Veeam Explorer for Exchange

[hutsy]

Beta Testing issue report:
Veeam Backup & Replication 6.1.0.204 (64 bit)
Veeam Explorer for Exchange 1.0.0.295 beta2
Server 2008 R2 SP1 (64 bit)
VMware ESXi 5.0.0 (VMware vSphere 5 Essentials Plus licensing)

Veeam Explorer for Exchange works fine and I have tested opening the sample file provided from Veeam and opening an Exchange 2010 SP1 EDB file from an existing backup.

However since installing Veeam Explorer for Exchange on Tuesday my backup server crashes whilst running it's scheduled Sure Backup job (this has happened at both Wednesday and Thursday nightly jobs since installing VEfE). The backups prior to the Sure Backup job complete successfully.

If you would like more information on this issue please let me know what to provide. The server created a memory dump file which I can arrange to make available if required.

[foggy]

Ryan, it would be appreciated if you could open a case with our technical support and provide all the required information. Details on how to submit beta related support cases can be found in this post above. Thank you for your help!

[MikeCh]

[merged]

Hi there,
I have tried using veeam exchange explorer and for most parts, it worked as advertised.
However, recovering one of the email boxes produces strange result.
Restoration performs successfully. Majority of emails looks good. However some of the emails display the following gibberish. The same email in the sent items displays normal English text. I realize that this product is in beta trial, but if you have any suggestions I could try, I would be appreciative it. 䌠湡礠畯瀠潲楶敤洠⁥楷桴栠⁥湡⽤牯吠牥祲猧瀠潨敮਍畮扭牥⽳浥楡摡牤獥敳⁳潳䤠挠湡猠敥椠⁦桴祥栠癡⁥湡⁹湩整敲瑳椠楴正瑥㽳਍潈数礠畯挠湯楴畮⁥湯琠敨爠慯⁤潴爠捥癯牥⁹晡整⁲桴⁥桃捩条牴灩℡਍‾਍‾牂慹൮㸊ഠ㸊张彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟ൟ㸊∠桔獩攠洭楡慭⁹潣瑮楡湩潦浲瑡潩桴瑡椠⁳潣普摩湥楴污漠⁲牰癩汩来摥മ㸊䤠⁦潹⁵牡⁥潮⁴桴⁥湩整摮摥爠捥灩敩瑮潤渠瑯甠敳牰湩⁴牯搠獩牴扩瑵⁥਍‾桴獩攠洭楡牯愠祮愠瑴捡浨湥獴倠敬獡⁥潮楴祦琠敨猠湥敤⁲湡⁤敤敬整ഠ㸊琠敨攠洭楡湡⁤湡⁹瑡慴档敭瑮⹳†桔湡潹⹵ഢ㸊张彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟ൟഊഊ弊彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟ൟ∊桔獩攠洭楡慭⁹潣瑮楡湩潦浲瑡潩桴瑡椠⁳潣普摩湥楴污漠⁲牰癩汩来摥മ䤊⁦潹⁵牡⁥潮⁴桴⁥湩整摮摥爠捥灩敩瑮潤渠瑯甠敳牰湩⁴牯搠獩牴扩瑵⁥桴獩਍ⵥ慭汩漠⁲湡⁹瑡慴档敭瑮⹳†汐慥敳渠瑯晩⁹桴⁥敳摮牥愠摮搠汥瑥⁥桴⁥ⵥ慭汩਍湡⁤湡⁹瑡慴档敭瑮⹳†桔湡潹⹵ഢ弊彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟彟

My environment:
Windows server 2008R2.
Veeam backup and replication 6.1
Beta version of explorer for exchange.

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Mike, can you please save this message as *.msg file then try to open it? Does it display a normal English text or you have the same issue?

[matt1234]

I installed this earlier (along with the free edition of B&R) on my local Windows 7 PC so that I could test the functionality. I used the downloaded test backup and all appeared to work (and I love what it can do).

However, on two occasions it has caused my machine to blue screen; once when it was trying to mount the backup and once when I was closing it (and it was unmounting it). Obviously I am a little loathe to install it on my production B&R server until I know what caused it.

[foggy]

Matt, would be much appreciated if you could open a case with our technical team and provide debug logs to help us investigate possible issues (please put [VEXbeta] in the support case summary).

[Gostev]

BSODs on workstations are typically caused by poorly written antiviruses, try disabling one if you have it.

[matt1234]

Thanks Gostev, I'll try disabling my antivirus in the morning and trying again. Now that you mention it, it wouldn't surprise me. If it doesn't have any effect I'll open a case as per Foggy's request.

[fdizone]

If I am not truncating my logs with Veeam (I still have BE jobs running that do so), will Explorer work for me. I cannot seem to find the logs folder when adding the store.

[Gostev]

Yes - but you do need to pick the transaction logs folder... just look for it, trust me it is there - Exchange cannot function without it. Release version will actually find and mount all mailbox databases and logs automatically for you, but with this beta, you have to do this manually.

[Cokovic]

Just tested it in my backups and even with no log truncation they are within the backups.

[fdizone]

Thanks. What folder are the logs located in?

[Gostev]

Also, truncation does not mean complete deletion of all logs from the log folder anyway - some log files will always remain there. Logs are usually manually placed on a separate volume (Exchange best practice), so location can be anywhere - wherever deploying admin chose to place them.

[fdizone]

Thinking out loud, I believe my logs are stored on a separate drive on my Exchange server. Could this present issues for me using Explorer?

[Cokovic]

Thanks. What folder are the logs located in?

Difficult to tell. You can check the location of your logfiles in the Exchange Management Console.

[Cokovic]

Thinking out loud, I believe my logs are stored on a separate drive on my Exchange server. Could this present issues for me using Explorer?

Is this drive accessible in your backup when browsing it? If so then you are good to go. Just point to the location where your logfiles are. I have an Exchange server here with different drives where the logfiles from the different databases are located and it works without any issues.

[fdizone]

Yes, I figured it out. I just had to figure out which drive letters went with which volume. Thanks!

[matt1234]

I've had a bit more of a play (with our AV) turned off and haven't had any further problems. Loving the product and what it can do - it would make a great enhancement to B&R and add so much to a System Administrator. I often get asked if I can restore somebody's email that they have deleted or recover emails from a deleted mailbox. Being able to export mailboxes to a PST would make my life much easier as I can delete user's mailboxes and not worry about managers then wanting access.

For reference, my AV is CA eTrust r8.1 which I know is failrly old. I did try upgrading to the latest version (r12 from memory) last year and it rendered a few servers completely unusably slow. CA support said to roll back to 8.1 and wait (approx 6 months) for the service pack. It didn't particularly inspire me and I haven't revisited it yet.

[matt1234]

I've tested and played with this a bit further using our own Exchange Backup. A couple of questions though.

1. If you try and export to a PST it prompts for Outlook 2010 x64. We're only licensed up to Outlook 2007 so we are unable to use this feature. Is this something that will change or will it always required Outlook 2010?

2. I was trying the search function which I can imagine would be really useful. If we search on a mailbox everything was ok. However, if I searched at the top level (ie the mailbox datastore) we had an error along the lines of 'cannot use a null value' (sorry - I can't remember the exact error). Is this something I am doing wrong or something that isn't possible?

Thanks.

[Gostev]

1. I've already answered this one earlier in this topic.

2. You are doing it absolutely right. Searching on the mailbox datastore is the main way to use the Search functionality, since it is designed to address e-discover use case (when you do not know which mailbox has the information you are looking for). This might be a bug that has already been fixed, however just to make sure our code does not brake due to something very special about your Exchange, it would be great if you can open the support case and provide us with Explorer logs - if you got time.

Please put [VEXbeta] in the beginning of issue description, so that the support case is handled correctly.

Logs are located in:

Code: Select all

C:\ProgramData\Veeam\ExchangeExplorer\Logs

[kewnev]

hi Anton,

I have installed the 64-bit Outlook 2010 trial, and all works fine. I'm assuming that when the trial expires Even though outlook itself stops working, the MAPI components would still continue to work. So this could be one way of freely and legally doing things..

I can now confirm that the MAPI components of the Outlook 2010 64-bit trial version continue to run even after the 60-day Outlook trial expires.

My Outlook trial has been expired for a week or so. Outlook reports that the trial has expired, and it won't let me do anything it in.
Just now I have tested browsing mailbox folders with VEX, and exporting messages to PST, and opening them up on Outlook on a different PC. All worked perfectly fine.

So, if anyone wants to use VEX without the unnecessary expense of purchasing Outlook 2010 64-bit, you can simply use the Outlook 2010 64-bit trial.

Please note though: I am unsure whether the trial will co-exist with other versions of Outlook/Office on the same PC.

To get the Outlook 2010 64-bit trial:

1. Go here: http://www7.buyoffice.microsoft.com/usa ... u=10234475
2. Click "Try for 60 days"
3. Log into your Windows Live account when prompted
4. Take note of your trial Product Key when shown (it will also be emailed to you)
5. When you get to the download screen, click on the "Download Options" to the right of the Product Key, and click on the 64-bit link to download that version.

[cgrebing]

Hi,

will there be any privacy protection build in the final release?

As we know from the Sure Backup way only a user with access rights to the Mailbox was able to see/restore the mails.
With this great tool I can send me all interresting mails to my mailbox and read them.
Maybe the original owner of the object should be informed that someone restored an exchange-object.


Christian

[dellock6]

Those are two different scenarios:
- surebackup gives you a running exchange server, with all its protections
- file backup bypasses protections
Usually, backup administrators (in Veeam at least) always had full access to files, no difference from a home folder restore via FLR. And to me is right this way, during restores operators need to access everything they have to restore.
Permissions and access considerations are to be defined regarding who can access Veeam backups.

Luca.

[Gostev]

We do log all restore activities in the B&R events history (even today with file level recoveries), so all activities can be audited.

Generally speaking, as Luca already explained, this approach is impossible to secure even in theory. Whoever has physical access to VM image can get anything out of it. Item recovery from Exchange VMDK is quite doable even today (without VEX). In fact, there are probably a few dozens of different ways you can do that. Put restriction in VEX, and malicious user will just use another tool of many.

You do have to trust your backup admins, and everyone else who has physical access to your data.

[singy2002]

[merged]

Hi,
Just wanted to discuss some errors I am experiencing witht he exchange explorer Beta, is there a forum for this?
Regards
Andy

[foggy]

Andy, for all technical issues it's always better to contact support directly and provide full logs for investigation. You can use forum to discuss product usage and functionality related questions, but it is hard to troubleshoot product errors via forums. Details on how to submit Veeam Explorer for Exchange beta related support cases can be found in this post above. Thanks!

[singy2002]

Hi Foggy,
I assumed support would not be available for a beta addon?

here is the error should anyone have any suggestions.

Ive come across an issue with exporting some mailboxes, i am not sure if anyone knows what the following means, this is the except from the log.

[foggy]

Beta code does not have official support, but since we are interested in improving the tool, you can still open the case with [VEXBeta] in the case summary and it will be handled appropriately.

PS Please avoid posting log snippets, as it is explained when you click New Topic.

[singy2002]

Thank you

[b.schmidt]

Hi,
this peace of software rocks!
Thank You