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How to Perform a Basic Backup of Exchange Databases

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Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

This topic explains how to perform a basic backup of a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 database by using Windows Backup included in Windows Server 2003.

Note

Windows Server Backup in Windows Server 2008 no longer supports Exchange-aware backups or restores. Unlike earlier versions of Windows Backup, you cannot make or restore streaming backups of Exchange by using Windows Server Backup. Therefore, to back up and restore Exchange Server 2007 SP1 or Exchange 2007 RTM on Windows Server 2008, you must use an Exchange-aware application that supports the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) writer for Exchange 2007, such as Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager, a third-party Exchange-aware VSS-based application, or a third-party Exchange-aware application that uses the streaming backup APIs locally on the Exchange server to make a backup locally on the Exchange server. An application that uses a backup agent that runs locally on the Exchange server and streams the backup remotely to a backup application is considered a local backup.
However, Exchange 2007 SP2 includes a new plug-in that enables you to make Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)-based backups of Exchange data using Windows Server Backup in Windows Server 2008. You can use Windows Server Backup to back up and restore your Exchange 2007 SP2 databases. A thorough understanding of what needs to be backed up, where to store backups, and how to restore backups is key to being an effective Exchange administrator. For more information about what needs to be backed up in Exchange 2007, see Using Windows Server Backup to Back Up and Restore Exchange Data.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedure on a computer that has the Exchange Management Console installed, the account you use must be delegated either of the following on the computer on which you are making the backup:

  • Membership in the local Backup Operators group

  • Membership in the local Administrator group

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Procedure

To perform a basic backup

  1. Start Backup in Advanced Mode.

  2. Click the Backup tab, and then on the Job menu, click New.

  3. Under Click to select the check box for any drive, folder or file that you want to back up, expand Microsoft Exchange Server, expand the server that you want to back up, and then select the box next to the storage group that you want to back up.

  4. In the Backup destination list, click a destination device for your backup, such as File if you want to back up to a disk, or the name of an attached tape drive.

  5. In the Backup media or file name box, type the backup media or file name to use for your backup.

  6. On the Tools menu, click Options. Select the appropriate backup options, and then click OK.

  7. Click Start Backup, and then in the Backup Job Information dialog box, verify that the settings for the backup are correct.

    Warning

    If the backup file name you use for this backup already exists in the backup media or file location, confirm that the settings in Backup Job Information are correct to avoid overwriting a backup file that you might want to keep.

  8. In Backup Job Information, click Advanced if you want to set advanced backup options such as data verification or hardware compression, and then click OK.

  9. If you want to perform this backup immediately, click Start Backup. If you want to schedule this backup to run automatically at a later time, in Backup Job Information, click Schedule.

  10. If you choose to schedule the backup job, in Save Selections, specify a name for the backup job you want to schedule, and then click Save. In Set Account Information, enter the user name and password you want Backup to use when it runs the scheduled backup. Make sure that the account you specify has the necessary permissions.

  11. If you want to schedule a backup, in Scheduled Job Options, in the Job name box, type a name for the scheduled backup job. Click Properties to enter the date, time, and frequency parameters for the scheduled backup, and then click OK.

For More Information

For more information about what needs to be backed up for each server role, see What Needs to Be Protected in an Exchange Environment.

For complete details about Backup and how to troubleshoot it, see Backing up and restoring data in the Windows Server 2003 online Help.