XADM: Troubleshooting a Remote Online Backup of Exchange 2000

When you use the Ntbackup utility remotely from the server to back up Exchange 2000 Server, you may receive the following error messages: This article outlines the steps to troubleshoot this error.

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
These errors messages can occur if you do not have the required permissions, if you are experiencing version incompatibilities, or if there are communication issues between the cross-forest and the cross-domain.

If you receive the first error message, your account may not have been authenticated correctly, or your account does not have the permissions that are required to perform a backup on the Exchange 2000-based server. To resolve this issues, use either of the following methods:

• Add the account that is currently logged on to the backup computer to the Backup Operators group on the Exchange 2000-based server. If this server is a member server and not a domain controller, you can add the account in the local security database by using the Computer Management administrative console (Compmgmt.msc) and adding the account to the local Backup Operators group. If the server is a domain controller, grant permissions in the built-in Backup Operators group for the domain.
  
  -or-
• If the backup computer account is from a standalone server or an untrusted domain, you are able to grant permissions on the server. In this case, create a twin account on the Exchange 2000-based member server or in the Exchange domain. The pre-Windows 2000 logon name and password for this account must exactly match the backup computer's logon account. Grant the twin account Backup Operator permissions for the server.
  
  NOTE: If you configure an IPC$ share connection to the server with an account with appropriate permissions by using the following command:
  net use \\exchange\ipc$/u:domain\account
  you may continue to experience backup logon issues. Ntbackup always uses the account credentials from the account that is logged on to connect to a remote server.

If you receive the second error, you have successfully connected to the Exchange 2000-based server and have been authenticated as having sufficient permissions to perform a backup, but the Ntbackup utility was unable to connect to the Exchange 2000 services. To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

NOTE: You must exit and restart Ntbackup after each step.

1. Verify that the database services that you wish to back up are running on the target server.
2. Verify that you are running a version of Ntbackup from Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later. The original version of Ntbackup that is included with Windows 2000 has several known remote backup issues when it is used with Exchange. These issues were corrected in SP1.
   
   The original release version of Ntbackup is dated December 4, 1999, and has a file version of 5.0:2172.1. The SP1 release is dated July 21, 2000, and has a file version of 5.0:2195.1607.
3. Verify that the Esebcli2.dll file that makes the Ntbackup aware of Exchange 2000 is present and properly registered.
   
   To do this, follow these steps:WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
   
   
   1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
   2. Locate and click the following registry key:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\DLLPaths
      Verify that the Esebcli2.dll file is present in the path that the esebcli2 value points to. If the file is missing, copy it from either an Exchange 2000-based server, an administrator's workstation, or from the Exchange 2000 installation CD-ROM.
      
      
   3. If the esebcli2 registry value is missing, click Add value on the Edit menu, and add the following value:
      Value Name: esebcli2
      Data Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ
      String: [drive]:\[path]\esebcli2.dll
4. Remove the Exchange Server 5.5 backup .dll file. This file may prevent the the Exchange 2000 .dll file from querying the Exchange 2000-based servers, especially if the backup server is not a member of the same domain as the server.
   
   The Exchange 5.5 backup .dll file is named Edbbcli.dll, and is located in the \Winnt\System32 folder. If a node named "Microsoft Exchange" is displayed on the Ntbackup backup page, then Edbbcli.dll is active. If the Exchange 2000 .dll is active, a node named "Microsoft Exchange Server" is displayed on the Ntbackup backup page.
   
   In this case, locate and rename all instances of the Edbbcli.dll file on the backup computer to Edbbcli.dll.sav, and then restart Ntbackup. After this process is successfully completed, the Microsoft Exchange node should not be listed on the backup page. Instead, either the Microsoft Exchange Server node is listed on the backup page, or the Remote Store option is displayed on the Tools menu. Note that the Microsoft Exchange Server node may not be displayed until you have successfully used the Remote Store option to query an Exchange 2000-based server.
   
   The Edbbcli.dll file (from Exchange 5.5) is automatically activated for Ntbackup if the file is present in the path or in the folder from which Ntbackup is started. The Esebcli2.dll file (from Exchange 2000) must be registered before Ntbackup can use it.
   
   NOTE: If you are running Exchange 5.5 on the same server that you are starting the backup on, Exchange 5.5 services do not start after you remove the Edbbcli.dll file from the \Winnt\System32 directory.