Member Server Recovery Procedures
This section explains the details for each procedure listed in "Member Server Recovery Methods."
Move or Copy the Exchange Database and Log Files (Optional)
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Restoring an Exchange member server.
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
If you can still access the hard disks of the damaged server, and if you have sufficient time, move or copy the Exchange database and transaction log files from that server to a folder on a network share or to a removable storage device. Even if the files are damaged, archive these files as a safety precaution. If the restore process is unsuccessful, you can revert to the original versions, which might be repairable. Moving the files to a folder on the same logical drive is much faster than using the copy command. If you plan to put the damaged database in a location on the same logical drive, use move instead of copy. For detailed instructions, see How to Move or Copy Exchange Database and Log Files.
Repair the Damaged Member Server (Optional)
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Restoring an Exchange member server.
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
Before trying to recover a member server, consider repairing it instead. You can try to repair the operating system, the Exchange installation, and the Exchange databases. For detailed instructions, see How to Repair a Member Server.
Replace Any Damaged Hardware
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Restoring an Exchange member server.
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Replace damaged hardware. If you can, make sure that all the replacement hardware in the server that you are rebuilding is the same as hardware that existed in the server that experienced the disaster.
Restore the Full Computer Backup Set
This procedure applies to the following recovery method:
- Restoring an Exchange member server.
Restore the full computer backup set that was performed on the damaged server to the server that you are restoring. To restore these backups, you must be able to start the Windows Server 2003 operating system on the server to which you are restoring your full computer backup set. Use one of the following methods to restore your full computer backup set:
Use the backup utility (Backup) in Windows Server 2003 to restore your full computer backup set.
For more information about how to restore a full computer backup set, see "Restoring Full Computer Backup Sets."
Use a Windows disk image to restore your full computer backup set.
If you have a Windows disk image of the server that experienced the disaster, restore the disk image of the Windows Server 2003 operating system, and then start the operating system.
Restore the Exchange Database from Backup Media if Necessary
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Restoring an Exchange member server.
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
If the drives that contain the Exchange database files and log files were also lost in the disaster, restore the Exchange database backups that were performed on the damaged server to the server that you are restoring. For information about how to restore Exchange databases, see "Recovering an Exchange Database."
Important
If you were able to move or copy the log files from the damaged server as explained in "Move or Copy the Exchange Database and Log Files (Optional)" earlier in this topic, and these files are not stored on a Storage Area Network (SAN), copy these files to the correct location on the recovery server. If you do not copy the most recent log files to the correct locations on the recovery server, changes that were made to Exchange databases up to the time that the disaster occurred are lost.
Re-Create Your Full-Text Indexes
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Restoring an Exchange member server.
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
If the server that experienced the disaster included any Exchange full-text indexes, you might have to re-create the full-text indexes on the server that you want to restore. For information about how to re-create full-text indexing, see "Repairing Full-Text Indexing."
Try to Repair the Server Again if the Restore Fails
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Restoring an Exchange member server.
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
If the Exchange databases on the restored server cannot mount, try to repair the server again. To repair the server again, use the repair techniques in "Repair the Damaged Member Server (Optional)" earlier in this topic.
Install Windows Server 2003
This procedure applies to the following recovery method:
- Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Install Windows Server 2003 on the server that you are rebuilding. For detailed instructions, see How to Install Windows Server 2003 When Recovering an Exchange Member Server.
Restore the Windows Backup Set
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
Restore the Windows backup set that was performed on the damaged server to the server you are rebuilding. Restoring the Windows backup set restores the Windows Server 2003 system files (including the registry database and IIS metabase files). This process also provides the server you are rebuilding with its original NetBIOS name, and returns it to the correct domain. If you do not perform this step, you cannot correctly run the Setup program in Disaster Recovery mode. For more information about how to restore the System State data, see "Restoring Windows Backup Sets."
Install Service Packs and Software Updates
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
Restoring an Exchange member server.
Reinstall any software applications or updates that were installed after you created your backup set. These updates include updates to the Windows Server 2003 operating system, Exchange updates, or any other software updates.
Install Any Other Applications That Were Installed on the Damaged Server (Except Exchange)
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
Install any other applications (other than Exchange) that run on the server.
Note
Install the applications to the same locations and with the same configurations as the applications that were installed on the damaged server. Include any required service packs or updates.
Restore Any Additional Non-Exchange Data from Backup
This procedure applies to the following recovery method:
- Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
On the server you are rebuilding, restore any additional dynamic data backups that were performed on the damaged server.
Run Exchange Setup in Disaster Recovery Mode
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
On the server you are rebuilding, run Exchange Setup in disaster recovery mode.
This process installs Exchange applications and any required Exchange files to the server that you are rebuilding. This process also uses the configuration information that is stored on the Exchange Server object in Active Directory to reclaim the configuration of the original server. The configuration information that is reclaimed includes the Exchange storage group names, mailbox store names, public folder store names, virtual server configuration settings, and so on. When you run Exchange in Disaster Recovery mode, make sure that all the components that existed on the damaged server are selected. For detailed steps, see How to Run Exchange in Disaster Recovery Mode.
Important
When recovering an Exchange server, always use the /disasterrecovery switch. If you run the Setup program without using the /disasterrecovery switch, Setup runs in Reinstall mode and automatically mounts the mailbox stores and public folder stores after the Setup process is complete. If you mount mailbox stores and public folder stores before you restore the Exchange databases, you can cause problems that include the potential loss of data.
Install Exchange Software Updates
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
Install any Exchange software updates that were running on the damaged server to the new server.
Install Exchange Service Packs in Disaster Recovery Mode
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
Install the Exchange service pack that was running on the damaged server to the new server. Make sure that you install the service pack in disaster recovery mode, by using the /disasterrecovery switch. For detailed instructions, see How to Install a Service Pack in Disaster Recovery Mode.
Installing Exchange service packs in Disaster Recovery mode prevents the Exchange databases from being mounted at the end of the service pack installation process. Therefore, you can continue directly to restoring the Exchange databases from a backup.
Note
If you are running Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) or a later version, the user account performing the installation must have Exchange Organization Administrator permissions.
Restore MSSearch
This procedure applies to the following recovery method:
- Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
When rebuilding an Exchange server, you can experience problems with Microsoft Search (required for full-text indexing). For example, if the Microsoft Search registry keys on the server you are rebuilding differ from the keys that existed on the server at the time that the full-text index was built, Microsoft Search will not function correctly. The registry keys that specify the locations for the full-text indexes will be out of sync (specifically, the registry keys will point to locations that do not exist on the server you have rebuilt).
Make sure that you restore MSSearch before you try to build your full-text index.
For information about how to restore Microsoft Search, see "Restoring Microsoft Search" in Repairing Full-Text Indexing.
Restore Site Replication Services
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
If the damaged server was running the MSExchangeSRS service, you must restore the MSExchangeSRS service database to the server you are rebuilding. For more information about how to restore the MSExchangeSRS service database, see "Restoring the Microsoft Exchange Site Replication Service (MSExchangeSRS)."
Restore the Certification Authority
This procedure applies to the following recovery methods:
Rebuilding an Exchange member server.
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
If the damaged server was running the certification authority (CA), you must also restore the CA to the server you are rebuilding. For more information about how to restore the CA, see "Restoring the Certification Authority (CA)."
Move the Physical Hard Drives from the Damaged Server to the Standby Server
This procedure applies to the following recovery method:
Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
Note
In a SAN environment, this procedure is unnecessary.
If the physical hard disks of the damaged production server appear to be undamaged, you can remove the disks from the damaged server and install them into the standby recovery server. For detailed instructions, see How to Remove Hard Disks from a Damaged Server and Install Them into a Standby Recovery Server.
Connect the Standby Server to the Network
This procedure applies to the following recovery method:
- Using an Exchange standby recovery server.
Connect the standby recovery server to the network, and then start that computer.
To make sure that your standby recovery server was correctly prepared, verify that the following procedures were performed:
Hardware was installed that is the same as the original hardware on the damaged server.
Windows Server 2003 was installed with the following specifications:
Installed the optional NNTP and SMTP components of Windows Server 2003.
Installed the computer into a temporary workgroup instead of a domain during Setup.
Specified that the Setup program create a random computer (NetBIOS) name instead of manually specifying the name of the damaged server.