Your Server Probably Doesn’t Need to be Replaced

What? A network support company (Microsoft Gold Partner, at that) is telling you not to spend money upgrading your Small Business Server or Exchange Server? Yep!

Being the smart business person that I am, I understand that $100 in the stock market today is going to be worth a lot more in a few years. [It has to go up, right?] Why spend that $100 today to replace your Small Business Server or Exchange Server, when you can wait a year or two and do it for less money?

First, Determine WHY you are Upgrading

This week, I headed to a consultation with a new prospect. I started the process just like I do everytime, “Yes, I understand that you are looking at installing Windows 2008 Server and Exchange Server 2007 on a killer new server, but what is it that you are REALLY trying to accomplish?”

Generally, I have to frame the question a few times, before I get to the root of the problem.

This time, it was related to space on the Exchange Server, more than anything else. He has a 150GB drive for Exchange, and it has 5GB free. The company has only 35 people using the server right now, so I knew there was:  1) a bunch of packrats saving WAY too much email, or  2) something was wrong with their backup system.

Exchange not Backing Up Properly = Lots of Wasted Space

If Exchange isn’t backing up properly, log files will begin to accumulate in the log directory. If you haven’t changed Exchange from its default, your log directory and your database directory are the same. Take a look in your directory and sort the information by ‘date modified’… the oldest at the top. If you are in the right place, you’ll notice the ‘E00000XXXX.log files’ in the directory.  If any of those files are older, than when your last full Exchange Server backup should have been, it’s not working. [see below]

OK, How Bad is it?

• Pretty Bad – You’re wasting hard drive space
• Really Bad – You may not be able to restore Exchange Server

Some people argue (usually, unsuccessfully) that they are doing an image-based backup of the server, and therefore , they are getting Exchange server as well. There is some truth to that, however Exchange keeps data in RAM, and unless something is using VSS, or another system to pause the database while the image occurs, you may not be getting all the data. Also, this still doesn’t help you free up space.

Another 3 Months and Prevented an “oh s**t!” Moment

I told the client, the first chance he got, be sure to backup his database using NTBackup. That ensures that :

1. He will have a solid backup.
2. He will have some additional space.

I apologized for the lack of sleep he will be getting, until he is able to complete the backup.

Next, he needs to look at why Acronis for Exchange wasn’t working properly. We’ll help him with that, if he needs it.

Finally, now that we have more time, we’ll spend a little more of it planning out his future upgrade… much better than,  “I think I have a week’s worth of space available. I have to do it now”.

A Second Opinion is a Beautiful Thing

Before your next big upgrade, please give us a call. We may be able to buy you some time and/or save you some money.

Telephone: 561-491-5750

Email: sales@DedicatedIT.com

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