Administrator Guide

Microsoft Exchange Server
The Replay Manager Microsoft Exchange Extension can back up and restore data for Microsoft Exchange Server 2019, Microsoft
Exchange Server 2016, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010.
General Guidelines for Exchange Servers
Follow these general guidelines for backing up and restoring Microsoft Exchange Server data.
• Use the Replay Manager Microsoft Exchange Server Extension:
Always use the Replay Manager Microsoft Exchange Server Extension to back up and restore Microsoft Exchange Server databases;
do not use the Local Volumes extension to back up and restore Microsoft Exchange databases residing on one or more local volumes.
• Install the Exchange Verification Service on non-production servers:
Replay Manager provides an optional Verification Service that can be installed to check the consistency of the databases during
backup and restore operations. By default, the service is configured to run on the localhost; however, the best practice is to run this
on a utility server other than the production Microsoft Exchange Server. Since this service is processor, memory, and disk intensive,
this load is better suited for a non-production server so that verification does not impact mission-critical operations. Note also that
although it is possible to run the Verification Service on every snapshot that is taken, it may be more feasible to consider verifying only
one backup set per day to prevent queuing of the verification jobs.
• Configure the Exchange Verification Service:
The Exchange Verification Service uses the Exchange APIs that are used when an ESEUTIL /K command is issued on an Exchange
Server. This service checks the consistency of the databases and logs that are part of the selected backup set to make sure that they
are readable by Exchange and can be recovered through standard means such as a soft recovery.
The LUN mapping range is configurable through the Exchange Verification Setup screen. If you have LUN numbering requirements or
want to reserve certain ranges for verification, it is possible to configure it accordingly. Replay Manager allows LUN numbers 1 through
254. See for information on installing and configuring the Verification Service.
• Use of Expose and Restore to Recover Exchange:
Replay Manager offers two methods for recovering data: Restore or Expose. Both methods provide immediate access to the data
using the snapshots.
The Restore function provides the easiest method for recovering a Storage Group. By selecting the restore point and then clicking
Restore Backup Set, the Restore operation accesses the requested restore point and copies the transaction logs and databases
contained within the backup set back to the production volumes. Using Restore requires a dismount of the existing Storage Group and
databases since the Restore replaces all Storage Group components. Depending on the size of the database, this can be a time
consuming operation as data is copied from one volume to another. This one-click approach is easy for administrators to use; however
Restore provides only a point-in-time recovery from which the restore point was created.
The Expose function provides more flexibility for recovering individual components. When a restore point is exposed as a drive letter or
mount point, an administrator can then manually select components to recover.
NOTE:
Restoring a Replay will eliminate any changes made since the Replay was taken. It is advised to create a Replay
after all changes are made to a database or use the Expose function to manually merge the Replay data with the existing
data set.
Related concepts
Installing and Configuring the Verification Service for Exchange on page 16
Recover a Mailbox
To recover an individual mailbox, Expose the restore point as a drive letter or mount point. Once the snapshot is exposed, an administrator
can recover a mailbox using a Recovery Storage Group or Recovery Database and the built-in tools of Microsoft Exchange Server.
1. Locate and Expose the restore point that contains the mailbox as described in Expose a Restore Point (Windows Extensions Only) on
page 38.
2. In the Expose Restore Point Volumes dialog box:
a. Make sure that you expose both the Database and the Log volumes, by setting drive letters for both volumes shown.
b. Select Make exposed volumes writable.
3. Click Expose.
4. To verify that the drive was created, use the Computer Management console on the server:
Replay Manager Best Practices
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