IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Mail supports automated Individual Mailbox Restore starting with Data Protection for Exchange version 6.1.
For example, the command to restore a mailbox could look like this: TDPEXCC RESTOREMAILBOX hoobler The technique that Data Protection for Exchange uses to perform Individual Mailbox Restore is through the Recovery Storage Group. It restores the Exchange database containing the selected mailbox/item into the Recovery Storage Group and then extracts the selected data from the RSG. It does all of this in an automated fashion starting with version 6.1 This does not require additional backup streams nor brick-level backups. It can restore data from any legacy or VSS TSM backup (for VSS, Exchange 2007 and later), and even from backups created with prior versions of Data Protection for Exchange. The technique that Data Protection for Exchange uses does require a restore of the full database file. Microsoft does not support "mailbox" or "item" level extracts from full database backups. The algorithm follows all Microsoft specifications and uses only approved APIs for all operations. The process is as follows: 1. User identifies the mailbox(es) and/or mail items to restore using the GUI or CLI to narrow the restore to the desired objects. 2. Data Protection for Exchange determines which TSM backups will contain the desired objects by using a combination of the mailbox history and Active Directory. 3. Data Protection for Exchange creates a Recovery Storage Group required for proper restore of the selected objects. (Note: On Exchange 2003, the user must create this manually, since Microsoft does not provide an API to do this in an automated fashion.) 4. Data Protection for Exchange restores the necessary backup(s) into the Recovery Storage Group. 5. Data Protection for Exchange extracts the selected items from the Recovery Storage Group and places them into the desired target location (can either be a mailbox or a .PST file) 6. Data Protection for Exchange cleans up the Recovery Storage Group (Note: On Exchange 2003, the user must clean up manually, since Microsoft does not provide an API to do this in an automated fashion.) For more details and more examples, please see the User's Guide: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/tsminfo/v6/index.jsp Look under: +Protecting applications +Protecting Microsoft Exchange Server data - Restoring individual mailbox and mailbox item-level data Note: There are different techniques that some vendors use that have advantages, but also carry disadvantages as well. For example, some use brick-level backups, and some open the .EDB files directly. Each algorithm has its pros and cons. The intent of this documentation is not to get into those details, but to explain the Data Protection for Exchange solution. ---------------------------------------------------- Del Hoobler Tivoli Storage Manager Development IBM Corporation "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L@VM.MARIST.EDU> wrote on 06/03/2009 06:18:04 PM: > > I am implementing the TDP for Exchange. We have it installed and did a > manual backup successfully. When we try to reetore a mailbox, it forces us > to use a Recovery Storage Group in Exchange as the target. We chose a > specific email in the filter section and were expecting a restre of what we > were searching for. Instead, the restore seems to be building a whole new > database, It wa sup to 14GB when we stopped it. It seem like nonsense to > restore the whole storage group just to restore a single mail box. Is this > required. > > > > Nicholas
