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I have been archiving mailboxes on our Exchange 2010 server and subsequently deleting large numbers of messages from nearly all mailboxes by setting retention periods on them. I would like to know how much of the database is now just whitespace so that I can gauge how much space will be freed up by defragging it using ESEUTIL.

So, I run:

Get-MailboxDatabase -Status | ft Name,DatabaseSize,AvailableNewMailboxSpace

But the columns that are returned for both DatabaseSize and AvailableNewMailboxSpace are blank.

I have tried specifying the database using the "-Identity" parameter, but the result is the same.

Am I omitting something necessary?

masegaloeh
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mblasco
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  • What happens if you just run `Get-MailboxDatabase -Status | fl` ? Also, are you trying to defrag because you are out of space on your drives? Exchange 2010 includes online 24x7 defragging already, but that won't clear white space. – HostBits Nov 20 '13 at 22:18

2 Answers2

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The command should work...instead of | ft try changing just that part to | select and keep everything else.

Technically MS doesn't think you should do an ESEUTIL defrag anymore, even though they also say that in order to truly get the whitespace you have to dismount the database and run ESEUTIL /MS.

You can read more here: http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2011/12/14/database-maintenance-in-exchange-2010.aspx

EDIT: another Technet link about checking whitespace that refers back to the above blog post: http://blogs.technet.com/b/rmilne/archive/2013/08/20/how-to-check-database-white-space-in-exchange.aspx and is much more recent.

Bottom line: like Cheekaleak says, unless you are hurting for space you don't need to be concerned with consolidating the whitespace back into free disk space.

TheCleaner
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Get-MailboxDatabase -status | Select name,whencreated,DatabaseSize,AvailableNewMailboxSpace | export-csv e:\dbinfo3.csv -notypeinformation

dakineintx
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