How to Set or Change the Location of Storage Group Log Files

Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 will reach end of support on April 11, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Applies to: Exchange Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP3

This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Console or the Exchange Management Shell to set or change the location of storage group log files. The transaction log file location is where log files are written for the storage group. These log files record every change that is made to a database in that storage group.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

  • Exchange Server Administrator role and local Administrators group for the target server

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Important

When you change log file locations, all the associated databases in the storage group are dismounted and remounted. During this time, they are inaccessible to any user.

Procedure

To use the Exchange Management Console to set the log file location when you create a storage group

  1. Start the Exchange Management Console on the server on which the storage group is located.

  2. In the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and then click Mailbox.

  3. In the result pane, click the Mailbox server on which you want to create the storage group.

  4. In the action pane, click New Storage Group. The New Storage Group wizard appears.

  5. On the New Storage Group page, the Log files path box displays the default location where your transaction log files will be stored. Click Browse to change the default location.

    Note

    You cannot use the Exchange Management Console to change the log file location for remote Mailbox servers. To create storage groups on other Mailbox servers, use the New-StorageGroup cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell.

  6. Enter any other information in the remaining boxes as needed, and then click New to create the new storage group. For more information about creating storage groups, see How to Create a New Storage Group.

To use the Exchange Management Console to change log file locations for an existing database

  1. Start the Exchange Management Console on the server on which the storage group is located.

  2. In the console tree, expand Server Configuration, and then click Mailbox.

  3. In the result pane, click the Mailbox server that contains the storage group for which you want to change the log file location.

  4. In the work pane, click the storage group for which you want to change the log file location.

  5. In the action pane, click Move Storage Group Path. The Move Storage Group Path wizard appears.

  6. On the Introduction page, the Log files path box displays the location where your log files are currently stored. Click Browse to specify a location to which to move these files.

    Note

    You cannot use the Exchange Management Console to change the log file location for remote Mailbox servers.

  7. Click Move. A warning appears that all databases in the storage group must be temporarily dismounted, which will make them inaccessible to any user. To continue, click Yes.

  8. On the Completion page, confirm whether the log file path was changed successfully. A status of Completed indicates that the wizard completed the task successfully. A status of Failed indicates that the task was not completed. If the task fails, review the summary for an explanation, and then click Back to make any configuration changes. Click Finish to complete the Move Storage Group Path wizard.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to set the log file location when you create a storage group

  • Run the following command to create a new storage group, using the LogFolderPath parameter to set the location of the log file:

    New-StorageGroup -Name MyNewStorageGroup -Server ExchangeServer1 -LogFolderPath:"D:\Mailbox\First Storage Group" -SystemFolderPath:"D:\Mailbox\First Storage Group"
    

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see the New-StorageGroup reference topic.

To use the Exchange Management Shell to change the log file location for an existing database

  • Run the following command on the server that contains the storage group for which you want to change the log file location:

    Move-StorageGroupPath -Identity "MyStorageGroup" -LogFolderPath "D:\MyNewLogFolder"
    

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see the Move-StorageGroupPath reference topic.

For More Information

For more information about managing storage groups, see Managing Storage Groups and Databases.