How to prevent Exchange 2000/2003/2007 transaction logs from completely filling up the disk.
Exchange logs should always be cleared through the recommended procedure of performing a full, Exchange-aware backup. However, if backups fail to clear the logs or other circumstances cause an accumulation of log files to the extent that it files the disk partition, Exchange service can no longer function and Exchange Stores will dismount. In this scenario, it is sometimes difficult to bring the stores back online, as log files should never be removed manually. To prevent this problem the following procedure is recommended. For this procedure you must have access to a Microsoft SQL server. Using a Microsoft SQL Server create a new database called "ExchangeBufferFile" with an initial file size of 1GB. Detach the database, then locate the database file and copy the ExchangeBufferFile.mdf to the Exchange Server's transaction log partition. Once the file is there, delete the database from the SQL server. This will remove the database from the SQL administration tool view, as well as remove the data file and related logs from the SQL server. In the above scenario, where the log partition fills up completely and shuts down Exchange services, you can delete the Exchange Buffer File and mount the stores to restore service for the end-users. This will also provide additional time to clear Exchange logs through recommended practices as needed.
March 13th, 2009 7:25pm

Haha, this is an "interesting" approach! I suppose along these lines, an even easier approach would be to copy the Exchange installation directory into the log folder and then simply delete it when you get to capacity!Seriously though, this is much more intelligently accomplished by deleting the committed log files manually, which CAN be done safely as described here:How to remove Exchange Server transaction log files (2000/2003)http://support.microsoft.com/kb/240145Insufficient Free Space Remaining on Transaction Log Drive (2007) http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb219028.aspx Mike Crowley: MCT, MCSE, MCTS, MCITP: Enterprise Administrator / Messaging Administrator
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March 15th, 2009 2:56am

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