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    Exchange 2003 Disaster Recovery with NtBackup

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    * 2006.03 Exchange 2003 DR with NtBackup step by step demo (PowerPoint format) download (17M)

    This was done on a single server with AD, DNS and Exchange 2003 installed

    ================ Demo 1: Backup best practices
    - Important: System State backup first, then "First Storage Group"data (separately)
    - IIS, local computer, "Backup/Restore config" --> system32\inetsrv\MetaBack folder
    - First Storage Group, deselect "circular logging"
    - Mailbox store, Limits tab, Deletion settings, "Keep deleted items" from 7 to 30, "Keep deleted mailboxes" unchanged,
      and select "Do not permanently delete mailboxes and items until the store has been backed up"

    ================ Demo 2
    2a. Recover a mistakenly deleted mailbox
    + Mailboxes, Run Clean Up Agent
    + Mailbox Recovery Center, Add Mailbox Store, select the deleted mailbox, Find Match, Reconnect

    Note: if mailbox is deleted & purged --> unavailable in "Mailbox Recovery Center" & "Recovery Storage Group" cannot connect to
     the original DB --> alternate server is needed to restore

    2b. Recover mistakenly deleted email messages
    + Create Recovery Storage Group
    + Recovery Storage Group/ Add database to Recover/This DB can be overwritten by a restore
    + Restore Exchange mailbox data using ntbackup, enter temp folder, and check "Last Restore Set", Mount, Refresh
    + Select the mailbox, Recover Mailbox Data option, Merge, Outlook will auto sync

    ============== Demo 3: Recovering a corrupted Mailbox Store (using DIAL TONE databases)
    + in First Storage Group, dismount Mailbox store
    + rename priv1.edb & stm to Corrupted.edb & stm
    + remount Mailbox store, a new & empty priv1.edb & stm (dial tone databases) will be created and linked with "Recovery Storage Group"
    + in Outlook, old messages can still be seen (due to Cached mode)
    + close and reopen Outlook, "Recovery Mode" message appears, Outlook is now empty, send a new message
    + Recovery Storage Group, dismount Mailbox store, set "overwritten" flag
    + use NtBackup to restore. Note that with "Recovery Storage Group", only Mailbox store can be recovered, not the Storage Group

    3a. Option 1: use "Recover Mailbox Data" or EXMERGE (will take hours with large DBs)

    3b. Option 2: Swap databases (to move small dial tone data to the recovered DBs)
    + dismount Mailbox store in both "First Storage Group" and "Recovery Storage Group"
    + use "Windows Explorer" to swap edb & stm files between "MDBDATA" & "Recovery Storage Group" folders, Remount
    + Outlook will auto display message asking to restart Outlook, old messages reappear, new (dial tone) message cannot be seen
    + continue with Option 1, and use EXMERGE for merge dial tone message on all mailboxes

    ============= Demo 4: Replacing an Exchange server
    + Basic installation of Windows with same version, edition, patch level on same volume & path & identical hardware
    + Restore System State (AD database will also be restored, if Exchange shares same server with DC,
      but SHORTCUTS to AD tools not restored)
    + restart, System Log will display some errors relating to Exchange services
    + run dsa.msc to open "AD Users & Computers", all users (without Mailbox properties) will be shown
    + Exchange setup /DisasterRecovery switch
    + NtBackup to restore Mailbox data

    ============= Demo 5: Alternate server recovery
    + Relatively identical hardware, different AD forest, AD+DNS+Exchange can be on a single server
    + Same settings required: Org, Admin group, Storage group, DB name, LegacyExchangeDN (AD setting)
    + Alternate server: ldifde -f recovery.ldf, open, search legacyExchangeDN text (should be the same as existing server)
    ++ do not create & use "Recovery Storage Group"
    ++ dismount Mailbox store, set "overwritten" flag
    ++ use Ntbackup to restore mailbox & log data (NOTE: AD info not selected), remount store
    ++ ADUC, no users are shown
    ++ Mailbox store, refresh. Mailboxes will be shown (but still orphan, because no associated AD users), "Run Cleanup Agent"
    ++ "Maibox Recovery Center", add "Mailbox Store", select mailbox, "Find Match" --> no result, Export, deselect "userAccountControl",
      user will be shown in ADUC, "Find Match" again successfully, Reconnect
    ++ use EXMERGE (make sure the running account have Domain Admin, Send As & RunAs permission),
      Extract/Import option, step 1 (Extract) to export data of that user to a PST file,
      copy that PST back to the production server, and use EXMERGE again to import

    END

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