Exchange and Outlook UPDATE—Exchange Edition—brought to you by Exchange & Outlook Administrator, a print newsletter from Windows & .NET Magazine that contains practical advice, how-to articles, tips, and techniques to help you do your job today.
http://www.exchangeadmin.com
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY
FREE EXCHANGE GUIDE from NetIQ
http://www.netiq.com/f/form/form.asp?id=428
Esker Software
http://www.esker.com/exchange0402
(below COMMENTARY)
SPONSOR: FREE EXCHANGE GUIDE FROM NETIQ
Is your e-mail traffic growing? What routes are messages taking? Do you experience delays in e-mail delivery? Get answers now with NetIQ's free guide, "The Top Reports Every Exchange Administrator Lives For." This free guide explores ten critical indicators that leading Exchange Administrators are monitoring and explains how to put this valuable data to work.
http://www.netiq.com/f/form/form.asp?id=428
May 17, 2002—In this issue:
1. COMMENTARY
- Understanding -1018, -1019, and -1022 Database Errors
2. ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Cast Your Vote for Our Readers' Choice Awards!
- SQL Server Magazine—Get a Free Sample Issue
3. HOT RELEASES (ADVERTISEMENTS)
- FREE Directory Reporting Tool and Imanami Carabineer
4. RESOURCES
- Exchange XADM: How to Run Eseutil on a Computer Without Exchange Server
- Featured Thread: Raw Mode
5. NEW AND IMPROVED
- GFI Announces FAXmaker for Exchange 9
6. CONTACT US
- See this section for a list of ways to contact us.
1. COMMENTARY
(contributed by Jerry Cochran, News Editor, [email protected])
Exchange Server database errors are some of the most troublesome events an Exchange administrator can face. File-level damage to your Exchange database can manifest itself in errors such as the -1018, -1019, and -1022 Joint Engine Technology (JET) database errors.
First (and most common) is the infamous -1018 error. This error most often rears its ugly head during a full backup of Exchange databases. The error's Detail field shows that the -1018 is a Read Verify Error. Simply put, the database engine tried—and failed—to verify information about a particular page in the database. (When the Extensible Storage Engine—ESE—reads a page from the database, it compares the page number and the page checksum—which are located in each page's 40-byte header—and verifies that the page requested was the page returned and that the page's checksum is valid. To calculate the checksum, the ESE uses a seed value, then XORs that value with the data in the page.) The -1018 error can have many causes, which I've discussed in past commentaries. More important than the cause, however, is how you decide to recover from it.
You really have only three options. The first option is to restore the database from backup. This option is the most drastic but might be the only solution if other methods fail. The second option is to use Eseutil (which comes with Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 5.5) to attempt to repair the problem database. Be aware, however, that this method is likely to cause some data loss. (This method essentially eliminates the bad pages in the database; the severity of data loss depends on what information those pages stored.) The third option is data relocation. I prefer this option, which involves relocating mailboxes from the damaged database to a new database on the server or on another server. This option preserves data and doesn't require a complete recovery operation. To determine which mailbox (if any) the page is part of, see the Microsoft article "XADM: How to Determine Which Mailbox Owns a Particular Page in a Database". You might also find the Esefile utility (which also comes with Exchange) useful. This utility provides a complete offline scan of every page in the database. This scan can detect bad pages as well as other transient problems that a -1018 error might indicate.
The -1019 and -1022 errors are less common than but as severe as the -1018 error. A -1019 error is similar to a -1018 error but indicates that the accessed page has returned an invalid page number (usually all zeros) rather than an invalid checksum. In other words, the ESE expected the page to be in use but found that the page wasn't initialized or was empty. The -1019 error is most often the result of file-system corruption that has caused regions of the disk to be erroneously mapped into the database file.
The -1022 error is the most indicative of major hardware problems, particularly disk subsystem problems. If the database engine requests a page from disk but instead receives an error from the I/O subsystem, a -1022 error results. This error doesn't necessarily indicate database corruption but does tell you that the ESE couldn't access the Exchange database. To find the source of this error, start by looking in the System event logs and running disk diagnostics. Replace any defective hardware that you find.
The -1018, -1019, and -1022 errors are the most common errors that you'll encounter. As such, you should be familiar with each error and know how to recover Exchange databases effectively when these errors surface. For more information about the errors and how Microsoft recommends you recover from them, see the Microsoft article "XADM: Understanding and Analyzing -1018, -1019, and -1022 Exchange Database Errors".
SPONSOR: ESKER SOFTWARE
Streamline document exchange, accelerate business processes, and increase user productivity with Pulse for Fax. Pulse for Fax tightly integrates with Microsoft Exchange Server providing a single messaging platform — allowing users to send and receive faxes through their standard Outlook or Exchange client. Intelligent Pulse for Fax technologies streamline fax processing and delivery. Keep your critical documents in motion with Pulse for Fax. Request your FREE information kit today at
http://www.esker.com/exchange0402
2. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Which companies and products do you think are the best on the market? Nominate your favorites in four different categories for our annual Windows & .NET Magazine Readers' Choice Awards. You could win a T-shirt or a free Windows & .NET Magazine Super CD, just for submitting your ballot. Click here! http://www.winnetmag.com/readerschoice
We know you're trying to keep up with important topics such as Web databases, security, and XML—not to mention the basics like configuration and backup. Take action and grab a copy of SQL Server Magazine, the best resource for database administrators and developers. Get a free sample issue today! http://www.sqlmag.com/sub.cfm?code=sfap2ewu
3. HOT RELEASES (ADVERTISEMENTS)
Imanami SmartR: FREE reporting tool for Exchange 5.5 and AD. Run reports on DL's, users, owners or last modified. Reports are customizable. Creates phone list in seconds! Generate reports in CSV, XML, XLS and HTML. Download for Carabineer!
http://www.imanami.com/specials/winnet_051702.asp?p=winnet_051702
4. RESOURCES
Each week, Microsoft posts several Exchange Server how-to articles to its Knowledge Base. This week, learn how to run the Eseutil utility on a system on which Exchange isn't installed.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q244525
Posty is about to use raw mode for the first time and would appreciate any tips you might have. To offer your advice or join the discussion, go to the following URL:
http://www.exchangeadmin.com/forums/thread.cfm?cfapp=72&thread_id=104962&mc=1
5. NEW AND IMPROVED
GFI announced FAXmaker for Exchange 9, software that eliminates the need for an internal fax-user database. The product relies on Active Directory (AD) for fax-user data and lets administrators directly apply fax-related settings to users or groups. FAXmaker for Exchange is also a native fax connector for Exchange Server, letting users send and receive faxes from within Outlook. The product works with Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 5.5 and supports Windows XP clients. The product includes a Microsoft Management Console (MMC)-based interface to let administrators remotely monitor and configure the server. Pricing varies according to the number of users; a 25-user version of the software costs $750. For more information, visit GFI's Web site.
http://www.gfi.com/fex
6. CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:
- ABOUT THE COMMENTARY — [email protected]
- ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL — [email protected]
(please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)
- TECHNICAL QUESTIONS — http://www.winnetmag.net/forums
- PRODUCT NEWS — [email protected]
- QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR EXCHANGE & OUTLOOK UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION?
Customer Support — [email protected]
- WANT TO SPONSOR EXCHANGE & OUTLOOK UPDATE?
[email protected]
This email newsletter is brought to you by Exchange & Outlook
Administrator, the print newsletter with practical advice, tips, and techniques covering migration, backup and restoration, security, and much more. Subscribe today!
http://www.exchangeadmin.com/sub.cfm?code=neei23xxup
Receive the latest information about the Windows and .NET topics of your choice. Subscribe to our other FREE email newsletters.
http://www.winnetmag.net/email
