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Eric C. Singer
Asked: 2011-12-31 13:01:34 +0800 CST

Patching Exchange mailbox server without potential data loss

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I have what I think is a quick easy question. I'd like to apply a service pack to my exchange 2007 mailbox server. I don't have a CCR setup, so its a pretty standard configuration. We do have it running on VMware and I plan on snapshotting it before the service pack is applied.

My question is, can certain aspects of exchange be disabled so that outlook can't connect to the mailbox server before I snapshot/update the server? I'd like to avoid any data loss if it can be done. For example, one idea I had was disabling the mailbox databases and then patching the server. However, I don't know if that can be done.

Another idea I had was patching the exchange server while the network is disconnected, but once again, I don't know if that would work either.

exchange-2007 patch-management

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    You've got a couple of options.

    • Do a full backup of all Mailbox Databases and start the upgrade ASAP after the backup (store this off the server you're upgrading!).
    • Stop (but don't disable) the Microsoft Exchage Information Store service, snapshot your machine and start the upgrade.

    Of those options, the second will give you a consistent snapshot of your .edb files if you're doing a VM level snapshot. If you leave the Information Store service stopped and kick off the upgrade, that should effectively give you what you want.

    I'd also leave the network connected when installing the Service Pack because IIRC some CRL checks are made, and these can take a long time to timeout if the network isn't connected, causing you an unnecessary delay during the upgrade.

    The only thing I'd recommend is do it during "off" time, so an evening or preferably a weekend, just so you have some breathing space if anything goes wonky.

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