Summary: The error “The mailbox with mailbox GUID caused crash or resource outage on database” when the mailbox is put in quarantine state by Exchange Server due to lack of resources or other reason. In this post, you will learn various methods to resolve this error. You will also get to know about an advanced Exchange repair tool that can repair corrupt database without any data loss.
In Exchange Server, there is a feature that puts a mailbox to quarantine state to protect it from any abnormal activity or potential harmful activity. For example, large number of rejected messages/spam emails or mailbox consuming high resources. In such cases, Exchange Server places the mailbox (experiencing abnormal activity) in quarantine state to prevent any further damage.
When the mailbox is quarantined, users are not able access their mailbox data. In this case, you can use the Get-MailboxStatistics cmdlet to confirm if the mailbox is quarantined by the server. If it is in quarantine state, you can use the Disable-MailboxQuarantine cmdlet to disable the quarantine status. However, when you disable the quarantine, you may face a situation where the database gets dismounted and the following error message occurs:
ID: 1013
Level: Error
Source: MSExchangeIS
Machine: exchangeserver.contoso.com
Message: The mailbox with mailboxguid “6fe22b67-e191-4d84-b878-b452c85a8303″ caused crash or resource outage on database (GUID=”e2732878-db4a-413a-afe5-f0390b882c25”)
In this situation, if you are using high availability with Database Availability Groups (DAG), then the database would simply failover to the next available member. However, if you’re using standalone server, then all the mailboxes in the database will not be available. Below, we will see how to resolve this issue.
How to Resolve “The mailbox with mailbox GUID caused crash or resource outage on database” Error?
First, you need to check that the Exchange Server databases and server have ample storage. Next, you need to trace back any changes which were done before the issue occurred. For example, any changes done on server, hardware, or network, or patches installed. This will help you find the cause and take the remedial action. If this is not the case, then follow the below methods to resolve “The mailbox with mailbox GUID caused crash or resource outage on database” error.
Method 1: Export the Mailboxes to a New Database
It might happen that there are issues with the mailbox in question or the database. In such a case, you can try to move the mailboxes to a new database.
If the database is dismounted, you can use the Mount-Database cmdlet (see the below example) to mount the database on the server.
Mount-Database –Identity<name of the database>Next, create a new database using the New-MailboxDatabase cmdlet as given below:
New-MailboxDatabase -Server SERV1 -Name "DBX1" -EdbFilePath D:\ExchangeDatabases\DB1\DB1.edbThe above command will create a database named – DBX1 on the server named – SERV1.
Now, use the New-MoveRequest cmdlet (as given below) to move the mailboxes to the new database.
New-MoveRequest -Identity /useridentity -TargetDatabase targetdatabase -TargetMailboxDatabase /targetmailboxdatabase /targetmailboxdatabase /targetdatabase /useridentityTo check the status of the move requests, you can use the Get-MoveRequest cmdlet.
Note: If the database gets dismounted during the process, then it will stop the migration of mailboxes. In this case, follow the next method.
Method 2: Repair the Database
If the database is dismounted due to corruption, you need to repair the database. For this, you can use the EseUtil commands.
First, check the status of the database by using the EseUtil /mh command as given below.
Eseutil /mh <PathToDatabase>If the command shows the state as Dirty Shutdown, this means that the database has inconsistency and corruption issues. You need to perform Soft Recovery on the database to fix the issues and bring the database back to Clean Shutdown state. For this, run the following command:
EseUtil /r <Log Prefix> /l "<PathToLogsFolder> /d "<PathToDatabase>"When the process is completed, check the database state again using the EseUtil /mh command. If the database is in Clean Shutdown state, you can mount the database using the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or the Mount-Database cmdlet in the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).
However, if the database is still in the Dirty Shutdown state or the Soft Recovery fails due to missing log files, you need to perform the Hard Recovery on the database. For this, run the following command:
Eseutil /p <DBName.edb>Now again check the database state. If Hard Recovery is successful, the database will be in Clean Shutdown state. Now, mount the database on the server.
Note: Hard Recovery can purge or remove the irrecoverable mail items from the database, leading to data loss. It is recommended to take a backup of the database before performing this operation.
As an alternative, you can use a professional Exchange repair software, like Stellar Repair for Exchange to repair the corrupted database and recover all the mailboxes and other items without any data loss. This software saves the recovered mailboxes and other items in PST and various other formats. It can also directly export the mailboxes to a live Exchange Server or Microsoft 365 (Office) account. The software supports Exchange database of any size and of any server version – Exchange Server 2019, 2016, 2013, and earlier.
Conclusion
“The mailbox with mailbox GUID caused a crash or resource outage on database” error occurs when the mailbox is quarantined by the server due to insufficient resources or corruption. To resolve the error, you can follow the methods mentioned in this post. If the database is corrupted, you can perform Soft Recovery or Hard Recovery using the EseUtil commands. However, you need to remember that performing Hard Recovery can cause data loss. To repair a database without data loss, you can use an Exchange Server recovery software, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange. It can recover all the data from the EDB file and save it in various formats, like PST, RTF, EML etc. or directly export it to a live Exchange Server or Office 365 (Microsoft 365).
