Media Explorer for Microsoft Exchange 5.5 - How To
Topics |
How To - Exchange 5.5
| How To - Exchange Server
Determine Required Archive Files for Data Recovery
Catalog the Media
Perform a
Full System Restore for Exchange 5.5 Mailbox/Database
Perform an Exchange 5.5 Server
Recovery
Recover the
Exchange 5.5 Mailbox/Database using Media Explorer
Copy Exchange
5.5 Database Files to the Exchange Server
Determine Required Archive Files for Data Recovery
Required Capability: none
To determine
which archive files are needed to complete a data recovery:
- Determine the time for which you want to recover the data. This is based
on your decision to recover either the latest set of data as in the case of
a hardware failure or to a earlier time as in the case of a database or software
corruption that was captured by more recent data protection operations.
- Once you have determined the recovery time, determine the number of subclients
that will be required in the recovery.
If the data being recovered is of File System type and only part of the data
is required or the entire Database application was secured by a data protection
operation of the default subclient, then the number of subclients required can
be as few as one.
If the entire File System is required or the data being recovered is a database
application, then most likely all subclients that contained any part
of this application will be required.
|
This identification process is greatly facilitated
if you had run Media Information and CommCell Configuration reports
while the CommServe was still available, and have those reports available
as reference materials. |
- Catalog all the required media using Media Explorer, and view the archive
files in the Archive File Catalog
Database pane. To determine the number of subclients that exist, sort by
clients and examine the number of unique application IDs per client.
- Once you have determined the time of the recovery and the number of subclients
that are required, using the Backup Time column, select the first Full data
protection operation prior to the desired recovery time.
- Continue selecting each non-full data protection operation for that subclient
until:
- you reach the desired recovery time
- you reach the next Full
- there are no more archive files
(At which option your stop is dependent upon your particular recovery scenario.)
- Step 5 needs to be executed for each subclient that was determined to be
part of this client's recovery.
- Repeat for each client.
Catalog the Media
Before You Begin
- Install Media Explorer from the installer.
- Make sure no other applications or services are attempting to access the
library.
- Have your encryption pass-phrases available, if applicable.
- Have your Media Information and CommCell Configuration reports at hand to
facilitate your identification and location of media archive files.
|
Regularly running the above reports prior to the
need for a disaster recovery will facilitate your identification and
location of media archive files. |
To Catalog the Media
using Media Explorer:
- From whichever folder you installed Media Explorer, run the
MediaExplorer.exe. The
Current database file path is created and defaults
to the DrCatalogDb.dat as indicated in
the Media Explorer window.
|
It is possible to perform a recovery using only
the default archive database. However, if recovering large numbers of
or many types of archive files makes locating files cumbersome, you
can create additional database file paths using the New button.
The New and Open buttons can be used to start cataloging
to a new catalog or to open an existing catalog database. This is useful
in situations where you would like to use Media Explorer over multiple
sessions and not overwrite previous catalog operations.
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- Detecting the Media - Selecting the tape or magnetic/optical media option.
Use
the Media Information and CommCell Configuration reports to assist you in determining
from which media it will be necessary to restore. If you do not have any reports
saved, you will have to manually determine the required media. This involves
finding the correct (latest) archive file(s) for backups you want to restore.
For a locally-attached tape drive/library:
- manually load the media into the drive
- select the Tape option
- click Drive Detect to populate the tape mount paths in this field
(i.e., tape0, tape1, tape2, etc., depending on your SCSI settings). The
drive shown matches the SCSI ID setting for the device.
- select the drive on which it is loaded
- identify the Media Type by selecting from the list
|
A full DLT 7000 tape will take approximately two
hours to catalog. Be certain you have enough disc space on your local
computer to accommodate the files. |
For a magnetic volume:
- Select the Magnetic/optical option
- Browse to or type the drive path for the magnetic volume path. (i.e.,
F:\, where F
is the drive which holds the magnetic volume)
- Directly beneath CV_magnetic folder,
select the volume folder in which the archive files (AF_nnn)
reside, and click OK to continue.
|
The CV_MAGNETIC
folder structure represents the top level of the magnetic mount path.
The V_nn folder represents a volume
which is equivalent to a storage policy copy.
The AF_nnn folders represent the
individual archive files within a volume. Each backup creates one or
more archive files, depending on the
iDataAgent.
|
- If the magnetic volume to be cataloged belongs to a de-duplicated
library, check the De-Duplicated Data checkbox.
For an optical volume:
- Select the Magnetic/optical option.
- Provide the root drive of the optical media in the volume path.
- Click Catalog Jobs. The catalog operation reads the media for archive
file information and displays it in the
Archive File Catalog Database
pane.
- You may be asked to provide a media password. Type the password and click
OK. If you do not know the media password, contact your software provider
for assistance.
- If data was encrypted using a pass-phrase, you are prompted to enter the
pass-phrase used at the time of the data protection operation.
- The status bar reflects the cataloging process as it is occurring. A message
appears when cataloging is complete. Click OK. You can check for details
in the DrRecovery.log located in the local Media
Explorer folder.
|
An archive file will sometimes span across several
tapes during the course of normal backups. In this case when a catalog
operation is run on the first media, the information on the second media
may not appear to have been cataloged. However, when you perform a recovery
from the first tape, Media Explorer asks you to load the second tape
manually to continue the recovery. |
- For multiple tapes, return to Step 2 and continue cataloging all media to
be used in the restore.
Post Catalog Check
Recovering Data that Span Media
In some cases, a data protection operation will start on one media and complete
on another. This we refer to as a spanned job . At most there can be one spanned
job per any given media.
If after cataloging a media you see an archive file for which the
Catalog column does not display
Found All and the Catalog
State column displays Partial, this indicates
the archive file is spanned to another media. In this case, you need to locate that
other media and catalog it as well. Once the last media that contains the spanned
archive has been reached, you will be prompted to reinsert all the media (starting
with the first) necessary to finish the cataloging process for the spanned job.
Once all media has been successfully cataloged, the
Catalog column should display Found All and
the Catalog State column should display
Complete, and the recovery may take place like any
other recovery. During the recovery of this archive file, you will be prompted to
insert the media as required to complete the recovery.
|
Media Explorer stores cataloged media information in
its database on your local hard drive for future reference. Once your files
have been cataloged, you can go back and obtain this information without
running the catalog operation again. To have the information available on
another computer, however, you would need to run a catalog on that computer. |
Using the Chunk Details Window
You can click View Chunks from the File menu to display the Chunk Details window. This window
provides Media Explorer database details that may be helpful to you.
Before You Begin
- Ensure that no other applications or services are attempting to access the
library.
To perform a full
system restore for an Exchange 5.5 mailbox/database
Refer to Media Explorer for Windows File System - How
To to perform a full recovery of the client computer.
- Using the Disk Administrator, verify that the drive mappings have not been
changed by the data recovery operation. If the drive mappings have been changed,
change them back to their original settings.
- Uninstall the Exchange Server. The Exchange Server may be incomplete and
unstable and therefore should be removed in this step.
- Install a new version of the Exchange Server. Create a new site. Do not
select to join the existing site, as suggested by the Microsoft Exchange Disaster
Recovery Procedures. Configure the Exchange Server to use the previous site
service account and password. You may run Microsoft Exchange Optimizer at your
discretion, if required.
- Verify that Circular Logging on the Exchange Server is disabled.
- Disable any programs, such as Virus Scan, that may interact with the Exchange
database.
- Perform a full restore of the Exchange mailbox/database using the most current
data protection operation that is considered valid. See
Recover the
Exchange 5.5 Mailbox/Database using Media Explorer. Perform Directory Store
(DS) and Information Store (IS) consistency adjustments. Use the Advanced (Server)
property page to adjust inconsistencies between the directory and the information
store files.
- Perform a full data protection operation of the Exchange database to ensure
the existence of the current archive.
This concludes the full system restore prerequisite procedure. Continue on to
Recover the Exchange
5.5 Mailbox/Database using Media Explorer.
Before You Begin
- Ensure that no other applications or services are attempting to access the
library.
To perform an Exchange
5.5 Server Recovery
- Install a new version of the Exchange Server. Create a new site and Do not
select to join the existing site as suggested by the Microsoft Exchange Disaster
Recovery Procedures. Configure the Exchange Server to use the previous site
service account name, password, Organization Name, and Site Name.
- Configure any connectors that were in the previous site. These can include:
Internet Mail Service, Site Connector, and News Feed.
- Verify that Circular Logging on the Exchange Server is disabled.
- If there is software currently running on the server that may attempt to
access the database, such as Virus Scan, disable it at this time.
- Perform a full restore of the Exchange mailbox/database using the most current
backup that is valid. Refer to
Recover the
Exchange 5.5 Mailbox/Database using Media Explorer.
- Perform Directory Store (DS) and Information Store (IS) consistency adjustments.
Use the Advanced (Server) property page to adjust inconsistencies between the
directory and the information store files.
- If desired, enable any software that was disabled in a previous step.
- Perform a full data protection operation of the Exchange database to ensure
the existence of current archive.
- This concludes the Exchange server recovery prerequisite procedure. Continue
on to Recover
the Exchange 5.5 Mailbox/Database using Media Explorer.
|
This procedure describes how to recover the Exchange
Server mailbox/database(s). Do not perform this procedure unless you intend
to overwrite your existing Exchange Server mailbox/database with the version
from the media. |
Before You Begin
To recover from
single or multiple Exchange server archive files
- From the Display data corresponding to list,
select one of the following types as appropriate for your agent:
- Archiver for Exchange 5.5 - Mailboxes
archived by the Exchange 5.5 Compliance Archiver Agent
- Exchange 5.5 DB - Exchange 5.5
databases and transaction logs
- Exchange 5.5 Mailbox - Mailboxes
backed up by the Exchange 5.5 Mailbox iDataAgent
- Exchange 5.5 Mailbox Archiver
- Mailboxes archived by the Exchange 5.5 Mailbox Archiver Agent
This filters the data in the catalog database pane to show only the desired
archive files, and instructs Media Explorer which application's rules to enforce.
|
Media Explorer stores cataloged media information
in its database for future reference. Once your files have been cataloged,
you can go back and obtain this information without running the catalog
operation again. |
|
An archive file will sometimes span several tapes
during the course of normal data protection operations. In this case
when a catalog operation is run on the first media, the information
on the second media may not appear to have been cataloged. However,
when you perform a data recovery from the first tape, Media Explorer
asks you to load the second tape manually to continue the recovery. |
- Select the desired archive file entries based on the scenario in which you
find yourself.
|
In the Catalog Database pane:
Use Archive File Name to determine
the entry type.
Use the Level information to determine
backup types
Use the Job ID and
Backup Time information to determine
chronology.
Scroll right to use the App ID column
to determine subclient identity.
|
The requirement in this scenario, for each client in turn, is to select the latest
Full archive file entry and subsequent non-Full entries for each subclient (App
ID) within the client which together constitute a snapshot of the last pre-catastrophe
data secured by data protection operations.
- The requirement in this scenario is to select each archive file from the
selected backup cycle, associated with the database object that you want to
recover.
-To recover from Full/Incremental data protection operations select
the full and its associated incremental data protection operations from the
selected backup cycle.
-To recover from Full/Differential data protection operations select the
full and the latest differential data protection operation from the selected
backup cycle.
- From the File menu, click Recover Data. If data was encrypted using a pass-phrase, you
are prompted to enter the pass-phrase used at the time of the data protection
operation.
While the data recovery is in progress, if the data crosses to
a new tape, you may see the message Insert volume with
BarCode number and then click OK to continue.
|
The data recovery operation may fail due to exchange
specific events (e.g., services not stopped) For more information on
operation failures view the DrEx55Db.log
file located in the DrRestoreGUI directory. |
- You may be prompted to type the media password. Enter the password and click
OK. If you do not know the product media password, contact your software
provider for assistance.
- When the data recovery is complete, click OK to the
Restore completed successfully message. If another
operation is required return to Step 1.
- Verify the data that was recovered by successfully starting the Exchange
services and verifying that known data exists.
|
A file space shortage will cause the data recovery
operation job to fail. For information on the failure, you can go to
the DrRecovery log file which is located
where you installed the DrRestoreGUI.exe
. After fixing your space problem, you can simply start over. You do
not have to clear the environment. |
When you have recovered the final selection, you have completed Media Explorer data
recovery operation.
|
Use this procedure only if you used Media Explorer
to restore your Exchange Database files to a machine other than the one
containing the Exchange Server and if the targeted Exchange Server is available.
This procedure does not apply to Exchange Mailbox-based agents, which only
support in place restore using Media Explorer. |
To copy Exchange
5.5 Database files to the Exchange Server
- Stop all Exchange services except for the system attendant service.
- In the Exchange Server install directory, remove all the Exchange Database
files from the DSADATA and mdbdata folders.
- Copy the Exchange Database files to the folders identified in the preceding
step.
- Run the eseutil /p command under the exchsrvr directory. This command
should run for the Private Information Store, Public Information Store, and
Directory Service.
- Start the Exchange Services.
Your database files should now be successfully copied to the Exchange Server.
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