Restoring Backups

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Restoring from an Exchange server backup is not a difficult procedure. First, you have to specify which backup set you want to restore. In Windows 2000 Backup, click on the Restore tab. All available backup jobs are displayed, and you simply have to navigate to and select the backup job and the components of that job that you want to restore, as shown in Figure 24-8. You also need to specify whether to restore files to their original location, to an alternate location, or to an individual folder. If you are restoring an Exchange server, you will use the first option. If you are using a backup to move items to another server or to a newly installed server, you will usually use the second option. Restoring to an individual folder is useful if you want to try to find some particular piece of data within the backup job.

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Figure 24-8. Choosing components to restore.

When you have made your choices, click the Start Restore button. This opens the Restoring Database Store dialog box (Figure 24-9). Because you can back up any number of Exchange servers from one backup server, you need to use the Browse button to select the Exchange server to which you will be restoring. Click OK when you are done, and the restore will start. When it is done, you will be shown a summary of the job.

Figure 24-9. Setting the restore options.

NOTE
There are several reasons to restore the data from an Exchange server backup. For example, a user may have deleted something important, or someone may need access to a mailbox that was deleted when its owner left the company. However, when an Exchange server has failed and the Windows 2000 operating system and Exchange files cannot load, more steps are involved. These steps typically involve reinstalling Windows 2000 Server and all of the service packs, joining a domain, restoring the system state data, reinstalling Exchange Server and any Exchange service packs, and finally restoring the Exchange data.

REAL WORLD   Using a Recovery Server

The faster and more reliably you can restore your backups, the better. You should therefore test your backups regularly to ensure that they are working as you believe they should. Practicing restoration also puts you in good shape for the real event. You should keep an offline Exchange server, known as a recovery server, running for just this purpose. Most administrators never run a restore job until they need to restore an actual server. It's better to routinely restore backup jobs to the recovery server both to test your backup routine and media and to give yourself practice for when the real thing happens. Recovery servers also offer an ideal place to restore databases when what you're really after is a single piece of the database, such as an individual mailbox or a message, and you don't want to restore an entire server.



Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Adminstrator's Companion
Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Adminstrator's Companion
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 1999
Pages: 193

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