Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (Full Version)

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jaxon -> Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (11.Apr.2007 2:33:19 PM)

We have a saved copy of a full system backup from an old SBS 2003 server using NTBackup stored on a USB hard drive.

There is data in the old Exchange Public Folders saved in that NTBackup file that now need to access and copy to the new server.

How can we extract the Public Folders when the original server is no longer available?



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (11.Apr.2007 2:42:58 PM)

I have found that if you can setup a VM of the original Exchange (e.g. has the same name, and also has a virtual HDD which uses the same path as the orginal PF) then they will mount and you should be able to copy them to a PST.

Hope this points you in the right direction.

A



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (11.Apr.2007 2:48:18 PM)

If that works, what method do you use to create a PST from witin a VM?



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (11.Apr.2007 2:53:14 PM)

So you install SBS 2003 from CD into a VM and restore only the Exchange store without also restoring the system state?  I have found that the system state will not restore to different hardware.



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (11.Apr.2007 3:41:29 PM)

I have found that if the Exchnage sever name is the same and the path that the original Pub.mdb and pub.stm is the same as the old server in a VM you can connect an outlook client to the Vm ad copy the PF to a PST.
It helps if the VM contains a domain controller with the same DNS and NETBIOS name space that the Exchange server is a member of. Therefore in SBS you can install SBS onto a single VM maintain the original DNS and NEBIOS namespace, keep the same computer name and maintain the store paths, then you can restore then backup (without the System State - just the DB's). Admittedly I have done this with offline backups, but I would imagine the same can be said for the online's.

A 



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 2:23:48 PM)

OK, I just built a SBS 2003 VM with the same domain name and computer name and manually selected only the old public folder to restore from NTBackup to the new information store.
I logged into Outlook Web Access and looked at the Public Folder and it is empty.  
Maybe it's not pointing to the correct public folder? Or is a different issue?
Is there something else that needs to be done to open up the old Public Folder from the new computer?


quote:

ORIGINAL: a.grogan

I have found that if you can setup a VM of the original Exchange (e.g. has the same name, and also has a virtual HDD which uses the same path as the orginal PF) then they will mount and you should be able to copy them to a PST.

Hope this points you in the right direction.

A



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 2:51:05 PM)

ok, did the public folder store mount? if so, can you see the PF from the ESM?

Cheers



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 2:56:38 PM)

"A" public folder is viewable through OWA.  There are no error messages. but it looks like the new, empty public folder from the new server.
Maybe I need to just manually copy the pf file into the new store instead of "restoring" the public folder?  Would that work? 



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 2:58:47 PM)

Ok, are the public folder DB's located on the same path as the older server?
Also is it an offline or online backup you are restoring from?

A



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 3:15:02 PM)

The old server has Exchange on a D drive and the new server is an E drive.
It was backed up using NTBackup on the old SBS server by someone else.  I assume online backup.



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 3:20:09 PM)

The Database path needs to be identicle to the old server - so - if your Exchange Public Folder was on the D: drive of the old server, the new server will need to have a D: drive as well, are you in a position to add a D drive and move the databases? then perform the restore again?

A



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 3:22:55 PM)

Would I need to rebuild the server or just reassign the drive letters so E is renamed to D?

What exactly, needs to be restored?  The entire Exchange Database or just the pub1.* files?



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 3:50:15 PM)

hiya, you can add another virtual disk as d and move the existing database files, the problem with changing the drive letter is that it will lose its path to the public edb and stm files.
All you need to restore is the pub.* files.



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 3:54:56 PM)

I will just rebuild another VM server and reassign the drive letters prior to installing Exchange next time.  It will take few hours and I'll give it another try.

So, I plan to then just extract the two pub1.* files from the backup and copy them into the new servers Exchange store and that should work?



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (12.Apr.2007 4:00:08 PM)

hiya, when you have installed the Exchange server you will need to ensure that the default pub1.edb and pub1.stm are on the same path that the original databases were on (which you indicated was D:\).

So when you install Exchange the Public Folders will by default be located on c:\program files\exchsrvr\mdbdata\ - you will need to change this to the d:\path that was on the original server (make sure that you have the complete path from the old server) by performing a move of the databases.

You should then be in a position to restore the databases (just the public ones).

Out of curiosity where are you located, and, if required, would you be willing for me to help you remotely?

A



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (13.Apr.2007 2:38:29 PM)

Thanks for that offer, but let's see if it can work with instructions on this board.

I just got the VM server rebuilt with the same path of Exchange server now on the D drive, but when I copy the old pub1.stm and pub1.edb files from backup of the old server, the public store will not mount on the new server.
Do I need to copy both those files, just one of them or more than just those two files into the MBDATA folder?

quote:

ORIGINAL: a.grogan

hiya, when you have installed the Exchange server you will need to ensure that the default pub1.edb and pub1.stm are on the same path that the original databases were on (which you indicated was D:\).

So when you install Exchange the Public Folders will by default be located on c:\program files\exchsrvr\mdbdata\ - you will need to change this to the d:\path that was on the original server (make sure that you have the complete path from the old server) by performing a move of the databases.

You should then be in a position to restore the databases (just the public ones).

Out of curiosity where are you located, and, if required, would you be willing for me to help you remotely?

A



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (13.Apr.2007 3:12:04 PM)

It works now!  I had to run eseutil repar on the pub1.edb file and then the public store mounted.
Thanks.



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (13.Apr.2007 7:48:34 PM)

hiya jaxon, I am sorry that I did not reply sooner, my dad has been taken very ill and I have been with him all day. Did the eseutil work in the VM - or on your old server? - either way I am glad that you are ok now, I hope that I helped somewhere along the line.

Cheers



jaxon -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (13.Apr.2007 8:04:56 PM)

I was able to use eseutil in the VM, mount the store and then open the Public Folder from another VM that had Outlook installed, save it to a PST, save the PST to an external USB drive and then import the PST into a real workstation.



a.grogan -> RE: Recovery of Public Folders to Different Server (13.Apr.2007 8:11:37 PM)

good stuff - glad that it worked out.

A



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