How to Recover Lost Exchange Server from Active Directory?

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Exchange administrators must remain vigilant in their preparations for server crashes and data loss scenarios, even though Exchange boasts enhanced security thanks to the utilization of Database Availability Groups (DAGs). There exist diverse recovery methodologies at the disposal of administrators, facilitating server restoration post-crash. The seamless integration with Active Directory enables the reconstruction of Exchange configurations from the Active Directory itself. Furthermore, a multitude of professional tools are readily available to facilitate the recovery of lost Exchange data, allowing for restoration to various locations and formats as needed.

Recover the lost Exchange Server

Active Directory is the place where all the Exchange Server settings are stored. So, it is possible to rebuild the configuration of the Exchange environment from Active Directory. Here is how you can do this:

1. Reset a Computer Account:
   To do this, you must be a member of Domain Admin, Enterprise Admin, or Account Operators. Use the following method to reset the computer account:
   • Follow Start>>Control-Panel >> Administrative Tools >> Active Directory Users and Computers.
   • Click Computers.
   • Go to Details and click Reset Account.
2. After installing the OS on the new server, give it the same name as that of the lost server.

NOTE – It is essential to name the new server as the older one. Otherwise, it will not work correctly.

3. Add the sever to the domain of the lost server.
4. Install all the prerequisites for Exchange Server 2016.
5. Start the command prompt after login on to the Exchange Server, and run the following command –
Setup /m:RecoverServer /IAcceptExchangeServerLicenseTerms
6. Finally, configure the server as per your requirements and restart.
7. To verify the reocvery, check if the Microsoft Exchange Server services are running in the Windows Services tool.

Note: Follow the same procedure for Exchange 2013 and 2010 also. For Exchange 2010, you need to run the following command –Setup /m:RecoverServer

The method mentioned above is used to retrieve a lost Exchange Server which is not a member of a Database Availability Group (DAG). There is a different method to recover a DAG member server:

1. To recover any replay lag from mailbox database copy, run the following command –
Get-MailboxDatabase MyExchangeDatabase | Format-List *lag*
2. To remove any mailbox database copy, run the following command –
Remove-MailboxDatabaseCopy MyExchangeDatabase \MBX1
3. To remove the configuration of a failed server from DAG, run the following command –
Remove-DatabaseAvailabilityGroupServer -Identity DAG1 -MailboxServer MBX1
4. Go to Active Directory and reset the computer account.
5. Run the following command with using the original setup media –
Setup /m:RecoverServer
6. To add the recovered server to DAG, run the following command –
Add-DatabaseAvailabilityGroupServer -Identity DAG1 -MailboxServer MBX1
7. To know the status of the retrieved DAG server, use the following command –
Get-MailboxDatabaseCopyStatus -Server < MyExchangeDatabase >

Recover data from corrupt EDB files

Once you’ve successfully rebuilt your Exchange Server, the next critical step is to retrieve any lost Exchange data. This valuable Exchange database information can be salvaged from an offline EDB file, allowing you to recover essential items such as emails, contacts, and notes. To accomplish this, you can rely on the expertise of Kernel for Exchange Server, a trusted Exchage Recovery tool. This powerful tool facilitates the swift recovery of your entire Exchange mailbox data and provides options to save it in multiple formats, including EDB to PST, Live Exchange, and Office 365.