Exchange Server Restore Methods

If the entire Exchange server fails and cannot be booted due to a hardware failure or configuration corruption, you can either restore or reinstall the server to correct the problem. The following table describes three methods you can use to recover from a failed server.

Method	Description
Restoring the Exchange Server	When you restore the Exchange server, you use existing backups to restore the operating system, Exchange, and the data to the same system. Use the following general process to restore the Exchange server: Use your latest backups to restore the entire computer. This will include the operating system and Exchange. Reapply service packs and updates. Restore the Exchange data.
Rebuilding the Exchange Server	When you rebuild a server, you reinstall a fresh copy of the operating system and Exchange, but configure the computer as if it were the original Exchange server. To rebuild the Exchange server: Install the operating system. Restore the system state data. Reinstall operating system service packs and hotfixes. Install Exchange using Setup.exe /disasterrecovery. This option re-installs Exchange but uses configuration information in Active Directory to configure the new install exactly the same as the failed server. Install Exchange service packs and hotfixes. Restore the Exchange data.
Using a Standby Recovery Server	A standby recovery server is a partially-configured server with the exact same hardware and with the operating system already installed. The process for using a standby server is similar to the process of rebuilding the server, except that the operating system is already installed. To rebuild using a standby server: Shut down the failed server and remove it from the network. Move the hard drives to the standby server. Connect the standby server to the network. Restore the system state data from the failed computer to the standby server. Reinstall operating system service packs and hotfixes. Install Exchange using Setup.exe /disasterrecovery. Install Exchange service packs and hotfixes. Restore the Exchange data.

Keep in mind the following recommendations for working with failed Exchange servers.

• If possible, copy the Exchange data from the failed server. As the last step in the process, recopy the data to the restored or rebuilt server instead of restoring the data from backup. This gives you the latest version of the Exchange database.


• If restoring the Exchange server does not work (if the restored server is still unstable), try reinstalling the server. By reinstalling, you get clean installs of the operating system and Exchange.


• If the Exchange server is the only domain controller on your network, you will need to restore Active Directory before restoring or reinstalling Exchange. If the Exchange server is one of other domain controllers, make the server a domain controller prior to installing Exchange. Wait for Active Directory replication to replicate domain information to the restored server.


• If you install Exchange without the /disasterrecovery switch, information in Active Directory for that server will be deleted. Using the /disasterrecovery switch retrieves the configuration information for that server object and reapplies it to that Exchange server.