Recovery Procedure

The following procedure describes how to recover a failed Microsoft Exchange Server using a backup tape of the production server information store and directory service. It assumes that a normal (full) online backup of the information store and directory was performed.

    To prepare the recovery computer

  1. Install Microsoft Exchange Server on the new or repaired server computer. Make sure this computer is equipped with a tape drive that is compatible with the tape drives deployed on production servers. If the production server is a backup domain controller, make sure there is a primary domain controller or backup domain controller available.
  2. Run Setup. Do not join an existing site.

    Note   Use the Setup command to install Microsoft Exchange Server. Do not type setup /r. This creates a problem that you will encounter when you attempt to upgrade this recovery server to the latest Microsoft Exchange Server Service Pack.

  3. Give the server computer its original organization and site name. Site and organization names are case-sensitive.
  4. When prompted, select Create New Site. Even though you have chosen to create a new site, when you restart the server, it will synchronize automatically with other servers in the site because you have a backup copy of the Microsoft Exchange Server directory database.
  5. Select the same service account that you used for the production server.
  6. Upgrade the recovery server to the same Microsoft Exchange Service Pack as the production server.
  7. Run the Microsoft Exchange Performance Optimizer to optimize Microsoft Exchange Server for the same configuration that was used on the production server. For more information, see your production server configuration documentation.
  8. First delete and then re-add the computer name on the primary domain controller to create a new SID for the recovery computer.
  9. Install the Microsoft Outlook on the recovery server.

    To perform the restore

  1. Insert the restore tape.
  2. In the Administrative Tools group, double-click the Backup icon.
  3. Double-click the Tapes icon.
  4. Double-click Full Backup Tape.
  5. In the right side of the window, select the directory and information store that you want to restore.
  6. Choose Restore.
  7. In the Restore Information dialog box, select the following check boxes: Erase all existing data, Verify After Restore, and Start Service After Restore.

    Note   If the public information store is on a separate computer, do not select the Erase all existing data check box. Instead, select these check boxes: Private, Public, Verify After Restore, and Start Services After Restore. If you inadvertently erase the public store, contact Microsoft Technical Support.

  8. Type the name of the destination server in the Destination Server box.
  9. Choose OK.
  10. If the directory service and information store were backed up using separate backup jobs, do not start these services until both have been restored.
  11. When the restore prompt appears, choose OK. This opens the Restore Status dialog box.
  12. After the restore is completed, choose OK.
  13. Choose Close to close the Backup program.
  14. After the restore, at the command prompt, type isinteg -patch to run the ISINTEG tool. Make sure that the directory service is started before you start the information store service.

    To verify that each user's mailbox has an associated Windows NT account

  1. In the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator program, select a server, and then choose Recipients.
  2. Double-click the first user's name.
  3. Review the Primary Windows NT Account box to verify that the Windows NT account matches the mailbox.
  4. Repeat this procedure as needed for each user.

    Note   If you have a .csv file (from a Directory Export on the server before it went down), you can use the Directory Import feature to import all the information for each mailbox, including the primary Windows NT account. This allows you to update all mailboxes quickly without having to update each one manually. The Directory Import and Directory Export options are found under the Tools menu in the Administrator program.

    To test a user's logon from Microsoft Outlook

  1. Start Microsoft Outlook.
  2. Verify that the user's password is accepted.