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Exmerge slow
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Exmerge slow - 8.Sep.2009 12:31:16 PM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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I am trying to run Exmerge on 56 Exchange Server 2003 mailboxes, using a batch file, from my XP PC. I have Exchange Management tools installed fine. The mailboxes range from tiny (10mb) to about 600mb.
What happens is this: for ten minutes it Exmerges away happily, completing a couple of small mailboxes, but once some of the larger mailboxes get up to about 200mb (which only takes a few minutes), the whole thing slows to an absolute snail's pace. It looks like it's Exmerging about an email a minute. I can't pause or cancel Exmerge - I have to use Task Manager to end the process.
There are no errors on the Exchange server and nothing in the event log on the PC. I've checked the Exmerge logs and in all of them the last few entries before I killed it were like this:
[16:54:24] Created a new folder 'Inbox'
[16:54:24] Working on folder: \Inbox
[16:54:24] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 269 entries
[16:54:33] 269 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:54:33] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 274 entries
[16:54:41] 274 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:54:41] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 255 entries
[16:54:53] 255 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:54:53] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 272 entries
[16:55:03] 272 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:55:03] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 285 entries
[16:55:11] 285 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:55:11] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 254 entries
[16:55:25] 254 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:55:25] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 269 entries
[16:55:33] 269 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:55:33] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 258 entries
[16:55:48] 258 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:55:48] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 271 entries
[16:56:08] 271 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:56:09] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 257 entries
[16:56:27] 257 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:56:28] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 251 entries
[16:56:44] 251 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:56:45] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 272 entries
[16:57:06] 272 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:57:06] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 277 entries
[16:57:29] 277 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:57:30] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 276 entries
[16:57:52] 276 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:57:53] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 273 entries
[16:58:17] 273 message(s) were copied from folder '\Inbox'
[16:58:18] Query on folder '\Inbox' returned 275 entries
This is driving me a little bit mad. Any ideas?
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RE: Exmerge slow - 8.Sep.2009 12:42:32 PM
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mark@mvps.org
Posts: 6811
Joined: 9.Jun.2004
From: Philadelphia PA
Status: offline
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About a mail a minute or a mailbox a minute? Seems like a mailbox per minute from your pasting here which isn't bad given what Exmerge has to do under the covers.
Need to clarify what you meand or post some other details as backup?
_____________________________
Mark Arnold (Exchange MVP)
List Moderator
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RE: Exmerge slow - 8.Sep.2009 2:01:49 PM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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It begins as a mailbox a minute (good!) but after 20 minutes slows to about an email per minute (bad!) Sorry for being unclear. Just leaving work now so won't see a reply until tomorrow morning, but any ideas would be really gratefully received.
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 6:05:11 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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Having let it run overnight, it's still going and I'm getting errors like this in the exmerge log:
[11:00:19] Error copying message with subject 'RE: Catch up' in folder '\Inbox'. (MAPI_W_PARTIAL_COMPLETION)
[11:00:23] Error copying message with subject 'RE: Peter' in folder '\Inbox'. (MAPI_W_PARTIAL_COMPLETION)
[11:00:27] Error copying message with subject 'FW: easyJet booking reference: ' in folder '\Inbox'. (MAPI_W_PARTIAL_COMPLETION)
And it's pretty much stopped now. The Exmerge process is running, but the PST files are not changing at all.
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 9:47:57 AM
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uemurad
Posts: 8232
Joined: 7.Jan.2004
From: California, USA
Status: offline
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Corrupted messages in a mailbox can cause this sort of thing to happen with ExMerge. When you start seeing individual subject lines appear in the ExMerge log file, it is typically an indication of message corruption.
ExMerge will dutifully keep trying to copy until it reaches its corruption threshold and stops. The only cure I've found is to delete the offending message(s).
_____________________________
Regards,
Dean T. Uemura
Microsoft MVP - Exchange (2007-2011)
exchangeguy.blogspot.com
uemurad@yahoo.com
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 10:00:28 AM
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mark@mvps.org
Posts: 6811
Joined: 9.Jun.2004
From: Philadelphia PA
Status: offline
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Exactly. This is one reason that the old form of 'bricks level backups' when the application walked the entire store were a nightmare.
It's also probably a reason that exmerge isn't, and never has been, a supported tool. It just works, usually, and MS won't do anything about it if exmerge won't run against a mailbox properly.
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Mark Arnold (Exchange MVP)
List Moderator
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 10:02:34 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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I see. OK then, other than deleting the offending messages, is there anything at all I can do? Is this a sign that my database is corrupted?
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 10:08:07 AM
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mark@mvps.org
Posts: 6811
Joined: 9.Jun.2004
From: Philadelphia PA
Status: offline
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There's a difference between database corruption (where you need to repair it) and corruption in some pages that don't matter too much (i.e. the fact that your users aren't complaining because they can't get a particular message).
You could move the mailboxes to another store and select to skip the corrupt ones. That might mean you need to set up a temporary server on VMware or whatever.
Is there a reason you're doing this in the first place though?
And finally, what about the users, do they care about the messages that you regard as corrupted? It could be that they're old and irrelevant now.
_____________________________
Mark Arnold (Exchange MVP)
List Moderator
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 10:28:29 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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I'm going to be honest. Other than a weekly ntbackup of the whole store, this is our backup. It's run like this for years as two nightly batch files - one of which backs up a fresh PST file (so we can restore each mailbox easily if possible) and one of which merges with an existing PST, so we can either restore a mailbox to within the last day if the server goes belly up, plus have all the historic emails. The actual process worked fine until this week, when Exmerge refused to play ball.
Now, I'm sure you're probably throwing your hands up in horror at this point, but I'm a bit stuck and could do with a hand. if you don't mind! Go easy on me..
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 10:29:33 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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Oh, another thing - attempting to archive the same mailboxes from Outlook is similarly slow.
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 10:39:44 AM
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mark@mvps.org
Posts: 6811
Joined: 9.Jun.2004
From: Philadelphia PA
Status: offline
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Then it's the messages in the store that are gakked up. Nothing wrong with Outlook or Exmerge. Probably nothing wrong with the store unless you've got messages in the event logs you want to share with us.
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Mark Arnold (Exchange MVP)
List Moderator
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 10:52:46 AM
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uemurad
Posts: 8232
Joined: 7.Jan.2004
From: California, USA
Status: offline
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Richard,
The free NTBackup software that comes with Windows is capable of backing up your Exchange environment. There are a number of reasons why ExMerge shouldn't be your method of backup.
1. It doesn't maintain the Transactional Log files. Your environment is either building a critical mass of log files, or you are manually purging them, or you have activated circular logging. None of those scenarios are good. If you wish, we can go into more detail about your current methodology (let us know which).
2. As you are finding, it only takes a single badly-formatted message to cause a mailbox export to fail.
3. ExMerge is limited to the size of PST file created - if a mailbox approaches 2GB, it will stop copying messages.
4. There is a free solution at your fingertips - NTBackup. It is Exchange-aware and will perform the Transactional Log maintenance I alluded to.
There are more reasons, but give serious thought to changing your procedure.
_____________________________
Regards,
Dean T. Uemura
Microsoft MVP - Exchange (2007-2011)
exchangeguy.blogspot.com
uemurad@yahoo.com
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 11:03:23 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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I think you're probably right. However, I could probably use some advice on best (or at least typical) practices/settings for using ntbackup for Exchange. Plus - how far down can I go in restoring - mailbox/folder/email level? What I liked about using exmerge was being able to get at individual emails.
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RE: Exmerge slow - 9.Sep.2009 3:12:42 PM
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uemurad
Posts: 8232
Joined: 7.Jan.2004
From: California, USA
Status: offline
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Beginning with Exchange 2003, there is a feature called Recovery Storage Group (RSG). This allows you to restore an offline Mailbox Store and use ExMerge to selectively create PST files in the restoration process.
As a result of this feature, backup recommendations no longer include backing up at the "brick"-level. That method is slow and prone to problems with corrupted messages (as you've discovered). Instead, you backup the Information Store using an Exchange-aware software system. That gives you the benefit of being able to purge the committed Transactional Log files automatically.
_____________________________
Regards,
Dean T. Uemura
Microsoft MVP - Exchange (2007-2011)
exchangeguy.blogspot.com
uemurad@yahoo.com
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RE: Exmerge slow - 10.Sep.2009 3:43:14 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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OK, great, that sounds more like it! This place is a mine of information.
But before I run off to Google, can I just ask one more question? Do you use a combination of RSG and ntbackup, or is RSG sufficient as a backup by itself?
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RE: Exmerge slow - 10.Sep.2009 10:31:08 AM
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uemurad
Posts: 8232
Joined: 7.Jan.2004
From: California, USA
Status: offline
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The RSG is is merely the place to which you restore the data in an offline state. It is not a backup, nor does it perform any backup functions. That's what NTBackup is for. So to answer your question, it's a combination.
_____________________________
Regards,
Dean T. Uemura
Microsoft MVP - Exchange (2007-2011)
exchangeguy.blogspot.com
uemurad@yahoo.com
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RE: Exmerge slow - 10.Sep.2009 11:21:19 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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I see. I've been playing around with it and trying to restore the most recent (normal) backup but without much luck. I get this message. It creates the edb and stm files, but I can't mount the store.
************************************************************
Restore Status
Operation: Restore
Backup of "EXCH09\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group", Restored to"EXCH09\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group"
Backup set #1 on media #1
Backup description: "Set created 18/06/2009 at 11:18"
Restore started on 10/09/2009 at 14:22.
Unable to restore Exchange data to EXCH09\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group,
check the application event log for more information
Restore completed on 10/09/2009 at 14:57.
Directories: 2
Files: 2
Bytes: 42,570,371,434
Time: 34 minutes and 28 seconds
**************************************************************
And in the event log this.
**************************************************************
Failed to find a database to restore to from the Microsoft Active Directory.
Storage Group specified on the backup media is f908da1b-e4ed-4ba2-a385-0e0787327663.
Database specified on backup media is Public Folder Store (EXCH09), error is 0xc7fe1f42.
**************************************************************
Information Store (2328) Callback function call ErrESECBRestoreGetDestination ended with error 0xC7FE1F42 Database not found.
.
**************************************************************
End Restore to 'EXCH09\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group' 'Failed'
Verify: Off
Consult the backup report for more detail.
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RE: Exmerge slow - 10.Sep.2009 12:43:36 PM
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uemurad
Posts: 8232
Joined: 7.Jan.2004
From: California, USA
Status: offline
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It looks like you didn't specify to restore to the RSG and instead attempted to restore on top of your live mailbox store. Luckily for you, Exchange by default doesn't let you overwrite the store on a restore.
Please read this article. Once you understand the RSG, it is very useful during emergencies.
_____________________________
Regards,
Dean T. Uemura
Microsoft MVP - Exchange (2007-2011)
exchangeguy.blogspot.com
uemurad@yahoo.com
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RE: Exmerge slow - 11.Sep.2009 4:23:34 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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OK, that's what I don't understand. I had read that article, specifically this bit:
The Exchange Information Store automatically redirects all restore operations to the Recovery Storage Group (if a Recovery Storage Group exists on the server). When a Recovery Storage Group is created on a server, Exchange checks to see if the database that is selected for the restore operation is present in the Recovery Storage Group. If it is present, the database files are restored to the Recovery Storage Group. If it is not present, the restore operation stops. Event messages that are similar to the following may appear in the application event log:
In summary, this is what I did:
-Created new RSG
-Added database to recover (there was only one to choose from, obviously)
-(n.b. I didn't try to mount the store at this stage)
-Checked the two storage groups, first and recovery, and checked that the "this database can be overwritten by a restore" check boxes were set correctly.
-Opened ntbackup and started restore
I assumed from the article above that it would then automatically write the backup to the RSG I'd created, so why was it trying to write to the live mailbox store? Am I missing out a step here? There doesn't seem to be a way of specifying where the backup should be written to.
Really appreciate your help with this, by the way.
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RE: Exmerge slow - 11.Sep.2009 6:32:47 AM
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richardw1972
Posts: 147
Joined: 20.Nov.2001
From: UK
Status: offline
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A thought occurs to me. When I create the new database in the recovery storage group, I get this event log:
The Exchange store 'Recovery Storage Group\Mailbox Store (EXCH09)' is limited to 18 GB. The current physical size of this database (the .edb file and the .stm file) is <1 GB. If the physical size of this database minus its logical free space exceeds the limit of 18 GB, the database will be dismounted on a regular basis.
However, my original database is larger than this because I've added the Database Limit registry key for my first storage group. Could this be my problem?
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