cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Backup Exec 12: Restore individual mail messages

Assistant
Level 2
We are using Backup Exec 12 to make a daily backup of the information store (Exchange Server 2003) with GRT enabled. When we were on version 11, we were never able to restore an individual mailbox. Now that we are on version 12, we would like to perform a test restore of just individual mail messages to make sure the backup job is setup correctly. (Later, we will try a test restore of just one individual mailbox.)
 
Is it possible to restore individual mail messages?  
 
I would like to avoid data corruption & making the Exchange/Outlook unavailable to users for a long period of time.
 
For this type of restore, would the database/information store need to be dismounted?
I noticed restore options: 1) Dismount before restore 2) Commit - mount after restore, would I need to select any of these options?
 
Thanks in advance for your advice! Any information is appreciated!
 
3 REPLIES 3

BudMan
Level 3
We are going to test the same thing in a couple of weeks.  I bet it will bring down the mail store that hold the mail box that you want to restore the email in.  I'll keep my eye on your thread or I'll let you know how our test went.

Jeff_Gowlett
Level 3
Hi there
 
Yes you can resore individual items from the Exchange store. Not just email messages, you can restore calendar, tasks, etc..
 
It is really quite simple to do. I have found that according to the users guide, the Information Store will need to be dismounted and then remounted after the excerise. I have always selected "mount after restore", but to be honest, I don't think it does dismount the store. Generally speaking, it takes a minute or two to dismount the store and then remount it - I have never noticed the store to go "offline" while doing a restore to exchange of an individaul item or even someone's inbox.
 
I have run restore jobs in the middle of the day when all our staff have been going crazy on email, and it hasn't effected them.
 
When the restore completes, the items that were restored are back in the users mailbox. Backup Exec sends that user an email explaining that some items have been restored.
 
To cut a long story short - No I don't believe the store goes offline.
 
When I restore individual mailbox items, I select the following:
  1. Restore all transaction logs, do not delete existing transaction logs (no loss restore)
  2. Commit after restore completes
  3. Mount Database after restore

I DO NOT select "Dismount before restore".

If you are concerned about what to select - use the "Guide me" solution.



Message Edited by Jeff Gowlett on 05-21-2008 03:35 PM

Assistant
Level 2
Jeff Gowlett,    Thanks so much for your information!  When I reviewed the guide concerning the restore options, it stated the restore job would fail, etc... if the database was not dismounted. So I starting second quessing whether or not just restoring individual items would make the whole information store unavailable to all users or cause data corruption. I'm so glad to know someone else has tried this without encountering any errors or problems.
 
Thanks again for your help!