A.3 Exchange backup and restore API information

As discussed in earlier chapters, the Exchange Storage Engine (ESE) implements and controls the storage groups in Microsoft Exchange 2000/2003 Server. ESE provides an application-programming interface (API) for creating backup and restore applications. The topics in this section describe the API implemented in the ESEBCLI2.DLL library. Backup and Restore applications using the esebcli2 interface can operate locally on the Exchange server or remotely via remote procedure call (RPC).

The esebcli2 interface provides coordinated backup and restore for Exchange 2000 Server storage groups and databases. Databases backed up using this API can handle log file truncation properly. Databases restored using this API can apply the restored logs to bring the database up to date properly. The ESEBCLI2.DLL is a nondual dynamic link library (DLL). For this reason, C/C++ must be used to access the backup and restore functions. Use the Microsoft Windows LoadLibrary function to load the DLL. Applications that use the esebcli2 interface must be run under a user account that has Microsoft Windows 2000/2003 backup and restore privileges. The API provided by esebcli2 supports connecting to ESE on the local computer or on a different computer. Remote connections are made using standard RPC.

Multiple ESE instances available for restore

Exchange 2000/2003 Server supports up to four simultaneously mounted storage groups per server. Each storage group is handled by a separate instance of ESE. However, ESE supports up to 5 simultaneously running instances. The extra ESE instances can be used to create parallel data streams for potentially improved restore performance, or fewer than four storage groups can be configured. But the extra ESE instances cannot be used for backup. When using multiple instances to restore a storage group, remember that the databases can be recovered only after all of the necessary database, log, and patch files have been restored fully to disk.

During setup, the file ESEBCLI2.DOC is placed in the SDK\Support\ Backup folder under the Exchange installation folder. This documentation is obsolete and inaccurate in some areas. The most up-to-date information is located in the Exchange 2000 Server Software Development Kit (SDK), available online at http://msdn.microsoft.com/exchange. For specific and upto-date information, please see the following links on the ESE backup API.

ESEbcli2 DLL Functions

 http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/wss/wss/
_eseback_esebcli2dll_interface.asp 

ESE API Data Structures

 http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/wss/wss/
_eseback_structures.asp 

ESE API Enumerations

 http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/wss/wss/
_eseback_enumerations.asp 

ESE API Defined Constants

 http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/wss/wss/
_eseback_definedconstants.asp