How to Restore Exchange Mailbox Database to a New Server

At some point in time, you are required to replace or upgrade your IT equipment and hardware. With time, either the hardware becomes slow or doesn’t meet your current requirements. Sometimes, you just need to upgrade the software part for better features and security, which may also require new or better hardware to meet the requirements.

So if you are planning to set up a new Exchange Server on a new virtual or physical machine and upgrade the server software or hardware, you will need to move and restore the databases on the current Exchange Server to a new one.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to easily export and restore your Exchange databases to the new server with minimal downtime. You will also learn how to restore mailboxes from a corrupt or inaccessible/dismounted Exchange mailbox database to your new server.

But before we move ahead, let us first have a brief overview of the Exchange downtime that may occur during the process and its possible impacts on your organization or business.

Best Practices to Avoid Exchange Downtime during Database Restore to New Server

Exchange Downtime is a situation that may occur when the Exchange Server encounters failure, shutdown, or experiences database dismount or network connectivity issues. In all such scenarios, users can’t access their mailboxes, which also puts a hold on the entire business activity and email communication. This may happen during the database export and restore process. Thus, it’s recommended that you perform the database restore task outside work hours to avoid disruption in business continuity.

Another efficient way to avoid this downtime and restore the mailboxes from the database on the current server to the new server is by using an Exchange recovery software, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange. The software helps you scan and export mailboxes from corrupt, inaccessible, or damaged Exchange mailbox database (EDB) files to Outlook PST format. You can then import the PST files into respective mailboxes on your new server using the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or Exchange Management Shell (EMS).

The software also allows you to directly export the recovered mailboxes to the new server in a few clicks. This software not only helps avoid downtime and data loss but also recovers and restores accidentally deleted mailboxes and mailbox items.

Methods to Restore Exchange Mailbox Database to New Server

Below are a few manual methods to restore the Exchange mailbox database to a new server. You may follow any method based on your level of expertise and access to the server.

Method 1: Use Database Portability

Database Portability is the easiest way to move or restore the Exchange mailbox database to a different Exchange Server. It helps quickly migrate the Exchange mailbox database from the old damaged server to the new one with minimal downtime.

What is Database Portability?

It is a Microsoft Exchange Server feature that allows the admin to mount, move, or restore mailbox database on any target server easily. It helps in decreasing the overall recovery time. The feature is available in Exchange 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019.

Things to Consider Before you Begin

There are a few conditions or prerequisites you need to fulfil before using database portability for moving the mailbox database.

• The account you will be using should have the required permissions for performing the procedure.
• The account on the current Exchange and another Exchange Server should have Organization Management and Recipient Management permissions.
• You can move the mailbox database from one server to other (new) in the same organization.
• The new Exchange Server database should have the same database schema version as the old one.
• You cannot restore or move the database from previous Exchange Server versions to newer versions.

Note: Database Portability works if the source and target Exchange servers are running on the same operating system and Exchange Server versions. For instance, if your current Exchange mailbox database is running on Windows Server 2012 and Exchange 2013 Server, you can only restore it to a new server running on Windows Server 2012 and Exchange 2013.

The steps to use database portability to move mailbox database are as follows:

• Check the database to ensure it is in a Clean Shutdown state. And, in case it is not, then perform soft recovery. To do so, open the command prompt and run the following command. 

ESEUTIL /R <DatabasePath>

• Now, create a database on the server using the following syntax: 

New-MailboxDatabase -Name <DatabaseName> -Server <ServerName> -EdbFilePath <DatabaseFileNameandPath> -LogFolderPath <LogFilesPath>

• Now, set that ‘This database can be overwritten by restore attribute’. To set it, just run the following Exchange Management Shell command:

Set-MailboxDatabase <Database Name> -AllowFileRestore:$true

• Copy the database files such as Exchange Search catalog, .edb files, and log files to the specified database folder on the new server.
• After the successful completion of the moving process, mount the database. To mount the database, use the below Exchange Management Shell command:

Mount-Database –identity <Database Name>

• Enter the following command to move users from the old database to the new:

Get-Mailbox -Database <SourceDatabase> |where {$_.ObjectClass -NotMatch ‘(SystemAttendantMailbox|ExOleDbSystemMailbox)’}| Move-Mailbox -ConfigurationOnly -TargetDatabase <TargetDatabase>

• To trigger delivery of any pending message in the queue, use the following syntax:

Get-Queue <QueueName> | Retry-Queue -Resubmit $true

Now, on successful completion of the Active Directory replication service, you can easily access your Mailbox Database on the new Exchange Server.

Challenges Associated with Database Portability Method

• Dismounts the database and thus, downtime is expected.
• Requires you to copy the Exchange database to the new server manually. This could take a lot of time and resources depending on the size of the database and network speed.
• Requires you to perform soft recovery for the database, if it’s not in clean state.
• Active Directory replication and re-submit queued messages increase downtime.

Note: This requires you to first rebuild the new server if the old server has failed. The new server should be an exact copy of the old one with the same hardware and software configuration. See Rebuild New Server as Exact Replica of old Exchange Server to learn more.

Method 2: Use Windows Server Backup (WSB)

On your current server, you can use the Windows Server Backup to create a backup of the mailbox databases you want to restore on the new server. Once the backup is done, follow these steps on the new server to restore the mailbox database:

1. Open Windows Server Backup and click Recover to start the Recovery Wizard.
2. Choose Another Server from the option and click Next.
3. Choose location type and click Next. You can either choose Local drives or a Remote shared folder, wherever you have stored the database.
4. Select the backup date and time for data restoration and click Next.
5. Select Applications and click Next and then Next again.
6. Choose Recover to another location and click Browse to specify the location.
7. Choose which database you want to restore on the new server.
   Note: The restored database will be in dirty shutdown state and thus, you will need to put the database back into clean shutdown state by using Eseutil.
8. Review and confirm the restore settings and click Recover.
9. Once the process is completed, click Close.

To check if this worked, go to the directory where you restored the database and check if the database exists. You may also check the WSB logs to verify the restore job status.

Method 3: Restore via Dial Tone Recovery

If the old server is running fine but the database is not mounting due to corruption, you can use the dial-tone recovery technique to get things operational quickly. All users can send and receive emails while you restore the mailbox database. Thus, it can help avoid downtime while you fix and restore the data from the historical database. See how to perform dial tone recovery to avoid downtime to learn more.

Method 4: Use Exchange Repair Tool

Database Portability-based method has its limitations and Windows Server Backup (WSB) requires you to create and move the backup data first to restore it onto the new server. This requires you to use your current Exchange database and server resources. Also, this can be done within the organization, in the same forest. Not to mention, other challenges associated with these manual methods.

However, you can easily overcome them and restore the Exchange mailbox database from your current failed Exchange Server to a new server in a few clicks using an Exchange recovery software, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange. It works even if the Exchange database or EDB file is not accessible or dismounted.

Stellar Repair for Exchange: An Overview

Stellar Repair for Exchange is an Exchange mailbox repair and recovery software to get back your mail items from corrupt or inaccessible Exchange mailbox database (EDB) files. This professional Exchange Database Recovery software is easy-to-use and has advanced features for seamless database recovery.

By using this software, you can restore and mount the Exchange mailbox database from one server to another with virtually minimum to no downtime. It also lets you export the mail items from Exchange mailbox database files to various formats, such as PST, HTML, RTF, EML, PDF, and MSG.

Recommended by MVPs and administrators, the software can help export the Exchange mailbox database directly to the new live Exchange Server or Office 365 tenant.

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Conclusion

Restoring the Exchange mailbox database to a different server is not an easy task. Although you can restore the Exchange mailbox database from the existing server to another server with manual methods, do expect some downtime. To avoid downtime and restore the mailbox database from a damaged server, corrupt database, or dismounted database to a new server, use Stellar Repair for Exchange. The Exchange recovery software restores the Exchange mailbox database directly to your new live Exchange Server most efficiently and securely.

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About The Author

Eric Simson

Eric Simson is an Email Platform Consultant and is associated with Stellar Data Recovery from last 6 years. He writes about the latest technology tips and provides custom solutions related to MS Outlook, MS Exchange Server, Office 365, and many other Email Clients & Servers.