How to Restore Exchange 2010 Mailboxes Using Recovery Database Feature

Exchange 2010 is different from its predecessors in certain ways; but, it would be an incorrect thought if you say that this Exchange version is completely free from any type of corruption. Exchange Admins do face corruption in Exchange 2010 in the same way and at a similar rate as they come across in Exchange 2003/2007 and earlier versions.

In case of corruption, recovery of inaccessible data becomes vital to avoid work practice from being disturbed.

Microsoft introduces a Recovery Database feature in Exchange 2010 and removed Storage Groups feature that was present in Exchange 2007 and 2003. With the Exchange 2010, you can form database on mailbox servers, the Standard Edition lets you build maximum 5 databases on each server, while with Enterprise Edition you can make maximum 100 databases on each server.

Earlier versions of Exchange 2010 also let you restore database, but, the dissimilarity is that the earlier versions let you generate Recovery Storage Group where you can restore the database, and whereas Exchange Server 2010 allows you to restore the exchange database that is to be linked to Recovery Database. It can be done as follows:

How to use Recovery Database Feature

Before beginning the job, make sure that you have a usable and right backup copy of all the things that you desire to recover. The backup can be taken with the help of Windows Server Backup feature of Windows Server 2008/2008 R2.

In order to accomplish the task, you must restore the data and send it to any other location. For this, you have to recover Exchange application in Windows Server Backup to another site. On accomplishment of recovery, the transaction logs files and Exchange database files are stored in D:\Recovery folder, which is not made by Windows Server Backup. Following, add the database to the mailbox server; it would be added as a Recovery Database.

Now, you need to make a Recovery Database, and then make use of ESEUTIL /R to execute clean shutdown and database recovery. You may discover that Exchange pitches an error and is not capable to recover the exchange database. If so, use ESEUTIL /P to make the database consistent so that it can be repaired. When database gets repaired and recovered, you should mount the database by using 'Mount-Database' or in Exchange Management Console.

  

You can now recover lost items from recovery database by running Restore-Mailbox cmdlet. The recovery databases and Restore-Mailbox have various options that allow them to perform various other tasks. Make sure that you carry out each and everything properly, correctly, and orderly.

 Nevertheless, even after carrying out everything in a precise way, you may face that deleted or lost mailbox items have not been recovered. In this case, the best option is to go for professional Exchange recovery software that will execute recovery automatically and will restore all of the deleted mailbox items. Make sure that you pick a reliable, operative, and swift application for your exchange recovery