I have an Exchange 2010 RTM server. 1 cas/hub transport server and 1 database server. Our database is approaching 300 Gig. I started moving mailboxes to a separate database to reduce the initial size. All of the mailbox moves have completed successfully. What I don't understand is that the original database has not reduced in size. It is showing 46 Gig free space or AvailableNewMailboxSpace. I thought that nightly maiantenance would reclaim this space and truncate the log files volume. Since the move the log files volume tripled in size. Do I need to continue moving mailboxes to separate databases to clean this up? How do I get the lof files volume to reduce in size? Thanks, Jeff

The only way that the logs are going to truncate is if you peform a full backup of the database (or enable circular logging). The only way that you are going to reclaim whitespace in the DB is to perform an offline defrag. This will require that the database is dismounted during the defrag. Tim Harrington | MVP: Exchange | MCITP: EMA 2007/2010, MCITP: Server 2008, MCTS: OCS | Blog: http://HowDoUC.blogspot.com | Twitter: @twharrington

Tim, Thanks, I can do the full backup to truncate the logs. But I did not believe that an offline defrag was necessary in Exchange 2010. I understood that the 24x7 defrag and nightly maintenance would take care of that. Anyway, I cannot take that volume offline. Would a better approach be for me to continue migrating mailboxes to smaller databases, then eliminate the original database once it is empty? I can adjust for the additional disk space and run full backups as needed to truncate the log files. Thanks, Jeff

Moving mailboxes to a new DB and deleting the original DB is the preferred guidance in lieu or offline defrags. James Chong MCITP | EA | EMA; MCSE | M+, S+ Security+, Project+, ITIL msexchangetips.blogspot.com

Ok, thanks that is what I will do. Jeff