Restoring individual mailbox items by using a granular restore operation

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You can restore Exchange individual mailbox items by using a granular restore operation and the IBM Storage® Protect Plus Microsoft Management Console (MMC) GUI.

Before you begin

You must have role-based access control (RBAC) permissions to complete individual mailbox restore operations. If RBAC permissions were not assigned, you might encounter configuration errors in the IBM Storage Protect Plus MMC GUI for each missing role.

Tip:

You must perform individual mailbox items restore operation from a remote server that has Microsoft 32-bit Outlook installed.
You must install and configure the granular restore remote package to a remote server that has Microsoft Outlook installed. For instructions see, Installing the Granular Restore remote package.
If you encounter role-based configuration errors in the IBM Storage Protect Plus MMC GUI, you can set the required permissions manually to resolve the errors (see Privileges), or you can run the IBM Storage Protect Plus configuration wizard to automatically configure permissions (see step 15).

About this task

To start a granular restore operation, complete preparatory steps in the IBM Storage Protect Plus GUI, and then log in to the Outlook server. Then, use the IBM Storage Protect Plus MMC GUI to restore user mailbox data from the recovery database that is created by the granular restore operation. A granular restore operation can be used to complete the following tasks:

You can restore selected mailbox items to the original mailbox, another online mailbox on the same server, or to a Unicode .pst file.
You can restore a public folder mailbox database, a public folder mailbox, or only a part of the mailbox, for example, a specific public folder.
You can restore an archive mailbox or a part of the mailbox, for example, a specific folder.
You can restore archive mailbox messages to a mailbox that is on the Exchange Server, to an archive mailbox, or to an Exchange Server .pst file.

Procedure

In the navigation panel, click Manage Protection > Databases > Exchange > Create job, and then select Restore to open the Restore wizard.
Tips:
- You can also open the wizard by clicking Jobs and Operations > Create job > Restore > Exchange.
- For a running summary of your selections in the wizard, click Preview Restore in the navigation panel in the wizard.
- The wizard is opened in the default setup mode. To run the wizard in advanced setup mode, select Advanced Setup. With advanced setup mode, you can set more options for your restore job.
On the Source select page, complete the following steps:
1. Click a source in the list to show the databases that are available for restore operations. You can also use the search function to search for available instances and toggle the displayed instances through the View filter.
2. Click the plus icon next to the database that you want to use as the source of the restore operation.
  
  Tip: You must select only one database for a granular restore operation. If you select multiple databases, the granular restore option will not be available on the Restore method page.
  
  The selected source is added to the restore list next to the database list. To remove an item from the list, click the minus icon next to the item.
3. Click Next to continue.
On the Source snapshot page, select the type of restore job that you want to create:

On-demand: Snapshot

Runs a one-time restore operation. The restore job starts immediately upon the completion of the wizard.

On-demand: Point in Time

Runs a one-time restore job from a point-in-time backup of a database. The restore job starts immediately upon the completion of the wizard.

Recurring

Creates a repeating point-in-time restore job that runs on a schedule.

Complete the fields on the Source snapshot page and click Next to continue.

The fields that are shown depend on the number of items that were selected on the Select source page and on the restore type. Some fields are also not shown until you select a related field.

Fields that are shown for an on-demand snapshot, single resource restore

Option	Description
Date range	Specify a range of dates to show the available snapshots within that range.
Backup storage type	All backups in the selected date range are listed in rows that show the time that the backup operation occurred and the service level agreement (SLA) policy for the backup. Select the row that contains the backup time and SLA policy that you want, and then take one of the following actions: Click the backup storage type that you want to restore from. The storage types that are shown depend on the types available in your environment and are shown in the following order: Backup Restores data that is backed up to a vSnap server. Replication Restores data that is replicated to a vSnap server. Object Storage Restores data that is copied to a cloud service or to a repository server. Archive Restores data that is copied to a cloud service archive or to a repository server archive (tape). Click anywhere on the row. The first backup type that is shown sequentially from the left of the row is selected by default. For example, if the storage types Backup, Replication, and Archive are shown, Backup is selected by default.
Use alternate vSnap server for the restore job	If you are restoring data from a cloud service or a repository server, select this box to specify an alternative vSnap server, and then select a server from the Select alternate vSnap menu. When you restore data from a restore point that was copied to a cloud resource or repository server, a vSnap server is used as a gateway to complete the operation. By default, the vSnap server that is used to complete the restore operation is the same vSnap server that is used to complete the backup and copy operations. To reduce the load on the vSnap server, you can select an alternative vSnap server to serve as the gateway.

Fields that are shown for an on-demand snapshot, multiple resources restore; or recurring restore. For point-in-time restore, only Site is available for Restore Location Type.

Option	Description
Restore Location Type	Select a type of location from which to restore data: Site The site to which snapshots were backed up. The site is defined in the System Configuration > Storage > Sites pane. Cloud service copy The cloud service to which snapshots were copied. The cloud service is defined in the System Configuration > Storage > Cloud storage pane. Repository server copy The repository server to which snapshots were copied. The repository server is defined in the System Configuration > Storage > Repository servers pane. Cloud service archive The cloud archive service to which snapshots were copied. The cloud service is defined in the System Configuration > Storage > Cloud storage pane. Repository server archive The repository server to which snapshots were copied to tape. The repository server is defined in the System Configuration > Storage > Repository servers pane.
Select a location	If you are restoring data from a site, select one of the following restore locations: Primary The primary site from which to restore snapshots. Secondary The secondary site from which to restore snapshots. If you are restoring data from a cloud or repository server, select a server from the Select a location menu.
Date selector	For on-demand restore operations, specify a range of dates to show the available snapshots within that range.
Restore Point	For on-demand restore operations, select a snapshot from the list of available snapshots in the selected date range.
Use alternate vSnap server for the restore job	If you are restoring data from a cloud service or a repository server, select this box to specify an alternative vSnap server, and then select a server from the Select alternate vSnap menu. When you restore data from a restore point that was copied to a cloud service or repository server, a vSnap server is used as a gateway to complete the operation. By default, the vSnap server that is used to complete the restore operation is the same vSnap server that is used to complete the backup and copy operations. To reduce the load on the vSnap server, you can select an alternative vSnap server to serve as the gateway.

On the Restore method page, click Granular Restore.
The recovery database name is displayed in the New Database Name field. The name consists of the existing database name with the suffix _RDB.
On the Set destination page, select Restore to original instance and click Next.

Tip: In a Microsoft™ Exchange Server Database Availability Group (DAG) environment, you can restore to a recovery database on an active or passive member.
Optional: In the Job Options page, Recover until end of backup and Run cleanup immediately on job failure are selected by default. Click Next to continue.

Restriction: Do not clear the Run cleanup immediately on job failure option unless instructed by IBM® Support for troubleshooting purposes.
Optional: On the Apply scripts page, select the Pre-Script or Post-Script to apply, or choose Continue job/task on script error. For more information about working with scripts, see Configuring scripts. Click Next to continue.
Take one of the following actions on the Schedule page:
- If you are running an on-demand job, click Next.
- If you are setting up a recurring job, enter a name for the job schedule, and specify how often and when to start the restore job. Click Next.
On the Review page, review your restore job settings and click Submit to create the job.
The restore job is created, and you can check on its status in Jobs and Operations > Running Jobs.
In the navigation panel, click Jobs and Operations > Active Resources > Databases to view the recovery database and mount point details.

Tip: Click the icon to display an information message that describes the next steps for completing the granular restore task.

Important: Before you perform the next steps, ensure that you have installed and configured the granular restore remote package to a remote server that has Microsoft Outlook installed. For instructions see, Installing the Granular Restore remote package.
Connect to the Outlook server instance by using Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) or Virtual Network Computing (VNC) if connecting remotely, or by logging on to the Outlook machine locally.

Tip: To log user and its mailbox with appropriate requirements, see Privileges.

Start the IBM Storage Protect Plus MMC GUI on the Outlook server.
In the IBM Storage Protect Plus MMC GUI, select the remote Exchange server node, click the Protect and Recover Data node, and select Exchange Server.
On the Recover tab for the Exchange Server instance, click View > Mailbox Restore Browser to view the mailbox from the recovery database.
Optional: Run the IBM Storage Protect Plus configuration wizard:
1. In the navigation panel, click Dashboard > Manage > Configuration > Wizards > IBM Storage Protect Plus Configuration.
2. In the Actions pane, click Start.
  The configuration wizard runs the requirements check.
3. When the requirements checks have run, click the Warnings link next to User Roles Check.
4. On the message dialog box, to add any missing roles, click Yes.
5. On the configuration wizard, click Next, and then click Finish.

In the Mailbox Restore Browser > Source tree, click the mailbox that contains the items you want to restore, which enables you to browse the individual folders and messages.

Choose from the following actions to select the folder or message to restore.

Table 1. Previewing and filtering mailbox items
Task	Action
Preview mailbox items	Select a mailbox item, such as Inbox, to display its contents in the preview pane. Click an individual item in the preview pane, such as an email message, to view the message text and details. If an item contains an attachment, click the attachment icon to preview its contents.
Filter mailbox items	Use the filter options to narrow the list of folders and messages to restore: Click Show Filter Options and Add Row. Click the down arrow in the Column Name field and select an item to filter. You can filter by folder name, subject text, and other options. Restriction: You can filter public mailbox folders only by the Folder Name column. When you select All Content, the mailbox items are filtered by attachment name, sender, subject, and message body. In the Operator field, select an operator: Contains. In the Value field, specify a filter value. To specify additional filtering criteria, click Add Row. Click Apply Filter to filter the messages and folders.

When you have selected the mailbox item to restore, in the Actions pane, click the restore task that you want to run. Choose from the following options:
- Restore Folder to Original Mailbox
- Restore Messages to Original Mailbox
- Save Mail Message Content
Tip: If you click Save Mail Message Content, a Windows™ Save File window is displayed. Specify the location and message name and click Save.
When you choose the restore option, the Restore Progress window opens and shows the progress of the restore operation, and the mailbox item is restored.

To restore a mailbox item to another mailbox or .pst file, complete the following steps.

Note: You can also restore a complete mailbox to another mailbox or .pst file.

Choose from the actions in the following table:

Table 2. Restoring a mailbox item to another mailbox or `.pst` file
Task	Action
Restore a mailbox item (or a mailbox) to a different mailbox	On the Actions pane, click Open Exchange Mailbox. Enter the alias of the mailbox to identify it as the restore destination. Drag the source mailbox item (or mailbox) to the destination mailbox on the results pane. Restriction: You cannot drag mail items or subfolders in the Recoverable Items folder to a destination mailbox.
Restore a mailbox item (or mailbox) to an Outlook personal folders (`.pst`) file	On the Actions pane, click Open non-Unicode PST File. When the Open File window opens, select an existing .pst file or create a .pst file. Drag the source mailbox item (or mailbox) to the destination .pst file on the results pane. Restriction: You can use the Mailbox Restore Browser view only with non-Unicode .pst files.
Restore a Public Folder	Select this action to restore a public folder to an existing online public folder mailbox. You can filter the mailbox and restore a specific public folder to an existing online public folder. In the Folder to be restored field, enter the name of the public folder that you want to restore. To restore a subfolder in a parent folder, specify the full folder path in this format: `parent_folder_name`/`sub_folder_name`. To restore all subfolders in a parent folder, use `parent_folder_name`/*. If the full folder path includes spaces, enclose the folder path in double quotation marks, and do not append a backslash character (\). You can also restore all or part of a public folder to a different public folder mailbox than the original mailbox. In the Target public folder mailbox field, specify the destination public folder mailbox that you want to restore to.

In the Actions pane, click Close Exchange Mailbox or Close PST File to close the destination mailbox or .pst file.

Tip: You can enable the Microsoft Management Console to gather diagnostic information to assist in problem determination related to restore operations. The process gathers configuration files, trace files, and overall diagnostics of the MMC GUI. For more information, see the following technote: Enabling diagnostic information in the IBM Storage Protect Plus MMC GUI.
When the restore operation for the individual items is finished, return to IBM Storage Protect Plus and click Jobs and Operations > Active Resources > Databases.
Select the resource, and then click Cancel File Restore to end the granular restore process.