Moving Exchange Mailboxes to another drive on the server

[timbo343]

Hey

I was wondering if it was possible to move mailboxes already setup on an exchange server to a different drive as the guy before me set the mailboxes up on C: instead of D: leaving D: with only 500 mb of space for emails. Also how is it done?

Thanks

Tim

[cheesypete]

Not at my Exchange server at the moment, but i think if you run the Exchange Optimiser from the START | Microsoft Exchange menu, the wizard allows you to change the locations of certain parts of exchange and i think (may be wrong here) mailboxes is one of them

Feel free to berate me if i am wrong!

[NetworkGeezer]

Yeah you can do this via system manager, on Exchange 2003 at least.
Right on the relevant mailbox store and on the properties dialog click on the database tab. Next to the private and streaming database locations there is a browse button. Click on these and naviagate to the desire location. When you click on save the Exchange will start the move.

The process will dismount the mailbox store so obviously do it when no one else is on

and remeber to take a full backup before hand

[timbo343]

the database files are on a different drive to the c:\ but yet the space left on C:\ keeps dropping. Am confused.

[Norphy]

It's not just the database you need to think about, it's the transaction log files too. Our log files are taking up a shade over a gigabyte of space atm. To find out where yours are, get the properties of the storage group your Exchange server is in.

[timbo343]

got them, they too are on D:\ both the transaction log and the system path and arent really that big, we are only talking about 5mb.
The server isnt running many programs either, here is a list of what it is running:
Adobe reader 6
Exchange loadsim 2003
Java
MS .net frame work 1 and 2
MS Exchange
POwerchute
Sophos (latest Version)
Veritas backup exec remote agent
IE7
Windows Support tools

That is it. I can only think it is sophos or the automatic updates taking the majority of the space :S

[steve]

I can only think it is sophos or the automatic updates taking the majority of the space :S

Are you using Puremessage?

There is a known issue, available on the sophos support site

I created a simple batch file (below) which is scheduled to delete the excess files each night.

cd C:\Program Files\Sophos\AutoUpdate\data\warehouse
del *.* /q

[timbo343]

am not using puremessage, am only using AV

[steve]

Try grabbing a copy of Treesize Free and seeing just where the space is being eaten up.

[Ric_]

also check that you aren't indexing the drive... i accidentally did this and you end up using rather a lot of disk space!!!

[timbo343]

thanks steve, nice little piece of software will try that out 2morrow. I take it, it is ok to delete files in the Temp directory?

[adent]

I'd also check your log files. If the server has been installed a while these can build up - especially the IIS logs.

[timbo343]

Its ok. Steve's little program was great, ive got a bit more space left on the c:\ and the mailboxes are on the other drive. Thanks for all the help

[-Jim]

sorry to resurrect an old thread.

If I change the location of the 2 databases from C: to D: will the users notice anything when they come in the next morning and open up Outlook to check their email? Will cache-mode users have any problems?

I assume once I change the locations, I need to restart IIS?

[IanT]

I would suggest u stop the exchange services and then move the database then start them backup, make sure you mount the database though.

just move the logs and .edb\.stm database files to another drive - I've done it before