Consistency checks on Exchange snapshot backups
NetBackup is configured to run consistency checks for Exchange snapshot backups. Consistency checks are required for a standalone Exchange server. Consistency checks are not required for an Exchange Database Availability Group (DAG) because of the checks that are performed during replication.
The consistency check runs with the proper options against the files that exist on the snapshot. If any of the files fail the consistency check, the backup fails and the backup image is discarded. The Exchange VSS Writer is notified of the failure. When this kind of backup failure occurs, Exchange does not truncate log files. Failure of the consistency check may be an indication of either database corruption or a problem with the snapshot.
For local snapshot backups, NetBackup uses the Microsoft consistency check API. This API allows the user to view problems or information in the application event logs.
For off-host backups, the consistency checks are run on the off-host client rather than on the primary client. Veritas recommends that you install the Exchange System Management Tools on the alternate client. NetBackup performs the backup faster with this configuration. If the Exchange System Management Tools are not installed on the alternate client, the following occurs:
If you choose not to install the Exchange System Management Tools, the backup may fail. You must install the VC9 run-time DLLs on the alternate client. These DLLs can be downloaded from Microsoft x64 VC9 download page:
bpfis logs a message. The message indicates that the DLL cannot be loaded and that eseutil is used for the consistency check.
NetBackup performs the consistency check during the snapshot import step.