XADM: How to Recover a Deleted Server Using Authrest Utility

 Last reviewed: March 2, 1998
Article ID: Q181920
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5

SUMMARY

If a server has been accidentally deleted from a site, you may be able to rejoin the server to the site and restore the directory from a backup after using the Authoritative Restore utility. This utility should be used on a directory that was backed up prior to the accidental deletion. It is used after restoring the directory to an existing server, not the server that was deleted from the site. For clarification, see the example scenario under More Information.

MORE INFORMATION

A site has three servers installed and functioning properly. Server3 experiences a catastrophic hardware failure and must be rebuilt from scratch. When you try to reinstall the Exchange Server software onto the new computer, Server3 is mistakenly deleted from the site via the Exchange Administrator program on Server2.

If you just try to rejoin the site and then restore the directory and information service from a backup, the deletion transaction will result in no users and no mailboxes after replication within the site, because the other two servers have deletion transactions for Server3.

Instead, you must restore the directory on either Server1 or Server2. Before starting the directory after the restore is complete, run Authrest.exe on this older version of the directory, which will make this restored directory appear to be the newest one. Then start the services on that same server and let it replicate to the other server. Now Server3 exists in the site again and can be properly brought back into the site.

In order to restore Server3, use the following procedure:

  1. Install the Exchange Server computer, creating a new site with the same Organizational and Site names as the existing site.
2. Install any connectors that were previously installed on this server. 3. Restore the directory and the information store from the online backup. 
   After the directory is restored, Server3 will "know" that it is part of
   the existing site and participate in replication as before.


Keywords          : XADM kbusage
Version           : WINDOWS:4.0,5.0,5.5
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

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Last reviewed: March 2, 1998
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