Frequently Asked Questions - Exchange Mailbox iDataAgent

for what purpose do I use the exchange mailbox iDataAgent as opposed to the Exchange Database iDataAgent?

Primarily, you can use the Exchange Mailbox iDataAgent as a system administrator tool to:

how can i use the exchange mailbox agent with other exchange agents?

If you have all Exchange Server iDataAgents installed, you can back up Exchange data using all of them. For example, you may want to run daily backups of your private information store using the Exchange Mailbox iDataAgent. This way, you can restore any individual mailbox on the server to within one day of failure. You can use the Public Folder iDataAgent to restore Public Folders or Exchange data contained in the Public Folders. At the same time, you may want to schedule monthly backups of your Exchange Server using the Exchange Database iDataAgent, with daily incremental backups in between. This way you can recover efficiently in the event of a server crash. Although your private information store is backed up by Exchange Database iDataAgent, the backups are created differently and serve different purposes.

Can i use the exchange mailbox agent to backup active directory information used by Exchange?

No, you would use the File System iDataAgent to backup this type of data. Other types of data that are backed up by the File System iDataAgent include:

Exchange Entity Associated Files
Personal Information Store *.pst
Personal Address Book *.pab
Offline Folders *.ost

do I need to remove mapi32.dll prior to performing a non-pst restore?

If you previously added the MAPI32.dll file to the <Software Installation Path>/Base installation directory on the client to support PST recoveries to PST, then you will need to remove that file prior to performing a non-PST restore, recover, or retrieve operation for Exchange. Otherwise, such jobs may go into a pending state.  

Must I disable Circular Logging for Mailbox Backups as I do with Database Backups?

No. Since Exchange Mailbox iDataAgent does not use transaction logs, circular logging can remain enabled providing no database backups are scheduled at the same time as a mailbox backup.

How do I Assign Full Access to All mailboxes on a Server

For Exchange server 2010

To assign full access follow the steps given below:

Get-MailboxDatabase -server (server name) | Add-ADPermission -user "backup account" -ExtendedRights Receive-As

  Run the above PowerShell every time a new database is added.

For Exchange server 2007

For Exchange server 2003

How Do I Fix MAPI Issues?

If you experience MAPI issues, you should first do the following: