subject: How To Increase Exchange 2000 Database Size? [print this page] Size limit is a huge problem in MS Exchange Server. Whenever maximum size limit exceeds MS Exchange 2000 Server automatically shuts down and doesnt even restart.
This nasty behavior prevents an Exchange Server 2000 Standard Edition Information Store database from trying to insert more data into the database file than it was designed to hold. As a result all the existing data remains inaccessible. There is a fear of corruption due to this and user ends up with corrupt, damaged .edb database file and existing email items.
Repeatedly, you experience this behavior when you are running MS Exchange 2000 Server Standard Edition. Exchange 2000 Server Standard Edition limits the database size to 16 GB.
Furthermore, the following event IDs may be logged in the Application event log:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: MSExchangeIS
Event Category: General
Event ID: 1112
Description: The database Mailbox Store (Server Name) has reached the maximum allowed size. Attempting to unmount the database.
Event Type: Warning
Event Source: ESE
Event Category: Space Management
Event ID: 445
Description: Information Store (3160) the database priv1.edb has reached its maximum size of 16383 MB. If the database cannot be restarted, an offline defragmentation may be performed to reduce its size.
Although the description for event ID 445 states that the Priv1.edb file has crossed the maximum size limit of 16 GB or 16,383 MB to be precised, but this might not be true in all cases. Event ID 445 is triggered if the combined size of the Priv1.edb file and the Priv1.stm file reaches 16,383 MB. The Priv1.edb file by itself may be smaller than 16,383 MB.
The 16-GB size limit for the Exchange private mailbox store database and the 16-GB size limit for the Exchange public mailbox store database is the sum of the size of both the Priv.edb and the Priv.stm files. When you view the space that a mailbox uses in Exchange System Manager, the amount only includes the space that is used by the Priv.edb file. The amount does not include the space that the Priv.stm file uses.
When you put a limit on a mailbox, you only limit the storage in the Priv.edb file. You do not limit the storage in the Priv.stm file. For example, a mailbox may appear to use only 250 MB of space in Exchange System Manager. However, the total space that the mailbox uses may be 450 MB. This difference occurs because the 200 MB of space that the Priv.stm file uses does not appear in Exchange System Manager.
Following steps could be taken by the administrator to resolve this size issue:
Temporarily increase the database size limit by 1 GB.
Selectively remove unnecessary database content.
Defragment the database to reduce the database to a level that is in the defined boundaries of the database size.
If still you are not able to access the Exchange Server database file .edb, then use Exchange Database Recovery software to rescue emails from EDB file. Exchange Database Recovery software repairs large database files of MS Exchange Server easily.
