UBQ000265:  Using the Exchange 2007 Recovery Storage Group

UBQ ID Number: UBQ000265

Last Modified: 2012-08-03

Summary:

When performing an Exchange restore, you have the option to restore to a Recovery Storage Group. This is a feature inside of Exchange that allows you to recover individual mailboxes.

Details:

Creating the Recovery Storage Group

The Recovery Storage Group should be created through the Database Recovery Management tool in the Toolbox, which is located In the Exchange Management Console.

  1. Open the Exchange Management Console. Click on the "Toolbox", then under "Disaster recovery tools" click on Database Recovery Management.

 

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Fig. 1 - Exchange Management Console

 

  1. Type the name of your Exchange server as well as the Domain Controller name, then click "Next" at the bottom of the screen.

 

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Fig. 2 - Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant

 

  1. From the Tasks options, choose Manage Recovery Storage Group and then click on "Create a recovery storage group."

 

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Fig. 3 - Options to create Recovery Storage Group

 

  1. Select the Storage Group that you want to restore from and click "Next."

 

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Fig. 4 - Selecting database in which to create the Recovery Storage Group

 

  1. Choose the location to create the Recovery Storage Group.

 

NOTE:UltraBac strongly recommends users keep everything in the same location.

 

 

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Fig. 5 - Enter name of the new Recovery Storage Group.

 

  1. Finish the Recovery Storage Group creation.

 

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Fig. 6 - Successful creation of the Recovery Storage Group

 

For more information on using a Recovery Storage Group, please visit the Microsoft Web site: Microsoft Technet: Recovery Storage Groups

 

Non-VSS Exchange Backup Restore to a Recovery Storage group:
  1. Create the Recovery Storage Group.
  2. Verify the database that you are trying to restore is mounted.
  3. Perform a standard Exchange Agent Restore.

 

NOTE: Information on doing a standard Exchange Agent Restore:

 

See UltraBac User Manual:  Exchange Agent

 

  1. Mount the Recovery Storage Group.
VSS Exchange Backup Restore to a Recovery Storage group:

Microsoft Exchange backup and restore API’s do not support restoring to a Recovery Storage Group. Using UltraBac you can manually restore the database and perform a soft recovery to a Recovery Storage Group.

 

  1. Create a Recovery Storage Group

  2. Perform a flat file restore of the Exchange database to the location you created the Recovery Storage Group.

 

NOTE: Information on Restoring Exchange to a "Flat File" :

 

See UltraBac User Manual:  Exchange Agent

 

  1. Open a command line and go to the location where you restored the files.

  2. Type: eseutil /r e01 /d  <path to recovery storage group>. See an example in Figure 7.

 

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Fig. 7 -  Example of a soft recovery via command line

 

  1. Mount the Recovery Storage Group.

 

More Information:

See UltraBac User Manual:  Exchange Agent

 

For more information on using a Recovery Storage Group, please visit the Microsoft Web site: Microsoft Technet: Recovery Storage Groups

 

For more information on Exchange Volume Shadow (VSS) Copy support, please visit: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd233256%28v=exchg.80%29.aspx.