User Guide for Microsoft Exchange Server#
Overview#
This guide introduces how to install and configure the ADPS agent, and how to properly use ADPS to back up and restore Exchange Server.
The backup and restore features supported by ADPS include:
Backup sources
Single or multiple databases and mailboxes
Backup types
Snapshot (VSS) backup (full backup and incremental backup), streaming backup (full backup and log backup), and mailbox backup (EWS mailbox backup and MAPI mailbox backup)
Backup targets
Standard storage pool, deduplication storage pool, local storage pool, tape library pool, object storage service pool, and LAN-free pool
Backup schedules
Immediate, one-time, hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly
Data processing
Data compression, multiple channels, reconnection, and speed limit
Restore types
Point-in-time restore, EWS mailbox recovery
Restore targets
Original host, different host (same version required)
Planning and preparation#
Before you install the agent, check the following prerequisites:
You have already installed and configured other backup components, including the backup server and the storage server.
You have created a user with roles of operator and administrator on the ADPS console. Log in to the console with this user to back up and restore the resource.
Note
The administrator role can install and configure agents, activate licenses, and authorize users. The operator role can create backup/restore jobs and conduct copy data management (CDM).
Install and configure the agent#
To back up and restore Exchange Server, first install the ADPS agent on the host where Exchange Server resides.
Verify the compatibility#
ADPS supports the backup and restore of Exchange Server in standalone mode and Exchange Server Database Availability Group (DAG). Before you install the agent, ensure that the environment of the host where Exchange Server resides is on the Aurreum Data Protection Suite’s compatibility lists.
ADPS supports the backup and restore of Exchange Server, including:
Exchange Server 2000/2003/2007/2010/2013/2016/2019
Install the agent#
ADPS agent can be installed on Windows.
To install the agent, do the following:
Log in to the ADPS console.
From the menu, click Resource > Resource. The Resource page appears.
From the toolbar, click the Install agent icon. The Install agent window appears.
In the Install agent window, do the following:
(1) From the Select system list, select Windows.
(2) From the Select file list, select the package that you want to install.
(3) Click Download.
Upload the package to the Windows host.
Log in to the Windows host as a user with administrative privileges. Double-click the package and open the installation wizard. Click Next.
At the Select components step, select Microsoft Exchange Server from the component list. Click Next.
At the Configure Aurreum Data Protection Suite agent step, enter the following:
(1) In the Backup server address field, enter the IP or domain name of the backup server.
(2) In the Backup server port field, enter the port number. The default value is 50305. If you enable the Use SSL secure connection option, enter 60305 in the Backup server port field.
(3) The Access key field is optional and blank by default. If your backup server adopts multi-tenancy, you must enter the access key of the tenant for the agent.
(4) Click Next.
Note
To get the access key of the user/tenant:
Log in to the ADPS console.
On the upper right corner, click your avatar, and go to Personal settings > Account settings.
On the Preference tab, click View to get the access key of the current user/tenant.
Confirm the Destination folder or specify another folder. Click Next.
Wait for the installation to complete.
Backup#
Backup types#
ADPS provides four backup types for Exchange Server: full backup, incremental backup, log backup, and mailbox backup (EWS mailbox backup, MAPI mailbox backup).
Full backup
Backs up all data in one or multiple databases.
Incremental backup
Backs up only the data that has changed since the last backup with a full backup or incremental backup as the baseline.
Log backup
Backs up transaction logs with a full backup as the baseline. It is possible to specify a point in time when transaction logs are used for restore. Compared to full backups, backing up transaction logs is more efficient in terms of time and space. In addition, the transaction logs are truncated to prevent log files from getting huge.
Mailbox backup (EWS mailbox backup and MAPI mailbox backup).
EWS email backup only backs up the folders visible in Outlook Top of Information Store, while MAPI email backup can back up the entire mailbox directory.
Backup policies#
ADPS provides six backup schedule types: immediate, one-time, hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly.
Immediate: ADPS will immediately start the job after it is created.
One-time: ADPS will perform the job at the specified time once only.
Hourly: ADPS will perform the job periodically at the specified hour/minute intervals within the time range according to the setting.
Daily: ADPS will perform the job periodically at the specified time and day intervals.
Weekly: ADPS will perform the job periodically at the specified time and week intervals.
Monthly: ADPS will perform the job periodically at the specified dates and times.
You can set an appropriate backup policy based on your situation and requirements. Usually, we recommend the following common backup policy:
Snapshot (VSS) backup (full backup): Perform a full backup once a week when the application traffic is relatively small (Example: on the weekend) to ensure that you have a recoverable point in time every week.
Snapshot (VSS) backup (incremental backup): Perform an incremental backup every day when the application traffic is relatively small (Example: at 2 a.m.) to ensure that you have a recoverable point in time every day, which can save storage space and backup time.
Streaming backup (full backup): Perform a full backup once a week if your database supports streaming backup when the application traffic is relatively small (Example: on the weekend) to ensure that you have a recoverable point in time every week.
Streaming backup (log backup): Perform a log backup hourly if your database supports log backup to ensure that you have a second-level point in time available everyday.
Mailbox backup: Perform a mailbox backup every day when the application traffic is relatively small (Example: at 2 a.m.) to ensure that you have a recoverable point in time every day, which can save storage space and backup time.
Exchange versions for backup types#
Please refer to the following table for the available backup types corresponding to different Exchange versions:
Backup type |
Exchange versions |
|---|---|
VSS backup |
Available for Exchange Server 2003 and above. |
Streaming backup |
Only available for Exchange Server 2000, Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2007. |
MAPI mailbox backup |
Only available for Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2010 and Exchange Server 2013. |
EWS mailbox backup |
Available for Exchange Server 2010 and above. |
Exchange Server backup and restore account#
To configure a backup and restore account of Exchange Server, do the following:
Create a new mailbox as the backup and restore account. After creation, the mailbox will automatically become a new account in the domain.
For Exchange Server 2010:
(1) Log in to the host where the Exchange Server resides, open the Exchange Server management console, expand the Recipient Configuration, right-click Mailbox, and select New Mailbox….
(2) Create a new Exchange mailbox according to the prompts and set a username such as xxxxBackupUser.
For Exchange Server 2013 and above versions:
(1) Log in to the Exchange Web Admin Center. On the Recipients page, click + and select User mailbox
(2) Create a new Exchange mailbox according to the prompts and set a username such as xxxxBackupUser.
To log in to Exchange Server on the ADPS console, the account must be a member of Domain Admins. On the domain controller, open Active Directory Users and Computers, double-click the new account, select Member of, and click Add to add this user to Domain Admins. Click OK.
To add Exchange Server credentials in the host properties, create a new role group and add the new account to the group. Open Exchange Management Shell and do the following:
(1) Create a role group: Create a role group named xxxxBackupRoles.
New-RoleGroup -Name xxxBackupRoles -Roles @（"Database Copies"，"Databases"，"Exchange Servers"，"Monitoring"，"Mail Recipient Creation"，"Mail Recipients"，"Recipient Policies"，"View-Only Configuration"）
(2) Add a role group member: Add xxxxBackupUser into the xxxxBackupUser role group.
Add-RoleGroupMember -Identity xxxBackupRoles -Member xxxBackupUser
To back up EWS mailboxes, do the following on the Exchange Management Shell:
(1) Create management roles: Based on the parent role ApplicationImpersonation, create a management role named xxxEWSImpersonationRole.
New-ManagementRole -Name xxxEWSImpersonationRole -Parent ApplicationImpersonation
(2) Assign management roles: Assign xxxEWSImpersonationRole to xxxBackupUser.
New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role xxxEWSImpersonationRole -User xxxBackupUser -Name "xxxBackupUser-EWSImpersonation"
(3) Create a new throttling policy for Exchange 2010: Create an unlimited EWS throttling policy.
New-ThrottlingPolicy -Name "xxxEWSThrottlingPolicy" -EWSPercentTimeInCAS $null -EWSPercentTimeInAD $null -EWSMaxConcurrency $null -EWSPercentTimeInMailboxRPC $null -PowerShellMaxConcurrency $null
(4) Create a new throttling policy for Exchange 2013 and later: Create an unlimited EWS throttling policy
New-ThrottlingPolicy -Name "xxxEWSThrottlingPolicy" -EwsCutoffBalance "Unlimited" -EwsMaxBurst "Unlimited" -EwsMaxConcurrency "Unlimited" -ExchangeMaxCmdlets "Unlimited" -MessageRateLimit "Unlimited" -PowerShellCutoffBalance "Unlimited" -PowerShellMaxBurst "Unlimited" -PowerShellMaxCmdlets "Unlimited" -PowerShellMaxConcurrency "Unlimited" -PowerShellMaxOperations "Unlimited" -RecipientRateLimit "Unlimited" -ThrottlingPolicyScope "Regular"
(5) Set the mailbox policy: Assign xxxxEWSThrottlingPolicy to xxxxBackupUser
Set-Mailbox -Identity xxxBackupUser -ThrottlingPolicy "xxxEWSThrottlingPolicy"
Enable the Basic Identity Authentication for EWS mailbox backup: IIS -> Default Web Site -> EWS -> Identity Authentication -> Enable Basic Identity Authentication.
Open the Exchange Management Console, expand Recipient Configuration, click Mailboxes, and select the mailbox that you want to back up. Right-click the mailbox and select Manage Full Access Permission. Add xxxxBackupUser that you create in the first step. Click OK. This operation is required for MAPI mailbox backup but not for EWS mailbox backup.
Before you begin#
Before you back up and restore Exchange Server, check the following:
Check the Exchange Server instance status
(1) Run Windows PowerShell as administrator on Windows.
(2) Enter the following command in Windows PowerShell windows.
Get-Service *Exchange*This command will display all the relevant services of Exchange Server along with their status. If all the services are running, you should see the status of each service as “Running”.
Check the circular logging is not enabled for Exchange Server database on Windows.
Check storage pools
(1) From the menu, click Storage > Storage pool. The Storage pool page appears.
(2) Check whether the display area has any storage pools. If there is no storage pool, create a storage pool and authorize it for the current user. For details, see Add a storage pool in Aurreum Data Protection Suite Administrator’s Guide.
Log in to the resource#
Before you create a backup or restore job, log in to the Exchange Server resource on the console.
To log in to the resource, do the following:
From the menu, click Resource > Resource. The Resource page appears.
From the host list, find the host where Exchange Server resides. If you have many hosts, use the search bar to find the host quickly. Click the host to expand its resource list.
Click Login beside the resource. The Login window appears.
In the Login window, enter the User and Password of the backup account.
If your information is correct, you will be prompted that you have logged in to the resource successfully.
Create a database backup job#
To create a database backup job, do the following:
From the menu, click Backup. The backup job wizard appears.
At the Hosts and resources step, select the host where Exchange Server resides and select the resource. The wizard goes to the next step automatically.
At the Backup source step, do the following:
(1) From the Backup type list, select a backup type.
(2) In the Backup source section, select the databases that you want to back up.
At the Backup target step, select a storage pool. Click Next.
At the Backup schedule step, set the job schedule. For details, see Backup policies. Click Next.
Select Immediate. ADPS performs the job immediately after it is created.
Select One time and set the start time for the job.
Select Hourly. Set the start time, end time, and time interval for job execution. The unit can be hour(s) or minute(s).
Select Daily. Set the start time and enter the time interval for job execution. The unit is day(s).
Select Weekly. Set the start time, enter the time interval, and select the specific dates in a week for job execution. The unit is week.
Select Monthly. Set the start time and months for job execution. You can select the natural dates in one month or select the specific dates in one week.
At the Backup options step, set the common and advanced options according to your needs. For details, see Backup options. Click Next.
At the Finish step, set the job name and confirm the job information. Click Submit.
After the submission, you will be redirected to the Job page automatically. On this page, you can start, modify, and delete the job.
Create a mailbox backup job#
To create a mailbox backup job, do the following:
From the menu, click Backup. The backup job wizard appears.
At the Hosts and resources step, select the host where Exchange Server resides and select the resource. The wizard goes to the next step automatically.
At the Backup source step, do the following:
(1) From the Backup type list, select a backup type.
(2) In the Backup source section, select the mailboxes that you want to back up.
At the Backup target step, select a storage pool. Click Next.
At the Backup schedule step, set the job schedule. For details, see Backup policies. Click Next.
Select Immediate. ADPS performs the job immediately after it is created.
Select One time and set the start time for the job.
Select Hourly. Set the start time, end time, and time interval for job execution. The unit can be hour(s) or minute(s).
Select Daily. Set the start time and enter the time interval for job execution. The unit is day(s).
Select Weekly. Set the start time, enter the time interval, and select the specific dates in a week for job execution. The unit is week.
Select Monthly. Set the start time and months for job execution. You can select the natural dates in one month or select the specific dates in one week.
At the Backup options step, set the common and advanced options according to your needs. For details, see Backup options. Click Next.
At the Finish step, set the job name and confirm the job information. Click Submit.
After the submission, you will be redirected to the Job page automatically. On this page, you can start, modify, and delete the job.
Create a DAG backup job#
The steps to create a DAG database backup job are similar to Create a database backup job.
Note
Exchange DAG database backup is performed on the node where the Exchange MBX role is installed. The node should be configured with an account for the backup and restore. The account configuration is the same as Exchange Server backup and restore account.
Create a DAG mailbox backup job#
The steps to create a DAG mailbox backup job are similar to Create a mailbox backup job.
Note
Exchange DAG mailbox backup is performed on the node where the Exchange MBX role or the CAS role is installed. The node should be configured with an account for the backup and restore. The account configuration is the same as the Exchange Server backup and restore account.
Backup options#
ADPS provides the following backup options for Exchange Server:
Common options
Option |
Description |
Limitations |
|---|---|---|
Compression |
Fast is enabled by default. |
|
Channels |
It can improve backup efficiency. The default value is 1 and the value ranges from 1 to 255. |
Not available for MAPI backup jobs. |
Advanced options
Option |
Description |
Limitations |
|---|---|---|
Reconnection time |
The value ranges from 1 to 60 minutes. The job continues after the abnormal reset occurs in the network within the set time. |
Not available for synthetic backup jobs. |
Resumption buffer size |
Specifies the resumption buffer size. The default value is 10 MiB. The bigger the resumption buffer size is, the more physical storage will be consumed. However, a bigger resumption buffer size can prevent data loss when the throughput of the business system is high. |
Not available for synthetic backup jobs. |
Speed limit |
Limits data transfer speed or disk read/write speed for different time periods. The unit can be KiB/s, MiB/s, and GiB/s. |
|
Precondition |
Checked before the job starts. The job execution will be aborted and the job state will be idle when the precondition is invalid. |
|
Pre-/Post-script |
The pre-script is executed after the job starts and before the resource is backed up. The post-script is executed after the resource is backed up. |
|
Perform consistency check |
Verifies the integrity of the database and log files before the backup job starts. If the consistency check fails, the backup job will be automatically terminated. By default, this feature is disabled. |
Only available for snapshot (VSS) backup jobs. |
Shadow copy provider |
Specifies a shadow copy provider in the host to perform the synthetic backup job. |
Only available for snapshot (VSS) backup jobs. |
Restore#
Restore types#
For different needs, ADPS provides several restore types for Exchange Server, including:
Point-in-time restore
When a logical error or disaster occurs in a Exchange Server database, you can perform a point-in-time restore job to restore the database to a specified point-in-time state. Restoring to the original or a different host is supported.
Mailbox recovery
When a disaster occurs in a Exchange Server mailbox, you can restore specific mailboxes or emails from a valid mailbox backup set using the mailbox recovery feature. To recover folders in Outlook Top of Information Store, select EWS mailbox recovery; to recover the entire mailbox directory, select MAPI mailbox recovery.
Before you begin#
To restore Exchange Server to a different host, install the agent on that host, activate the licenses, and authorize user access to the resource.
Create a point-in-time restore job#
To create a point-in-time restore job, do the following:
From the menu, click Restore. The restore job wizard appears.
At the Hosts and resources step, select the host where Exchange Server resides and select the instance. The wizard goes to the next step automatically.
At the Backup sets step, do the following:
(1) From the Restore type list, select Point-in-time restore.
(2) From the Database list, select a database for the restore job.
(3) In the Restore point in time section, specify a point in time for the restore job.
(4) Click Next.
At the Restore target step, select a restore target. The wizard automatically goes to the next step.
Note
Restoring to a different host requires the same Exchange versions.
At the Restore schedule step, set the job schedule. Click Next.
Select Immediate. ADPS will perform the job immediately after its creation.
Select One time and set the start time for the job.
At the Restore options step, set the options according to your needs. See Restore options. Click Next.
At the Finish step, set the job name and confirm the job information. Click Submit.
After the submission, you will be redirected to the Job page. You can start, modify, and delete the job.
Create a mailbox recovery job#
To create a mailbox recovery job, do the following:
From the menu, click Restore. The restore job wizard appears.
At the Hosts and resources step, select the host where Exchange Server resides and select the instance. The wizard goes to the next step automatically.
At the Backup sets step, do the following:
(1) From the Restore type list, select EWS mailbox recovery or MAPI mailbox recovery.
(2) From the Mailbox list, select the mailboxes that you want to restore.
(3) From the Restore point in time list, select a point in time for the restore job.
(4) In the Backup sets section, the mailbox directory appears. Select the folders or records that need to be restored.
(5) Click Next.
At the Restore target step, select a restore target. The wizard automatically goes to the next step.
Note
Restoring to a different host requires the same Exchange versions.
At the Restore schedule step, set the job schedule. Click Next.
Select Immediate. ADPS will perform the job immediately after its creation.
Select One time and set the start time for the job.
At the Restore options step, set the options according to your needs. See Restore options. Click Next.
At the Finish step, set the job name and confirm the job information. Click Submit.
After the submission, you will be redirected to the Job page. You can start, modify, and delete the job.
Create a DAG point-in-time restore job#
The steps to create a DAG point-in-time restore job are similar to Create a point-in-time restore job.
Note
Exchange DAG point-in-time restore is performed on the node where the Exchange MBX role is installed.
Before you begin#
Before you create a DAG point-in-time restore job, do the following:
Ensure that the backed-up database does not have circular logging enabled.
Ensure that the database exists and has enabled the This database can be overwritten by a restore option in the properties. If the database already exists, remove it. If the database does not exist, create it first.
It is recommended to remove any replicated databases before a database restore is performed. Next, back up the contents in the folder where the database resides (It refers to the folder of xx.edb. You can right-click the properties of the database to find the folder) to other location, while also emptying the folder.
Create a DAG mailbox recovery job#
The steps to create a DAG mailbox recovery job are similar to Create a mailbox recovery job.
Note
Exchange DAG mailbox recovery is performed on the node where the Exchange CAS role is installed.
Restore options#
ADPS provides the following restore options for Exchange Server:
Common options
Option |
Description |
Limitations |
|---|---|---|
Restore database |
Enter the name of the database that you want to restore. The original database is restored if you leave it blank. To restore to a different target database, create the target database before creating a point-in-time restore job. |
Available for point-in-time restore jobs. |
If the database cannot be overwritten |
ADPS provides two options if the Exchange Server database cannot be overwritten: |
Available for point-in-time restore jobs. |
Channels |
It can improve restore efficiency. The default value is 1. The value cannot exceed the maximum channel number of backup sets. |
Not available for MAPI backup jobs. |
Automatically mount database |
After the point-in-time restore job is completed, the database is mounted automatically. It is enabled by default. |
Available for point-in-time restore jobs. |
Target mailbox |
Select a target mailbox for restore. The default target is the original mailbox. |
Available for EWS mailbox recovery jobs. |
Restore directory |
Select a directory for restore. The default target is the original directory. |
Available for EWS and MAPI mailbox recovery jobs. |
Advanced options:
Option |
Description |
Limitations |
|---|---|---|
Reconnection time |
The value ranges from 1 to 60 minutes. The job continues after the abnormal reset occurs in the network within the set time. |
|
Resumption buffer size |
Specifies the resumption buffer size. The default value is 10 MiB. The bigger the resumption buffer size is, the more physical storage will be consumed. However, a bigger resumption buffer size can prevent data loss when the throughput of the business system is high. |
|
Speed limit |
Limits data transfer speed or disk read/write speed for different time periods. The unit can be KiB/s, MiB/s, and GiB/s. |
|
Precondition |
Checked before the job starts. The job execution will be aborted and the job state will be idle when the precondition is invalid. |
|
Pre-/Post-script |
The pre-script is executed after the job starts and before the resource is restored. The post-script is executed after the resource is restored. |
Glossary#
Term |
Description |
|---|---|
fast compression |
A compression method that uses fast compression algorithms to compress data during the backup job. |