SolutionBase: Get a handle on managing Exchange with these three new tools from Microsoft
Make your selection and click the Analyze Selected Database link
The Exchange Server Disaster Recovery Analyzer
The next tool that I want to talk about is the Exchange Server Disaster Recovery Analyzer (ExDRA). My opinion of the ExDRA tool is that it is nothing short of an answer to prayers.
As you probably already know, repairing and mounting an Exchange database after a disaster has always been challenging to say the least. Microsoft has greatly improved the recovery process in Exchange Server 2003, but if you don't know exactly what you are doing then getting a database to mount can still be a frustrating experience. This is where the ExDRA tool comes in. The ExDRA analyzes the database that you are attempting to mount and gives you a step by step list of instructions for bringing the database into a consistent state so that it can be mounted.
The tool offers an extremely simple installation program and is accessible after installation from your computer's All Programs | Microsoft Exchange menu.
When you launch the program, check for, and allow you to download any existing updates. After updating the program, you will see the tool's Welcome screen. The Welcome screen basically just tells you that the tool can be used against any server running Exchange 2000 with Service Pack 3 or higher, or against an Exchange 2003 Server.
Click Next and you will be asked if you would like the ExDRA to automatically detect the database location or if you would like to specify it manually. I've always had good luck using the auto detect option, but depending on your server's current state you may have to use the manual input mode once in a while. After choosing the auto detect option, you will be prompted to enter your server's name, a domain controller's name, and a set of authentication credentials. Click Next and the ExDRA tool will validate the credentials that you have entered.
At this point, you will be asked to select the storage group that is having problems. Make your selection and click Next. The ExDRA will now show you which databases are and are not mounted, as shown above. You must now make your selection and click the Analyze Selected Database link.
The next tool that I want to talk about is the Exchange Server Disaster Recovery Analyzer (ExDRA). My opinion of the ExDRA tool is that it is nothing short of an answer to prayers.
As you probably already know, repairing and mounting an Exchange database after a disaster has always been challenging to say the least. Microsoft has greatly improved the recovery process in Exchange Server 2003, but if you don't know exactly what you are doing then getting a database to mount can still be a frustrating experience. This is where the ExDRA tool comes in. The ExDRA analyzes the database that you are attempting to mount and gives you a step by step list of instructions for bringing the database into a consistent state so that it can be mounted.
The tool offers an extremely simple installation program and is accessible after installation from your computer's All Programs | Microsoft Exchange menu.
When you launch the program, check for, and allow you to download any existing updates. After updating the program, you will see the tool's Welcome screen. The Welcome screen basically just tells you that the tool can be used against any server running Exchange 2000 with Service Pack 3 or higher, or against an Exchange 2003 Server.
Click Next and you will be asked if you would like the ExDRA to automatically detect the database location or if you would like to specify it manually. I've always had good luck using the auto detect option, but depending on your server's current state you may have to use the manual input mode once in a while. After choosing the auto detect option, you will be prompted to enter your server's name, a domain controller's name, and a set of authentication credentials. Click Next and the ExDRA tool will validate the credentials that you have entered.
At this point, you will be asked to select the storage group that is having problems. Make your selection and click Next. The ExDRA will now show you which databases are and are not mounted, as shown above. You must now make your selection and click the Analyze Selected Database link.
