16 GB limit on message store

[kmulkey]

Is there any way to compact the priv1.edb? Ours has grown to 17.1 GB and no one can access their mailbox. We've been told to upgrade to Exchange 2000 enterprise version. Is that the only fix?

[lindborg]

I'm assuming you don't really have 17.1 GB of actual messages, but instead the Exchange message store has become fragmented - if you really are packing around 17 GB of messages you need to upgrade to enterprise or you need to install another standard Exchange server/mailstore and migrate some of your users over to it - there's no way to blow past the 16 GB limit for standard.

I'm betting good money if you do an offline deframentation of your mailstore it'll free up a good chunk of space. This is a multiple part process in Exchange-land:

1. folks delete messages

2. Online Exchange maint run (runs nightly) then marks that space as deleted and re-usable (white space) - this is also known as "tombstoning" - this just makes the space INSIDE of the Exchange datastores as free and re-usable. This does NOT make the physical size of the datastore any smaller. In order to compact a datastore, you'll need to run an offline compaction/defrag of a datastore. The utility to do this is called eseutil (located in winnt/system32). Basically, the steps to perform an offline compaction/defrag are as follows:

1. Make sure you have a valid backup of the datastore! You really should have this regardless but it's extra-important here since things going haywire with ESEUTIL are not unheard of.

2. Stop all necessary Exchange related services.

3. Go to a MSDOS command window and run eseutil with the necessary and correct switches/parameters

4. After offline compaction/defrag has completed, start all necessary Exchange related services.

5. Get another valid backup of the datastore.

offline compaction/defrag is exactly that - offline - meaning that Exchange is taken "offline" - no users will be able to access, no mail delivery, etc... Unity will be off line during this time as well unless you force it to come up in "UMR mode".

You'll want to read up on the command line switches/parameters for eseutil. I would suggest issuing the following command to get more information about using eseutil - eseutil /?

You'll also need enough hard disk space to copy the entire DB out and then rebuild it back (i.e. you need at least as much free space available as the mailstore is currently using). That's how it does it's reclaim process.

[kechambe]

You can also defrag to a mapped drive if you don't have the space on the local system.

This might be of use as well:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;192185

After you get this done you should setup store limits so avoid this situation again.

Thanks,

Keith

[cplatt01]

ANy idea how long that takes or any "horror" stories when do this to a mapped drive?

Unity 3.1(5) - Message store is currently 17gb

[jrezab]

Doesnt Unity come with Exchange 2000 Enterprise Edition beginning with Unity version 3.15?

Please advise.

[cplatt01]

Yes it has Exchange 2000 installed.

[Hin Lee]

One thing that has been overlooked is that the 16-gig limit is actually combined size of the Priv1.edb file and the Priv1.stm file. The Priv1.edb file by itself may be smaller than 16,383 MB.

If you decide to upgrade the Standard Edition of Microsoft Exchange Server to the Enterprise Edition of Microsoft Exchange Server, run the Setup program from the Exchange Server Enterprise Edition compact disc and click the Reinstall button.

[cplatt01]

We currently have the enterprise edition installed.