Summary: Microsoft Exchange Server Extension for Windows Server Backup simplifies data protection for Exchange databases. It streamlines backup and restoration processes, ensuring consistency. Restoring Exchange data involves specific steps. Windows Server Backup has limitations like no versioning, encryption, or selective restoration, making specialized solutions like Kernel for Exchange Server Recovery valuable for data recovery.
Microsoft Exchange’s native data protection uses native Exchange features to protect the database and mailbox without using any external assistance. But the Widows Server Backup has a plug-in that takes the Exchange-aware backups in VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Services) volumes.
Introducing the ‘Microsoft Exchange Server Extension for Windows Server Backup,’ an indispensable plugin that effortlessly installs and configures itself on your server. This plugin seamlessly orchestrates the backup process, with the Windows Server Backup plugin managing the service. Whether you’re embarking on a backup or restoration mission, the user experience remains consistent, ensuring a straightforward operation. If you’ve previously backed up data and are now seeking to restore your mailbox, there are crucial considerations to bear in mind when utilizing the Windows Server Backup tool.
You can only recover Exchange data when you restore the data. The original location of the data or another place can be used to recover it. The recovery procedure, which includes unmounting any current databases and replaying logs into the restored databases, is handled automatically by WSB and the plug-in if you restore the data to its original place.
The Exchange recovery database (RDB) is not supported by the restoration process. If you need to use an RDB, you must first restore the data to a different location before manually copying or moving it into the RDB folder structure.
All the backups of previous databases must be restored together when restoring Exchange data. One database alone cannot be restored.
The process to restore the database is straightforward and simple. Here are the total number of steps-
Start Windows Server Backup as the Administrator.
On the left-hand pane, go to Windows Server Backup and choose Local Backup.
Right-click on Local Backup and select the Recover option. The Recovery Wizard will open.
Before starting recovery, you must mention that if the backup is present on the current server or any other network location. Click This Server and Next.
Select the Date and Time for the Backup. Click Next.
There will be various options for recovery – Files and Folders, Hyper-V, Volumes, Applications, and System State. Choose your option for recovery. In the example, we have chosen Files and Folders. Click Next.
Using the available tree, choose such files and folders that you wan to restore. Then, click Next.
The Specify Recovery Options will ask you to select the Recovery destination. It will also ask to you manage the restore tasks for such items that are already present in the recovery destination. Click Next.
Confirm the restore task for selected file. Click Recover.
After a successful restore job, the recovery process will change to ‘completed.’ At last, click Close.
You can verify the restore job by going to the target location; check that the imported items are present. You can also check Event Viewer, and the restore event will be logged in the Application Event log.
There are certain constraints related to the Windows Server Backup tool:
Shared Network share: Although you can transmit backups to a network share, the software only keeps one backup, wiping out the previous backup after each successful backup. Due to their need for file versioning and data retention, many businesses will find this option to be useless, essentially a deal-breaker.
Encryption: Windows Server Backup encryption is not enabled by default.
Unavailability of selective Backup/Restoration: Windows Server Backup will run a full backup of SQL or Exchange. Ideally, you should run a test to determine how long recovery will take actually. You won’t be able to restore single mailboxes or tables; instead, you’ll only be able to restore the full Exchange store.
Conclusion
Windows Server Backup is a reliable choice for data backup, providing a secure option for safeguarding your information. However, it’s worth noting that the restoration process can be time-consuming, and it lacks advanced filtering capabilities. In cases of database corruption or inaccessibility, a specialized solution like Kernel for Exchange Server Recovery is essential. This professional software is designed to effectively repair and restore Exchange databases (EDB) by eliminating corruptions and recovering valuable data, rendering it operational once more. Moreover, it offers a wide array of filtering options, allowing you to precisely select and recover specific data as needed.
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Updated On - September 27, 2023
