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How to Restore a Microsoft Exchange Server Database to alternate location

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Jon
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Using NovaBACKUP Business Essentials and NovaBACKUP Granular Restore

NovaBACKUP

This How-to guide covers all that you need to know about restoring a Microsoft Exchange Server Database backup to alternate location.

Please see How to Restore a Microsoft Exchange Server Database to original location if you are restoring to the same Exchange Machine, replacing the entire Exchange Database.

The following method restores the Exchange Mailbox Database, stored in a NovaBACKUP backup set, to a separate location than the live Exchange Database. You can then use NovaBACKUP Granular Restore to restore individual items as needed.

Make sure that Microsoft Exchange is up to date with the latest service pack and cumulative updates performed, Service Packs are normally downloaded and applied manually, so keep that in mind. There is a website that we utilize and recommend client’s use at the address here: https://eightwone.com/references/versions-builds-dates/. This website reliable shows the latest versions of Exchange to be able to see all the release dates and direct downloads to the Service Packs and Cumulative Updates available for Exchange.

All Microsoft Exchange versions that are currently supported by NovaBACKUP can perform a restore of the Exchange Mailbox Database to the original location, so long as the backup utilized the native "plugin" method from the "Backup" tab of the software.

Please note that in order for the restore to original location to work, the name of the current machine that you are attempting to restore the Exchange backup on must match the server name that the backup was originally performed on.

Also, the currently installed Microsoft Exchange version is REQUIRED to be the same version and Service Pack level as when the Microsoft Exchange Server Backup was originally performed.

For example, if you performed a backup of the Microsoft Exchange Server Mailbox Database when the Microsoft Exchange version was Exchange 2016 SP1 and now you are trying to restore that Mailbox Database to Exchange 2016 RTM, the initial release version, say after a hardware failure and rushing to re-install Windows Server 2016 and Exchange 2016 and then not running any of the numerous newer patches. The restore to original location will likely fail as the installed version is older than the one installed when the backup was performed. In this case you would first be required to install Service Pack 1 for Exchange 2016 before attempting to restore the Exchange Server Database to the original location with NovaBACKUP.

The Restore to original location is always a Full restore – This recovery method is used when the whole storage group (databases and log files) must be restored from an Exchange backup. If you wish to restore an individual mailbox or message, please refer to [Demonstration] Granular Restore for Microsoft Exchange (Video) using the NovaBACKUP Granular Restore application.

You can use the NovaBACKUP Granular Restore application, provided with NovaBACKUP Business Essentials, to perform the restore of individual mailboxes or items. If you have not yet registered and installed NovaBACKUP Granular Restore, read the guide Obtaining NovaBACKUP Granular Restore for NovaBACKUP Business Essentials (v18 and above), or watch the video walkthrough on obtaining and using the application to restore an individual Exchange mailbox item [Demonstration] Granular Restore for Microsoft Exchange (Video).

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  1. Start NovaBACKUP Business Essentials.
  2. Navigate to the Restore tab.
    • If the backup you wish to restore is not in the list, you will need to Import it.
  3. Locate and select the backup set you wish to restore from, and select the components to restore.
    • Click on the [Settings] at the bottom of the screen.
      • You will see “Restore to” and the options “Restore file(s) to original location” and “Restore file(s) to alternate location”.
      • The default option here is "Restore to original location". In this guide we only cover how to restore the Exchange Mailbox Database backup to an alternate location.
      • A screenshot example is shown below for what this would look like at this stage:
    • Confirm the Run As property is set to use an Administrator account.
      • A screenshot example of the Run As settings for the Restore Job is shown below:
    • It is REQUIRED to enter in the Network Credentials if you are restoring the backup from a Network Device or Network Location
      • (even if you have a Network Device created in NovaBACKUP for the same network location, you are required to set the Network Credentials in the Restore Job's Network Credentials tab screen).
      • Fill in the Network Credentials for the credentials that match your network location / network share / NAS device, etc. before attempting a restore like this.
      • An example screenshot is below:
    • Click OK to save the Restore Job [Settings].
  4. Now you are ready to perform the restore to original location to replace the Mailbox Database in Microsoft Exchange Server. To start the restore click the [Restore] button at the bottom right of the Restore tab screen in NovaBACKUP.
  5. If you get any errors during the restore please confirm the Restore Job’s [Settings] for Run As and Network Credentials. Also, confirm that your Mailbox Database is set to dismounted status mode prior to attempting the restore again.
  6. Your Exchange Database should have restored successfully at this point, confirmed by the latest log entry in NovaBACKUP.
  7. Now that the Exchange Server Mailbox Database has restored successfully in its native .EDB format, you could utilize the NovaBACKUP Granular Restore application to open up the .EDB file restored to the alternate location, to restore individual mailbox items such as a single user's Inbox, individual email, or calendar items.
  8. Here is an example of using NovaBACKUP Granular Restore application to open the restored .EDB file:
  9. After opening the Exchange Server Database .EDB file, select a user's mailbox and then select the folders to save to either (1) an Outlook .PST file or (2) upload the items to an active Exchange Server (Original or Alternate).
    • Example screenshot of selecting the individual mailbox data for a granular restore of that mailbox data:

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