Exchange 2016 Database Restore overview

In the previous article we explored the options for backing up Exchange server with Windows Server Backup just leveraging the VSS framework in order to take crash consistent snapshots of our Application. This article now explores the options to run an Exchange 2016 mailbox database restore.

Backup was an easy one and the same applies when re-utilising the same Windows Server Backup when restoring objects from the Backup and in this article we’ll explore the ability to restore Exchange Mailboxes.

This can be also a good exercise to prove the Backups are “actually” working. Too often I see Backup strategies which do not include any extensive Recovery test scenarios and never to say all the oddities are found when in need of restoring something and of course of critical importance!

So here we go

Firstly what we can do is to issue a quick PowerShell command to list all available Exchange Mailbox Databases along with specific info

“Get-MailboxDatabase | select name,server,guid”

It will produce something like the following:

Now the Exchange 2016 Mailbox Database Restore process is very easy. Let’s take a note of the GUIDs associated with Mailbox Databases. Next is to fire the WBAdmin.msc and select Recover to start the wizard.

From the “Getting Started” let’s select the first option to locate the copy to restore in this case on “This Server”. That is because the VSS snapshot is created by default on the same volume where the files to protect are sitting. It’s also worth noting that this type of VSS snapshot is not a Full one but just a differential.

So losing the main volume means losing the base file and their delta changes captured into the snapshots on the same volume. Snapshot is not a backup! More information on how VSS works can be found in this article.

From here we can select the desired point-in-time restore according to the executed Backup schedules.

Let’s select Applications and let the wizard to automatically pick up the available ones based on VSS writers information at the backup time.

Let’s select the Exchange Application and the details will show info relative to our Mailbox Databases.

Next is to decide for an in place or out of place recovery. In this case let’s opt for the recovery to the original location.

Before progressing we can review and confirm the information about the Recovery Items as per screenshot below.

Once we click on Recover the wizard will start the Recovery procedure showing the actual progress.

After the job is completed with another simple PowerShell command we can determine the status of the recovery operations.

“Get-MailboxDatabaseCopyStatus | select name,status,contentindexstate”

And it will look something similar to this

And that’s it! A very simple scenario along with quick steps on how to run an Exchange 2016 Mailbox Database restore.