Recovering from Priv1.edb and Pub1.edb

[PaulGillespie]

I'm dealing with an exchange recovery right now where the state of the backups are dubious.

I have access to the priv1.edb, priv1.stm, pub1.edb and pub1.stm files.

I'f i install a new exchange server and then stop all the exchange services, can i replace the new edb and stm files with the old ones with data in them?

If this can work, what should i expect to happen after that? do i have to exmerge the mailboxes, reconnect to user accounts or what?

Hopefully someone will know then answer and save me a lot of time and stress!

Thanks
Paul.

 

[llevon]

Hi Paul,

You should try perfoming a normal Disaster Recovery of the server i.e. Build server with same name, join to domain (NB you can reset the account in the domain in ADUC rather than delete it). Install exchange using the /disaster recovery switch and then the service pack with the /disaster recovery switch (SP should be to the same level as the original server.

Read through the following useful article

http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials...er-Server-Using-Disaster-Recovery-Switch.html

In a worse case scenario where you just can't restore the database or fix it using the ESEUTIL utility the there are third party tools like ontracks powertools that can read direct from an .edb file and extract your mail for you even if the database file itself is corrupt.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[xmsre]

DO have have the logs and check point files as well? If so, it shouldn't be to hard to do a /disasterrecovery install.

If you don't, you'll probably want to do the /disasterrecovery install and mount blank databases, then use a 3rd party tool like Ontrack power controls to import the mail from the files to your new databases. This is essentially a dialtone process, the third party tools just make the process much easier.

 

[Zelandakh]

Or Aelita from Quest.

 

[PaulGillespie]

Thanks for replying guys. The situation has changed slightly. let me fill you in.

We had a sbs2003 and an additional DC. we had to run the MS transition pack to remove the SBS limits. We did this and it left the sbs in an unuseable state. No problem i thought, i have a ghost image of the C and a full NT backup.

Ghost image failed,
NT backup restored but the server would not boot. We tried a few times. During these attempts the D and E drives were availible to the fresh install of server 2003 and the exchange files were visible.

We have now got the ghost image to boot and have recovered the server. The only problem is that the exchange stores will not start.
we get:

Information Store (5636) First Storage Group: Database recovery failed with error -1216 because it encountered references to a database, 'D:\Exchsrvr\MDBDATA\priv1.edb', which is no longer present. The database was not brought to a Clean Shutdown state before it was removed (or possibly moved or renamed). The database engine will not permit recovery to complete for this instance until the missing database is re-instated. If the database is truly no longer available and no longer required, procedures for recovering from this error are available in the Microsoft Knowledge Base or by following the "more information" link at the bottom of this message.

the files are definately there and i ran an eseutil /mh and it says the state is "clean shutdown".

Any ideas?

Thanks, Paul

 

[Zelandakh]

The edb file is in that exact directory? Can you access ESM and see where it thinks the database should be?

 

[xmsre]

Or check the objects in ad. The attribute of the Storage group, MSexchESEParamLogFIlePath point to the location of the logs for that SG. MSexchParamSystemPath, points to the location of the checkpoint file. The store attributes MSExchEDBFile and MSExchSLVFile point to the locations of the edb and STM files for a given database store.

 

[PaulGillespie]

ESM is pointing to the right location, that's what's bugging me. i even re-pointed ESM to the files.

I have another option.....
I have managed to restore the edb and stm files from NT backup. Just the files themselves, not an exchange restore.

I put them into the correct locations and tried to start the stored. I got an error in the eventvwr saying:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: ESE
Event Category: Logging/Recovery
Event ID: 452
Date: 03/03/2008
Time: 18:45:41
User: N/A
Computer: SBS2003
Description:
Information Store (5196) First Storage Group: Database E:\Exchsrvr\MDBDATA\pub1.edb requires logfiles 42680-42681 in order to recover successfully. Recovery could only locate logfiles starting at 42685.

For more information, click

http://www.microsoft.com/contentredirect.asp.

i think that this is a better error message? any suggestions?

Thanks for your help with this!

 

[llevon]

Hi,

Check in ESM the location of the log files for that database (public - pub.edb) and the priv.edb databases. Check the ntbackup and restore the log files assuming they exist.

Otherwise you could try eseutil /p on the datbase that won't mount.

 

[PaulGillespie]

Thanks for all the replies.

I think i'm ging to stop this thread. The issue is still here but things are taking far too long to diagnose.

I'm going to get another exchange server up and running, manually create mailboxes and get the users on the network working again.

Thanks for all your relpies and help!

Paul