IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Mail, Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server, Version 7.1

Restoring mailbox messages interactively with the Mailbox Restore Browser

You can interactively restore a mailbox or items from a mailbox on Exchange Server by using the Mailbox Restore Browser.

About this task

In addition, review the mailbox restore characteristics before you attempt a restore operation:
  • When the Management Console is started, it detects whether there exists a recovery database that was previously created by Data Protection for Exchange. If one exists, then the Management Console automatically connects to the existing recovery database and displays its contents. Otherwise, you are prompted for the mailbox or database to restore into the recovery database.
  • The Management Console also detects a recovery database that was created outside of Data Protection for Exchange and automatically connects to it. When you complete your mailbox restore tasks, you must manually remove the recovery database. You cannot use the Close Mailbox to Restore action item.
  • When a mailbox is selected, it is first restored to the recovery database. It is from this location that the mailbox becomes available for browsing. When the restore operation to this location completes, the restored mailbox and folders are shown in the results pane.
  • If you plan to restore mail or folders by using a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) Server, make sure to configure the SMTP Server before you attempt a restore operation. Set the configuration in the Management Console by right-clicking Dashboard in the tree view and selecting Properties. Then, go to the E-mail property page. Enter the SMTP server and port in this property page.
  • If you select a mailbox to restore, you can click Restore Mailbox to Original Mailbox. If you select a folder, you can click Restore Folder to Original Mailbox, or Restore Folder to SMTP Server. If messages are selected, you can click Restore Messages to the Original Mailbox, Restore Messages to SMTP Server or Save Mail Message Content.
  • Data Protection for Exchange restores the mailbox backup to its original mailbox location. However, you can also restore a mailbox to either of the following locations:
    • To restore a mailbox item to a different mailbox, use the Open Exchange Mailbox task in the Action pane. Enter the alias of the mailbox to identify it as the restore destination. This mailbox restore destination is shown in the lower results pane. Drag the source mailbox from the upper results pane to the destination mailbox in the lower results pane.
    • To restore a mailbox to an Outlook personal folders (.pst) file, use the Open PST File task in the Action pane. A Windows File dialog opens so that you can select an existing .pst file or create a .pst file. This specified destination .pst file is shown in the lower results pane. Drag the source mailbox from the upper results pane to the destination .pst file in the lower results pane.

      The mailbox restore browser only supports non-Unicode .pst files.

    In either case, a merge operation is done during the restore. If the object exists, Data Protection for Exchange does not create a duplicate. Data Protection for Exchange restores only items that do not exist in the restore destination.

    When a mailbox is restored to its original mailbox location, the items are merged. When a mailbox is restored to a different mailbox or to a .pst file, the items are restored to a folder that bears the original mailbox name.

  • The Close Exchange Mailbox and Close PST File tasks in the Action pane are only shown when a destination mailbox or .pst file is opened.
Restriction: Only mailboxes within the same database can be restored in a single mailbox restore action.

Procedure

To restore mailbox messages with the mailbox restore browser, complete the following steps:

  1. Start the Management Console.
  2. Under the Protect and Recover Data node in the tree, select Exchange Server.
  3. In the Recover panel, click View > Mailbox Restore Browser. The Select Source Mailbox to Restore dialog opens.
  4. Specify the mailbox to restore in the Select Source dialog:
    1. To browse mailboxes, select Browse Mailboxes. You can also switch to the databases view by selecting Browse Databases in the drop-down list.

      Enter the name of the mailbox in the field in the Mailbox Name field, or scroll down through the list and select a mailbox. The list is populated by using mailbox history that is taken at the time of the backup. If mailbox history is disabled, you can type a mailbox name. Otherwise, use the Search field to filter the mailboxes. You can also sort the mailboxes by columns. Click OK.

      You can also specify a date and time in the Backup Date/Time field when you want to restore a backup that was created at a specific point in time. To filter by date and time, click the default date and time to edit the table cell. To change the date, click the drop-down icon that is displayed at the end of the cell. The calendar date selection tool is displayed. After you select a date, to display the date in the field, press Enter. To edit the time, enter the time using the 12-hour clock time convention.

    2. To browse all mailboxes in a particular backup, specify Browse Databases. A list of available backups is displayed. Scroll down the list and select a database. Use the Search field to filter the databases. You can also sort the databases by columns. Click OK.
    3. To restore a mailbox that was deleted or recreated after the time of the backup, go to the Properties > General tab. Enter the temporary mailbox alias. If this alias is not entered, the mailbox restore operation uses the current administrator user mailbox as a temporary storage location.
    After the specified mailbox is restored to the recovery database, the restored mailbox and folders are shown in the results pane.
  5. Use the results pane to browse the folders and messages that are contained within your mailbox. The following features are available:
    • Preview: When a mailbox item is selected, its content is shown in the preview panel. When an item contains an attachment, click the attachment icon to preview its contents (click Open) or save it (click Save).
    • Filter: Use the filter options to narrow the list of folders and messages in the result pane.
      1. Click Show Filter Options and Add Row.
      2. Click the down arrow in the Column Name field and select an item to filter. You can filter by Folder Name, Subject Text, Sender Name, Message Body Text, All Content, Attachment Name, Size (in KB), Created Date, Modified Date, Sent Date, and Received Date.

        When you select All Content, the mailbox items are filtered by attachment name, sender, subject, and message body.

      3. Select an operator in the Operator field.
      4. Specify a value to filter on in the Value field.
      5. In you want to filter on more items, click Add Row.
      6. Click Apply Filter to filter your messages and folders.
    Select the mailbox, folder, or message to restore before proceeding.
  6. Click the restore task in the Action pane. Depending on the item that you selected, the following restore actions are available:
    • Restore Folder to Original Mailbox
    • Restore Messages to Original Mailbox
    • Restore Folder to SMTP Server
    • Restore Mail to SMTP Server

      If the SMTP Server was not configured, you must configure it before you run the restore action. Right-click the dashboard and select Properties, then click E-mail to complete the configuration.

    • Save Mail Message Content: A Windows Save File dialog is displayed. Specify the location and message name and click Save. The Save Mail Message Content action becomes available when a message is selected in the preview pane.

      When you restore an email with an attachment larger than 3 MB, a Microsoft fix is required. The fix resolves the following issue: QFD: System.Net.Mail - SmtpClient class throws exceptions if file attachment is over 3MB. The fix is available online at https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=30226.

    The Restore Progress dialog opens and shows operation details.

    The Close Mailbox to Restore button is displayed after a recovery database is created. When you click this button, Data Protection for Exchange removes the recovery database that was created and cleans up the restored files. If you do not select Close Mailbox to Restore, the recovery database is not removed even if you exit the Management Console.

Parent topic: Individual mailbox recovery

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