Do you use NT Backup for Exchange database backups?

[The_Exchange_Team]

The NT Backup team is looking for feedback from customers who use it to back up Exchange databases today, to help improve it in the future.

If you use NT Backup with Exchange and have time to exchange email with us and answer some questions about how you use it today, send an e-mail to Mark Sterin at msterin AT microsoft DOT com and tell him you heard about this request via the Exchange blog.

Thanks!

- KC Lemson

[#2]

Wow - you are a pretty brave soul if you are using NTBackup with Exchange. Lots of luck to you!

[#3]

Why? It's made by Veritas and works just fine here. I've used it at a number of smaller customer sites without issue....

[#4]

I only used it during a swing upgrade since we only had a license for one Exchange server.
It worked fine, but the lack of scheduling prevents me from using it on a regular basis.

[#5]

I use ntbackup for Exchange. Why not? Really I would like to know. I hear "you are crazy" a lot, but never get a reason why.

[#6]

I have one shell script that runs nightly. It determines the day of week and queues the appropriate backup. Even finds if it is a day, week, month, quarter or year backup. After the backup is done, a one liner grabs the appropriate log file, then attaches it to an email.

I am glad to see the ntbackup team requesting information from the community. I will email them first thing Monday.

[#7]

Of course, those of us in the SBS world have NTBackup wrapped in a wizard from configuration at startup to runinng on schedule to performance reports in e-mail.
The handling of tape changes and schedule exceptions is not the league of the Veritas/Arcserve products, but the price/performance is MUCH better.

[#8]

Sean,
Would you care to share your shell script? That sounds beautiful...

vern DOT gill AT gmail DOT com

[#9]

We do use ntbackup on our Exchange 2003 server, it works well and i microsoft did a great job in improving it over the yers

[#10]

I think ntbackup is excellent for most small setups. I do think though that especially the scheduling parts could be pretty much improved. I recently found this product http://www.backupassist.com/BackupAssist/index.php which really helps with ntbackup. Prior to that, I seriously considered bying some expensive program suite, just to make rotating backups work. Now I don't, this makes it so easy (amazing this functionality isn't integrated already) to run backups.

[#11]

Yep I do and sorry to say recommend it. It is native, it does not require agents etc to be loaded to do the job. I have restored many different companies data using it. When doing a RAID upgrade I always (ALWAYS) stop services and use native NTBACKUp to do a final "If this does not save me " backup. IT HAS NEVER let me down. The ability to easily email would be nice. An example of batch file for a NAS device on network that has a large tape device. All systems then backup to it during evening and then NAS does backup to tape.
All Variables, so easy.... Then I email or post log to web page. Joy is I can do what I want unlike veritas (OMG Media Problems)

Thanks all but I must be wrong as all others say I am !!!!!!!!!
@echo off
pushd c:<somedir>backup
set nasdevice=\<name or IP Address>backup%computername%
set backlog="%userprofile%Local SettingsApplication DataMicrosoftWindows NTNTBackupdata"
set backcat="%userprofile%Local SettingsApplication DataMicrosoftWindows NTNTBackupcatalogs"

for /f "tokens=1" %%f in ('date /t') do set dayweek=%%f
for /f "tokens=2" %%f in ('date /t') do set today=%%f

if "%dayweek%"=="Fri" goto Friday

goto Standard

:Standard
del /q %nasdevice%%dayweek%*.*
echo %dayweek%
set today=%today:/=%
ntbackup backup "@c:<somedir>backupsys-full.bks" /n "System Full %today%" /d "System Full %today%" /v:no /r:no /rs:no /hc:off /m normal /J "System Backup %today%" /l:s /f "%nasdevice%%dayweek%%today%.bkf"
goto End



:Friday
Rem Set a variable and then index files in Fri directory and increment variable.
Rem If number of files in directory is less than 5 then skip delete.
REM Delete oldest file.

set /a numb=0
For /f %%f in ('dir /b %nasdevice%%dayweek%*.bkf') do set /A numb+=1
if /I %numb% LEQ 4 goto skip_delete1
dir /b /O:d %nasdevice%%dayweek%*.bkf > temp.txt
for /f "tokens=1" %%f in ('head.exe -1 temp.txt') do del %nasdevice%%dayweek%%%f

:skip_delete1
set /a numb=0
For /f %%f in ('dir /b %nasdevice%%dayweek%*.log') do set /A numb+=1
if /I %numb% LEQ 4 goto skip_delete2
dir /b /O:d %nasdevice%%dayweek%*.log > temp.txt
for /f "tokens=1" %%f in ('head.exe -1 temp.txt') do del %nasdevice%%dayweek%%%f

:skip_delete2
set today=%today:/=%
ntbackup backup "@c:<somedir>backupsys-full.bks" /n "System Full %today%" /d "System Full %today%" /v:no /r:no /rs:no /hc:off /m normal /J "System Backup %today%" /l:s /f "%nasdevice%%dayweek%%today%.bkf"
Goto End


:End

rem delete catalogs
del /q %backcat%*.V01

rem Copy newest log to backup path
dir /b /O:-d %backlog% > temp.txt
for /f "tokens=1" %%f in ('head.exe -1 temp.txt') do copy %backlog%%%f %nasdevice%%dayweek%%today%.log
del temp.txt
popd

[#12]

I would be happy to get your shell script as well Sean (if you're willing to share it).

Thanks in advance.

you can mail me at david dot debacker at saga dot be