Backup operation fails when you back up Exchange Server 2003 databases and System State Information at the same time

When you try to back up the Exchange Server 2003 messaging databases and the Windows Server 2003 System State information by using the Windows Backup Utility (NTBackup.exe), you experience the following symptoms:

• The following information appears in the Backup Progress dialog box:
  The backup could not be completed due to an error. To see detailed information, click Report.
  
  
  The Status box displays a status of Failed.
• When you click Report, information that is similar to the following is displayed:

  Backup started on 5/15/2003 at 2:33 PM.
  The 'Microsoft Information Store' returned 'Backup is already active.
  ' from a call to 'HrESEBackupSetup()' additional data '-' 
  The ' Microsoft Information Store' returned 'Functions called in an invalid sequence.
  ' from a call to 'HrESEBackupClose()' additional data '-'
  The operation was ended.
  Backup completed on 5/15/2003 at 2:33 PM.
  Directories: 0
  Files: 0
  Bytes: 0
  Time: 1 second
  
  ----------------------
  
  The operation did not successfully complete.
  
  ----------------------

• Events that are similar to the following events appear in the application event log of the Event Viewer:

  Date: date
  Time: time
  Type: Error
  User: N/A
  Computer: Servername
  Source: NTBackup
  Category: None
  Event ID: 8001
  Description: End Backup of 'Servername\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group''Warnings or errors were encountered.'

  Date: date
  Time: time
  Type: Error
  User: N/A
  Computer: Servername
  Source: NTBackup
  Category: None
  Event ID: 8019
  Description: End Operation: Warnings or errors were encountered.
  Consult the backup report for more details.

This issue occurs if your Exchange Server 2003 database files are located on the same drive as the Windows Server 2003 operating system.

This issue occurs because there is a limitation of the NTBackup program. When the Exchange Server 2003 databases are on the system drive, and you perform a System State backup, the Exchange Server 2003 storage group is frozen during the System State backup operation. Because of this, the streaming backup of the Exchange Server 2003 databases cannot start. You cannot perform two simultaneous backups on the same storage group.

To work around this issue, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Perform Separate Backup Operations

Configure separate backup operations for the System State and the Exchange Server 2003 databases. After the System State backup is complete, the storage group is unfrozen and may be backed up successfully.

Method 2: Move the Exchange Server 2003 Database Files

Move the Exchange Server 2003 databases to a drive other than the operating system drive. This permits you to back up both the Exchange Server 2003 databases and the System State information at the same time.

When you perform a System State backup operation, you cannot perform a streaming backup of any Exchange Server storage groups that are on the system drive until the System State backup is complete. Additionally, you cannot dismount any databases that are in those storage groups until the System State backup is complete.

The Volume Shadow Copy service for Exchange is disabled in Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003. Instead, the NTBackup program uses the Exchange Server 2003 online backup streaming API to back up the Exchange Server 2003 information store. This permits the NTBackup program to back up System State information and the information store at the same time.

For more information about the Volume Shadow Copy Service in Windows Server 2003, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information about how to back up and restore data in Windows Server 2003, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

This problem was first corrected in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

To obtain the latest service pack for Windows Server 2003, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: