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How to Restore Exchange Database To A New Server? Get the Solution

Sherry James ~ Published: March 10, 2021 ~ 8 Minutes Reading

Summary: Have you ever wonder how to restore Exchange database to a new server. If yes, then this write-up help users and provide the complete solution to restore the mailbox database to the new server via manual and advanced solution without any loss of data or corruption.

Nowadays the existing Exchange Server is being upgraded or replaced by the new one because day by day Microsoft is upgrading the server along with its services by providing the advanced feature, security, etc… which makes the Exchange users / administrators work a lot easier.

If your are working on the older version of MS Exchange Server and want to upgrade to the new one, in that case users will need to restore & mount the mailbox database to the new server.

By reading this write-up, users can easily move & restore Exchange database to a new server. With minimum outage. This article also help users to restore the corrupt offline / dismounted EDB to the new server.

Before moving towards the solution, first have a quick brief about the Exchange database downtime scenario.

Overview Of Exchange Downtime While Restoring the EDB to A New Server

This situation arise when the Microsoft Exchange Server come across with failures, having network connectivity or database issue, shutdown, etc… It disconnects all the Exchange users mailboxes and because of which the entire email flow/communication and business. All this occur in mailbox database restore process.

Note: It is suggested to perform the database restore job after working hours in order to avoid the downtime in the business.

However, to avoid the disruption and complexity that users face to restore mailbox database to new server, users can use the Exchange EDB Repair Tool. This recovery manager for Exchange database utility help users to repair Exchange mailbox & EDB file from corruption automatically without any loss of data and export recovered EDB mailboxes to Live Exchange Server in a simplified manner along with healthy Exchange database mailboxes.

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Manual Methods to Restore Exchange Database to a New Server

Follow the solutions give below to restore the Microsoft Exchange mailbox database to the new server

Solution 1: Use the Database Portability Method

Database Portability is the MS Exchange Server features with enables the administrator to migrate, mount, or restore the Exchange database to the target Exchange Server in an easy. This features is available in in the Microsoft Exchange 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 & 2010 and it reduce overall recovery times.

It is the easiest way to move the Exchange database to the different server. This solution help users to quickly migrate the mailbox database from the existing or old server with minimum downtime.

With the help of this method users can move the Exchange database from one server to the new one in same organization. The new Exchange Server should have same database schema same as the previous one. Also, note that users cannot move the mailbox database from the previous versions to the running Exchange Server such as: 2016 or 2019.

Important Point: This solution only work if the source & target Exchange Server is running on the same version and OS (Operating System).

Things to Know Before You Begin the Solution

  1. Users cannot use the Exchange Admin Center to move the Exchange user mailboxes to the recovered or dial tone database via database portability.
  2. You have to assign the permission to perform this procedure. To see what kind of permission you need, for that check the mailbox recovery in the recipients permissions.

Follow the Steps given below:

Step 1: Make sure that the state of database should be in Clean Shutdown. If the mailbox database is not in a clean state then you have to perform soft recovery by running the eseutil /r cmdlet.

Syntax:

eseutil /r <enn>

Output:

repair edb

Step 2: Then create the database on the server by using the command given below:

New-MailboxDatabase -Name  -Server  -EdbFilePath  -LogFolderPath

Step 3: Now use the Exchange Management Shell command given below to “set database can be over written by restore attribute”.

Set-MailboxDatabase  -AllowFileRestore $true

Step 4: Then move the actual database files like – log files, Exchange Search catalog and .edb file.

Step 5: After that mount the Exchange database use the cmdlet given below:

Mount-Database

Step 6: Then, users have to move the old database to the new one

Get-Mailbox -Database  |where {$_.ObjectClass -NotMatch '(SystemAttendantMailbox|ExOleDbSystemMailbox)'}| Set-Mailbox -Database

Step 7: After that, use the command to trigger the delivery of any remaining message

Get-Queue  | Retry-Queue -Resubmit $true

After the successful completion of AD (Active Directory) replication service, now all users can easily access the mailboxes to the New Exchange Server

Issues with Database Portability Solution

  1. It is a time taking method and users should have technical knowledge & skill to use the manual solution
  2. User have to perform soft repair to bring back the database in a clean state
  3. The AD (Active Directory) and the re-submission of queue message increases the downtime

Note: It also require for the users to first rebuild the new server if the first one is failed and the new Exchange Server should be setup with the same configuration as the previous one.

Solution 2: Use WSB (Windows Server Backup)

On recent server, users have to use the Windows Server Backup to create the database backup that you want to restore the new server. When done, follow the steps given below to the new server:

Step 1: Open the WSB >> Click on the Action tab >> Select the recover button

Step 2: On the recovery wizard page >> Select the server from the radio button >> Click on the Next button

Step 3: Then set the location path >> after that specify the shared folder path >> Click on the Next button

Step 4: Select the date & time to restore the Exchange database database >> Click on the Next button

Step 5: Select the recovery typepage >> Click Next button

Step 6: Then, on the application page, verify that the Exchange is selected in the application >> Click next

Step 7: Set the location where you want to restore the Exchange database on the specify recovery option page >> Click on the Next Button

Note: If the restored database is in dirty shutdown state, then users have to perform Exchange database hard repair or soft repair by using the ESEUTIL command.

Step 8: Verify all the settings on the confirmation page >> Click Next button

Step 9: When the process is successfully completed >> Click on the close button

If you want to verify that if this solution is worked or not, then go to the directory where you have restored the Exchange database and see if it is exist. Users can also check the Windows Server backup log files to verify the job status.

Use Third-Party Exchange EDB Repair Tool

The Database Portability method has its own drawback and on the WSB (Windows Server Backup) solution users have to first create the backup data first to import it on the new server. In these solution it require the recent EDB and server should be in a working state and this can in the same organization, in the same forest.

If users want to restore Exchange database to a new server when it is in a offline or dismounted state, then in this case this solution doesn’t work. For this, users can use the advanced Exchange EDB Repair Tool used by many IT Experts, Exchange and novice users to export the offline EDB to the Live Exchange Server 2016 / 2013 / 2010 / 2007 / 2003 mailboxes in a simplified manner.

Download Now
Safe & Secure
Purchase Now
30 Days Money Back*

Any technical and non technical can use this utility as it provides graphical user interface which makes the users work a lot easier and save their time as well as effort too. It provides scan mode option i.e. Quick & Advance scan which recover &  repair corrupt Exchange mailbox as well as mailbox database without any loss of data in a hassle freeway.

After recovery, users can easily extract the healthy and recovered mailboxes to export it directly into the Exchange Server, Office 365 and multiple file formats.

Bringing It All Together

Restore Exchange database to a new server is not a piece of cake. Users can use the manual solution to restore the mailbox database from the existing server to the new one but it is to use the automated wizard given in the above section which easily recovers the minimal and severely corrupted offline/dismounted Exchange database and export it to the Live Exchange Server in a simplified way without any interruption.