Inconsistent Database Backup when Exchange Server is Running

Exchange Server databases are consisted of .edb files (database files) and .log files (database logs). All the transactions that occur for Exchange databases are first written to .log files before actually been written to database files. A database is inconsistent if all transaction log files have not been committed to the database files. But if you shut down the information service, Exchange writes all the log files to .edb files and the database comes to a completely consistent state. Thus, if you backup the database while information service is running, it will not be consistent. If your EDB files become corrupt and you try to restore from such a backup, it will give errors and the information service might fail to start. This creates an unavoidable situations of using an EDB Repair solution for your corrupted database files.

For example, consider your Exchange database files are corrupted. When you try to start Exchange Server services after restoring from a backup, you may encounter the below error in application log or on screen:


“Error -550 has occurred”

You cannot start the Exchange Server services.

Cause

You have used the backup software when Exchange Server was online. As a result, the backup is inconsistent and has failed to perform successful restore.



Solution


To prevent such errors from occurring, you are suggested to perform the database backup after stopping all the directory and information store services. Alternatively, you can look for backup solutions that are exclusively built to perform Exchange databases' backup in online state.

However, to recover the data from corrupted database files, you need to use these tools:

1. Eseutil /r command to perform soft database recovery
2. Eseutil /p command for hard repair
3. Third-party EDB Repair Tool

The hard recovery option of Exchange deletes the corrupted pages, which is not safe. Thus, you should use EDB Repair utilities if soft recovery fails. These software bring you the most effective and safe scanning algorithms for repairing damaged Exchange databases. Due to the interactive user interface they provide, these applications are easy to implement

EDB Repair Software is a feature-rich utility that employs powerful scanning algorithms to repair a damaged Exchange database. It supports Exchange Server 5.5, 2000 and 2003. It is a safe and advanced EDB Repair Tool with impressive set of features. The tool extracts user mailboxes in individual .pst file format files without affecting the original contents and view.

How to Solve when Exchange Database Fails to Mount with (hr=0x80004005, ec=-528) Error?

Transaction log files record all the modifications to an Exchange Server database and are crucial for the proper functioning of Exchange. If you remove a log file that has not been written to the associated database, it can bring several issues, the most common being that the database may fail to mount. You can solve this problem by removing all the log files, but you first need to check the database consistency. If it exists in inconsistent state, the solution is to restore from backup or apply an EDB Repair technique. For instance, consider a scenario in Exchange Server. You try to mount a mailbox store, but the operation fails with the below error message.

Exchange Errors due to Undetected Page Removal while B-tree Split Operation

EDB Repair - EDB Repair Tool Microsoft Exchange Server storage groups are consisted of mailbox store and public folder store. Each mailbox store is further made up of database set comprising of two files: Priv.edb and Priv.stm. Similarly, each public folder store database set contains Pub.edb and Pub.stm files. For any reason if Information Store databases get corrupt, you might experience symptoms like slow performance, abrupt behavior while normal operations and most often, JET errors. If an updated data backup is available, you are recommended to restore from it to solve these problems. In case no valid copy exists, try running built-in ESEUTIL /P utility or safe EDB Repair Tool.

 For instance, when using Microsoft Exchange Server, you may observe any of the below symptoms with information store databases: 1. You run ESEUTIL /D to attempt offline defragmentation of the database, but fail with -1601(JET_errRecordNotFound) or -1603(JET_errNoCurrentRecord) error 2. Error -1069 error (JET_errVersionStoreOutOfMemory) while normal database operations 3. Application log reports an error with Event ID: 1101 4. You run ESEUTIL /G /V /X in Exchange Server 5.5 and receive JET Error -1206 (JET_errDatabaseCorrupted). Cause The Information Store service might violate access because of encountered corrupt data. When trying to insert a record in B-tree, the Exchange engine might find a record with same primary key value, marked for deletion. In such cases, it undeletes the node by updating its content with that of new record and might even change the size of record. Now, if this size is too large for the page, the database engine performs b-tree split operation.

The information store may become unresponsive or data might get corrupt if Exchange Server tries to re-latch the pages while the record has been actually removed by information store cleanup thread. Solution You can recover from such problems by applying these measures: 1.Execute database consistency checker to check for corrupted and/or orphaned LVs 2.For correcting corrupted and orpahned LV errors, you need to run ESEUTIL /P /X followed by offline defragmentation 3.Perform offline defragmentation if only orphaned LVs are reported 4.In case of corrupted LVs, you should run ESEUTIL /P /X followed by offline defragmentation If applying these measures doesn't fix the database corruption problem, you should restore from the complete database backup or use a EDB Repair Tool in case of valid backup unavailability. 

EDB Repair utilities are graphically rich tools incorporated with high-end scanning algorithms to repair and restore damaged Exchange databases at a safe location. Stellar Phoenix Mailbox Exchange Recovery is an advanced utility that employs high-end scanning algorithms to repair a damaged Exchange database. It supports Exchange Server 5.5, 2000 and 2003. It is a safe EDB Repair Tool with impressive features. The tool extracts user mailboxes in .pst file format.