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AnswerCannot mount database because of invalid legacyExchangeDN

  • Tuesday, November 03, 2009 11:37 PMAquidneck Users MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers Medals
     
    Long story short, the server crapped the bed due to a power surge.  Both the O/S & Exch partitions were scrambled - was able to pull the current edb file and logs, rebuilt the O/S & reinstalled Exch.  Bad move on my part - I changed the organization name unwittingly.  Added new mailboxes to get email flowing again, and then recovered the edb file to a clean shutdown state (no lectures, please, on BU strategies - that oversight has been fixed), but said file won't mount because of the disparity in the organization names in AD.  This is on Exch 2007, so the normal ADSIEdit fix that worked on Exch 2003 is not supported on 2007.

    I have a workaround strategy in mind, but if anyone's already tripped across this particular dilemma, I'd welcome your input.

Answers

  • Wednesday, November 04, 2009 2:14 PMAndyD_MVPUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers Medals
     Answer
    I think so :)
    I would export all the current mailboxes to psts, yes. Then remove Exchange following that article. Rebuild using the correct name, mount the orig edb and reimport those messages from the psts or simply have the users add them to their Outlook profiles and let them copy the messages to their mailboxes if desired. Note the users will have to create new Outlook profiles.

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  • Wednesday, November 04, 2009 1:57 AMAndyD_MVPUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers Medals
     
    Why not just remove Exchange and start all over, this time using the correct Org Name?
    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998313.aspx
    How to Remove an Exchange 2007 Organization




    • Marked As Answer byAquidneck Wednesday, November 04, 2009 3:50 AM
    • Unmarked As Answer byAquidneck Wednesday, November 04, 2009 3:51 AM
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  • Wednesday, November 04, 2009 4:04 AMAquidneck Users MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers Medals
     
    Should have added that I was attempting to merge the old with the new via an RSG.  In the interests of getting email flowing again (225 cattle prods aimed at my derriere), I created new mailboxes on the rebuilt server from AD.  Those have been in place for a few days, leading up to the point where I was able to attempt a mount of the recovered EDB file.  That's when I discovered that I had mis-named the new Exchange build.  So, I'm now faced with the dilemma of two mailbox EDB files who think they are part of differing organizations.

    So, two choices - trash the mail they've received this week and last and put them back 10 days, or find a way to merge the two.  My thought is to create a second Exchange server, properly labeled so that the recovered db can be mounted.  Then, shut down the new server, export the extant (new) mailboxes to PST files, and see if I can merge those into the second (temporary) Exchange server.  If that's successful (and I wear too many hats to be that knowledgeable about Exchange/Outlook), then I can rebuild Exchange on its original server and mount the now merged EDB file.  My motivation for that approach is that the old db is 12+ GB, while the new db file is around 10% of that, if not less - ergo, far smaller PST files to worry about (and less time to generate them).

    Any of that make sense??
  • Wednesday, November 04, 2009 2:14 PMAndyD_MVPUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers Medals
     Answer
    I think so :)
    I would export all the current mailboxes to psts, yes. Then remove Exchange following that article. Rebuild using the correct name, mount the orig edb and reimport those messages from the psts or simply have the users add them to their Outlook profiles and let them copy the messages to their mailboxes if desired. Note the users will have to create new Outlook profiles.
  • Wednesday, November 04, 2009 5:12 PMAquidneck Users MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers MedalsUsers Medals
     
    Glad you concur.  My only fear was that the DN would follow along to the PST's.  Only 5% of our users use Outlook - the rest connect via OWA.  That's my key motivation for a clean merge.