Installation guide

database backups allows for restoring mailboxes, public folders, e-mails, contacts, calendar

events, journal entries, notes and more.

Additionally, full backups can be created by using one of the following methods:

 Express full backup (p. 25). This method allows creating creating full database backups in

deduplicating vaults. Although regular data deduplication can be used full database backups,

we recommend using the Express full backup method to achieve maximum deduplication

effect.

 Copy-only backup (p. 29). This method allows creating full database backups without

truncating the transaction log files.

 Transaction log. A transaction log backup stores the transaction log files along with checkpoint

files and other files required for recovery. After a backup is created, transaction log files are

truncated. At first, a regular full backup is created. By having full and transaction log backups,

you can recover the data to a custom point in time. From a recovery perspective, transaction log

backups are similar to incremental backups. To recover from a transaction log backup, each

transaction log backup since the last full backup and the full backup is required. A long chain of

transaction log files may significantly increase recovery time.

Note: To back up transaction log files, disable circular logging in Exchange. When circular logging is

enabled, Exchange overwrites the first log file after its data has been written to the database. This in turn,

breaks the transaction log chain preventing Acronis Backup from doing transaction log backups. If you

enable circular logging after a backup plan creation, the backups will fail.

Microsoft Exchange mailboxes

When you select this data type, the software will perform a mailbox backup.

You can select the following items to back up:

 Mailboxes or mailbox folders

 Public folders

By using the exclusion filters (p. 53), you can specify items to be skipped during a mailbox backup.

How to use a mailbox backup

A mailbox backup gives you the additional flexibility to back up individual mailboxes or public folders

without backing up the entire database. We recommend that you use a mailbox backup to protect

the most important mailboxes or if you need to back up less than 15 GB of data. For larger volumes

of data, a database backup is more effective. It will take less time and you can recover individual

mailboxes, e-mails, or other data items (p. 30), as well as the entire database.

Limitations of a mailbox backup



Though you can select archived mailboxes, they will not be backed up.

 Unlike full database backups, mailbox backups cannot be deduplicated.

Mailbox backup types



Full backup. A full mailbox-level backup stores the contents and folder structure of the mailboxes

or public folders selected for backup.

 Incremental backup. An incremental mailbox backup stores changes to the data against the last

backup. At first, a full mailbox backup is created. You need to access other backups from the

same archive to recover data from an incremental backup.