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I have an Exchange 2010 server that I've backed up. I want to test my backup. Can I restore the stores to an isolated server for testing? I don't see how since Exchange is Active Directory integrated and all my mailboxes are AD accounts.

How can I restore a test backup without destroying my current Exchange 2010 server and mailboxes in production?

EDIT: I have another Server setup with 2008 R2. I will install Exchange, same version, SP level, etc. I only want to take my backup and restore it to that already existing test server.

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  • What exactly do you want to test? A restore of the mail databases or a bare metal restore of the server?
    – MDMarra
    Feb 18, 2014 at 16:39
  • @MDMarra Just the mail databases.
    – johnny
    Feb 18, 2014 at 16:45
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    You just want to know if the mail databases have the correct mail in them? Just use an RDB (recovery database) on either the existing Exchange server or a test server if you wish.
    – TheCleaner
    Feb 18, 2014 at 18:45
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    Just food for thought... You are backing up Active Directory too right? Probably a domain controller? Why not test restore everything into a test environment? After all, if a disaster hits, you might need all of it to work. Without Active Directory, Exchange is going to be a bear to deal with. That and doing it in a test environment is a good way to test that your backups are functional as well as practicing and working out the kinks if you ever have to do it for real.
    – MikeAWood
    Feb 19, 2014 at 2:29

2 Answers 2

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You generally don't, because Exchange is pretty tightly integrated with Active Directory.

"Restoring" the whole system to a test site either means that it's not going to work, or it's going to run the risk of messing up whatever existing Active Directory forest you restore it into. (Or both. Probably both.)

What you should do, since you're only wanting to check the mail databases is to restore the mail database to the recovery database (RDB) on an existing Exchange 2010 server. The precise process varies based on what specific backup software you're using (which you haven't revealed), based on the fact that native Exchange server support for backups and restores (which are pretty basic and ought to be pretty simple actions) is rather poor, as is the existing Microsoft documentation.

Given that, here's a short guide on how to create a new recovery database, not from Microsoft. Using Exchange Management Shell, it's:

new-mailboxdatabase –recovery –name [databasename] –server [servername] –edbfilepath [pathtodatabase] –logfolderpath [pathtologfiles]

Assuming you don't have a way to take the database backup in the first place, here's a guide on how to do it for free, using Windows Backup Server.

I'm also going to link this guide, which has a basic run-down of how to actually use the RDB once you've populated it with your backup database.

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I don't see the dilemma. AD accounts authenticate users. You intend to have an Exchange server that contains mailboxes associated with AD accounts.

Provided your users do not reference the test server in the client configuration, there should not even be any confusion.

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  • I didn't dv yet, but one dillema could be if he actually wanted to do user testing and didn't have a connection to AD, hence no user athentication, or anyone else for that matter. No connection to AD means no logging in w/ a domain admin account.
    – MDMoore313
    Feb 18, 2014 at 18:55
  • I was not suggesting no connection to AD, just that regular users can't access the server. This would allow testing, but not impose incorrect connections from users.
    – Pekka
    Feb 18, 2014 at 18:57
  • How can I have duplicate mailboxes on my domain?
    – johnny
    Feb 18, 2014 at 21:38
  • I did not suggest that you do. A user can only connect a single instance of Outlook to one server at a time. The other mailbox is present, but incoming routing will not deliver messages to the cloned mail store. If you are recovering a mail box, and not testing a recovery procedure, use the Recovery Database approach given by HopelessN00b
    – Pekka
    Feb 19, 2014 at 16:28

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