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Exchange Server allows exporting selected mailboxes to a PST file on the local computer, as well as to a live Exchange server and Office 365. There are two methods: the first one is using Exchange Management Shell commands, and the second one is using Exchange Admin Center. During export process, you can choose a folder location where the PST file will be created. But a hardware limitation can affect the export process. Sometimes, there is disk latency issue that can freeze the process from running. It also shows the error related to the problem.
An error “Mailbox export stalled due to source disk latency” can occur during Exchange mailbox migration to a new database or server. This error is not sent as an output result. Rather, the migration remains stuck for quite a long time and then shows this error as mentioned above while checking the progress of migration using the Get-MoveRequestStatistics cmdlet.
They may experience this error while exporting mailboxes from the source database to the target database.
Common scenarios: Mailboxes are stalled during a migration
This occurrence of error indicates the mailboxes are stuck in migration. We have the major scenarios during which Exchange administrators experience this error.
The Exchange Server error “Mailbox export stalled due to source disk latency” may occur in the following scenarios.
- While running a new batch migration with
New-MoveRequest -Identity ‘MailboxOrMailUserIdParameter’ -TargetDatabase “Name Of New Database” cmdlets
- While exporting an Exchange Server mailbox to PST file format using this command –
New-MailboxExportRequest -Mailbox -FilePath <PST File Path>
- While performing the migration to a new mailbox database on the same Exchange Server with this syntax command in the Exchange Management Shell.
New-MoveRequest “<DescriptiveName>”] -Identity <MailboxIdentity> [<-ArchiveOnly | -PrimaryOnly>] [-TargetDatabase <DatabaseIdentity>
The error itself says that source disk latency is the main issue behind the stalled mailbox export, which is caused due to errors like disk performance, timed-out migration batches, delay in response time, etc.
Causes: Why mailbox export stalled due to source disk latency
Here are some major causes that can result in the Exchange error and cause discrepancies in mailbox export:
- Admins may have added a large number of mailboxes within a single migration batch.
- The Exchange server’s dependency on disk I/O increases the chances of hardware malfunctioning.
- The mailboxes being exported might be of a very large size, causing interruptions and disk latency.
What can you do as an Exchange Server administrator to resolve the error?
As an Exchange administrator, you can follow the solutions given below to fix this error eventually and restart the mailbox export or migration.
- Monitor Windows Server Performance
- Go to the Performance Monitor on the source Windows Server.
- Monitor MSExchange Replication, MSExchange Replication Server parameters.
- Check the Disk Performance
Exchange administrators can check the disk performance from Disk Management Software. Also, they can check the hard drive condition, drivers, and installers. If all seems not well, it is recommended to install the latest RAID pack with SSD drives. Once these are installed, re-run the migration cmdlet and check if the error is still there.
- Remove the Old Export Requests
The migration stalled error can be due to old requests that are stuck up. Users can either directly remove them and run them again one by one. Alternately, they can suspend them for about 10 minutes and then resume the export. To remove a mailbox export request, use this command.
Remove-MoveRequest –Identity “mailbox address”Enter a new mailbox export request for the same mailbox with prime priority.
New-MoveRequest –Identity “mailbox address” –BatchName “Existing Database to New Database Name” –Priority Highest - Dismiss Move Requests
Exchange administrators can suspend the mailbox export request by running this command.
Suspend-MoveRequest -Identity “mailbox address”Wait for at least 20 minutes and then resume this mailbox export request.
Resume-MoveRequest -Identity “mailbox address”
Microsoft stops support for its older applications once the newer versions are released. Each new version of Exchange Server will have many more helpful features than the previous ones, and so the user is required to update it as soon as possible.
All the suggested solutions need expert-level knowledge for successful performance. Many users may face the error even after following the above-mentioned methods, which can probably be due to a faulty Exchange database.
Final solution: Exchange Server Recovery Software
To export the Exchange database mailboxes from one server to another or to Outlook PST without any errors, you need an effective solution. A professional tool will repair corrupt/damaged offline EDB files and allow migration to live Exchange Server, Outlook PST files, or Microsoft 365 cloud. Kernel for Exchange Server tool fixes all EDB related errors and performs direct migration to the destination. The migration or export of Exchange mailboxes/public folders is made convenient for users with the help of advanced filters and selection options. So, now Exchange users can easily repair corrupt Exchange mailbox and migrate it to the desired platform or format directly. Importantly, it repairs EDB files created by all Exchange versions.
The software also helps with small-scale migrations like Exchange upgrades, Exchange to cloud migrations, cloud to Exchange migrations, and cloud to cloud migrations. Also, it supports all Exchange Server versions and Office 365 plans.
Conclusion
Exchange Server errors can cause a significant decline in performance, creating a problem for the administrators, especially during Exchange mailbox export. This can be due to the errors like Exchange mailbox export gets stalled due to disk latency. Such errors need to be resolved with the feasible solutions as mentioned in this blog. However, the most trustworthy way to recover Exchange mailboxes is to use a professional EDB to PST tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ans. Well, network issues are not directly responsible for the mailbox export stalled due to disk latency error. However, when there’s a slow network, the disk will take more time to execute I/O operations within the target Exchange server. This situation can eventually be the reason for stall error.
Ans. Follow the given tips to avoid the issue in the future:
(a). Reduce the size of your mailbox export to 3 to 5 mailboxes.
(b). Do not run multiple concurrent migration jobs.
(c). Check your Disk health on a regular basis.
(d). For a stalled request, pause it for some time and re-run it later.
