Backup / restore of Microsoft Exchange Server in a database availability group (DAG)
Creation Date: May 13, 2011
Revision Date: February 16, 2018
Product: DS‑Client (Windows)
Summary
This article describes how to back up and restore data in a Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Server in a database availability group (DAG) using a Microsoft Exchange Server (VSS-aware) backup set.
The approach that is described here requires a separate backup set for each node of the DAG. The alternative is to make the configuration on the
Database Availability Group (DAG) options page, however there are prerequisites to fulfill before it will work. For instructions, see
“Creating a Microsoft Exchange Server (VSS-aware) backup set”.
Backing up a Microsoft Exchange Server in a DAG
A DAG consists of two to sixteen Exchange Mailbox servers as members of the group. Each Mailbox server is a member in a DAG and contains any combination of active and passive mailbox database copies.
To back up data in a mailbox server in a DAG:
1. Using the New Backup Set Wizard, create a Microsoft Exchange Server (VSS-aware) backup set.
2. Provide the Mailbox server’s IP or computer name.
3. Skip the Database Availability Group (DAG) options page. (You can click Next, even while the page waits to receive the DAG source information.)
4. Select Microsoft Information Store to add the Mailbox server as a backup item.
5. Make selections to specify what to back up:
• To back up the entire Mailbox server, including active and passive mailbox database copies on the server, select both of the following check boxes:
• Backup active database
• Backup passive database
All mailbox databases copies are backed up even if their statuses change from active to passive or vice versa.
• To back up only active database copies on the server, select Backup active database only.
At the time of the backup, if the status of a mailbox database copy has changed from active to passive, the database copy will not be backed up.
• To back up only passive database copies on the server, select Backup passive database only.
At the time of the backup, if the status of a mailbox database copy has changed from passive to active, the database copy will not be backed up.
Restoring the Exchange Server part of DAG
You can restore active and passive database copies to the original location or to an alternate location using VSS Restore or File Restore.
To restore active and passive database copies to a Recovery Database (RDB), use File Restore.
Migrating Microsoft Exchange backup sets
DS-Client supports migration of standalone Microsoft Exchange Server backup sets to DAG backup sets. It does not support migration from DAG to standalone.