setting, so the databases will be backed up in this mode. In this case, both the database files and the transaction logs are backed up.
Differential When the Backup mode of a job is set to Differential, Data Protector Express checks this setting to see how the job should be run with Exchange databases. By default, Data Protector Express runs the job as an incremental job and so only the transaction logs are backed up.
If you want jobs with a Differential backup mode to back up both the database files and the transaction logs, change this setting to Full. In this case, Data Protector Express will treat the Exchange Server databases as if it were running a job in Full backup mode.
Incremental When the Backup mode of a job is set to Incremental, Data Protector Express checks this setting to see how the job should be run with Exchange databases. By default, Data Protector Express runs the job as an incremental job and so only the transaction logs are backed up.
If you want jobs with an Incremental backup mode to back up both the database files and the transaction logs, change this setting to Full. In this case, Data Protector Express will treat the Exchange Server databases as if it were running a job in Full backup mode.
Backing up Microsoft Exchange Server
When you use Data Protector Express to back up and restore Microsoft Exchange Server databases, you must pay special attention to the role Windows NT security serves in Microsoft Exchange and the backup mode of the Data Protector Express backup jobs.
Microsoft Exchange and Windows NT
Microsoft Exchange uses Windows NT security information for authentication and thus when planning a comprehensive backup program, you must consider the Windows NT operating system as well. Be certain to include backup and restoration of the Windows NT operating system as part of your Microsoft Exchange disaster recovery plan.
Backup modes
You can use the Options tab of a job to set the Backup mode for any type of backup jobs: full, incremental, differential or copy. For scheduled automatic rotation jobs, Data Protector Express automatically updates this job setting to the value indicated on the Schedule tab of the job.
When the Backup mode is set to Full, all files selected are backed up, including the entire information store and directory databases. Transaction logs are also backed up and then purged.
When the Backup mode is set to Incremental, only changes that have occurred since the last backup job are backed up. In particular, for databases, only the .log files are included in the backup job.
CAUTION: These .log files are then purged.
When the Backup mode is set to Differential, for databases, only the .log files are included in the backup job, but these files are not purged.
When the Backup mode is set to Copy, Data Protector Express runs the job similar to full backup. However, the transaction logs are not purged at then of a job run in Copy mode.
Backup modes and circular logging
Microsoft Exchange Server supports database circular logging. Circular transaction logs differ from normal logs in that only a few log files are maintained. These files are purged automatically as new log files are created. When the transactions in the circular log files are recorded in the database, the log files are then deleted. New transactions are recorded in newly created log files.
If circular logging is enabled, you cannot do incremental or differential backups. These backup modes rely upon past transaction logs and thus are not available when circular logging in enabled. When circular logging in enabled, Data Protector Express will revert to full backup mode.
You can check to see if circular logging in enabled for a particular server by examining the Advanced tab of that server’s Properties window. If you turn circular logging off, Microsoft Exchange Server will stop the database service and restart it after making the changes.
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