Simulation of total AD, Exchange restore. Failed!

[speedingwolf]

Greetings,

I'm trying to simulate a total AD and Exchange disaster recovery using vmware, symantec ghost, and Veritas 10d Windows Server Backup and unable to restore exchange IS. Using Vmware, i promoted a win03 server as a DC in our environment. Then I took the vmware in a lab and seized its roles, GC so that I have a working AD in the lab. Then, I restored the exchange server image to a server similar to our production server and able to connect mailboxes. Last, I joined our backup server to the lab environment and try to restore the IS from tape to the IS on the test server. Veritas keeps given me this error:

e000 ff00 Unable to restore server Microsoft Exchange components because one or more of the databases are currently mounted...

I've dismounted the databases. That did not work

I stopped all Ex03 services. Delete the databases and remounted the datbases. That didn't work

I rebooted. No luck.

I've not done the install the os, install exchange /disaster recovery switch since i would like to minizie the restore time objective.

Thanks advance for the feedback.

Regards,

 

[umbletech]

On restores might be worth checking that BE's run the hard restore switch basically tells it that that is the last restore set and to truncate the logs. Should find the swtich in any exchange book then lookup in BE doco. Good luck

 

[speedingwolf]

Umbletech,

thanks for your respond. The restore job does not even put the IS onto the test restore exchange server. It failed after 3 minutes and reported the above error. 0 byte!

 

[Andreh]

Restoring a Physical to Virtual DC is quite a complicated process. I was able to get this to work about 2 months ago.

Is the server (DC) you are wanting to recover holder of all of the FSMO roles? I ask this because I found it simpler to restore a DC without the FSMO roles on it. You did mention that you seized the roles so this may be the case with you.

You should not build the VMWare server and promote it to a DC. You should use Active Directory Restore Mode to recover the System State to rebuild your DC. My guess, because you are building AD then it will not have the Exchange Schema changes from its (Exchange) install.

You build up a member server with Veritas 10d – Windows built in backup is sufficient also. I would have the server you are restoring backed up to a file with the system state as a separate backup also. Once you have done this and you have catalogued the tape or file you are going to restore from, you then reboot to 'Directory Restore Mode'. This will allow you to restore AD. When you are in this mode, you restore all data and the system state. This should work.

On occasions, this did create a blue screen of death. All that you need to do is boot from the Windows CD and recover the install. This usually resolves this issue for me. On other times I restored the c: drive data in normal mode and then rebooted to Directory Restore Mode and recovered the System State only. This will work also. If you do this though, make sure you do not allow the full reboot to occur. You may BSOD your VMWare image.

On the Exchange front, you should now successfully be able to use the /DisasterRecovery switch (with the databases restored also). Because the AD is complete containing the Exchange side of things, you will be successful on this also.

I haven’t assumed anything here so let me know if I should have. Hope this helps.


"Assumption is the mother of all f#%kups!

 

[speedingwolf]

Hi Andreh,

Thanks for your time responding back to my post. About 2 years ago, i was able to restore exchange 2000 with this method in the lab with ArcServ11. I've done a few Exch 5.5 restored before and it was not as PITA as it is with AD. I think the BSOD system state restore threw me off in VMWARE so I went with the seize FMOS route to simulate a total DR. However, when I restored exchange, i built the OS from the ground up, then ran the /disasterecovery mode and restore the IS.

This time, i tried things a bit different and used symantec ghost to restore the whole exchange server back both the C drive and the data drive(Our exchange server has lesser then 15GB of data). And then tried to restore the information store from tape. I guess this is not the correct way to go. I try to advoid building the OS, patch, then install the Exchange server. There's a post on the internet, one is paid subcription, one is from George Ou (i think) describing how to restore exchange in lesser than 30 minutes using the disk image method. however, his post was lack in details what to do after that. I have a feeling it has something to do with either the fmos, or system state. however, i do not understand why BE keeps complaint about drive not dismount.

regards,