Backing up and restoring Exchange Server Archiver archive data

When you use Exchange Server Archiver to archive your Exchange Server data, the archived messages and attachments are stored as individual files in the Archive Store. You are recommended to set up a schedule to back up this archive data.

The individual files in the Archive Store are not modified once they have been written; subsequent archives create additional files in the Archive Store folder. If you perform incremental backups on an Archive Store, only the new archive files, the database file meta.db, and the xml file Store.xml are backed up each time.

If you have moved the database file, remember to include the new location of the database file in your backup schedule (see Moving an Archive Store database).

For maximum protection of your data:

Before you begin archiving, back up your Exchange server.
In Exchange Server Archiver, set up the archive rules you require and run them.
Messages are archived to the Archive Stores according to the rules you set up. If you are using full archive mode, the messages are replaced with placeholders in Exchange Server, and attachments are removed from the Exchange server.

For more information about what happens when you archive, see the Technical overview.
Set up a backup schedule to back up your archive data using your usual backup solution.
To back up the archive rules, back up the file ArchiveService.xml. By default this is located in:
%allusersprofile%\Application Data\Red Gate\Archive Service

You should ensure that your backup schedules do not coincide with the archiving schedules you define in the archive rules. If an archive occurs while you are backing up, the database file could be inconsistent with the archived messages in the backup.

Restoring an individual Archive Store

Note that when you restore an Archive Store from backup, if any messages were archived after the most recent backup they will not be available in the restored Archive Store.

To retrieve a particular Archive Store, for example because you have noticed some missing or corrupt archived messages:

Restore the Archive Store data files, database file, and xml file to a new location.
In the Admin Console, select the Maintenance tab.
Right-click the current Archive Store and click Detach Archive Store.
Right-click the Storage Service, and click Attach Archive Store.
In the Attach Archive Store dialog box, specify the location of the restored Archive Store and click OK.

Restoring all Archive Stores

Note that when you restore Archive Stores from backup, if any messages were archived after the most recent backup they will not be available in the restored Archive Stores.

To retrieve the Archive Stores in full (for example, if your server has been replaced):

Restore each Archive Store folder from the backup.
If you moved the database file for any Archive Store, restore the database file folders.
If you backed up the archive rules, restore the file ArchiveService.xml to:
%allusersprofile%\Application Data\Red Gate\Archive Service
In the Admin Console, select the Maintenance tab.
For each Archive Store, right-click the Storage Service, and click Attach Archive Store.
In the Attach Archive Store dialog box, specify the location of the Archive Store and click OK.