Hi all I have a Exchange 2003 server that fell over because the log drive ran out of spce.now, i know of circular logging but doesn't seems the correct explanation on the net as when exactly circular logging delete the logs - how will this help me guys in preventing that my log drive runs full When does circular logging delete the log files?

Take full backup .Once u take full backup all ur log will go. -bpara

Hi thanks for your reply - yes that i know The problem is the server didn't backup for 3 days and the operators who looks after the backups didn't notice it and as a result the log drive became full and dismounted the stores....so a full backup doesn't help me in this scenario .this is why i want to know how if circular logging would've helped me in this case? Will circular logging delete the log files automatically - and if so when does it delete the files?

check this article it explains it clearly http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/exchange2003/exchange2003_circular_logging.htm how to configure it http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314605/en-us cheers thiyaguThiyagu | MCTS/MCITP - Exchange 2007 | MCSE 2003[Messaging] | http://www.myExchangeWorld.com. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Please consider the risks of enabling this , before you actually enable it, especially on a mailbox server.Thiyagu | MCTS/MCITP - Exchange 2007 | MCSE 2003[Messaging] | http://www.myExchangeWorld.com. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

If you run out of space and need to remove logs, you can remove the ones you dont need to clear space. In order to enable circular logging, you have to dismount and remount the store, something you may not be able to do if the drive space is full. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/240145 How to remove Exchange Server transaction log files

Circular logging results in the log files being deleted once they are played into the store, which means that only a very few logs are retained at any point in time.Ed Crowley MVP "There are seldom good technological solutions to behavioral problems."

As Thiyagu mentioned, Its not a good idea to enable circular logging on a mailbox server. I would prefer moving the log files regularly to a different server where we have enough space till the backup issue gets fixed. Good luck Shaba

When you enable circular logging, you are only capable of restoring to your last backup. So let's say to save on drive space you enable and run into a situation where the operators once again missed the fact that your backup had not run for three days and you need to restore. You will now be in a situation where either: 1- you lose three days of mail 2- you are running utilites to try to get your database back to a consistent state which should always be the last possible alternative since there is never a guarantee what will come back. Logs are purged in 2 different ways: 1- a full or incremental backup 2- a clean shutdown of the store Database or Logs can always be moved to another location. ALWAYS leave yourself extra room somewhere. Here is a trick I was. Place a couple of large files on the log drive, say using 500mb to 1gb. If there is a backup that has not run where you may fill the drive, you can easily delete these dummy files to obtain space just to get yourself back up quickly. Nick

The only scenario that I see where temporary circular logging might make sense is when moving mailboxes to another store and you are concerned about disk space on the destination transaction log drive.

Replicating large amounts of Public Folder data also. Any time outside of normal day to day operations that may generate a large stream of data being transitioned. Keep in mind, let's say you are moving large mailboxes that are 1gb each. We're going to generate 1 gb worth of log files. Now times that by however many large mailboxes you are moving.

Microsoft does not recommend enabling this feature in a production environment. Let full backup and online maintenance remove these automatically once they have been committed to the DB.

Microsoft does not recommend enabling this feature in a production environment. Let full backup and online maintenance remove these automatically once they have been committed to the DB.

Microsoft does not recommend enabling this feature in a production environment. Let full backup and online maintenance remove these automatically once they have been committed to the DB. Thank you I will take this up with management