Exchange 2013 (backup &) Disaster Recovery #devconnections

Exchange 2013(backup &)

Disaster Recovery

#devconnections

EXCHANGE 2013 DISASTER RECOVERY

Agenda

• Exchange Data Types & Storage Locations

• Backup• Disaster Recovery• Hybrid…

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DATA TYPES & STORAGE LOCATIONS

What files are important and which ones are not?

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Data types

User Data

• Emails• Contacts• Holiday pictures• (everything in a user’s

mailbox…)

Configuration Data

• Local Configuration Data (server-specific)

• Global Configuration Data (environment-specific)

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User Data

• Data stored in Mailbox Database, Transaction Logs (and memory)

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Why transactions logs matter

• Exchange doesn’t update databases immediately (lazy writes)– User actions are written to transaction log files

first– Logs are ‘rolled’ into the database on the go,

but there might be a lag (checkpoint depth)

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Why transactions logs matter

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DB01E00.log

E00x

E00E0

0E00E0

0E001

CHK1

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Backups & circular logging

• Circular logging removes log files which have been committed to the database– Potentially dangerous scenario *

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Backups & circular logging

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DB01E00.log

E00x

E00E0

0E00E0

0E001

CHK1

2

34

5

E001

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Configuration data

• Configuration data stored in multiple locations:– Local Configuration Data

• server’s registry• Local files on the system

– Global Configuration Data• Stored in Active Directory

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Local Configuration Data• Most of the items in the

registry are stored in the same location:– HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\

ExchangeServer\v15• i.e. used to store M.A.

overrides

– HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchange*• Service-specific settings

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Local Configuration Data• Configuration files stored under

Exchange installation folder: <drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\v15

• commonly-used files include:– Web.config (OWA)

• ..\ClientAcces\Owa

– CmdletExtentionAgent(s)• ..\ Bin\CmdletExtentionAgents

– Managed Availability• ..\ Bin\Monitoring\Config

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Global Configuration data• Forest Configuration Partition:

– CN=OrgName,CN=Microsoft Exchange,CN=Services,CN=Configuration,DC=domain,DC=tld

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BACKUP & RESTOREHow to bring my data into safety?

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Need for backup?

• Despite many stories about backup-less environments, backup still valid/useful for:– Historical restores– Deleted item (beyond retention time)– Legal– Purging Transaction Logs

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What to backup?

• User Data• Configuration Data *• Optionally:– System State (Server’s Registry)– Log Files– Certificates

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Exchange 2013 Backups• Leverage a technology called VSS

– VSS “Copy-on-Write”

• Uses VSS Writer (since Exchange 2007)– part of the MSExchangeRepl service in 2013– Responsible for ‘talking’ to Exchange and

temporarily halting writes (to the database) to ensure consistency

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High-level stepsVSS

Requestor (Backup App)

1Volume

Shadow Copy Service (VSS)

VSS Provider(hard- or software)

VSS Writer(Exchange)

Storage

Storage

Storage

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3

4

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DISASTER RECOVERYHelp?! I’m on fire… What now?!

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DRP! Anyone?

“A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is a documented process or set of procedures to

recover and protect a business IT infrastructure in the event of a disaster.” ~

Wikipedia

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Exchange DR procedures• Full DRP for Exchange includes:– Recovery of Mailbox, Database, Server(s)– Recover from full transaction log or database

disk– Dial Tone Recovery, Database Portability– (Re-)Seeding Database (w/ or w/o AutoReseed)– Site Recovery + Switch back

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Deleted Object Recovery• Depends on what object was deleted• Mailbox(es)

– Deleted mailbox retention allows to easily ‘reconnect’ mailbox to user account.

– Beyond retention, restore from backup is necessary

• User(s)– same process as Mailbox recovery, but user needs to be

restored first.– Beyond tombstone period > recover from AD backup first OR

connect mailbox to different user account

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Deleted Objects• Exchange Security Groups– Use Setup.exe /prepareAD to restore the

deleted groups

• Exchange RBAC Groups– Install-CannedRbacRoleAssignments will

restore the groups (not the memberships though!)

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Dial Tone Recovery• Use to quickly restore service to users (while

waiting for data recovery)1. Mount empty database to recover service to the users

(and while waiting to restore data)2. Recovery data into Recovery Database3. Swap Dial Tone database and Recovery Database4. Merge data from Dial Tone database and Restored

database

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Database portability• Exchange databases can be mounted on any

server in the organization with the same database schema.

• Can be useful in the Dial Tone Recovery procedure when the server cannot be restored/recovered (quickly)– Same process as ‘regular’ dial tone recovery, but mount

Dial Tone + Recovery Database on other server

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Server Recovery Process• Using the /m:recoverserver switch:

1. Repair failed server. If replaced, make sure the original server is not reconnected to the network.

2. Join replacement server to the domain w/ same name (reset computer account)

3. Use the Exchange Setup.exe w/ /m:recoverserver switch (cli only)

4. Re-apply customizations• Import certificates• Restore customized files

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DEMO TIME

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Hybrid

• Infrastructure / data is less important• Brings new challenges to the game– DirSync is the root of all evil *

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DirSync

• Used to be a real pain• “accidental deletion protection” included

since version 6765.0006

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Accidental Delete Protection

• Built-in into DirSync• Set-PreventAccidentalDelete –Enable –

ObjectDeletionThreshold <value>– Forcing the deletions can be cumbersome in

large environments due to Full Sync that is required…

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DEMO TIMEProtecting against the “oops-scenario”…

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Q&AThank you!

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Exchange 2013 (backup &) Disaster Recovery #devconnections