Broken Exchange server

[dmcowen674]

Have a Exchange server 2000 that ran out of hard drive space. Someone cleaned out space and now the E-mails get in the server but do not get out.

Clients send mail and even go into sent box but never make it out of the Exchange server. The exchange server is not sending any E-mails to the clients.

Checked connectivity, all machines are able to ping each other.

 

[loup garou]

If you right click on a message in the queue and go to properties, what is the queue status?

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: werk
If you right click on a message in the queue and go to properties, what is the queue status?

Says "Frozen"

but nothing to "unfreeze" the queue.

 

[loup garou]

In exchange system manager, expand Admin Groups, servers, the server you're working on, protocols, smtp, the virtual server you're working on, queues, right click the queue you're having problems with, select unfreeze all messages. If it's greyed out, this could be a DNS problem, although I doubt it will be because it coincided with another event (disk cleanup).

BTW, they can still receive mail right? And are they having problems sending internal mail and external mail?

 

[Saltin]

Did the Server run out of space because your Transaction logs filled up all available space? This will happen if you don't back up the Information store regularly (i.e. the only way to comit the transaction logs to the DB is via a backup).

So if the person who cleaned up the server decided to delete the transaction logs, he's pooched the Server. The T logs are just as important as the Database itself.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: werk
In exchange system manager, expand Admin Groups, servers, the server you're working on, protocols, smtp, the virtual server you're working on, queues, right click the queue you're having problems with, select unfreeze all messages. If it's greyed out, this could be a DNS problem, although I doubt it will be.

BTW, they can still receive mail right? And are they having problems sending internal mail and external mail?

It is greyed out.

No they cannot receive mail. Internal mail leaves Client Outbox, goes to server and then goes nowhere.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Saltin
Did the Server run out of space because your Transaction logs filled up all available space? This will happen if you don't back up the Information store regularly (i.e. the only way to comit the transaction logs to the DB is via a backup).

So if the person who cleaned up the server decided to delete the transaction logs, he's pooched the Server. The T logs are just as important as the Database itself.

Yikes...I hope they didn't delete them, for dmcowen's sake. Anyways, if they did because they were large, for future knowledge, dmcowen, make sure if you're using a file-level virus scanner on the server that it is NOT scanning the M: Drive, that will cause the log files to be huge as well as many, many other problems.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Saltin
Did the Server run out of space because your Transaction logs filled up all available space? This will happen if you don't back up the Information store regularly (i.e. the only way to comit the transaction logs to the DB is via a backup).

So if the person who cleaned up the server decided to delete the transaction logs, he's pooched the Server. The T logs are just as important as the Database itself.

Yes, the Server ran out of disk drive space. They fired their IT guy 2 weeks ago, so there was no one to do backups.

They had a friend come in and make hard drive space. I didn't see how he cleaned the drive up.

Pooched the server as in having to re-load and start configuration all over???

 

[Saltin]

No, you wouldnt have to reload Exchange, but if he did delete all the Transaction logs, everybody's mail is toast, and you'd have to restore from backup. The server will be fine, but the database that stores everyones mail is shot.

The best way to check is to dismount, and then remount the stores (if they are mounted at all). If they arent mounted, and they won't remount, he definetly erased the Transaction logs.

I can see how someone who wasnt too familiar with Exchange might do that. The transaction logs are just 5 MB .log files that look like .txt files. They look safe enough to delete... but they arent.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Saltin
No, you wouldnt have to reload Exchange, but if he did delete all the Transaction logs, everybody's mail is toast, and you'd have to restore from backup. The server will be fine, but the database that stores everyones mail is shot.

The best way to check is to dismount, and then remount the stores (if they are mounted at all). If they arent mounted, and they won't remount, he definetly erased the Transaction logs.

I can see how someone who wasnt too familiar with Exchange might do that. The transaction logs are just 5 MB .log files that look like .txt files. They look safe enough to delete... but they arent.

I suspect this is what the guy did too.

I never went on site. The guy called me out of the blue, said he saw my Resume on the Internet. The Company is legit as they are featured on the Weather Channel which the Office and Studio is local here in Atlanta. I didn't want to drive down there though, the traffic at Perimeter Center is absolute Gridlock now.

Hopefully they found someone closer to them more familar with Exchange Server when it goes down. I set up a couple of Exchange Servers but one was when it first came out and last time I worked on an Exchange Server was 3 years ago. I am rusty to say the least.

Thanks guys.