Troubleshooter--Moving Exchange Databases and Transaction Logs

How do I move my Exchange 2000 Server databases and transaction logs to a new disk without the Performance Optimizer?

In Exchange Server 5.5, the Performance Optimizer can perform this task for you; in fact, it can even perform some simple disk I/O performance testing to suggest the best location. In Exchange 2000, Microsoft made a design decision to let Exchange optimize itself, but this decision didn't extend to automatically putting the databases and logs in the best location. You can use a third-party product to move the databases and logs to their optimal location, or you can use Exchange System Manager (ESM) to move them yourself to the location you choose.

• To move the database files, open the Properties dialog box of the mailbox or public folder store you want to move, then switch to the Database tab. Note that you can move the .stm and the .edb files independently.
• To move the transaction logs, right-click the storage group (SG) that contains the logs you want to move, open its Properties dialog box, and click Browse in the Transaction Log Location.

Moving these files has some effects: When you move an .edb or .stm file, the associated database is dismounted (and remounted when the move finishes). When you move transaction log files, the entire SG becomes unavailable. In addition, moving databases or logs invalidates any existing incremental or differential backups, so make sure you take a good full backup before you perform the move (and then again afterward, just for safety's sake). . . .