XADM: How to Use NTBackup from a Non-Exchange 2000 Computer

This article describes how to enable Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server backups by using the NTBackup utility on computers that do not have Exchange 2000 components installed on them, such as backup servers that are not members of the Active Directory forest where Exchange 2000 is installed. When Exchange 2000 or Exchange System Manager is installed on a computer, the NTBackup utility is automatically extended to support Exchange 2000 online backups.

To permit a Microsoft Windows 2000 Server-based backup server that does not have Exchange 2000 or Exchange System Manager installed to perform online Exchange 2000 backups, follow these steps:

1. Copy Esebcli2.dll to the backup server. This file is located in the Exchsrvr\Bin folder on any Exchange 2000 computer. You can copy this file directly from the Exchange 2000 installation CD-ROM.
2. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
3. Locate and click the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\DLLPaths
4. Double-click the DLLPaths key, and then add the following value:
   Value Name: Esebcli2
   Data Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
   String: Drive\Path\Esebcli2.dll
5. On the Exchange 2000 computer, give Backup Operator permissions to the account that performs the backups.
   
   If the backup server is not a member of the same forest as the Exchange 2000 computer, create a "twin" account that has the same pre-Windows 2000 logon name and password as the external backup server account.
   
   If the Exchange 2000 computer is a domain member server, use the Computer Management administrative console to create the twin account in the Exchange 2000 computer's local accounts database. If the Exchange 2000 computer is a domain controller, create the twin account as a domain user.
   
   To permit a Windows Server 2003 backup server that does not have Exchange 2000 or Exchange System Manager installed to perform online Exchange 2000 or 2003 backups, copy Esebcli2.dll to a folder in the system path. You do not have to modify the DLLPaths registry key.

After the appropriate accounts and permissions are in place, start NTBackup, and then click Remote Store on the Tools menu to connect to an Exchange 2000 computer. (The Microsoft Exchange Information Store service must be running on the designated Exchange 2000 computer.) The Microsoft Exchange Server node is not displayed on the Backup page in NTBackup until you connect to a remote store. When you connect to a single remote store, all Exchange 2000 computers in the entire Active Directory forest are enumerated.

NOTE: Servers running previous versions of Exchange Server are displayed in NTBackup under the Microsoft Exchange node; however, the Exchange 2000 computer must be backed up from the Microsoft Exchange Server node.

You cannot back up Exchange 2000 servers from different Active Directory forests in a single backup job. However, you can backup databases from all versions of Exchange Server within the same job, as long as they all belong to the same organization. Be aware that servers for all versions of Exchange Server are listed on the Microsoft Exchange node, including Exchange 2000, but you cannot back up Exchange 2000 computers from this node. If you select any Exchange 2000 computers under the Microsoft Exchange node for backup, the backup jobs fail.

NOTE: If you browse to the database level in one of the Exchange Server backup nodes, and there is an option for backing up the directory on the server, then you are in the wrong place to back up an Exchange 2000 database.

To back up Exchange 2000 databases from multiple forests, exit and restart NTBackup, and then designate a remote store in a different forest, or run separate instances of NTBackup.

If you are backing up Exchange 2000 from an Exchange 2000 computer, the local installation is automatically queried to create the Microsoft Exchange Server node. In this case, you cannot connect to a different forest or Exchange 2000 organization. To back up an Exchange 2000 computer from a different forest, you must initiate the backup from a server that does not have Exchange 2000 installed on it.

NOTE: The Exchange 2000 Key Management Server (KMS) database cannot be backed up remotely. You must run NTBackup from the server console where the KMS database resides.

If the backup server is not a member of any Microsoft Windows domain, or is a member of an untrusted domain, Exchange Server backup dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) for different versions may interfere with each other. Exchange 2000 depends on Esebcli2.dll, but previous versions of Exchange Server are backed up by using Edbbcli.dll.

If you click Remote Store, and nothing happens, or if you receive the following error message, Edbbcli.dll may be interfering with Esebcli2.dll: If Edbbcli.dll is located in any folder in the system path, NTBackup automatically loads it. Alternatively, Esebcli2.dll must be explicitly registered in the system registry. Therefore, you must "hide" Edbbcli.dll by removing it from its default installation location, Winnt\System32, or any other folder in the system path. If NTBackup displays the Microsoft Exchange node, a copy of Edbbcli.dll has been loaded.

Even if Edbbcli.dll and Esebcli2.dll are interfering with each other, you may still back up all versions of Exchange Server from a single server by running separate instances of NTBackup. To do so, place a copy of Edbbcli.dll in a separate folder that is not listed in the system path, and then start NTBackup from this folder when you want to back up Exchange Server computers that are running versions of Exchange Server that are earlier than Exchange 2000.

NOTE: You cannot implement this workaround if the backup server is running Exchange Server 5.5 or earlier. If Edbbcli.dll is missing, Exchange Server services cannot start.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: