Backup for Workgroups - Support - Exchange Server Backup and Restore

• Why do I need to use an Add-On to backup Exchange Server?
• How do I activate the Open File Add-On to use on my Exchange Server?
• How many revisions of my Exchange Server should I keep?
• How do I restore my Exchange Server?

Restoring Your Exchange Server

In the event that you need to restore your Exchange Server, the steps you need to perform are dependent upon the method used to backup Exchange AND they also depend upon whether you need to perform a full system restore (disaster recovery) or just restore your Exchange Server data to a previous point-in-time (roll-back).  Now this sounds complicated, but all you need to do is read the questions below to see which applies to your situation and follow the link to see the steps you need to follow.

• How do I roll-back my Exchange Server data when I have been using a Backup Client and the Open File Add-On to backup this data?
• How do I perform a disaster recovery of my Exchange Server Computer when I have been using a Backup Client and the Open File Add-On to backup my entire Exchange Server computer?
• How do I roll-back my Exchange Server data when I have been using a Backup Client to stop/start the Exchange Server in order to perform backups?
• How do I perform a disaster recovery of my Exchange Server Computer when I have been using a Backup Client to stop/start the Exchange Server in order to perform backups?

Why do I need to use an Add-On to backup Exchange Server?

Exchange stores your email data in several files that can range in number from 10 files to hundreds of files.  All of the files that collectively form your Exchange data need to be tracked as an organized group of files.  This tracking of all the Exchange files is very important in order to correctly restore the Exchange data.

When you use the Backup for Workgroups Open File Add-On, the backup process interacts with Exchange to keep track of all the Exchange files and keep them organized for possible restoration. 

In addition, Exchange locks its files which prevents normal file access.  The Backup for Workgroups Open File Add-On enables the Backup Client to gain access to the locked Exchange files while they are in use in order to perform a backup without interrupting the Exchange Server.

How do I activate the Open File Add-On to use on my Exchange Server?

You activate the Open File Add-On from the Backup Server.  Open the Backup for Workgroups user interface and select the Clients panel.  Select the name of the Client account for your Exchange Server and press the Modify button.  Now you can check/tick the Open File Add-On option and be sure to save your changes. 

How many revisions of my Exchange Server should I keep?

We suggest you think about keeping 10 revisions of your Exchange Server data as a minimum.  Assuming you perform a backup of your Exchange Server every week day, the 10 revisions gives you 2 weeks worth of revisions.  In the event of a problem, you would have 2 weeks worth of data to restore from. 

A good rule of thumb to follow is to take the maximum number of days that you may be away from your Exchange Server (vacation, holidays, etc.) and add a week of additional revisions to that number.  This way, should a problem occur while you are away, you would have enough backups to pull from.

To Roll-Back my Exchange Server data when I have been using the Open File Add-On to perform the backups:

1. Run the Backup for Workgroups Client software on the Exchange Server computer.
2. Go to the Restore panel.
3. Press Selected Files.
4. From the Restore-Selected Files and Folders panel, select the Exchange Server item from the directory list.
5. Select the date/time backup set to which you want your Exchange data restored to.
6. Begin the Restore process. Backup for Workgroups now interacts with your running Exchange Server to roll-back the databases to the state of the selected backup.
   
   Note:  You will NOT be asked to re-boot your computer during this process.

To Perform a Disaster Recovery of my Exchange Server when I have been using the Open File Add-On to perform my backups:

1. Replace equipment that has failed.
2. Go to the computer running the Backup Server.
3. Open the Backup for Workgroups user interface and go to the Clients panel.
4. From the Client List, select the appropriate Backup Client name corresponding to the Exchange Server computer.
5. Press Generate Disaster Recovery Report. The Disaster Recovery Report for your Exchange Server computer appears inside a browser window.
6. From the browser window, press Print to generate a hard copy of the Disaster Recovery Report.
7. At the Exchange Server computer, follow the steps on the Disaster Recovery Report to:
   
   (a)  Reinstall Windows on the Exchange Server computer.
   
   (b)  Reinstall the Backup for Workgroups Client software.
   
   (c)  Run the Backup for Workgroups Client, go to the Restore panel and use the Disaster Recovery option to complete the restoration of the Exchange Server computer.

To Roll-Back my Exchange Server when I have been using the Stop/Start method to backup my Exchange Server:

1. Go to the computer running your Exchange Server and stop the Exchange Services.
2. Go to the directory on your Exchange Server that holds your current Exchange databases.  The default directory is C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\mdbdata.
3. Look at the files in this directory.  Do you have any edb files, stm files, log files, and res files?  If you do, you must remove these files from this directory before performing the roll-back because they will interfere with Exchange's ability to differentiate between old data and new data.  We suggest that you move these files to a different location instead of deleting these files.
4. Run the Backup for Workgroups Backup Client software.
5. Go to the Restore panel and press Roll-Back.
6. Select the date/time backup set to which you want your Exchange data restored to.
7. Select the folder containing your existing Exchange databases.  This will be the same folder as located in Step #2 above.
8. Begin the roll-back process. 
9. When the roll-back completes, start the Exchange Services.

To Perform a Disaster Recovery of my Exchange Server when I have been using the Stop/Start method to backup my Exchange Server:

1. Replace equipment that has failed.
2. Go to the computer running the Backup Server.
3. Open the Backup for Workgroups user interface and go to the Clients panel.
4. From the Client List, select the appropriate Backup Client name corresponding to the Exchange Server computer.
5. Press Generate Disaster Recovery Report. The Disaster Recovery Report for your Exchange Server computer appears inside a browser window.
6. From the browser window, press Print to generate a hard copy of the Disaster Recovery Report.
7. At the Exchange Server computer, follow the steps on the Disaster Recovery Report to:
   
   (a)  Reinstall Windows on the Exchange Server computer.
   
   (b)  Reinstall the Backup for Workgroups Client software.
   
   (c)  Run the Backup for Workgroups Client, go to the Restore panel and use the Disaster Recovery option to complete the restoration of the Exchange Server computer.