I found this.....so I will go with it.... PSS ID Number: Q240145 Article last modified on 10-10-1999 winnt:5.5
====================================================================== ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- SUMMARY ======= Exchange Server database transaction logs record all changes to an Exchange Server database. Over time, these logs accumulate and use all disk space if they are not permanently deleted. Exchange Server automatically deletes unnecessary log files by either of the following methods: - If circular logging is enabled, the system deletes transaction logs soon after they have been written to the database file. Circular logging is the Exchange Server installation default. - If circular logging is disabled, the system deletes excess logs after a full or incremental backup. You may occasionally need to remove transaction log files manually if you have run out of disk space or anticipate such an event before a backup can be made. Removing logs yourself can be dangerous to the database. If you remove a log that contains data that has not yet been written to the database file, you will almost always damage the database and make it unstartable. NOTE: "Removing" a transaction log file means moving it to another location where it can be backed up, stored, or deleted, depending on your needs. "Deleting" is a kind of removal that does not permit you to back up or restore the log file. This article explains how to tell which log files can be safely removed without risk to the current database file. MORE INFORMATION ================ After Exchange Server has written all information from a particular transaction log to the database file, that log file will be accessed again only if a previous backup of the database is restored. The log is now in the "past" of the database. But if a backup is restored, the log is in the "future" of the restored database. Its information can be applied to the database to bring it up to date. IMPORTANT: When you remove excess transaction logs, you should move them rather than delete them in order to preserve this "roll forward" capability. The following steps apply to both the information store and to the directory service. To determine which log files can be safely removed: 1. In the Exchange Server Administrator program, view the working path for the database. Path locations are found on the <Server> object's Database Paths properties page. The checkpoint file (Edb.chk) is located in this path. If the Administrator program is unavailable, you can view the working path in the system registry. Run Regedit.exe and expand the following registry key. For the information store: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\Parameters System\Working Directory For the directory: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeDS\Parameters \DSA Working Directory 2. At a command prompt, change directory to the working path folder. View the header of the Edb.chk file with Eseutil (Exchange Server 5.5): "eseutil /mk edb.chk" (without the quotation marks) or Edbutil (Exchange Server 4.0 and 5.0): "edbutil /mk edb.chk" (without the quotation marks) Note that the screen output is similar to the following: Microsoft(r) Windows NT(tm) Server Database Utilities Version 5.5 Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 1991-1998. All Rights Reserved. Initiating FILE DUMP mode... Checkpoint file: edb.chk LastFullBackupCheckpoint (0,0,0) Checkpoint (157,2860,500) comment: Checkpoint is in log 157 decimal FullBackup (90,8,10) FullBackup time:1/15/1999 18:18:36 IncBackup (0,0,0) IncBackup time:0/0/1900 0:0:0 . . . The three numbers on the Checkpoint line represent the log file generation number, a sector offset into the log file, and a byte offset into the sector. Write down the generation number. 3. Convert the generation number into hexadecimal. In this example, decimal 157 translates to hexadecimal 9D. Exchange Server log files are numbered with five hexadecimal digits (for example Edb12345.log). Leading zeroes are used to pad the log number out to five digits. Thus, the checkpoint log file from the preceding example is Edb0009d.log. NOTE: You can use the Scientific mode of the Windows Calculator to convert from decimal to hexadecimal. Start the Calculator, and on the View menu, click Scientific. Enter the decimal number, and click Hex. 4. The checkpoint log itself may not be found in the Transaction Logs folder, but you will always find a log file one number lower than the checkpoint. For example, the Edb0009d.log file may not exist, but the Edb0009c.log file does. The reason for this is that the checkpoint may be in the Edb.log file. When the Edb.log file is full, it is renamed Edb0009d.log, and a new Edb.log file is created, which will itself eventually be renamed Edb0009e.log, and so on. 5. You can safely remove all numbered logs below the checkpoint, but not the checkpoint log itself. In this example, you can remove Edb0009c.log, Edb0009b.log, and so on, but not Edb0009d.log. If you do not intend to remove all logs older than the checkpoint, it is best to remove them in chronological order, starting with the oldest. Remember to move, not delete, the log files. You do not have to stop the database service to remove log files older than the checkpoint. If you must restore a backup, you must also restore all log files created since the last backup. If there is a gap in the sequence of logs, you cannot roll forward past the gap. Additional query words: ====================================================================== Keywords : exc55 Technology : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbZNotKeyword2 Version : winnt:5.5 Issue type : kbhowto ============================================================================ = Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1999. Thank You, Robert Williams Senior Network Administrator Raypak, Inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone - 805-278-5363 FAX - 818-464-6982 www.raypak.com -----Original Message----- From: Robert Williams [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 9:54 AM To: Exchange Discussions Subject: RE: I need help with edb*.log files Thanks, will look at it.... Thank You, Robert Williams Senior Network Administrator Raypak, Inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone - 805-278-5363 FAX - 818-464-6982 www.raypak.com -----Original Message----- From: Kevin Miller [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 9:51 AM To: Exchange Discussions Subject: RE: I need help with edb*.log files Sounds to me like he needs to run to the disaster recovery white paper. And read it.. Before that happens he needs to step away from the server. Those are not log files like what your server did. They are transaction logs. As in a copy of every message that has come in and out of your server, that in the case of a Priv loss can be re applied to a backup to make your Priv current. Go, read, NOW! Then you can ask more questions. Kevinm M WLKMMAS, UCC+WCA, CKWSE -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 9:54 AM To: Exchange Discussions Subject: RE: I need help with edb*.log files You may want to run an online backup, and delete them like that. Or, you could stop the IS, and that will commit the log files as well. Are you running out of space? Is that why you need to delete them? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -K.Borndale Network Administrator Sybari Software 631.630.8569 -direct dial 631.439.0689 -fax http://www.sybari.com "One man's ceiling is another man's floor" |--------+-----------------------------------> | | Robert Williams | | | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | | | Sent by: | | | bounce-exchange-148870@ls| | | .swynk.com | | | | | | | | | 11/12/2001 12:44 PM | | | Please respond to | | | "Exchange Discussions" | | | | |--------+-----------------------------------> >----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------| | | | To: "Exchange Discussions" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | | cc: | | Subject: RE: I need help with edb*.log files | >----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------| I backup my server with Veritas Backup Exec....all of these files were generated in 1 day.....Can I delete these without any problems? Thank You, Robert Williams Senior Network Administrator Raypak, Inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone - 805-278-5363 FAX - 818-464-6982 www.raypak.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 9:18 AM To: Exchange Discussions Subject: Re: I need help with edb*.log files Are you backing up your server? Those logs are what is being written. If you are backing up the server, and have the log files removed, you won't see quite so many -there is an option to "flush committed logs" when backing up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -K.Borndale Network Administrator Sybari Software 631.630.8569 -direct dial 631.439.0689 -fax http://www.sybari.com "One man's ceiling is another man's floor" |--------+-----------------------------------> | | Robert Williams | | | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | | | Sent by: | | | bounce-exchange-148870@ls| | | .swynk.com | | | | | | | | | 11/12/2001 11:58 AM | | | Please respond to | | | "Exchange Discussions" | | | | |--------+-----------------------------------> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --- ------------------------------------------------------------| | | | To: "Exchange Discussions" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | | cc: | | Subject: I need help with edb*.log files | > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --- ------------------------------------------------------------| I have about 200 edbxxxx.log files in my mdbdata folder. How do they get cleaned up and why did my server generate so many of them? Thank You, Robert Williams Senior Network Administrator Raypak, Inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone - 805-278-5363 FAX - 818-464-6982 www.raypak.com _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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