BESR Granular Restore Option (GRO)

Running version 9.0.1.36527 build into the Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 software.

Getting: Unable to find the Exchange Information File (EIF).

I backup all local drives on a SBS 2008 server with Exchange 2007.

TECH125240 from Symantec’s knowledge base acknowledges a bug in this version, but I am seeing the BackupExchange.eif file in the Recovery Point Browser when I browse the C: drive so I might not have the same thing. Found a new 9.0.2.37914 version on site. Will download and install.

Installed but no help. Called Symantec waited 30 minutes to get someone to create a case number for me then put me in the queue. Only waited about 3 minutes for a tech. case

We discussed problem. Needs to go to advanced tech. We ran the Symantec Gather Utility. Created a 21MB cab file. Timed out when choosing their FTP option. Manually tried to ftp but after logging in fine and moving to the incoming folder, getting permission denied. Connected via Webex to the console of the server. I logged him in via the DRAC (lightsout) card using the console. He uploaded the file and adv. tech. will call me in the next 24 hours.

Got an email from tech support. They emailed me the following articles, but they did not apply to this particular case

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH54942

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH125240

She asked if my Exchange image was over 950GB. My reply:

Thanks for the response. I checked out the articles you sent and I don’t think they apply to my case. But your question on the Exchange image might be pertinent. The image itself is not close to 950gigs in size, but the volume that is being imaged has a size of 1.36 TB with 956GB free. I did already experience a bug in BESR where I could not mount this image to a drive letter because of this. I had to use the Recovery Point Browser to restore a file.

She said this was fixed in SP2. I already had installed 9.0.2 the day before. She wanted me to wait until it created a new recovery point with the 9.0.2 software. Tried on again on Monday and no luck.

Saw that I had separated my C: and D: drive recovery points into different backups. I changed this and the GRO option did not get the EIF file error. It moved on to “Preparing Storage Group” .. This went on for over 2 hours and it was taxing the server. I clicked cancel. It was still cancelling after 2 hours. I ended the processes.

Support sent me a file to apply to make sure that SP2 did make the change required. She also commented that Outlook cannot be installed on the Exchange server. I did not reply to this since I know this scenario works for Exchange 2007 and Outlook 2007. It will not work with any version of Exchange before 2007. Microsoft now supports this configuration

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996719%28EXCHG.80%29.aspx

I also have it working just fine at another client with outlook 2007 on the Exchange 2007 server box. I’d rather not do this, but I don’t have another 64-bit server which is required for GRO console to restore an image from a 64-bit machine.

Sent me a patch for the v2iplugin.dll. It was actually a previous version, but she said it was patched specifically for the terabyte issue. Also mentioned that I should make sure I have enough space on the c: drive see following article

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH136123

The patch didn’t seem to help.

1 week later:
I was doing an email conversion during this time, I had probably 100 GB of Exchange Log files. Last week I added the BESR setting of “Full VSS backup” (under Advanced button when setting up job) it truncated these log files after a successful backup and now after this Sunday’s Full backup, I am able to restore and the “Preparing Storage Group” takes only a few minutes.

So probably the issue was GRO having to crunch through all those log files caused the extreme delay in Preparing Storage Group step.

I tested and restored a few emails to a PST file.