Tips to Recover Exchange Database When Log Files Are Missing

Exchange server is the only lifeline of the small organization earlier. But with the upcoming of the Office 365 and G suite, the popularity of the Exchanger server somewhat affected. As more number of organizations looking for cloud solutions for better management in low cost. However, the place of the exchange server cannot be ever filled by any enterprise application. It is the powerhouse of the information contained in the thousands of the mailboxes. These user mailboxes stored in the single edb file which is the main database file of the exchange server.  Read to know how to recover exchange database without log files.

The effective management of the EDB file is the sole responsibility of the administrator. Even the small error is sufficient enough to create master disaster mishaps. So, it is must for the exchange administrator to prepare for any circumstances. It is very good practice to backup the mailboxes to meet any disaster situations to prevent the loss of continuity.

Most of the time it is seen that Exchange server crashed without any warning message. In such sudden mishap, the recent backup of the database is the only ray of light in the dark. You can recover the database with this backup files. One thing must need to taken care that backup file alone cannot recover exchange server from crash.

There must be log file available for the same. If somehow the log file are missing or not available the moment then in such circumstances how to recover exchange database. Before proceeding with the recovery methods let’s discuss in brief about the important of log in any type of exchange database recovery.

Why Log File Are Important For Any Exchange Recovery Process?

Exchange log files are the primary location where every changes are recorded first then after it get updated on the exchange server. Once the input data get entered and add up in the exchange server, it simply sign that actions are recorded and committed as ESE or extensible search engine. Let’s discuss it from the basic and try to visualize what happens in the backend. Exchange server is also referred as the transaction based email platform. Yes you guess it right, the transaction is similar to the transaction in SQL or Oracle.

In exchange also, set of operation performed by exchange administrator such as inserting, updating, deleting of data of from the mailboxes contained in EDB files. Each of the operation performed saved first in the log files. This is done to make sure, that if any of the operation performed behaved abnormally, then in such scenario, the transaction can easily rolled back.

The transactional log files stores the data of each second. So this is the only reason for the value of the log file during the disaster.

1. The operation performed stores in the log files in the disk
2. From log files the data get committed to the exchange server.

This short interval is the golden opportunity for the administrator to copy the log files and save it to other safe location.

How the Consistency and Inconsistency in the Exchange database effect log files?

A database can only said to be healthy if it is in consistent form. To verify and ensure that database is in consistent form, each the data saved in the log files must committed to the main database before any shutdown operation. By doing so, the log file get detached from the exchange server and the database remains in the healthy state.

If somehow the log files are committed to database because of any unforeseen reasons such as power failure, hardware issue. In such case, the log files are still attached to the exchange server and the data which remains for committed marked as dirty by the Exchange server and this error commonly known as Exchange dirty shutdown error.

Exchange server provides the functionality to verify whether the database is in consistent state or not. You just need to type eseutil/mh {Path of the database}

Methods to Recover Exchange Database Without Log Files

The process to recover the database is very simple when the log file are available but it is somewhat complex when the log are not present. Due to unavailability of the log files, the process will never completed.

1. The replay process will not execute due to missing of log files.
2. The recovery abort with multiple unknown error codes. Some of them are defined below

Error code – 501, 514, 515, 533

All the above mentioned error are associated with the log file in different manner. This are some hindrances which can stop to bring the exchange database in consistent form.

Now we have to forcefully bring the exchange database in the consistent form using the ESEUTIL command.

The command can be used like this: eseutil /p

But this process is also associated with some major pithole as it finds corrupt pages and broken links between the tables. These data need to be deleted to reform the structure of the database. After, you need to perform some more steps to rebuild the database using offline defragmentation and the correct the database in B-tree structure. So what are the other solution to recover exchange database without log files.

Alternative Solution to Recover Exchange Database Without Log Files

One can easily avoid these error by using the professional Exchange Recovery Software. It facilitates to repair corrupted or highly damaged EDB files and allows the recover the data in Outlook compatible file format PST. Apart from Outlook PST, it also to export recovered data in multiple file format such as EML, MSG, Live exchange server and office 365 as well. This is only the hope that any user can consider while recovery exchange database without log files.

The Summation

Exchange log is the main element for any type of recovery in the exchange server. Without any log file, the recovery of exchange server is somewhat difficult with the possibility of the data loss. So, it is the prime responsibility of any exchange admin to save the log files at secure which can proved as trump card during the recovery of data in catastrophe. As alternative, user can also trust exchange recovery solution to recover exchange database without log files