Slow Exchange backups

Question

When we backup IS or complete exchange, it backs up in 2.5 hours. When we backup mailboxes using MSEXCH:MB, it takes 20 hours to complete.

EMC support says Mailbox level backups are slow and documented by MS but have no link to the document. Is it possible. Their logic is that since it has to restore individual mails, it takes longer to scan each mail and take its backup.

Is there any scope of improvement or atleast a link to MS document about this. He used CA earlier which worked much faster.

ble1 · Answer

That's because of MAPI which won't be enhanced AFAIK. MS recommends to use RSG and full store backup when it comes to MB.

amediratta · Answer

Do you have any MS link for reference?Also, would RSG recovery help in Mailbox recovery-mail level.

ble1 · Answer

Not really, but if you check MSDN library you will find forest of articles and some of them do suggest that.

amediratta · Answer

Just to some up, we should backup MSEXCH:SS and when trying to recover enable RSG so that the recovered data goes to RSG. From RSG we can recover required mailboxes to the actual database.

Would this be applicable for Exchange 2007?

Also, would RSG provide me with the option to recover individual mails etc. i.e. item level recovery?

ble1 · Answer

One of the features listed in module docs in admin guide is (quote):
"Browse and recover individual items in a private mailbox
found in the Recovery Storage Group (RSG). Items can be
restored into mailboxes on the production server"

NetWorker

Slow Exchange backups

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