Exchange Management Console view of this database
No matter how small the Exchange implementation, the data needs to be backed up. Many Exchange shops (particularly smaller ones) have relied on the ubiquitous Windows Server Backup utility to protect their Exchange environments against disaster. Although there was a period of time when Exchange and Windows Server Backup didn't work together, with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange 2010, this is not the case, and the backup and recovery of Exchange using this tool is a relatively simple process.
For the demonstration in this tutorial, I'll back up a single Exchange 2010 mailbox database that exists on a server named MAIL3. At Westminster College, we're currently in a pilot phase for an Exchange 2010 rollout, and we're using Windows Server Backup during this phase. Once we're in full production, we'll move to our normal enterprise backup application.
How to use Windows Server Backup with Exchange 2010
This screen gives you a look at the Exchange Management Console view of this database. The other two databases you see reside on a different Exchange server.
Windows Server Backup is not yet installed.
Start the Windows Server Backup tool by going to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Windows Server Backup. More than likely, you'll end up with a screen like this one that tells you the backup tool is not yet installed on your server.
Click Add Features to add a new server feature
To add the Windows Server Backup bits to your Windows Server 2008 R2 server, open Server Manager, navigate to the Features item, and click the Add Features link.
Add the backup tool
On the Select Features page, locate the Windows Server Backup Features option and select it. Although it's not required, it's also recommended that you install the Command-Line Tools so that you can script backup jobs if you like.
Review your selections and click Install
When you get to the Confirm Installation Selections page, look over your selections and click the Install button to add the features.
The backup tool has been installed.
At the end of the process, you will receive the results screen shown here.
The Windows Server Backup window is mostly blank to start.
Now that Windows Server Backup is installed, when you restart the utility, you'll be greeted with a screen like this one. At the top of the window, Windows Server Backup will tell you that there are no current backups configured, and all of the informational areas of the window will be blank since there is no detail to share until after an initial backup is run.
Comments