Exchange granular clients and VMware backups
Exchange granular clients are those clients that perform backup or restore operations with Granular Recovery Technology (GRT). This distinction is important because not all Exchange clients perform GRT operations with VMware browse and restore operations. Therefore, not all clients have the same configuration requirements.
With a VMware backup that protects Exchange, granular clients include following:
Clients that browse for backups
Mailbox servers that are used to browse into mailboxes to select items for restore
An Exchange granular proxy host
Each Exchange granular client requires configuration of the following:
Configure all the mailbox servers.
Every mailbox server that is used for granular browse or restore must have the NFS client installed. It also must have an unassigned drive letter for NetBackup to use to mount an NFS view of the backup image.
Note that NFS is not needed for VMware backups.
An account for NetBackup Exchange operations (unique mailbox for NetBackup)
This account must have the right to "Replace a process level token."
In the Exchange client host properties, to the add the credentials of the account for NetBackup Exchange operations.
Configure the on the following clients. Note that you do not need to configure the Exchange credentials on the mailbox servers that perform only backup or browse operations.
For Exchange 2013 and 2016, configure the credentials on all granular clients. Alternatively, add "Exchange Servers" to the "View-Only Organization Management" role group. Then configure Exchange credentials only on the destination client that performs restores.
For Exchange 2010, configure the credentials on the destination client that performs granular restores.
(Exchange 2010) If you configure the NetBackup Client Service with a logon account and configure the Exchange credentials in the Exchange client host properties, you must configure the "Replace a process level token" for both users.
Mappings for distributed application restores.
For virtual environments you need to create a map of the virtual names and physical names of the systems in the Exchange configuration. This mapping applies to any NetBackup client that mounts the backup image or initiates a restore operation. Configure these mappings in the host property on the master server.
If you use a proxy server and it is not a media or a master server, you also need to add the proxy server to this list.
See Configuring mappings for restores of a distributed application, cluster, or virtual machine .
Auto-discovered mappings for the hosts in your environment.
Approve each valid that NetBackup discovers in your environment. Perform this configuration in the properties on the master server.
See Reviewing the auto-discovered mappings in Host Management.
The client that performs the restore must have the same version of Windows as the client from which the backup is made.
If you use an Exchange granular proxy server, the mailbox servers and the proxy host must also meet the following additional requirements:
Have the same NetBackup version
Use the same NetBackup master server
Both use a Windows version that is supported for that version of Exchange
For example, the granular proxy host must be installed on Windows 2008 SP2 or R2 or on Windows 2012 or R2. See the Application/Database Agent Compatibility List for more information.
Note the following if you use Replication Director to manage your VMware snapshots and snapshot replication:
Replication Director lets you browse and restore from a snapshot copy of the image. When NetBackup uses a snapshot rather than a disk storage unit for GRT operations, it does not use NFS or a new drive letter.
Configure the NetBackup Client Service with a logon account that has access to the CIFS shares that are created on the NetApp disk array.