Disaster Recovery with Microsoft Exchange Server

The Yosemite Server Backup Agent for Microsoft Exchange lets you work with databases instead of individual information stores. Each storage group is identified as a single object, which you can back up and restore.

To recover from a disaster, first perform a general system-level disaster recovery to restore the basic system. For more information, see Disaster Recovery. Then perform the following steps.

System-level Disaster Recovery

A Microsoft Exchange Server requires the Windows Active Directory to be restored. Microsoft recommends restoring the entire Windows Active Directory system state. Follow the steps below to restore the Windows Active Directory.

To restore Windows Active Directory

1. When Windows restarts the first time after the recovery, the Starting Windows screen appears during startup. Press F8.
2. Select Directory Services Restore Mode, and then press Enter. 
3. Log in to the system and start Yosemite Server Backup.
4. Create a restore job, and select Active Directory Database for the restore job from the list on the Selection page.
5. Run the restore job.
6. Exit Yosemite Server Backup.

Prepare to Restore the Microsoft Exchange Server

You must dismount the data store for each storage group that you want to restore before you can restore it.

To dismount the data store and delete log files for each storage group:

1. Restart the computer, letting Windows load normally.
2. Verify that the various Microsoft Exchange services are loaded and running.
3. From the Windows Start menu, select Microsoft Exchange, System Manager. 
4. For each storage group to be restored, dismount and change the properties for each store with a storage group:
   1. Right-click the store within the storage group. A pop-up menu appears.
   2. Select Properties. The Properties screen appears.
   3. Select the Database tab, and click  This database can be overwritten by a restore. 
   4. Click OK. 
   5. Right-click the store again. A pop-up menu appears.
   6. Select Dismount Store, if the option is available, and click Yes to confirm. The store is dismounted, which means it can be restored.
5. Exit the System Manager.
6. Access the Exchange Server subdirectory on the computer, for example, c:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\mdbdata.

7. Delete all storage group and log files associated with each storage group to be restored.
   

   Do not delete the actual subdirectory.

    

8. If you do not have a default installation, use the Exchange system manager to locate the following files and then delete them:
   1. Log file (.LOG) for each storage group.
   2. Exchange database (.EDB) for each store in the storage group.
   3. Exchange streaming database (.STM) for each store in the storage group.

Restore the Microsoft Exchange MTA Database

You need to restore the Microsoft Exchange Message Transfer Agent (MTA) database before you start the MTA.

To restore the Microsoft Exchange MTA (Message Transfer Agent) database:

1. Access Yosemite Server Backup, and create a restore job.
2. Click the Microsoft Exchange Server in the Folders panel to display the MTA database.
3. Select Queued Messages (MTA) from the list in the Name column to the right of the Folders panel.
4. Run the restore job, and then exit Yosemite Server Backup.

To start the MTA service:

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage. The Computer Management screen displays.
2. Expand the Services and Applications folder.
3. Scroll down and right-click Microsoft Exchange MTA Stacks, and then click Start.
4. Close the Computer Management screen.

Restore Microsoft Exchange Databases

You need to restore Microsoft Exchange databases for each storage group that you restored and then mount the databases for each storage group.

To restore the appropriate Exchange databases:

1. Access Yosemite Server Backup, and create a restore job.
2. Click the Microsoft Exchange Server in the Folders panel to display the storage groups.
3. Select the storage groups you want to include in the restore job from the list in the Name column to the right of the Folders panel.
4. Run the restore job, and then exit Yosemite Server Backup.

To mount the Exchange databases for each restored storage group:

1. From the Start menu, select Microsoft Exchange, System Manager.
2. Right-click the database within the storage group, and click Mount. The system mounts the database.
3. Click OK. 
4. Exit the System Manager.