Exchange restore, lost DIR.EDB..... HELP :)

[ratbs75]

Hello,

following,

I've reinstalled by scratch (don't laugh) NT4, applied sp6, installed Exchange Server5.5, applied SP4 and gave all the same name and same install procedure as the system was running before (same user, same pass, same domain, same server, same org names, ....)

Now following:

I could get back PRIV.EDB and PUB.EDB. Also I've got DIR.EDB, but I can't get it running. What I tried:

eseutil to the priv pub and dir file (eseutil /p /....)
after that, i can't launch the DS service, to run isinteg -patch. So i deleted the dir.edb and put back the empty one (from the scratch installation).
Now after a eseutil /P /DS, and a successful start of the DS service, i could run isinteg -patch. All service could be started.

Bad surprise:
all mail boxes are gone, BUT, in the IS infos, I see all users with number of items and place it takes, but NONE related the mailboxes (which are all gone btw, it's all empty).

How do i re-populate the DIR.edb file with the actual existing priv and pub files? (so for recreation of each box+data), as the older DIR.EDB file won't work.....?

man,y thnx in advance

cheers

 

[zbnet]

The older dir.edb file should work, so long as before you restore it you remove the empty dir.edb, the chk checkpoint file, and the edg*.log files associated with it.

Have you read the link mentioned in faq10-6004 ??

 

[ratbs75]

well, thnx for the answer, but i did this. I found a few kind of procedures, but none worked. Anyway, i just found something.

I get rid of the DIR.EDB file and replaced it with the original delivered when installing. All services started agin, then under Msexchange I went into the CONSISTENY ADJUSTER.....i checked SYNCHRONZIE WITH...... for both, private and public. (and this for ALL inconsistencies)

Now following: i got all boxes back (thank god!), BUT, all users, are NOT able to open or delete files from within a last certain period (some 1 week, some 2 weeks.) Older mails no problems... when it tries to open one of these newer messages, it says removed or wrong access rights.... what to do now???

There is another option in the consistency adjuster, "remove unknow user accounts form mailboxes permissions". Not sure what this may do, should i run it once too?

tia!!

cheers

 

[zbnet]

The consistency adjuster (in this mode) simply compares the directory with the priv.edb, and makes sure each mailbox has an entry in both structures - any mailboxes thatare missing from one or the other have the relevant bit created. Any mailboxes missing from the dir but present in the database will get a stub mailbox created, none of the extra userattributes are populates. Any mailboxes in the dir but not the database have an empty mailbox created in the directory.

I'm not sure why your users cannot access recent mail, it sounds like a change occured sometime on your system recently. This highlights the need to ensure that your daily full exchange online backups are working correctly.

 

[ratbs75]

well the backup works, with the basic NT Backup... that's where i got the files from... i just can't understand WHY mails up to the last 2-3 weeks are NOT working, on the users mailsbox under outlook, they simply can' open those last few massages (neither deletable)...

lost

tia
cheers