A full backup backs up the database files and the transaction logs associated with the database and clears the archive bit. Upon the completion of the backup, committed transaction logs are purged.
The incremental backup backs up all selected data that has been changed since the last full backup. Upon the completion of the backup, committed transaction logs are purged.
The online backup process backs up the .edb, .stm, and .log files that make up the database store. Each file is checked for corruption at the file level by verifying the checksums on each 4KB page in the database.
Offline backups require that the databases first be dismounted, thus making them unavailable to users. If online backups are failing due to checksum errors, an offline backup can still be performed to back up the data.
To perform backups of Exchange data using the Windows Backup utility (ntbackup.exe), install Exchange or the Exchange System Manager on the computer performing the backup.
The recovery storage group is a new feature in Exchange Server 2003 that provides a special storage group for the purpose of performing restorations even if the server already has four storage groups on it.
The alternate recovery forest restoration method is created by establishing another AD forest that supports an Exchange installation. You use the same names in the alternate recovery forest as in the real production forest from which you are looking to restore data.
