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NetVault Plug-in for Exchange 11.0 - User Guide

Introducing Dell™ NetVault™ Backup Plug-in for Exchange Defining an Exchange data protection strategy Planning your Exchange Server deployment Installing and removing the plug-in Configuring the plug-in Backing up data Restoring data Troubleshooting

Performing a disaster recovery of an Exchange Server

This section briefly describes how to recover an Exchange system by using backups performed with the Plug‑in for Exchange. You can use this procedure to rebuild an Exchange Server if the original was destroyed or is otherwise unusable. If you are rebuilding an Exchange Server, the Active Directory service should be available in Disaster Recovery Mode.
The restore sequence performed should bring the Exchange Server up to the most current point before the failure of the Exchange Server. This sequence could include restoring a Full Backup, a Full Backup plus a Differential Backup, or a Full Backup plus Incremental Backups depending on your Exchange Server backup-and-recovery strategy. However, Dell strongly recommends that you consult the Microsoft documentation for the Exchange version in use for complete details on the proper way to perform this type of recovery. For additional information:
•
Exchange 2007, How to Recover a Lost Exchange Server: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123496.aspx
•
Exchange 2010, Recover Exchange Server or Recover a Database Availability Group Member Server: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd876880(v=exchg.141).aspx and http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd638206(v=exchg.141).aspx
•
Exchange 2013, Recover Exchange Server or Recover a Database Availability Group Member Server: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd876880.aspx and http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd638206.aspx
To perform the restore, perform the following steps.
1
Reinstall the OS.
The OS and service pack must be identical to the OS and service pack that was installed when the backup saveset was created.
2
Reinstall Exchange in Recovery Mode.
The Exchange version, edition, and service pack must be identical to the version, edition, and service pack of Exchange that was installed when the backup saveset was created. For complete instructions, see the relevant Microsoft Exchange documentation identified earlier.
3
If you are using Exchange 2007, create an Exchange Server.
This server functions as the target of the relocation restore. If the original Exchange Server had continuous replication such as LCR, CCR, or SCR, continuous replication should not be configured before performing the restore. Also, the new Exchange Server must be accessible to the Plug‑in for Exchange on the new restore target.
4
Reinstall the NetVault Backup Client and the Plug‑in for Exchange.
5
Add the Exchange Server to the NetVault Backup Domain as a Client.
For more information, see the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.
6
For details on restoring Exchange backups, see Restoring data using the plug-in.
 
* 
IMPORTANT: Because continuous replication is not enabled before initiating the restore, it is not necessary to disable or resume and update replication when restoring in a disaster-recovery scenario.
7
If applicable, enable continuous replication including LCR, CCR, and SCR.

Recovering to an alternate Exchange Server

The Plug‑in for Exchange also lets you take the backup of a Storage Group/Mailbox Database performed on one Exchange Server and restore it to a secondary Exchange Server. This option can be beneficial when you must recover a Storage Group/Mailbox Database to access its contents while leaving the initial Exchange Server untouched and operational. In addition, restoring to a secondary Exchange Server can be a good method for testing the integrity of backed-up data without interfering with a running Exchange Server. This section offers instructions on restoring Full, Incremental, and Differential Backup types to a secondary Exchange Server.
Before performing this type of restore, the following actions must be performed on the machine that is to serve as the new target for the restored Exchange Server data:
•
Clean installation of Exchange has been performed on the new target server: Dell recommends that you complete this step on a newly installed Exchange Server, rather than an existing one.
•
Target server established in a different network domain (ESE-based backups only): For this operation to work, the target machine for this operation must reside on a different network domain than where the original Exchange Server resides. If these two machines are set up on the same domain, NetVault Backup always attempts to recover the selected data to the original Exchange Server. VSS-based backups can be restored to target servers in the same network domain.
•
Storage Groups/Mailbox Databases set up on the target machine:
•
For ESE-based backups (only applies to Exchange 2007): Before attempting the restore of a specific Storage Group, the target machine must be set up to mirror that Storage Group’s structure — names and directory paths — as it appeared on the original machine. For example, if a Storage Group contains five individual Mailbox Databases and originally existed in the root of the C:\ partition, a Storage Group must be established on the target machine with the same name, it must contain five Mailbox Databases all named the same as the originals, and it must be located in the root of the C:\ partition.
•
For VSS-based backups (required for Exchange 2010 and later): The target Storage Group/Mailbox Database names, database names, database filenames, and the database file path or directory cannot match the original Storage Groups/Mailbox Databases; they must be different.
 
* 
IMPORTANT: When you use the Exchange Management Console to create the target database in the destination Exchange Server, do not select the Mount Database option. If you select this option, Exchange generates the initial set of database transaction logs. These logs might interfere with the restore job and cause it to fail. By not selecting the Mount Database option, Exchange adds the database to the Exchange Server and creates an empty directory for the database. The restore job populates the directory during completion of the job.
•
NetVault Backup and the Plug‑in for Exchange must be installed on both machines: For this operation to work, NetVault Backup and the plug-in must be installed on both the original Exchange Server and the machine set up as the new target.
•
Both machines must be added to the NetVault Backup Server as Clients: On the Manage Clients page of the NetVault Backup Server, ensure that both machines have been successfully added as NetVault Backup Clients. For details on adding Clients to the NetVault Backup Server, see the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.
To perform the restore, complete the following steps.
1
After the prerequisite operations are finished, use the NetVault Backup WebUI to restore the applicable Storage Groups/Mailbox Databases.
This process is similar to the standard restore process illustrated earlier, except for a few steps.
This sample procedure assumes that a Full Backup is being restored and not an Incremental or Differential Backup. If you intend to recover a series of Incremental or Differential Backups as well, you would follow this procedure to recover the initial Full Backup first. Subsequent Incremental or Differential Backups would then be recovered as a standard restore of this type. The difference is that you must select the alternate Exchange Server from the Target Client list.
2
For details on restoring Exchange backups, see Restoring data using the plug-in, and note the following exceptions:
•
Because continuous replication is not enabled before initiating the restore, you do not have to disable or resume and update replication when restoring to an alternate server.
•
If the name of the target database for the restore job is different from the original database that was backed up, that is, you used the Exchange Management Console to create a database, complete the following steps:
a
On the Create Selection Set page, select the original database.
b
From the Actions list, select Rename.
c
In the Rename/Relocate dialog box, enter the name of the new target Mailbox Database in the Rename box, and click Ok.
•
On the Restore and Recovery Options tab, select Set ‘This database can be overwritten by a restore’ Flag for Databases (Not Required for ESE Restores to Original Database).
•
If applicable, change the other options on the Restore and Recovery Options tab.
For more information, see Setting restore options.
•
Click the Security tab, and complete the applicable Authentication Details fields:
•
Exchange Administrator User Name: By default, this field contains the administrator-level account that was used to back up the original target Exchange Server. You can change this value, but the account named must have the proper backup and restore permissions for the machine that is to serve as the target of the restore.
•
Password: Enter the password associated with the user name specified in the previous field.
•
Windows Domain: This field can be left blank, as it is not requirement for recovering to a different Exchange Server.
•
In Job Name, specify a name for the job if you do not want to use the default setting.
Assign a descriptive name that lets you easily identify the job when monitoring its progress. The job name can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot contain non-Latin characters. On Windows®, there is no length restriction; however, a maximum of 40 characters is recommended.
•
In the Target Client list, select the Exchange Server on which the target database was created.
•
Click Save or Save & Submit, whichever is applicable.
You can monitor progress on the Job Status page and view the logs on the View Logs page. For more information, see the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.
3
Completing post-restore requirements for ESE-based backups:
•
If you are restoring into a domain that might have existing user accounts, Dell recommends that you scan and clean the Mailbox Database. This step ensures that any previously disconnected mailboxes are updated appropriately. For complete instructions, see the relevant Microsoft Exchange 2007 documentation. Also, see Clean-MailboxDatabase at: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124076.aspx
•
Because the Exchange Server acting as the target for the restore was established on a different network domain, none of the user accounts from the original Exchange Server’s Active Directory exist in the new domain. Therefore, you must import all the user accounts from the original Exchange Server’s Active Directory to the new Exchange Server’s Active Directory. In Exchange 2007, you can perform this task by using the Exchange Management Shell scripts. For complete instructions, see the relevant Microsoft Exchange 2007 documentation. Also, see How to Generate Active Directory Accounts By Using the Mailbox Information in the Mailbox Database at: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb430758.aspx
4
Completing post-restore requirements for VSS-based backups:
Because existing user accounts still point to the previous database, you must use the Exchange Management Console to point to the new database.
a
Open the Exchange Management Shell.
b
Run the applicable command:
•
For Exchange 2007:
Get-Mailbox -Database <SourceDatabase> |where {$_.ObjectClass
-NotMatch '(SystemAttendantMailbox|ExOleDbSystemMailbox)'}
| Move-Mailbox -ConfigurationOnly -TargetDatabase <TargetDatabase>
•
For Exchange 2010 and later:
Get-Mailbox -Database <SourceDatabase> |where {$_.ObjectClass
-NotMatch '(SystemAttendantMailbox|ExOleDbSystemMailbox)'}
| Set-Mailbox -Database <TargetDatabase>
Replace <SourceDatabase> with the name of the original database and <TargetDatabase> with the name of the destination.

Troubleshooting

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Diagnosing and resolving VSS-related issues
•
Addressing cluster-related issues
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Troubleshooting other issues

Diagnosing and resolving VSS-related issues

When a VSS-backup job is run, the plug-in might generate one or more shadow copies (snapshots). After completing the job, the plug-in sends the VSS subsystem a notification indicating that the shadow copy can be deleted. Also, if the VSS job is canceled for any reason and the plug-in detects the event, the plug-in sends the same type of notice. However, there are instances in which shadow copies are not deleted, which means that the VSS inadvertently stores obsolete shadow copies.
If you determine that the plug-in is unable to create a VSS shadow copy, or if the backup job fails during the processing of taking or managing snapshots, it might indicate that obsolete shadow copies are interfering with the VSS subsystem.
In addition to the NetVault Backup logs and the individual job logs, the following resources can expedite the diagnoses of VSS-related issues with backup and restore jobs.
•
Windows® Application Log: In this log, VSS Writers record detailed error messages that are not logged in the NetVault Backup logs. For more information, see Windows Application Log at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms157312.aspx.
•
Vssadmin and DiskShadow: You can use Vssadmin to list the VSS writers and providers, display their status, and ensure that the VSS Writers that the plug-in depends on are enabled and available. Vssadmin also indicates whether it has encountered any errors. DiskShadow, which is a newer utility, also provides information that might be useful. For more information, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb491031.aspx and http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc772172(v=WS.10).aspx.
You can also obtain additional information from a command prompt by typing vssadmin or diskshadow.
Dell recommends that you use the Vssadmin and DiskShadow utilities to maintain the VSS subsystem, and to address specific issues, such as deleting obsolete shadow copies. You can use these utilities to list the shadow copies stored by the VSS, remove shadow copies, and manage the space allocated in a specific volume for the storage of shadow copies.
 
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NOTE: In addition to using these utilities to remove the shadow copies, Dell recommends that you restart the Volume Shadow Copy and the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider services before resuming a VSS-backup job. In some instances, you might also need to restart the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.
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