Restoring relocated and deleted mailboxes

Edit online

The backup solution for restoring mailboxes that are relocated and deleted after a virtual machine backup consists of Data Protection for VMware and Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server.

Before you begin

Decide where the mailbox data from the deleted mailbox is to be restored.

If you restore mail to a Unicode personal folder (.pst) file, or you restore a mailbox that is deleted or re-created after the time of the backup, Data Protection for Exchange Server requires a temporary mailbox to store the mailbox messages. Create a temporary mailbox by setting the Alias of temporary mailbox option on the Properties page, under the General tab.

Attention: Ensure that the temporary mailbox that you create is on a database with enough disk storage capacity to accommodate all of the mailbox items that you are restoring.

About this task

When you restore the backups, and complete a full database restore operation from the backup, Data Protection for VMware restores the files to their original location.

If database or log files are relocated during the backup cycle, Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server restores the files in their original locations.

If any databases or mailboxes were created during the backup cycle, Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server re-creates the new files. If database or log files were deleted during the backup cycle, those files are not restored.

Procedure

Complete one of the following actions:
  • Restore the deleted mailbox data to the original location. Before you run the mailbox restore operation, re-create the mailbox that is using Exchange.

    If the backup that contains the deleted mailbox was created with a version of Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server earlier than version 6.1, or if the mailbox history is disabled, and the mailbox was relocated after the time it was backed up, you must specify the Exchange Server and the database where the mailbox was at the time of backup. Use the Mailbox Original Location option in the GUI to specify this information. Alternatively, issue the restoremailbox command parameter, /MAILBOXORIGLOCATION.

  • Restore the deleted mailbox data into an active alternative mailbox in an online Exchange Server.
  • Restore the deleted mailbox data into an Exchange Server personal folders (.pst) file.