar Windows Cluster Client.

Windows clustersWindows clusters consist of at least two servers (SERVER-A and SERVER-B) and some amount of shared external storage.

Windows clusters are not application specific. A Windows cluster can host any Windows application, including Microsoft Exchange.

Exchange Server 2007 replicationBeginning with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft has built data replication features directly into Exchange. These features allow Exchange data to be replicated from one Exchange server to another.

Exchange Server 2007 offers three levels of data replication:

LCR CCR SCR

NOTE: The following discussion regarding various aspects of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 replication draws heavily on content authored by Microsoft Corporation.

However, a complete discussion of Exchange Server 2007 replication is beyond the scope of this publication. The Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 documentation provides additional information. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 11


INTRODUCTION

Local Continuous Replication LCR is a single-server solution that uses built-in asynchronous log shipping and log replay technology to create and maintain a copy of a storage group on a second set of disks that are connected to the same server as the production storage group. The production storage group is referred to as the active copy, and the copy of the storage group maintained on the separate set of disks is referred to as the passive copy. The following illustration shows a basic LCR deployment.

LCR deployments do not require any special Avamar for Exchange VSS setup or configuration. Install the Avamar for Exchange VSS software on the active storage group using the normal (non-cluster) installation procedure. Installation (page 20) provides additional information.

Cluster Continuous Replication and Standby Continuous Replication CCR is a high availability feature of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that combines the asynchronous log shipping and replay technology built into Exchange Server 2007 with the failover and management features provided by the Windows Cluster service.

CCR is designed to provide high availability for Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox servers by providing a solution that:

Has no single point of failure Has no special hardware requirements Has minimal shared storage requirements Can be deployed in one or two datacenter configurations

CCR uses the database failure recovery functionality in Exchange Server 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 of the database. 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 EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 12

node. This operation is called seeding, and it provides a baseline of the

System requirements

INTRODUCTION

database for replication. After the initial seeding is performed, log copying and replay are performed continuously.

In a CCR environment, the replication capabilities are integrated with the Cluster service to deliver a high availability solution. In addition to providing data and service availability, CCR also provides scheduled outages. When updates need to be installed or when maintenance needs to be performed, an administrator can move a clustered mailbox server (called an Exchange Virtual Server in previous versions of Exchange Server) manually to a passive node. After the move operation is complete, the administrator can then perform the needed maintenance.

CCR can be combined with SCR to replicate storage groups locally in a primary data center (using CCR for high availability) and remotely in a secondary or backup datacenter (using SCR for site resilience). The secondary datacenter could contain a passive node in a failover cluster that hosts the SCR targets. This type of cluster is called a standby cluster because it does not contain any clustered mailbox servers, but it can be quickly provisioned with a replacement clustered mailbox server in a recovery scenario. If the primary datacenter fails or is otherwise lost, the SCR targets hosted in this standby cluster can be quickly activated on the standby cluster.

System requirementsThis topic lists the supported configurations and hardware requirements that must be met to install and deploy the Avamar for Exchange VSS backup and recovery solution. Some plug-in features and functionality have additional requirements.

Granular Level Recovery (GLR) . The Windows Exchange GLR plug-in provides the capability to mount an existing backups content database and make that database available on a mount point. For example, a Windows drive letter, such as "P:\" as the mount point. Once the database is mounted, it can be browsed and individual items can be extracted from the database for recovery to the Exchange server. To prepare for using GLR, review Windows Exchange GLR plug-In requirements (page 17).

Multi-streaming. The Windows Exchange VSS plug-in supports multi-streaming so that backup jobs can be processed in parallel using multiple processors. Up to six streams can be specified, and each stream requires a separate processor. By taking advantage of multi-processors, you can significantly improve backup speed and performance. To prepare for using multi-streaming, review Multi-streaming hardware and resource requirements (page 15).

Locate Exchange transaction log files and database files on separate vol-umes. Microsoft Best Practices recommend that transaction log files and

database files be located on separate volumes. Also, if Microsoft Best Practices are not followed, and the database is placed in a subfolder of the transaction logs folder, this is known to cause Avamar backup failures. Microsoft Best Practices for Exchange Server 2007 are described in Recommendations for Configuring Storage Groups and Databases http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb331954(EXCHG.80).aspx, and for Exchange Server 2010 in Understanding Storage Configuration, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee832792.aspx.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 13

System requirements

INTRODUCTION

Supported configurationsThe EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix on Powerlink provides the most up to date and accurate listing of versions supported.

The following configurations require the Avamar Plug-In for Exchange VSS software installation package AvamarExchangeVSS-windows-x86_64-.msi.

Supported cluster configurations

EXCHANGEVERSION OS VERSION

2010 Windows Server 2008 x64 SP2

Windows Server 2008 x64 R2

2007 SP3 Windows Server 2008 x64 SP2


Windows Server 2003 x64 with SP2NOTE: The Windows Exchange GLR plug-in does not support Windows Server 2003, and has additional hardware and resource requirements. Windows Exchange GLR plug-In requirements (page 17) provides information.

EXCHANGEVERSION OS VERSION

CLUSTERSUPPORT

2010 DAG Windows Server 2008 x64 SP2 DAGs passive and active


2007 SP3 Windows Server 2008 x64 R2 SCC CCR LCR SCR

Windows Server 2008 x64 SP2 Enterprise/DC Edition

Windows Server 2003 x64 Enterprise/DC Edition

SCC CCR LCR SCREMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 14

System requirements

INTRODUCTION

Hardware requirements

Multi-streaming hardware and resource requirementsMulti-streaming places additional demands on computer hardware and resources beyond the base requirements for the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in. The following sections list:

System requirements (hardware and software) Exchange configuration requirements for Exchange Server 2010 SP1 and

Exchange Server 2007 SP3 Avamar configuration

Hardware and software system recommendations for multi-streaming

REQUIREMENT MINIMUM

RAM 64 MB.

Hard Drive Space 100 MB permanent hard drive space (1 GB recommended) for software installation.Avamar for Exchange VSS software also requires an additional 12 MB of permanent hard drive space for each 64 MB of physical RAM. This space is used for local cache files.

Network Interface 10BaseT or higher, configured with latest drivers for your platform.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTION

CPU 64-bit (x64) 8 or more physical cores Hyper-threading enabled (16 logical CPUs or more)

Memory 48 GB or more

Hard disks 1 disk drive for operating system / Exchange installation

1-2 disk drives for each Exchange database 7200 RPM or faster disk drives

Network adapter 1 GB

Operating system Windows Server 2008 64-bit with SP2 or later EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 15

System requirements

INTRODUCTION

Exchange configuration requirements for multi-streaming

EXCHANGE VERSION DESCRIPTION

Exchange Server 2010 SP1

Exchange 2010 should be configured with a Database Availability Group (DAG), requiring a minimum of two Exchange servers with the Mailbox role installed.

Each database should be located on a separate physical disk. If possible, it is recommended that each database be placed on two disks: one disk for the database file and one disk for the transaction logs folder

Each database should be roughly the same size Perform all backups using passive database copies

Exchange Server 2007 SP3

Exchange 2007 should be configured for Continuous Cluster Replication (CCR), requiring a minimum of two Exchange servers with the Mailbox role installed

Each storage group may contain only one database Each storage group should be located on a separate

physical disk. If possible, it is recommended that each storage group be placed on two disks: one disk for the database file and one disk for the transaction logs folder

Each storage group should be roughly the same size Perform all backups from the passive node of the

Exchange clusterEMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 16

System requirements

INTRODUCTION

Avamar configuration requirements for multi-streaming

Windows Exchange GLR plug-In requirementsThe Windows Exchange GLR plug-in places additional demands on computer hardware and resources beyond the base requirements for the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in:

AVAMAR CONFIGURATION DESCRIPTION

Network adapter 1 GB or faster

Number of streams Maximum of one backup stream per disk contained in the backup set. For example:If backing up 2 databases with each database on one disk, a maximum of 2 streams could be used.If backing up 2 databases with each database on two disks (each database and set of logs on a different disk), a maximum of 4 streams could be used.

Selecting Multi-Streaming Options

Multi-Streaming Options are specified in the Backup Command Line Options dialog box. Under Multi-Streaming Options, select Back up multiple targets in parallel, and then specify Maximum number of backup streams.

REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTION

Memory (RAM) The Windows Exchange GLR plug-in is very memory intensive, and requires additional memory above the base memory requirements for the Avamar Plug-in for Exchange VSS operations. The amount of additional or total memory required depends on current system performance with existing memory.

If resources are already strained and performance is slow with just the regular Avamar Plug-in for Exchange VSS operations, then you will need to add significantly more memory to support Windows Exchange GLR operations.

If performance is currently adequate with regular Avamar Plug-in for Exchange VSS operations, you may not need to add as much memory to support Windows Exchange GLR operations.

Disk Staging Area Additional disk space is required to provide a disk staging area to hold writes to the Exchange database and log files. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 17

System requirements

INTRODUCTION

Unassigned drive letter

The Exchange server must have at least one unused (available) drive letter in order to perform Exchange GLR browse and restore operations.

REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTIONEMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 18

Capabilities and limitations

INTRODUCTION

Capabilities and limitationsThis topic discusses current capabilities and limitations of the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in.

Avamar VSS-based backup supported by Microsoft Software Shadow Copyprovider. All Avamar backup operations taken with the Windows shadow copy

services use the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider, also known as the Microsoft system provider. Hardware providers are not supported.

Windows Server 2000 support. Avamar Exchange Server Client 6.0 and Avamar Exchange Server Client 5.0 do not support Microsoft Exchange 2000 running on Windows 2000 Server. For Microsoft Exchange 2000 SP3 or later running on Windows 2000 Server SP3 or later, use Avamar Exchange Server Client 4.1.

Activate physical nodes of cluster on Avamar Server before configuringthe Avamar Cluster Client. When configuring a Window cluster with the

Avamar Cluster Configuration tool, all physical nodes of the cluster must be activated on the Avamar server before running the tool. This note only applies to Exchange Server 2007.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 DAG requires at least two network con-nections for each server.

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 documentation recommends two networks, one for public traffic and one for replication traffic. Though a DAG with a single network is a supported configuration, it is not recommended. Using only one network connection can lead to unstable operations, such as databases that failover to other systems when they experience network connection timeouts.

Backup with VSS Writer may report System Writer failure when backupwas actually successful.

A successful backup of Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 using the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in may log an event in the Application log indicating a System Writer failure. The Windows Exchange VSS plug-in does not use the System Writer, so this error can be safely ignored.

Exchange log files and system files are stored on the Avamar server whenbacking up to a Data Domain system. The Microsoft Exchange log files and

any Microsoft Exchange system files are stored on the Avamar server during a backup while the Exchange database files are stored on a Data Domain system when a backup to a Data Domain system has been specified.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 19

INSTALLATIONThis chapter describes how to install and configure Windows Exchange VSS software on a supported Exchange server in either stand-alone or high-availability configurations.

Windows Exchange VSS installs two plug-ins:

Windows Exchange VSS plug-in. This plug-in:

Is always installed by default by Avamar for Exchange VSS setup. Provides full database backup and recovery. Uses Microsoft VSS snapshot technology. Required for all Exchange Server 2010 backup and recovery. Required for Exchange Server 2007 CCR passive node backup and recovery. Supports Exchange Server 2007 (non-CCR) backup and recovery. Does not support Exchange Server 2003 backup and recovery.

Windows Exchange GLR plug-in. This plug-in provides the capability to mount an existing backups content database and makes that database available on a mount point. For example, a Windows drive letter, such as P:\ as the mount point. Once the database is mounted, it can be browsed and individual items can be extracted from the database for recovery to the Exchange server. To prepare for using GLR, review Windows Exchange GLR plug-In requirements (page 17). The Windows Exchange GLR plug-in: EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 20

Provides granular level recovery similar to that offered by recovery to RSG or RDB, but quicker.

Is optional, and can be installed during Avamar for Exchange VSS setup. Is in addition to, not in place of, the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in.

Important information about Windows clusters and Exchange Server 2007 CCR

INSTALLATION

Important information about Windows clusters and Exchange Server 2007 CCR

IMPORTANT: Failure to properly configure your Windows clusters for use with Exchange Server 2007 CCR in accordance with the information presented in the following Microsoft TechNet topics might compromise operational readiness of your Exchange Server 2007 deployment.

If you intend to deploy Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 on either Windows Server 2008 and you intend to use the CCR feature to implement a high-availability solution, you must configure your windows cluster in accordance with the information presented in the following Microsoft TechNet and Microsoft Support topics:

Windows Server 2008. Refer to TechNet > TechNet Library > Networking and Messaging > Exchange Server > Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 > Operations > High Availability > Cluster Continuous Replication > Installing Cluster Continuous Replication on Windows Server 2008 at the following URL:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb629714.aspx

CCR Log Truncation. When using Exchange Server 2007 CCR, actual log truncation is dependent on the state of replication (that is, logs are not always immediately truncated or deleted in all circumstances). For additional detailed information regarding the exact conditions in which log files are removed, refer to TechNet > TechNet Library > Networking and Messaging > Exchange Server > Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 > Operations > Disaster Recovery > Disaster Recovery Procedures > Using Backup to Back Up and Restore Exchange Data at the following URL:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998870.aspx

CCR Log Truncation Issues With Exchange Server 2007 SP3. An issue was introduced in Exchange 2007 SP3 where log files may not be properly truncated after a CCR passive node backup and event ID 214 is logged in the active node. This issue is described in the Microsoft KB article, Event ID 214 is logged when you run a backup operation on a passive node after you install Exchange Server 2007 SP3 in an Exchange Server 2007 CCR environment, at the following URL:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2297394.

To resolve this issue, Exchange 2007 SP3 Update Rollup 1 must be installed on all affected servers. It can be downloaded from Update Rollup 1 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 3 (KB2279665) at the following URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ae45d06e-dcb7-43d8-b1ff-d3953836425b.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 21

Road map for Windows Exchange VSS installation

INSTALLATION

Road map for Windows Exchange VSS installation

INSTALLATION TASKEXCHANGE SERVER 2010EXCHANGE SERVER 2007

Install and configure your Windows cluster according to Microsoft guidelines.

Exchange Server 2010 (All),Exchange Server 2007 (Stand-

alone Environment):

Exchange Server 2007 (Cluster Environment):

Install and configure Exchange according to Microsoft guidelines.

Installing the Avamar Windows Client (page 23).

Installing the Windows Exchange VSS Plug-In (page 26). This includes the option of installing the Windows Exchange GLR plug-in in addition to the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in.

Configuring Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 for message level restores (page 29).Optional. Only required if you intend to perform GLR, which is used for message level backups and restores. NOTE: To install on an Exchange server running on a child domain, follow the steps in Configuring a child domain for message level restores (page 27).

Configuring the Avamar Cluster Client (Exchange Server 2007 clusters) (page 33).

Exchange Server 2010 (All),Exchange Server 2007 (Stand-

alone Environment):

Exchange Server 2007 (Cluster Environment):EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 22

Installing the Avamar Windows Client

INSTALLATION

Installing the Avamar Windows ClientAvamar Windows client installation is required prior to all Exchange plug-in installations. The EMC Avamar for Windows Servers User Guide provides full backup and recovery information for Windows Servers.

Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 with User Account ControlIn Windows Server 2008, Microsoft added the User Account Control (UAC) feature. UAC is designed to provide additional operating system security by preventing software from being installed with administrator privileges, unless an administrator authorizes the elevated privileges.

Starting the Avamar Windows Client installer with normal account privileges will not install the software correctly on a computer that is running a default implementation of UAC. Instead, run the installer with elevated administrative privileges so the software is correctly installed. This workaround is included in the steps listed in To install the Avamar Windows Client: (page 24).

After the software is installed, it may be started and used by a nonadministrative user without any loss of functionality.

Important Installation Notes

For all Exchange Server 2010 and Exchange Server 2007 installations.

Install the Avamar Windows Client and Windows Exchange VSS plug-in on all Exchange servers.

For all Exchange Server 2010 installations. Only the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in is supported. The Exchange legacy client Windows Exchange Database plug-in and Windows Exchange Message plug-in are not supported.

For message level backup and recovery. When you install the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in, select the option to also install the Exchange GLR plug-in. After Exchange VSS and GLR plug-in installation completes, you must also perform the tasks in Configuring Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 for message level restores (page 29).

For Exchange Server 2007 clusters. You must install the Avamar Windows Client and the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in on all nodes of the cluster. Also, they must be installed to the same directories on all cluster nodes. For example, if you install the Avamar client to C:\AVS1 on the first node, you must install the Avamar client to the same directory C:\AVS1 on all other nodes in the cluster.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 23


INSTALLATION

NOTE: Though either the legacy Avamar Exchange Client (with the Windows Exchange Database plug-in and Windows Exchange Message plug-in) or the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in can be installed on Exchange Server 2007, installing and using both is not supported. Microsoft recommends using VSS-based backup. if you need to back up a CCR passive node in Exchange Server 2007, you must use the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in and cannot use the legacy Avamar Exchange Client.

For Exchange Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2010 server role configu-rations. The Avamar Windows Client and Avamar for Exchange Client must be

installed on the Mailbox server role.

Microsoft provides more information about Exchange Server roles in the following TechNet articles:

Exchange Server 2007: Server Role Roadmap http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996319(EXCHG.80).aspx.

Exchange Server 2010: Overview of Exchange 2010 Server Roles http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd298026.aspx

To install the Avamar Windows Client:

1. Log in to the client computer or workstation.

IMPORTANT: You must log in as an administrator if installing the Avamar Windows Client on a computer with UAC. Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 with User Account Control (page 23) provides more information.

2. Point your web browser at the Avamar server by typing the following URL:

http://AVAMARSERVERwhere AVAMARSERVER is your actual Avamar system network hostname (as defined in DNS) or IP address.

You will be automatically redirected to the Avamar secure web server.

Depending on your browser security settings, a security alert dialog box might appear.

3. If a security alert dialog box appears, click Yes or OK to allow redirection to the Avamar secure web server.

The Secure Log On page appears.

4. Page down until the Downloads and Documents hyperlink is visible.

5. Click Downloads and Documents.

The Downloads and Documentation page appears.

6. Under Windows for X86 (64 bit), click Microsoft Windows XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, 7, 2008 R2.

A folder listing appears in your browser.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 24


INSTALLATION

7. Select the AvamarClient-windows-x86_64-VERSION.msi install package.

IMPORTANT: For computers with UAC, you must download the install package to a temporary directory. Do not open it in place. Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 with User Account Control (page 23) provides more information.

8. Start the installer using one of the following methods:

The installation wizard appears.

9. Follow the onscreen instructions.

10.Click Finish to complete the installation procedure.

TO DO THIS

Install on a non-UAC computer and want to run the installation file in place

Open the file in place on the server.

Install on a non-UAC computer and want to download and run the installation file

Download the file to a temporary directory on your computer.

Install on a UAC computer

1. In Windows, right-click the Command Prompt icon and select Run as administrator.

2. In the command prompt window, change the working directory to the location of the installation package:cd path-to-install-dirwhere path-to-install-dir is the full path of the temporary directory that contains the installation package.

3. On a single line, type the following command to launch the installer:msiexec /i AvamarClient-windows-x86_64-VERSION.msiwhere version is the version number of the available install package.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 25

Installing the Windows Exchange VSS Plug-In

INSTALLATION

Installing the Windows Exchange VSS Plug-In

IMPORTANT: A Windows Security dialog box may appear during installation indicating a possible security risk because of an unsigned driver or device. The exact message may vary depending on the version of Windows you are installing this on. The message may or may not identify the software publisher EldoS Corporation. If this message appears, click Install, or Install this driver software anyway.

After installing the Avamar Windows Client complete the following steps:

1. Access the Downloads and Documents page on your Avamar server.

2. Click AvamarExchangeVSS-windows-x86_64-VERSION.msi.

Your browser might prompt you to either open the file in-place (on the server) or save it to your local computer. Either method will work. However, if you save the file to your local computer, you must open (double-click) that installation file to continue with this procedure.

3. Either open the installation file in place (on the server) or double-click the downloaded installation file.

The EMC Avamar Plug-in for Exchange VSS Setup Wizard appears.

4. Follow the instructions to proceed through the wizard. In the wizard screens you will be presented several options:

Specify if you want to install the Windows Exchange GLR plug-in. If you want this installed, you must select this option during installation, it is not installed by default.

If you install the Windows Exchange GLR plug-in, you will be prompted to reboot your system after the installation is complete.

If you install the Windows Exchange GLR plug-in, you will be prompted for a location for a WriteCache folder. You can accept the default location, or specify a different location.

The WriteCache folder specifies where to log changes made by the Exchange server to a dataset when it is mounted for granular level recovery. The WriteCache acts as a filter to store and interpret those changes and apply them in the viewing and use of the mounted dataset, without changing the original recovery dataset on the Avamar server. Generally, these log files are not very large, and they are temporary for the current GLR session.

5. Click Finish to complete the installation procedure.

NOTE: If you intend to perform message level backups and restores of an Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 server, you must install the Windows Exchange GLR plug-in and after that installation completes, you must also perform the tasks in Configuring Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 for message level restores (page 29).EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 26

Configuring a child domain for message level restores

INSTALLATION

Configuring a child domain for message level restoresThere are special steps required to enable and use the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in and Windows Exchange GLR plug-in when the Exchange server is running on a child domain. These involve the administrator accounts that must be created and used to log on and configure the Avamar Backup User account, and ensuring that the necessary services are running under the Avamar Backup User account:

Use the parent domain administrator account to add parent domain administrators to the local administrators group on the child domain as described in Adding parent domain administrators to the local administrators group on the child domain (page 27).

Complete the tasks in Configuring Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 for message level restores (page 29) to create the Avamar Backup User account. A parent domain administrator must log on to the child domain when creating the Avamar backup user account so the account is created in the parent domain.

Enable the Backup Agent service and the EMC Avamar Exchange service on the child domain server, as described in Enabling the Backup Agent service and the EMC Avamar Exchange GLR Service on the child domain (page 27).

Adding parent domain administrators to the local administrators group on the child domainTo add parent domain administrators to the local administrators group on the child domain:

1. Log in to the child domain as domain administrator.

2. In Control Panel, go to User Accounts > Manage User Accounts.

3. In the User Accounts dialog box, select the Advanced tab.

4. In the Advanced User Management section, click the Advanced button.

The [Local Users and Groups] window appears.

5. In the [Local Users and Groups] window select Groups in the left pane. The right pane will be refreshed with the list of local groups.

6. Double click Administrators groups listed in the right pane.

7. In the Administrators group dialog box, click Add.

8. Type \Domain Admins group (without the brackets) where PARENTDOMAIN is the name of your parent domain.

9. Click OK and apply these changes.

Enabling the Backup Agent service and the EMC Avamar Exchange GLR Service on the child domain

NOTE: These steps are required if the Exchange server is running on the child domain. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 27

Configuring a child domain for message level restores

INSTALLATION

To enable the Backup Agent service and the EMC Avamar Exchange service on the child domain server, and the Exchange server is running on the child domain server, complete the following steps:

1. Login to the child domain server using the domain administrator account of the parent domain.

2. Complete the tasks in Configuring Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 for message level restores (page 29) to create the Avamar Backup User account. You can create the Avamar backup user on either the child domain or parent domain.

3. Start Services with the Services.msc command or click Start > Administrative Tools >Services.

4. In the Services list, double-click Backup Agent.

The Backup Agent Properties (Local Computer) dialog box is displayed.

5. Click the Log On tab, and make sure that This account is selected, and the account name displayed is the same account that was previously created in step 2. If not, change the logon credentials to Avamar backup user.

6. Repeat for EMC Avamar Exchange service: in the Services list, double-click EMC Avamar Exchange GLR Service.

The EMC Avamar Exchange service (Local Computer) dialog box is displayed.

7. Click the Log On tab, and make sure that This account is selected, and the account name displayed is the account previously created in step 2. If not, change the logon credentials to Avamar backup user. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 28

Configuring Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 for message level restores

INSTALLATION


Before performing the tasks required for configuring Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 for message level restores (granular level recoveries), review the following notes:

If your Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 server is deployed in a high-availability configuration using Windows clusters, you must perform this entire procedure on all nodes in the cluster with the exception that only the active node can have the backup agent service running at any one time. However, all nodes (including inactive nodes) must be configured to start and run the backup service as AvamarBackupUser.

If the Exchange server is in the child domain of a parent-child domain, the Avamar Backup User must be created in the parent domain. In order to do this, the parent domain administrator must log on to the child domain when creating the avamar backup profile.

If you intend to perform GLR/message level restores of an Exchange Server 2007 or 2010 server, you must perform the following tasks:

1. Download and install MAPI client libraries and CDO 1.2.1 version 6.5.8153.0 or later (page 30)

2. Create AvamarBackupUser user account (page 31)

NOTE: EMC Avamar Exchange VSS 6.0 provides a new wizard to configure the AvamarBackupUser account with the correct settings needed for message-level recoveries. However, some users may prefer to manually create the AvamarBackupUser account using the methods available in Avamar Exchange Client 4.1 and earlier. Avamar Exchange Client 6.0 still supports this manual method. Appendix B Manually Creating the AvamarBackupUser Account (page 110) provides information. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 29


INSTALLATION

Download and install MAPI client libraries and CDO 1.2.1 version 6.5.8153.0 or laterIn Exchange Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2010, neither the Messaging API (MAPI) client libraries nor CDO 1.2.1 are provided as a part of the base Exchange Server 2007 or Exchange Server 2010 product installation. As a result, you must manually download and install these components in order to perform message-level backups and recoveries. Download and Install MAPI Client Libraries and CDO 1.2.1 version 6.5.8153.0 or later as a single download from Microsoft.com at the following location:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=E17E7F31-079A-43A9-BFF2-0A110307611E&displaylang=enEMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 30


INSTALLATION

Create AvamarBackupUser user account

IMPORTANT: A unique username is required for each Exchange Server. If you are backing up more than one Exchange server within an Active Directory forest, you must use a different Windows user account for each Exchange server. This is because each user defined in Active Directory stores an Exchange mailbox as an attribute. It is therefore not possible for Avamar to use one user account to back up more than one Exchange server. This limitation applies to the Exchange Message plug-in only.

Perform the following steps on one node in the cluster:

1. Log in to the Exchange server using an administrative user account.

-or-

For Exchange clusters, log in to any node in the cluster.

IMPORTANT: If the Exchange server is in the child domain of a parent-child domain, the Avamar Backup User profile must be created in the parent domain. In order to do this, the parent domain administrator must log on to the child domain when creating the avamar backup profile.

2. Select Start > All Programs > EMC Avamar > Backup User Configuration Tool.

The Avamar Backup User Configuration Tool appears.

The Exchange Server, Storage group, and Mailbox store list boxes will already be filled, and the message log displays the message Shared library mapiaxion loaded successfully.

3. Specify a username or use the default AvamarBackupUser name.

4. Specify a new password.

5. Review the settings for Exchange Server, Storage group, and Mailbox store, EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 31

and change if you do not want to use the defaults.


INSTALLATION

NOTE: If your Active Directory forest contains more than one Exchange server, you must select a mailbox store from the same Exchange server that this tool is being run on.

6. Click Check.

Since the MAPI user account is not configured correctly, the message log should display messages that the AvamarBackupUser existence test and user mailbox failed.

7. Click Create User.

This performs the following actions:

Creates the user Enables the user Adds the user to the necessary domain groups Creates a mailbox Starts the local Backup Agent service under this user Verifies that the login for this user works correctly

8. Click Check to test the new user settings.

The message log should list a set of tests that have passed or were successful.

9. Click Close.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 32

Configuring the Avamar Cluster Client (Exchange Server 2007 clusters)

INSTALLATION


The Avamar Cluster Client only needs to be configured on the active node of the cluster. Prior to performing this procedure, review these important notes:

Exchange Server 2010 uses a different and simpler architecture for high-availability (cluster) Exchange servers, so you do not need to use or configure the Avamar Cluster Client.

For Exchange Server 2007 clusters, you must install the Avamar Windows Client and the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in on all nodes of the cluster. Also, they must be installed to the same directories on all cluster nodes. For example, if you install the Avamar client to C:\AVS1 on the first node, you must install the Avamar client to the same directory C:\AVS1 on all other nodes in the cluster.

During setup, you will be asked to provide the AvamarBackupUser account name and password.

To configure the Avamar Cluster Client:

1. Log in to the active node in the Exchange cluster with the AvamarBackupUser account, which has Administrator-level privileges.

2. Select Start > All Programs > EMC Avamar > Cluster Configuration Tool.

The Setup - Cluster Backup Agent for Windows dialog box appears.

3. Select or type the following:

FIELD/OPTION DESCRIPTION

Choose a Group for Install or Update.

Select the cluster group that contains the Exchange server on which you want to install this software from this list box.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 33


INSTALLATION

GR

OU

P R

ESO

UR

CES

Network name for backup agent communication

This list box contains all network names (hostnames) assigned to this cluster group.Select the Network name used by Microsoft Exchange server, to use for Avamar client-server communication, from this list box. You can find this name in the Network Name dependency of the Exchange System Attendant resource.

Shared volume for backup agent configuration and log files

This list box contains all shared external storage drives assigned to this cluster group.Select the shared external storage drive on which you want to install this software.NOTE: Exchange Server 2007 CCR clusters typically do not have shared storage in the cluster group. In that case, the configuration and log files must be placed on a shared network folder that all nodes in the cluster can access and write to. You can specify the path to this folder in the Var folder box.

Var folder Specifies the full path (for example, C:\Program Files\...) to the folder on shared volume or UNC path on a shared network folder where the configuration and log files are to be placed. If a shared volume is available, this field is automatically filled in by default.Type the UNC path or click Browse to specify an existing folder, or click Share Dir to create a shared folder. IMPORTANT: All nodes of the cluster must have write access to the Var folder location.

FIELD/OPTION DESCRIPTIONEMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 34


INSTALLATION

REG

ISTR

ATI

ON

Do not register client now option

If selected, client associated with this cluster group will not be registered with the Avamar server. This client will have to be manually registered and activated before you can back up any data.

Administrator server hostname or IP address

Administrator server network hostname as defined in DNS.

Administrator server listen data port

The default data port for Avamar client-server communication is 28001.Unless you are using a different data port at your site, you should leave this set to 28001.Consult your Avamar system administrator for the specific data port you should use when registering this client.

Backup domain for this client

Avamar domain where you want this client to reside.The default domain is clients. However, your Avamar system administrator might have defined other domains and subdomains. Consult your Avamar system administrator for the specific domain you should use when registering this client.IMPORTANT: If typing a subdomain (for example, clients/MyClients), do not include a slash (/) as the first character. Including a slash as the first character will cause an error and prevent you from registering this client.

Override automatic backup client name with this name

If you do not want the Avamar client name to be the same as the cluster group name, type another Avamar client name in this field.

PLU

G-IN

S

Install following plug-ins

Displays all of the plug-ins currently installed that will work on clusters. Generally, you will not need to change the defaults. If you do not want Avamar to use a particular plug-in, select the item and then click Remove. If you want to reload the complete list of plug-ins that were displayed when you opened this window, click Set All.


Uninstalling and upgrading Avamar for Exchange VSS

INSTALLATION

4. Click Configure.

You may be prompted for credentials to run the Avamar service in the following circumstances:

When the UNC path is specified for Var folder. The following message will be displayed: Please enter credentials to enable Avamar service to access network shared var folder.

When installation is complete, a message box will confirm the configuration of the client is complete, and will list the plug-ins that were configured. After you click OK, the setup dialog box is displayed, and the Install button will be greyed out.

IMPORTANT: If the Var folder is on a network share, you must start the backup cluster agent from an account that has full access permissions to the folder where Avamar log files are written.

Uninstalling and upgrading Avamar for Exchange VSSPrevious versions of Avamar for Exchange VSS software must be uninstalled before a new version can be installed. Also, the version of the Windows client must match the version of Avamar for Exchange VSS. If you download the Windows Client and Exchange VSS plug-in from the same Avamar Server at the same time their versions will match.

To upgrade to a newer version, perform the following procedures in order:

1. Uninstall the Exchange VSS plug-in:

Use the Windows Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs (Windows Server 2003) or Control Panel > Programs and Features (Windows Server 2008) feature to completely uninstall Avamar for Exchange VSS.

2. Install the Windows client following the instructions in To install the Avamar Windows Client: (page 24).

3. Install the Exchange VSS plug-in following the instructions in Installing the Windows Exchange VSS Plug-In (page 26).

CLU

STER

NO

DES

Perform installation on following nodes

Displays a list from Windows cluster services of all of the nodes that are part of the cluster. Generally, you will not need to change the defaults. If there is a node on the cluster that you do not want the cluster backup agent service installed on, select the item and then click Remove. If you want to reload the complete list of nodes that are part of this cluster, click Set All.


Resetting the Avamar Windows Cluster Client

INSTALLATION

The Windows Exchange GLR plug-in is not installed by default, so the installation instructions include steps to install that option.

IMPORTANT: After upgrading to a new Avamar version, the Backup Agent service will be running under the local system account. This service must be updated to run under the Avamar backup user account. If the Exchange GLR plug-in is installed, the same procedure needs to be performed for the EMC Avamar Exchange GLR Service.

Resetting the Avamar Windows Cluster ClientResetting the Avamar Cluster Client, like configuring the Avamar Cluster Client, is performed on the active node in the cluster. You do not perform the uninstall steps on every node in the cluster. Prior to performing this procedure, review these important notes:

Exchange Server 2010 uses a different and simpler architecture for high-availability (cluster) Exchange servers, so you do not need to use or configure the Avamar Cluster Client.

It is recommended that all cluster nodes are operational during the reset process.

During setup, you will be asked to provide the AvamarBackupUser account name and password.

To reset the Avamar Windows Cluster Client:

1. Log in to the active node in the Windows cluster with an account that uses Administrator-level privileges.

2. From the avs\bin directory (usually C:\Program Files\avs\bin), run AvamarClusterConfiguration.exe.

The Setup - Cluster Backup Agent for Windows dialog box appears. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 37

Resetting the Avamar Windows Cluster Client

INSTALLATION

3. In Choose a Group for Install or Update, select the cluster group you want to uninstall.

4. Click Reset. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 38

Upgrading from the previous cluster client to Exchange Cluster Client

INSTALLATION

Upgrading from the previous cluster client to Exchange Cluster Client

To perform this upgrade, complete the following tasks:

1. Follow the steps in Resetting the Avamar Windows Cluster Client (page 37).

2. On both nodes, follow the steps in Uninstalling and upgrading Avamar for Exchange VSS (page 36).

3. Follow the steps in Configuring the Avamar Cluster Client (Exchange Server 2007 clusters) (page 33).EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 39

BACKUPThis chapter describes how to use the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in to back up or recover (restore) to an Exchange server.

You should have current practical experience with the following:

Operating system shell commands on your Exchange server platform (administrator permission required)

The specific version of Exchange software currently deployed at your site

The Microsoft Exchange Server documentation provides additional information.

Exchange backup types Avamar provides several ways to back up and recover Exchange servers and data. This provides flexibility in balancing the time and resources needed to perform the backups, with the level and type of data you want to back up and restore. The Windows Exchange VSS plug-in provides VSS-based support for Exchange Server 2010 and 2007.

NOTE: For Exchange Server 2003, the EMC Avamar for Exchange User Guide provides information about using the legacy Avamar for Exchange VSS for backup and recovery with the Windows Exchange Database plug-in and the EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 40

Windows Exchange Message plug-in. For Exchange Server 2000, use the Avamar 4.1 Exchange Client.

Exchange backup types

BACKUP

The following list describes the VSS backup support and features provided for each version of Exchange Server. Exchange recovery types (page 62) describes the recovery support and features provided for each version of Exchange Server. For a description and comparison of the capabilities of the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in and the Windows Exchange GLR plug-in, review Avamar for Exchange VSS plug-Ins (page 9).

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Database backup using the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in Backup of active databases in a DAG environment Backup of passive databases in a DAG environment Backup of stand-alone (non-DAG) databases

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Backup of storage groups on the active and passive nodes in a CCR or SCR

environment Backup of stand-alone (non-CCR) Exchange servers

IMPORTANT: While some types of database backup and recovery on Exchange Server 2007 are supported by both the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in and the legacy Windows Exchange Database plug-in, Avamar does not support installation and use of both on the same Exchange server. Microsoft recommends using VSS-based backup and recovery.

Important information about Exchange backups

Unmounted or offline databases are skipped during backup. If a database is unmounted or offline when a backup is performed, the backup skips that database. Generally, this is not an issue because databases that are not mounted are not in production.

VSS backups may fail when drive letters and volumes are mixed. When configuring Exchange databases, be consistent with path naming conventions so that Exchange points to the databases through the same path. For example, if Exchange is configured to point to the same database files through different paths such as volume G:\ and C:\, backup may fail.

To avoid this backup failure, configure Exchange databases to point to the files through the same path. For example, if you have three databases, DB1, DB2, and DB3, that are at the same location as either drive G:\ or on C:\mountpoint, then use one path or the other as shown in the following examples:

G:\DB1, G:\DB2, G:\DB3

-or-

C:\\DB1,C:\\DB2,C:\\DB3

If you mix paths, as shown in the following example, backup may fail:

G:\DB1, C:\\DB2,C:\\DB3EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 41

Exchange backup types

BACKUP

Storage groups are displayed and can be backed up from the physicalnode of a CCR cluster. The Avamar Windows Exchange VSS plug-in provides

several ways to perform backups of a CCR environment:

Physical machine name backup of the CCR passive node. This is the recommended best practice for backing up in a CCR environment.

Exchange Virtual Server (EVS) backup of a CCR active node, no matter where it is currently residing.

Physical machine name, backup of the CCR active node. While this capability is available, it is not recommended.

Failed backups for passive databases may require restart of MicrosoftExchange Replication Service writer. In some cases, if a failed or cancelled

backup of a passive copy produces an error in the Event log that the Microsoft Exchange Replication service VSS Writer failed, this condition may be temporary. If this backup failure and error occur, there are two solutions:

If you need to perform an immediate backup, stop and then restart the Microsoft Exchange Replication Service writer

If you wait about 15 minutes, the Exchange server will correct this condition by itself

Exchange Server 2007 CCR backup permission requirements. In order to browse and select items for backup, the Avamar backup agent requires the following permissions on the passive node:

Administrator Domain Administrator Domain User Exchange Install Domain Servers

Public Folders permissions requirements. To back up public folders, the public folders' Exchange Permission Level for the account that is performing the backup must be set to a minimum of Reviewer (that is, the Read permission must be set to Full Details and the Other permissions must be set to Folder Visible). This is done on the Permissions tab of the Mailbox Properties dialog box.

In order for public folders to be restored, the account that is performing the backup must have sufficient permissions to write to the folders and their parent folders (that is, the Write permission must have Create Items and Create Subfolders selected, and the Other permissions must be set to Folder Visible).

NOTE: Permissions to public folders can be set such that the public folders are hidden by clearing the Folder Visible option in the Other permissions on the Permissions tab of the Mailbox Properties dialog box. If a folder is set such that it is hidden from the account that is performing the backup, then the folder will be hidden from the backup process. The hidden folder will not be saved, and no errors or warnings will be provided.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 42

Performing on-demand backups

BACKUP

Performing on-demand backupsThe backup procedures in this section describe how to perform Exchange backups on demand. However, you can automate your backups with datasets, groups, group policies, schedules, and retention policies. Scheduling Exchange server backups (page 53) provides details on how to apply these to Exchange Server Backups. The EMC Avamar Administration Guide provides more comprehensive information.

The following topics describe how to use the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in to perform an on-demand backup of databases from the passive node or an entire Exchange server:

Backing up Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 from the passive node (page 43) Backing up Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 from the active node (page 47) Backing up the entire server for Exchange Server 2010 or 2007 (page 50)

Backing up Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 from the passive nodeWith the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in you can back up the passive node in a high availability Exchange configuration. This configuration is called Cluster Continuous Replication (CCR) in Exchange Server 2007. In Exchange Server 2010, it is called high availability and is provided through DAGs.

Exchange Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2010 differ on how they store active and passive databases.

In Exchange Server 2007, a physical server can only contain either active or passive databases. To back up the passive node, you back up the passive databases by the physical machine they currently reside on.

In Exchange Server 2010, a physical server can contain both active and passive databases. But a physical machine cannot contain active and passive copies of the same database. To back up all passive databases on a physical machine, you can select all databases on the machine, and then specify in Backup Command Line Options to only back up the replicas (passive).

The following procedure is for performing an on-demand backup, therefore you are only backing up the current passive node. If you are scheduling backups of the passive node, you must set up a separate schedule for a passive node backup for each physical server. Scheduling Exchange server backups (page 53) provides information about scheduling backups. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 43


BACKUP

To back up on demand the passive node on an Exchange Server 2007 or 2010, perform the following:

1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button.

The Backup and Restore window appears.

2. Click the Select for Backup tab.

3. In the Clients tree, select the Exchange server that contains passive database copies.

REMINDER: You cannot view clients outside your domain. To view all clients, you must be logged in to the root domain.

4. Select the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in.

5. Select the Exchange Information Store you want to back up. This will include all databases within the selected information store.

TIP: If you only want to back up passive databases, you will specify that in Backup Command Line Options later in this procedure.

6. Select Actions > Backup Now.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 44


BACKUP

The On Demand Backup Options dialog box appears.

7. Review the backup settings.

8. To change the backup retention setting, select or type the following:

9. Select the encryption method to use for client/server data transfer during this backup.

Choices are:

10.Click More Options.


Retention period If you want this backup to be deleted from the Avamar server after a specific number of days, weeks, months, or years, select this option and type the number of days, weeks, months, or years.

End date If you want this backup to be deleted from the Avamar server on a specific calendar date, select this option and browse to that date on the calendar.

No end date If you want to keep this backup for as long as this client remains active in the Avamar server, select this option.

High Strongest available encryption setting for that specific client platform.

Medium Medium strength encryption.

None No encryption.

NOTE: The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for any given client/server connection is dependent on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides additional information.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 45

The Backup Command Line Options dialog box appears.


BACKUP

11. In Set when backup occurs on clustered or DAG systems, select Replica (passive) writer only.

NOTE: With the Replica (passive) writer only setting, when backup runs, only the databases that are in a passive state will be backed up. In Exchange Server 2007, the databases on a physical machine are either all active or all passive. In Exchange Server 2010, some databases can be active and some can be passive on the same machine. Selecting the Replica (passive) writer ensures that only the passive databases are backed up, without you having to determine which are passive and individually select them at the time of backup.

NOTE: The Windows Exchange VSS plug-in provides several advanced options that can be adjusted to provide optimal performance. These options allow you to enable or disable debugging messages, consistency checking, or consistency check throttling. Windows Exchange VSS plug-in options (page 106) provides a complete description of each of these options.

12.Click OK as needed to close dialog boxes.

When the On Demand Backup Options dialog box closes the following status message appears: Backup initiated.

13.Click OK.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 46


BACKUP

Backing up Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 from the active nodeWith the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in you can back up the active node in a high availability Exchange configuration. This configuration is called CCR in Exchange Server 2007. In Exchange Server 2010, it is called high availability and is provided through DAGs.

Exchange Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2010 differ on how they store active and passive databases.

In Exchange Server 2007, a physical server can only contain either active or passive databases. To back up the active node, you back up the active CCR node using the Exchange Virtual Server (EVS).

In Exchange Server 2010, a physical server can contain both active and passive databases. But a physical machine cannot contain active and passive copies of the same database. To back up all active databases on a physical machine, you can select all databases on the machine, and then specify in Backup Command Line Options to only back up the Store (active).

To back up the active nodes on an Exchange Server 2007 or 2010, perform the following:




3. In the Clients tree, select the Exchange server:

For Exchange Server 2007, select the Exchange virtual server. For Exchange Server 2010, select the Exchange server hosting active

database copies. EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 47


BACKUP


4. Select the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in.

5. Select the Exchange Information Store you want to back up. This will include all databases within the selected information store.

TIP: If you only want to back up active databases, you will specify that in Backup Command Line Options later in this procedure.

6. Select Actions > Backup Now.







No end date If you want to keep this backup for as long as this client remains active in the Avamar server, select this option.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 48


BACKUP

9. Select the encryption method to use for client/server data transfer during this backup:

10.Click More Options.

The Backup Command Line Options dialog box appears.

11. In Set when backup occurs on clustered or DAG systems, select Store (active) writer only.

NOTE: With the Store (active) writer only setting, when backup runs, only the databases that are in an active state will be backed up. In Exchange Server 2007, the databases on a physical machine are either all active or all passive. In Exchange Server 2010, some databases can be active and some can be passive on the same machine. Selecting the Store (active) writer ensures that only the active databases are backed up, without you having to determine which are active and individually select them at the time of backup.


Medium Medium strength encryption.

None No encryption.

NOTE: The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for any given client/server connection is dependent on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides additional information.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 49


BACKUP

NOTE: The Windows Exchange VSS plug-in provides several advanced options that can be adjusted to provide optimal performance. These options allow you to enable or disable debugging messages, consistency checking, or consistency check throttling. Windows Exchange VSS plug-in options (page 106) provides a complete description of each of these options.

12.Click OK as needed to close dialog boxes.

When the On Demand Backup Options dialog box closes, the following status message appears: Backup initiated.

13.Click OK.

Backing up the entire server for Exchange Server 2010 or 2007 To back up an entire Exchange server:




3. In the clients tree, select the Exchange server.


4. Select the Windows Exchange VSS plug-in.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 50


BACKUP

5. Select Exchange Information Store/ to back up the entire server; if you want to back up a subset of the server, select the storage group (Exchange Server 2007) or database (Exchange Server 2010) you want to back up.

TIP: Select Actions > Preview List... to view a summary of all items you have just selected for an on-demand backup.

6. Select Actions > Backup Now.




9. Select the encryption method to use for client/server data transfer during this backup:




No end date If you want to keep this backup for as long as this client remains active in the Avamar server, select this option.


Medium Medium strength encryption.EMC AVAMAR 6.0 FOR EXCHANGE VSS GUIDE 51


BACKUP

TIP: To include plug-in options with this backup, click More Options, then select or clear the desired options and type new values where applicable. Appendix A Plug-in Options (page 105) provides a complete list of supported Exchange plug-in options.

10.Click OK.

The On Demand Backup Options dialog box closes and the following status message appears: Backup initiated.

11.Click OK.

None No encryption.

NOTE: The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for any given client/server connection is dependent on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security G

Avamar 6.0 for Exchange and VSS

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