I'm confused. You say that "the mails exchange is done via SMTP and POP3", so does that mean that the users were connecting to Exchange via POP? If so, then there should be no ost file, there should be a pst file. If they were connecting to Exchange via MAPI and there is in fact an ost file, then the emails will still be in the mailbox on the server as the ost file is simply an "offline" copy of the mailbox. Emails are not downloaded to the ost file and deleted from the server like they are when using POP. Is the server down hard? If not, then simply create a new Outlook profile to connect to Exchange via MAPI and get on with your day. If the server is down hard, then you will need to use a third party utility to recover the emails from the ost file.
http://www.bing.com/search?q=ost+to+pst&form=MSNH14&qs=n
Alternative answer: Forcing drive letter persistence
Although I'm definitely sticking with my first answer, I thought I'd add another approach, which you may be able to get working with some initial effort. A massive disclaimer on this though, as I've never tried it and, typically, unless you use Backup Exec in exactly the way it was intended, it usually ends in tears.
Force either via USBDLM or WMI script
Essentially, this approach requires ensuring that all of your backup USB disks are given the same drive-letter, prior to the backup job running. This might be doable using USBDLM, from http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html. Otherwise, you'd be looking at a WMI script -- either run manually or scheduled to run during the day, prior to the backup job -- to find a valid, connected USB disk by serial/model/device ID and assign its drive-letter to the fixed one of your RB2D. You may even be able to run this in a Pre-Job Command, provided the backup device is not determined prior to the pre-job run.
Background
I reckon the problems with this approach will be due to Backup Exec's numbering logic for the IMG files that end up on a (R)B2D. I expect that Backup Exec will lose track of what can be overwritten, etc. This might be avoidable if you were to perform inventory operations on the RB2D every time you used it. Again, if the pre-job command runs before the backup device is determined, you might be able to use bemcmd.exe
to run a saved Inventory job, after the drive-letter is assigned and before the backup job runs.
Sample VBScript to interface with WMI
A basic VBScript file that forces a the first partition on a disk to be mounted with a given drive-letter, based on a list of allowed Plug & Play Device IDs is as follows. It should work on anything Windows Server 2003 and upwards, but I only have XP to hand at the moment and so have not tested it myself:
Option Explicit
Const DRIVE_LETTER = "Q:"
Dim validDisks : validDisks = Array( _
"USBSTOR\\DISK&VEN_KINGSTON&PROD_DATATRAVELER_2.0&REV_PMAP\\001D0F0C73C8B91123110031&0", _
"USBSTOR\\DISK&VEN_TDKMEDIA&PROD_TF_150_DRIVE&REV_PMAP\\07AA0207B128CA8E&0", _
"pnpdeviceid_of_disk_3", _
"pnpdeviceid_of_disk_4" _
) 'REMEMBER TO ESCAPE ANY \ WITH \\
Dim wmiService : Set wmiService = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=Impersonate}!//.")
Dim wqlQuery : wqlQuery = "SELECT * FROM Win32_DiskDrive WHERE InterfaceType = 'USB' AND (PNPDeviceID = '" _
& Join(validDisks, "' OR PNPDeviceID = '") _
& "')"
Dim diskDrives : Set diskDrives = wmiService.ExecQuery(wqlQuery, , 48)
Dim diskDrive : For Each diskDrive In diskDrives
WScript.Echo "Found disk: " & diskDrive.Caption
Dim deviceID : deviceID = Replace(diskDrive.DeviceID, "\", "\\")
wqlQuery = "ASSOCIATORS OF {Win32_DiskDrive.DeviceID=""" & deviceID & """} WHERE AssocClass = Win32_DiskDriveToDiskPartition"
Dim partitions : Set partitions = wmiService.ExecQuery(wqlQuery, , 48)
Dim partition : For Each partition In partitions
WScript.Echo "Found partition: " & partition.Caption
wqlQuery = "ASSOCIATORS OF {Win32_DiskPartition.DeviceID=""" & partition.DeviceID & """} WHERE AssocClass = Win32_LogicalDiskToPartition"
Dim logicalDisks : Set logicalDisks = wmiService.ExecQuery(wqlQuery, , 48)
Dim logicalDisk : For Each logicalDisk In logicalDisks
WScript.Echo "Found logical disk: " & logicalDisk.DeviceID
If UCase(Trim(logicalDisk.DeviceID)) <> UCase(DRIVE_LETTER) Then
wqlQuery = "SELECT * FROM Win32_Volume WHERE Name = '" & logicalDisk.DeviceID & "\\'"
Dim volumes : Set volumes = wmiService.ExecQuery(wqlQuery, , 48)
Dim volume : For Each volume in volumes
WScript.Echo "Found volume: " & volume.Name
volume.DriveLetter = DRIVE_LETTER
volume.Put_
WScript.Echo "Changed USB disk drive letter to " & DRIVE_LETTER & "."
Exit For 'ONLY DO THIS TO THE FIRST ONE FOUND
Next
Else
WScript.Echo "USB disk drive letter is already " & DRIVE_LETTER & ". No change required"
End If
Exit For 'ONLY DO THIS TO THE FIRST ONE FOUND
Next
Set logicalDisks = Nothing
Exit For 'ONLY DO THIS TO THE FIRST ONE FOUND
Next
Set partitions = Nothing
Exit For 'ONLY DO THIS TO THE FIRST ONE FOUND
Next
Set diskDrives = Nothing
Set wmiService = Nothing
Good luck.
Best Answer
It's about manageability, disaster recovery, and the strategy of backing up remote branch offices. For instance, I may have a DC in Building 0 in Seattle, but I'll have 5 branches in 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. What's the best and cheapest way to back up this data? Then, how do I track these backups from a central management perspective? Also, bandwidth costs can be insane.
So OST gives you a centrally managed approach. It allows you to back up across many types of storage technologies, it allows you to reduce the cost of disk capacity and WAN bandwidth (with "WAN optimized image replication to DR sites") and overall reduces the load on your servers. It will initiate all the data movement (images are created, duplicated, deleted, how to control images that are stored and copied).
Using your typical "backup to disk" doesn't address the complications of remote branches, per se. Or I should say, doesn't address the BAD associated with backing up from remote branches. It's expensive in a variety of ways, and OpenStorage was meant to address that.
I'm also going to include a ESG Review on the product that will give you a bit of more in depth view /lab setting: link.