Microsoft Exchange Server is a popular mail and calendaring server application used by small, medium, and large enterprises for email and messaging. It runs on the Windows Server operating system and stores mailbox data, such as emails, contacts, attachments, etc., in a mailbox database (EDB) file.
When Exchange Server gets damaged or crashes, the database file may get corrupted, dismounted, and fail to mount due to ‘Dirty Shutdown.’
When this happens, users can’t access their mailbox or send and receive emails.
Thus, it’s critical to fix a damaged Exchange Server and database asap. However, if the server or database is damaged beyond repair, you must recover the data from the server, deploy a new server and restore the recovered mailbox databases to resume email services.
In this blog, you will learn common reasons for a damaged Exchange Server and methods to recover data from the damaged Exchange Server and database with complete integrity and without any data loss.
Table of Contents
Reasons for Damaged Exchange Server
An Exchange Server may get damaged due to several reasons, such as,
- Database (.edb) corruption
- Abrupt server shutdown
- Boot failure
- Power loss
- Hardware or software issues
- Malicious attacks
- Storage drive failure
- Low storage
- Virus or malware intrusion
- Human errors
Methods to Recover Data from Damaged Exchange Server
Below are the methods to recover data from damaged Exchange Server using Microsoft tools and third-party Exchange recovery software.
Method 1: Use Backup
The easiest way to recover data lost due to a damaged Exchange Server is to use backup. However, data generated or created after the last backup will be missing from the restored mailboxes.
Moreover, if the backup wasn’t verified, there are chances that the backup may not work. In such a case, you can use Exchange recovery tools, such as EseUtil, to recover mailboxes from crashed Exchange databases.
Method 2: Use EseUtil
Extension Storage Engine Utilities or EseUtil can repair corrupt or inconsistent databases and help you restore mailboxes. If the Exchange database has crashed and the database isn’t mounting due to Dirty Shutdown, you can use the following steps to recover the database and mount it to recover the data,
- Open Exchange Management Shell (EMS) or Command Prompt as administrator and run the following command to check the database status,
Eseutil /mh <path to database>
NOTE: If the EseUtil command is not recognized, navigate to C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Bin\ in Command Prompt using CD command and then execute the commands with EseUtil.exe.
- Back up the database file and logs to a safe location and execute the following command to perform soft recovery.
Eseutil /r <log prefix> /l <path to log files> /d <path to database>
For instance,
Eseutil /r e00 /l “C:\DB01\logs” /d “C:\DB01\database”
- After the soft recovery, check the database status.
Eseutil /mh <path to database>
- The output will display the Clean Shutdown state if the database is recovered. If so, you can mount the database to your server using Mount-Database cmdlet or EAC.
But if the soft recovery has failed, you may attempt Hard recovery.
The command is as follow,
Eseutil /p <database path>Click Yes if you accept data loss during the database recovery.
IMPORTANT NOTES
- Hard recovery purges irrecoverable or damaged data from the database during the recovery, leading to significant loss of data from the recovered database.
- It’s not guaranteed that hard recovery will work, or you can mount the database after hard recovery.
- The recovery process may take a while to finish based on the database size, leading to extended downtime.
- The EseUtil can only recover the database and works when the Exchange Server runs after a crash. It can’t help you recover data from a crashed or damaged Exchange Server that fails to boot.
Method 3: Use Setup /M:Recover Server
If the server has crashed and fails to boot, EseUtil cant help. In such a case, you need to recover the lost server by running the Exchange Setup in unattended mode with the /Mode:RecoverServer switch.
This is a lengthy process that requires a lot of preparation and planning. The switch uses the information stored in the AD of the lost server to rebuild a new server. For more details and a complete guide on using /Mode:RecoverServer, follow this Microsoft Guide.
Method 4: Use Exchange Recovery Software
If you don’t want to risk data loss and quickly restore user mailboxes from a damaged Exchange Server or database with minimum downtime, avoid EseUtil or /Mode:RecoverServer switch and use a third-party Exchange recovery software as Stellar Repair for Exchange. The tool repairs severely damaged or corrupt Exchange database and recover all mailboxes with complete integrity and consistency to PST files.
You may also export the recovered mailboxes from the repaired Exchange database directly to Office 365 or a Live Exchange Server.
Besides the Exchange database, the software can also help you recover data from damaged Exchange Server even if the server does not restart. Simply copy the database file from the damaged server, scan using the software and save the mailboxes in desired format or destination.
To Wrap Up
To recover data from a damaged Exchange Server database, you can use the EseUtil. However, it is recommended to use EseUtil for soft recovery as hard recovery can lead to data loss. Instead of hard recovery, use a third-party Exchange recovery software to avoid the risk of data loss and ensure complete recovery without any hiccups. Moreover, the software can also help you recover data from a damaged Exchange Server; something EseUtil can’t do.
The software also features a user-friendly interface and supports parallel processing that helps export up to 4 mailboxes simultaneously from the damaged database to PST, Office 365, or Live Exchange Server. You may also prioritize mailbox recovery to recover critical mailboxes first than the other. Most importantly, the software auto-maps the source and destination mailboxes when you export the recovered mailboxes to Office 365 tenant or Exchange Server saving you tons of effort and time.
