Swapping Databases between the Recovery Storage Group and the Original Storage Group

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If you are unfamiliar with the files that compose an Exchange database, you will benefit from reading Appendix A, "Moving Exchange Mailbox Databases between Storage Groups" before continuing with this section.

You can use several strategies to swap databases between the recovery storage group and the original storage group:

  • Move database files between folders on the same drive.

  • Move database files between different drives.

  • Leave database files in place, and swap the logical paths defined for each database.

For each approach, you must first note the current paths and names of the .edb and .stm files for each database involved in the swap. With that done, you are ready to proceed.

Moving Database Files between Folders on the Same Drive

Moving database files between folders on the same drive requires only a few minutes if you are methodical and careful. The biggest problem you are likely to encounter is confusion over naming.

It is possible that the file names assigned to the database(s) in the recovery storage group will not match the file names of the original database. As long as you do not still need to replay existing transaction logs into the database, you can rename the database files to match the names assigned to them in Exchange System Manager.

For detailed instructions, see How to Move Exchange Database Files Between Folders on the Same Drive.

Moving Database Files between Servers

The procedure for moving database files between servers is similar to the previous procedure, except that more planning is required. Note that no service outage is required while the databases are copied across the network. You can copy the large database back to its original drive before disconnecting the dial tone database.

For detailed instructions, see How to Move Exchange Database Files Between Servers.

Leaving Files in Place and Changing Logical Paths

You can also leave files in place and change logical paths if the recovery storage group is on the same server as the original database, but it is on a different logical drive. The instructions are complicated, and you should follow them closely and deliberately. Double-check your work at each step to avoid confusion.

Note that this procedure could also be used at the beginning of a disaster recovery, if you wanted to point the recovery storage group to the current database drive while mounting the dial tone database on a different drive.

For detailed instructions, see How to Swap Exchange Database Files by Swapping Logical Paths.