How to restore to a fresh server an Exchange database?

[Starriol]

Hi guys. I want to restore an Exchange server's backup I made directly to disk using NTbackup.

I didn't do a system state backup, so I don't have the AD users in the fresh Windows 2003 installation.
Excuse my ignorance, but if I restore Exchange's backup, will it work? I mean, will I recover the users with their associated exchange objects without doing a system restore?

What I want to do is to test the integrity of the backup. I do not want to make it part of my production network and don't want to create any conflicts with the running servers, so I installed Win 2003 & Exchange on a virtual machine.

I encountered a problem.
When telling NTbackup the backup's destination, it didn't recognize the Exchange services. It said "The specified computer is not a Microsoft Exchange server or its Microsoft Exchange services are not started exchange 2003".

Thanks in advance for the assistance.

 

[tcamp]

With a system state this would be easy, but without you'll need to attach this server to the network as a BDC.

Install and configure exchange as you would on a new exchange server, make sure the AD has replicated and then do your restore. You should be ok.

 

[:LJ:]

OK, first off - make a backup copy of your old exchange .edb files (priv1.edb, and something else...I can never remember). Then, copy them in over the top of the .edb files which were created by your new Exchange installation (probably worth backing those up first, too - just for the hell of it).

Then, you need to go here:

http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/exchange2003/exchange2003_eseutil.htm

Use the /mh option first, to see if it can tell you the problem (we already know the problem - you have a database in a dirty shutdown state). Then use the /r option to repair it, and try firing up the Exchange service. If all's gone well, you should be able to see the old mailboxes with some very unfriendly names - you'll probably have to create some new accounts, and then map the old mailboxes to the new accounts in the Exchange System Manager.

If that didn't work, shutdown Exchange and go back to the command prompt. This time, you'll have to use the /p switch, but it's possible that it can delete portions of your database due to the way it does its error correction (it checks in 4KB chunks, and discards chunks which are inconsistent - if it can't read enough of a given page, it'll discard the whole page). Be aware that it can take a very, very long time to complete.

Also bear in mind that it's over a year since I've had to do this, so my memory's a bit rusty - hopefully I've given you a good starting point, though.

 

[tcamp]

He wants to restore from a backup, right? You're not trying to repair a corrupt database, are you? The backup isn't corrupt, is it?

I've never needed to use the eseutil in a real world environment, but from what I remember it's for repairing the database.

*shrug* I could certainly be wrong. Not my area of greatest expertise.

 

[Starriol]

No, my server is running ok now (KNOW ON WOOD!!! ).

I just wanna understand how to restore & also test the tapes.

So... in order to restore this, I need to first restore a system state on the server and then, exchange?

Is there a way 100% sure I won't mess up my working servers by adding a working clone of one of them, besides disconnecting the network cable?

 

[tcamp]

I've never tried to do it in the circumstances you are. Every time I've needed to restore an exchange server I've had a system state and a good exchange backup, and I was restoring it to a production environment so the server could keep the same name and I wasn't worrying about messing with other exchange servers on the network.

 

[:LJ:]

He wants to restore from a backup, right? You're not trying to repair a corrupt database, are you? The backup isn't corrupt, is it?

I've never needed to use the eseutil in a real world environment, but from what I remember it's for repairing the database.

*shrug* I could certainly be wrong. Not my area of greatest expertise.

He was restoring from NTBackup, meaning that he'd just backed up the data files themselves rather than a full system state backup - Exchange doesn't like that very much, so you end up with all sorts of problems as a result. I've been there myself - broken Exchange server, backups won't restore because Exchange doesn't like file-based backups, so end up trying to repair the backup itself. This is why I use Linux-based workgroup servers wherever I can (yay for Zimbra).