Migration Ex 10 --> Ex 16 (Ex 16 HDD Failed and is nonrecoverable, no Backups)

asked 2020-08-21T09:08:24.12+00:00
BR0KK 641 Reputation points

Hi there...

My Problem:

Im in the middle of migration Exchange 2010 to Exchange 2016 and so far that worked great until ..... the NVMe SSD on wich the new Ex 16 was setup did go the way of the dodo :/

That happened before i could do a full system backup of the new machine. The SSD is dead and can't be accessed!

This leaves me with a broken setup consisting of an "SBS 2011" and a dead nonrecoverable "SRV 16 + Ex 16"

The Server 16 was connected to AD and the Ex 10 and Ex 16 were working together. I also configured a test account with a mail adress and moved this account to the Ex 16 Database.

I found this guide in a german blog:

https://www.frankysweb.de/exchange-2016-manuelles-entfernen-eines-exchange-servers-mehrere-server/

And i also found this blogpost:

http://techgenix.com/exchange-server-is-dead/

Question:

How do i go about resurecting (reinstalling) the dead Exchange Server 2016.

Everything else in the customers system works (mail OWA etc). I do not care about the test account because it had no data in it.
I tried the second link and this is waht i get:

19426-ex16.jpg

Rough translation:

The Exchange setup wants to access the old database of the dead EX 16 to wich i have no access to.

Thanks in advance

BR0KK

Exchange Server Management
Exchange Server Management
Exchange Server: A family of Microsoft client/server messaging and collaboration software.Management: The act or process of organizing, handling, directing or controlling something.
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Accepted answer
  1. answered 2020-08-26T15:14:42.217+00:00
    BR0KK 641 Reputation points

    Got it working but we had to go in with ADSI Editor to delete the Database of the defunct EX16

    I also needed to:

    1. Delete all the system and federation mailboxes (incl. those of the EX10 i guess)
    2. Reset the systems in AD
    3. Rename and give the server the exact IP address as the defunct one
    4. Delete all the old entries in DNS
    5. Rejoin AD
    6. Install all the Ex 16 prequisits and supportfiles (Updates, Net 4.8, UCMA?, C++ Redist., etc)
    7. Run PrepareAd without the /RecoverServer toggle
    8. Install Exchange 2016 ....

    Now its at the same state before the "desaster" and of course i installed a backup sollution right after the server was joined to the AD :/

    Live and Learn

    Thx BR0KK

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  1. answered 2020-08-24T06:22:33.427+00:00
    Lydia Zhou - MSFT 2,351 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

    Based on your description, your issue is more related to Exchange server side. We helped to add the correct tag "office-exchange-server-deployment" for your question, and hope you can understand.

    We have to recover a lost Exchange server by using the /Mode:RecoverServer switch mentioned in the second blog you provided. The first blog you provided is to remove the Exchange by ADSI Edit. Since lots of important information are included in ADSI Edit, and it may cause more serious issues if something is done in a wrong way, we generally discourage to use ADSI Edit to uninstall an Exchange server that can be restored.

    You can check this official document for more details about how to Recover Exchange servers, especially the requirements for Exchange recovery.
    Please pay attention that, the administrator account you used to recover Exchange must be a member of Domain Admin security group and Organization Management role group.

    If the error alert persists, please go to ExchangeSetupLogs for more detailed information. You can put the error here in English, and don't forget to cover your personal information.

    If the response is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.