Restoring Exchange online backup as simple ntfs files

[Tobbe]

Hi.

I've been reading the documentation and also searching through the forums to get this settled once and for all:

It seems as if I have made a regular online backup of my Exchange server (2000, 2003) using the Exchange agent, I can only restore it to a Exchange server that has the information store service running, I.E a Exchange aware recipient.

What I would like to be able to do is to restore just the plain .edb and .stm files together with the required .log files to make the database consistent. Almost like restoring an offline backup but that seems to be impossible.

Can someone please confirm my suspicion, or even better - tell me how it actually can be done.

Regards,
Tobbe

[Hywel_Mallett]

I think you are right when you say it can't be done.
As far as I know, you need a running Information Store to interpret the data as it is restored.

[Tobbe]

Well, then I'll accept that as the truth. To bad that this specific function can't be bypassed.

Thanks for your input.

/Tobbe

[sammyc53]

True, I don't know that it can be done. When I need to do this, I restore the Store to an RSG. There you will have the edb and stm files for manipulation.

[Tobbe]

Thanks for your input Sam. Agreed that RSG's are a blessing but in this specific case the Exchange server involved is a 2000 version.