How many years of data are within this database of 26 users? Ok, so your choices at this point, unless mark has another suggestion is to Get a full blown version of Exchange that allows you to bypass the size limit as well as the ability to create multiple databases and migrate all the mailboxes to the new server Start pruning data, i.e. Archive older data to PST (not the best idea to put data into PST's IMO but at this point it may be the best option, but that said you need to consider PST size limits as well) you can also empty all the deleted items folders and then temporarily lower your deleted item retention to 0 and force the online maintenance to run constantly to speed up the process of getting a new 1221 with hopefully enough space to put you in a happy place, but that's allot of data. Another option would be to take the DB offline to force all logs to commit, copy the database to a safe location and then do a dial tone which will in short make you a fresh clean database without any data and then you can use the RSG to recover data within a date range back into the new database or use a 3rd party product like Lucid8's DigiScope http://www.lucid8.com/product/digiscope.asp However, when doing a dial tone consider A: that users will be able to immediately send and receive new data but will not have immediate access to the historical data until you recover data from the offline copy of the 95GB database into the production server and of course a certain amount will need to be exported to PST's as well B: If you are running in cache mode in Outlook when the users attempt to reconnect it will tell you that there is a mismatch between the offline OST and the Exchange database and allow you to connect to the offline OST or the server. As a precaution I would suggest that users connect to the OFFLINE OST first and then have them Export the data to PST so that they have a secondary backup of their data readily available and really you can do this right after taking the database offline. NOTE: while this will give your users immediate access to the historical data you need to ensure they don't start importing all the data back into the new live DB when you bring it up else you will just be going in circles. :-( Another option would be to implement an email archive system so that all mail older then nn would be archive off to another system. Regardless of the method you use you are going to need to have a discussion with your users in terms of the amount of data you can keep online vs offline and how you are going to manage that. Troy Werelius www.Lucid8.com Search, Recover, & Extract Mailboxes, Folders, & Email Items from Offline EDB's and Live Exchange Servers with Lucid8's DigiScope

Yup, no amount of defragging is going to help. Follow Troys advice. You will be deleting a ton of email, either delete proper or a migration to PST file of old information. Delete old mailboxes you dont need. Now, since you are 20GB over the top there isnt a big problem because Exchange takes the event 1221 number and subtracts it from the total of the EDB + STM calculation. However, you might be experiencing backup window problems. Since youre using a very old version of Exchange you might well only have an old tape backup or something so 20GB extra space might take a long time. This is the only case where I would justify an offline defrag. "Matt_Davies" wrote in message news:aa929ae6-44ee-4d80-8986-cd748a7ab6ec... 95Gb is the combined size, and thanks for the quick reply :-) Mark Arnold, Exchange MVP.

We are currently running SBS2003 SP2 with Exchange Server 2007. We have 26 users all using Office 2010 and sending lots of emails a day. The mailbox dismounts itself every day as expected, I switch it back on so we can work, and we plan to do an offline defrag soon. however, the online defrag report from the event 1221 says that "The database "First Storage Group\Mailbox Store (MAILSERVER)" has 54 megabytes of free space after online defragmentation has terminated." What am I supposed to do now? Any suggestions are welcome, Thanks, Matt

Nope, you dont plan to do an offline defrag at all. 54MB free makes it totally pointless. If your store is dismounting all the time I will go out on a limb and wonder if the total size of the EDB and the STM file is close to 75GB. Is that right? Add the two together and tell us what that number is. If its nowhere near 75GB theres a different problem that we need to get to the bottom of. "Matt_Davies" wrote in message news:d8e82857-cb3d-4f6c-ac50-fecf07b5b2d0... We are currently running SBS2003 SP2 with Exchange Server 2007. We have 26 users all using Office 2010 and sending lots of emails a day. The mailbox dismounts itself every day as expected, I switch it back on so we can work, and we plan to do an offline defrag soon. however, the online defrag report from the event 1221 says that "The database "First Storage Group\Mailbox Store (MAILSERVER)" has 54 megabytes of free space after online defragmentation has terminated." What am I supposed to do now? Any suggestions are welcome, Thanks, Matt Mark Arnold, Exchange MVP.

Mark is correct and if the database is 95GB then you need to consider pruning off some data, i.e. perhaps people are using the deleted items folder as a filing cabinet of sorts? Or perhaps some older data can be exported/archived to off to PST? Troy Werelius www.Lucid8.com Search, Recover, & Extract Mailboxes, Folders, & Email Items from Offline EDB's and Live Exchange Servers with Lucid8's DigiScope

95Gb is the combined size, and thanks for the quick reply :-)

This is an SBS server correct?Troy Werelius www.Lucid8.com Search, Recover, & Extract Mailboxes, Folders, & Email Items from Offline EDB's and Live Exchange Servers with Lucid8's DigiScope

Yes, SBS 2003 Sp2. not the R2 version

How many years of data are within this database of 26 users? Ok, so your choices at this point, unless mark has another suggestion is to Get a full blown version of Exchange that allows you to bypass the size limit as well as the ability to create multiple databases and migrate all the mailboxes to the new server Start pruning data, i.e. Archive older data to PST (not the best idea to put data into PST's IMO but at this point it may be the best option, but that said you need to consider PST size limits as well) you can also empty all the deleted items folders and then temporarily lower your deleted item retention to 0 and force the online maintenance to run constantly to speed up the process of getting a new 1221 with hopefully enough space to put you in a happy place, but that's allot of data. Another option would be to take the DB offline to force all logs to commit, copy the database to a safe location and then do a dial tone which will in short make you a fresh clean database without any data and then you can use the RSG to recover data within a date range back into the new database or use a 3rd party product like Lucid8's DigiScope http://www.lucid8.com/product/digiscope.asp However, when doing a dial tone consider A: that users will be able to immediately send and receive new data but will not have immediate access to the historical data until you recover data from the offline copy of the 95GB database into the production server and of course a certain amount will need to be exported to PST's as well B: If you are running in cache mode in Outlook when the users attempt to reconnect it will tell you that there is a mismatch between the offline OST and the Exchange database and allow you to connect to the offline OST or the server. As a precaution I would suggest that users connect to the OFFLINE OST first and then have them Export the data to PST so that they have a secondary backup of their data readily available and really you can do this right after taking the database offline. NOTE: while this will give your users immediate access to the historical data you need to ensure they don't start importing all the data back into the new live DB when you bring it up else you will just be going in circles. :-( Another option would be to implement an email archive system so that all mail older then nn would be archive off to another system. Regardless of the method you use you are going to need to have a discussion with your users in terms of the amount of data you can keep online vs offline and how you are going to manage that. Troy Werelius www.Lucid8.com Search, Recover, & Extract Mailboxes, Folders, & Email Items from Offline EDB's and Live Exchange Servers with Lucid8's DigiScope

Yup, no amount of defragging is going to help. Follow Troys advice. You will be deleting a ton of email, either delete proper or a migration to PST file of old information. Delete old mailboxes you dont need. Now, since you are 20GB over the top there isnt a big problem because Exchange takes the event 1221 number and subtracts it from the total of the EDB + STM calculation. However, you might be experiencing backup window problems. Since youre using a very old version of Exchange you might well only have an old tape backup or something so 20GB extra space might take a long time. This is the only case where I would justify an offline defrag. "Matt_Davies" wrote in message news:aa929ae6-44ee-4d80-8986-cd748a7ab6ec... 95Gb is the combined size, and thanks for the quick reply :-) Mark Arnold, Exchange MVP.