All About Exchange Server Database Corruption and EDB Recovery

All About Exchange Server Database Corruption and EDB Recovery

Microsoft Exchange users transaction-based and fault-tolerant database for storing emails and directory information before this is applied to database. When a power failure or any other abnormal server failure takes place, the Exchg Server uses transaction log files for reconstructing data, which is already taken by Exchange Server but not yet written to database. But in some situations, the database failure might become very critical and can not be resolved in normal ways. At this point, your valuable data become inaccessible and data loss situations occur that lead you to Exchange Repair.

Exchange Database (EDB) Components

The EDB file is made up of server components, based on the standard database technique. Entire system bank on an embedded database engine, which lays out structure of disk of the Exchange Server and organizes memory. Major components of EDB file are as give below:

a) Information Store: This is the key component of Server. It has two separate database: private information store and public information store. It works with MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface) and database engine to make sure that all operations are stored on server hard drive.

b) JET Database Engine: Exchange databases are based upon JET format that uses log files to maintain and track information. It is a 32-bit multi-threaded database engine, which combines performance and speed with other powerful features for improving transaction-based processing abilities.

Exchange Database Corruption

Like other database, EDB might also experience corruption at some point, which needs the system to try to get back to consistent state. The corruption could occur due to virus infection, improper system shutdown, application malfunction, user errors and missing database objects. There are two main types of database corruption, which require Exchange Repair to be resolved:

(i) Logical Corruption: It occurs due to damaged or missing database objects such as database engine failure and Information Store corruption. This type of corruption could also occur at application level in folders, mailboxes, messages and attachments.

(ii) Physical Corruption: This type of corruption occurs when entire database gets damaged on the hard drive. It is very easy to identify.

In order to overcome the corruption situations, Exchange provides two repair tools- Eseutil and Isinteg. These utilities allow you to carry out Exchange Recovery by repairing and restoring corrupt database in some situations, but these programs does not work in case of severe database damage.

In such circumstances, Exchg Server Repair applications come for your help to scan the damaged database thoroughly and extract all of the mailboxes and data from it. These tools are quite easy and safe to use.

Stellar Phoenix Mailbox Exchange Recovery is the most advanced and powerful MS Exchange repair application to ensure absolute recovery of your inaccessible data from EDB file of Server 2003, 2000 and 5.5. This software is designed for Microsoft Windows 2003, XP and 2000.