Exchange Disaster Recovery Plan – For 2016, 2013 & Below Versions

Exchange Disaster Recovery Plan At Different Level in Exchange Environment

In an Exchange Environment, Data loss can be possible at different levels. it can occur at the Server Level, Database level and even only some mailboxes can be corrupted depending on different scenarios. In this section, we try to find some Plans & Tips that can help the Administrator to recover back data from the Disaster situation. We try to divide the Recovery Issue Into 3 Levels:

Server Level Disaster Recovery
Database Level Disaster Recovery
Mailbox Level

Recovery Plans at Exchange Server Level

You can recover lost Exchange Server using /m:RecoverServer switch using a PowerShell Command. The .exe of this switch is installed in Active Directory and helps Administrators to Recover & Fix Lost Exchange Server data in Disaster scenarios.

Note: This method applicable when Exchange Server not the member of DAG (Data availability group). For DAG Member Please Visit: Repair Mailbox From Failed Exchange Server

Step by Step Guide - Exchange 2016, 2013, 2010 Disaster Recovery Plan

Step 1: First we detect the Install Location of Exchange Server, For that Search & Type ADSIEDIT.MSC or LDP.EXE in RUN.

Step 2: Navigate to CN=ExServerName,CN=Servers,CN=First Administrative Group,CN=Administrative Groups,CN=ExOrg Name,CN=Microsoft Exchange,CN=Services,CN=Configuration,DC=DomainName,CN=Com

Step 3: Hit a right-click on the Exchange Server object and click Properties

Step 4: Search the msExchInstallPath attribute as this attribute stores the present installation location.

Recover a Lost Exchange Server

a) Reset the system account for the lost server

Note: Please provide the same name as previous Exchange Server, because the recovery process will not succeed if the target Windows Server does not have the same name as lost Exchange Server

b. Now Join the Server with the Same Domain Name as the Server (Lost Server).

c. Now, install the essential prerequisites and OS components on the target server

d. In the target server, open File Explorer and hit a right-click on an Exchange ISO image file that you have downloaded, then click Mount. Here, note the letter of virtual DVD that is assigned

e. Open a Windows Command Prompt windows. For instance:

f. Press Windows + R keys together to unlock the Run wizard, enter cmd.exe

g. Hit a click on Start and in the Search box type Command Prompt then, in the results list choose Command Prompt

h. In Command Prompt wizard, run the following syntax:

<Virtual DVD drive letter>:\Setup.exe /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms /Mode:RecoverServer [/TargetDir:<Path>] [/DomainController:<ServerNameOrFQDN>] [/DoNotStartTransport] [/EnableErrorReporting]

i. Here, Exchange installation files are on drive E: to install the Exchange in the default location (%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15) then, recover the Exchange server.

Once you are done with the Setup then, keep the recovered server into Production and Reconfigure the custom settings, which were already present on the server. Eventually, restart the Server.

Recovery Plans at Database Level In Exchange Environment

Whenever the user information is lost or corrupt at Database level then it becomes a major issue. A single Exchange Database File can save hundreds of user’s mailboxes. To recover all information securely and safely without any data loss, an administrator can try the Powershell Command offered by Microsoft to fix it. A Complete Exchange Disaster Recovery Plan at the Database level is mentioned below.

After that, you have to Check Health of Recovered Database file to determine whether it is in the state of Clean Shutdown or Dirty Shutdown. In order to perform this, execute the command mentioned below:

eseutil /mh syntax:  eseutil/MH database-name.

If the Exchange Database is in a Dirty Shutdown state then, you have to take it to “Clean Shutdown”. To recover the database state to clean shutdown execute to connect Database again. To perform Soft Recovery, Administrator needs to use " / r".

C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\MBDATA> "C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\BIN\eseutil" /r E0

For Hard Recovery, use Command:

"C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\BIN\eseutil" /p mailbox01.edb

Exchange Database defragmentation rearranges the database saved under the hard disk. ESEUTIL defrags the data store and directory databases. This ESEUTIL defragmentation mode enhances the disk performance and helps users to run the server more smoothly as well as efficiently. Below is the command to defragment Exchange database:

C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\bin> Eseutil /d c:\progra~1\exchsrvr\mdbdata\priv1.edb

Priv1.edb = Mailbox Name

To run Eseutil Defragmentation on a particular database, execute the command given below:

Eseutil /d <database_name> [options]

Now, once again check if the database is in clean shutdown state via executing the following command-line:

eseutil /mh  syntax:  eseutil/MH  database-name.

Eventually, you need to reconnect the recovered mailbox to Exchange. Run below query for this:

Case 1: To restore the recovered Mailbox to a User's Mailbox, use the following command

[PS] C:\>New-MailboxRestoreRequest -SourceDatabase MB-BR-01 -SouceStoreMailbox "User's Mailbox" -TargetMailbox "User's Mailbox"

Case 2: To connect an Exchange Mailbox to a User Account

[PS] C:\>Connect-Mailbox  -Identity  "Username"  -Database  MB-H0-01  -User

After all of this, open your Exchange Server and access the recovered mailboxes simply.

Recovery Plans at Mailbox Level in Exchange Environment

To repair few mailboxes stored in EDB file to recover information, use New MailboxRepairRequest Commands to Find & Fix corruption issues. This Command helps you to fix the specific mailbox whereas doesn’t affect the working of other mailboxes. This command helps you fix corruption at folder level of the mailbox (SearchFolder, AggregateCounts, ProvisionedFolder, FolderView).

To know complete process to use the Command Please Visit: Link

The New MailboxRepairRequest command is used to recover at the Different folder levels.

Alternative Solution to Recover Exchange Database / Mailbox After Disaster Recovery Plan

To Repair Exchange Database EDB Files in an Exchange environment and recover user mailboxes, you can use an alternative solution Exchange Database Recovery Tool from SysTools. The Tool that can be used to recover back Corrupted and Damaged Mailboxes to avoid the complex manual solutions that consume time and can be lead to data loss.

Some Silent Features of Exchange Database Recovery Tool

Supports Latest & Older Versions of Exchange Database File
Repair Database with Scan Modes of the Software.
Save Data in Various File Formats & Office 365 Account Mailbox
Preview and Save Recover Data in Live Exchange Environment Mailbox again.
Supports Recovery of Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Journals, Notes etc.

Conclusion

Exchange Administrators should always have some Recovery Plan during any Disaster (Crash, Database & Mailbox Corruption). Check out Exchange Server Disaster Recovery Plan for some tips that can help with recovery. With the above section, you can follow the tips that help out at different levels such as Server, Database and Mailbox Level. With Recover Mode ( M:/recovery Setup Switch) and New Mailbox Repair requests and Eseutil Commands that helps to recover user mailboxes and set up a lost Exchange Server. To fix any corruption issues after performing Exchange Disaster Recovery Plan, try SysTools Exchange Recovery Tool, an Automated solution that can repair EDB File and recover corrupted mailboxes stored in Exchange Database File.