You can use the Windows 2000 Backup utility (Backup) to perform the following different types of backups of Exchange 2000 databases:

• Normal,
• Copy,
• Incremental,
• Differential and
• Daily.

The following are descriptions of the five backup types you can perform to back up Exchange 2000 databases:

• Normal backup A Normal backup archives every selected database and all necessary log files. Log files older than the checkpoint at the time the backup was started are deleted after the backup completes. If you perform a Normal backup on a daily basis, you can prevent log files from monopolising space on the hard disk. This is the simplest online backup method.
• Copy backup A Copy backup is the same as a Normal backup except that log files are not deleted. You can perform a Copy backup if you want to save a copy of your Exchange 2000 databases at a specific point in time. It is also useful to perform a Copy backup of your Windows backup set before you install new software or implement a system change.
• Differential backup A Differential backup archives only the transaction log files that are stored on disk. The transaction logs are not deleted. You cannot perform a Differential backup when circular logging is enabled. To restore data from a Differential backup, you must have the most recent Normal and Differential backups available.
• Incremental backup An Incremental backup only archives the transaction log files since the last Normal or Incremental backup. Log files older than the check point are deleted after the backup completes. You cannot perform an Incremental backup when circular logging is enabled. To restore data from an Incremental backup, you must have the most recent Normal backup and each subsequent Incremental backup available. After the restore process is complete, the transaction logs are applied to the Exchange 2000 database that you restored with the Normal backup.
• Daily backup In Exchange 2000, a Daily backup performs the same functions as a Copy backup. When you use the Microsoft Information Store options in Backup to back up your Exchange databases, you are performing an online backup. Online backups require that the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service is running and that the databases you are backing up are mounted.

For your Exchange 2000 databases, it is recommended that you perform a Normal backup daily and perform Incremental or Differential backups throughout the day. If possible, schedule your backups for periods of non-peak e-mail usage.

The backup rotation schedule you select has a direct impact on the restore process. For example, if you select a rotation schedule that performs a Normal backup every night and relies on your daily transaction log files to bring the databases up to date during a restore, the restore process requires only one Normal backup tape, thereby saving you time.
Alternately, if you select a strategy that combines a Normal backup performed each day and Incremental or Differential backups performed every 2 hours during business hours, the restore process is more complicated because it requires you to restore more backup sets and perhaps provide multiple tapes, thereby taking additional time. However, the key advantage to using a strategy involving Incremental or Differential backups performed every 2 hours is that the maximum amount of Exchange data you might lose is 2 hours worth.

For different examples of common backup schedules, see Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Resource Kit or Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit.

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, Premium Edition
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, Standard Edition
• Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server