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Kumarr
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 Exchange drive rebuild
Exchange 2003, Windows Server 2003
Hi, I have to rebuild an array where the exchange install and database sits. What is the best ways to do it? server config - win2003 & Exch2003 disk c: - system. wont be disturbed. disk d: - exchange is installed and the database is in that drive. Its a single site install. Need to blow away and rebuild d:. I am using Arcserve for windows and the backup agent for exchange. I am thinking of doing a restore of all the files in d: and if necessary do restore of exchange server - database level. Any thoughts would be most welcome. Regards Kumar

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ASKED: May 5, 2005  1:22 AM
UPDATED: May 11, 2005  5:41 AM
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If you're going to blow away the whole D drive and reconfigure the array, I'd shut down and disable all Exchange services and anything else that touched the D drive and then do a full file system backup. That way, all of the Exchange files (databases, etc.) are simple files and will be captured. After you rebuild the array, just do a full restore of the D drive and you "should" be good to go. You shouldn't have to do anything special with Exchange at that point--just re-enable the services and reboot the server. I think this approach will be infinitely easier than getting into the Exchange database restores--unless you want practice with that (not a bad idea from a disaster recovery standpoint). Hope this helps.
Last Wiki Answer Submitted:  May 5, 2005  8:08 am  by  Pedwards17   0 pts.
All Answer Wiki Contributors:  Pedwards17   0 pts.
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Are you running RAID? Obviously, depends on which level of RAID, but if you are and it’s an option, why don’t you simply insert a new hard drive and have it rebuild itself? I don’t know enough details which is why I throwing the simplest answer I could think of out there…

Juscelino
 0 pts.
 

The easiest way to do this is to shut down E2K3,set the services to manual, backup all the files on D:, Re-build it & then restore all the files. Then re-set the services to auto & re-start. It should come right back up.

Espettit
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If u have a svr u can test, might not b a bad idea to do an offline defrag of the DBs .edb & .stm. Esp if u have deleted mailboxes from it. Restore the DB to ur test svr. Then run the integrity check and defrag. Run isinteg.exe first then eseutil.exe. Great for cleaning up if u have been having problems with backups like I was.
I say run it on a test svr first, by restoring ur EX to it in case it stuffs up and corrupts ur DB.
This way when u do ur Restore it will b nice and clean!
Defrags can take time tho. A defrag of EX2K3 standard 13.5GB took me over 4 hours of an early sunday morning. (Doncha love those?!) It was a PIII 1GB RAM with Raid5.

Good luck!
Brian

Maclanachu
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