Disaster recovery

built-in backup technology support

with exchange 2010/2013, ESE streaming backup is no longer supported.  Volume shadow copy service (VSS) backups are supported which is faster solution. 


VSS Writer changes in 2013.  Windows server backup is Exchange-aware.

• exchange 2007/2010 included two VSS writers
• one writer in the MS Exchange Information Store and other inside the MS Exchange Replication service

With Exchange 2013  all functionality is now in the MS Exchange Replication service.

• new writer is called MS Exchange Writer
• used by Exchange-aware VSS-based applicaition to backup both active and passive DB copies.

Windows Server Backup

exchange 2013 has a VSS plug-in that allows it to work with Windows Server Backup and get a VSS-based backup.

• the new plug-in called WSBExchange.exe and is installed by default.
• Windows server backup feature needs to be enabled on Mailbox server.
• point-in-time backup
• These backups are the volume level meaning they capture the entire volume
• Can only restore Exchange data to original or alternate location
•  Can't restore to a recovery database (RDB)
•  Only full backup scan be taken

add feature

Restore

option to restore application

exchange database that were backed up.

restore to original or alternate location.











Data Protection Manager

System Center Data Protection Manager (SC DPM) 2012 is designed to provide Continuous Data Protection (CDP) for Exchange. 


3rd party solutions offer more flexibility than SCDPM.

Dell AppAssure
Veeam Backup and Replication
CommVault Simpana


 Server Recovery

Most of the settings for an Exchange server are stored in AD.

To recover a lost server you use the Setup /m:RecoverServer switch

• Reset server name account. then set up server with same name then add to domain.
• Install all the prerequisites for Exchange and initiate recovery and reconnect back to AD and rebuild it as a clone to the failed exchange server.

Recovery Database (RDB)

a recovery database is a special mailbox database that allows you to mount a restored database and extract data from it over to a production database.

the benefit of the RDB is that you can restore a mailbox or inidividual mailbox items without upsetting the normal flow of your production database which is still mounted and working

You create an RDB through the EMS and not in Ex Admn Center

mail can't be sent to it.  users can't connect to their mailbox.  restore data must be extracted and merged to active mailbox.

 Using a recovery database

You can use an RDB to recover data through one of the following:

• same or alternate server dial tone recovery
• mailbox recovery (copy to a target folder or merge with another mailbox)
• specific item recovery

To create a recovery database you use the following EMS command

New-MailboxDatabase-Recovery-Name RDB1 -Server ServerMB1

Database Portability and Dial Tone Recovery

you can move and mount any database to any other mailbox server within same exchange organization

Dial tone recovery allows you to get your people up and running with mailboxes but their existing mailbox data is missing

• you restore the mailbox data into the recovery database and merge the two when you are ready