Microsoft KB Archive/184902

= XADM: Running Edbutil /d /r /ds =

Article ID: 184902

Article Last Modified on 10/28/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q184902



SUMMARY
In general, running the Edbutil program with the repair option against the directory should never be done on a production server. The repair option is invoked by using the defragment (/d) and the recovery (/r) parameters together. Using these two parameters together is not the same as running the utility twice, once with each parameter.

Running /d and /r together can cause unpredictable problems with the directory. Once this command is run, it may never be possible to fully recover the directory. Unpredictable results may include symptoms such as the inability for this server to see new servers added to the site, or the inability to add connectors to this server.

If a Dir.edb file has been modified by running Edbutil /d /r /ds, it should not be used in a production environment unless specifically recommended by a Microsoft Support Professional.



MORE INFORMATION
When /d /r are used together, they function differently than when they are used separately, one after the other. When used together, these parameters indicate that the Edbutil utility should repair the database while defragmenting it. This process eliminates unreadable data from the database. Some of this data may be required for the operation of the service, and may not be recoverable.

When Edbutil is run against the Priv.edb or Pub.edb files, the Isinteg -fix utility can be used to "clean up" any problems that the combination of the /d /r switches might have created. In the case of the Dir.edb file, however, there is no such utility. Because it is working in conjunction with the directories of all of the other servers in the site, missing entries in one Dir.edb file can cause problems throughout the site.

In most cases, if the directory is in an inconsistent state, Edbutil /r /ds should return it to a consistent state and the database can be used in production. In some cases, it may require running Edbutil /d /r /ds to return the directory to a consistent state. If this is done and no changes are made to the database, then it may be possible to use this directory in a production environment. This determination can only be made by running Edbutil /d /r /ds on the directory on a recovery computer after Edbutil /r /ds has failed to make the file consistent. Look at the entries in the application event log after the utility is run. If there are no events in the 41 to 50 range with the source EDB, then the only modification made by the utility was to mark the file as being in a consistent state. Please contact a PSS engineer before using such a directory in a production system.

In a disaster recovery situation where the directory (Dir.edb) has become corrupted, it may make sense to run the utility with these parameters to reclaim the directory information by means of an Export. Once the directory is confirmed to be corrupted, it must be restored from backup, or Exchange Server will need to be reinstalled from scratch to create a new directory file. In the situation where Exchange Server must be reinstalled from scratch, running Edbutil /d /r /ds on a recovery computer makes sense to get the directory to a state where a Tools/Directory Export can be run from the Exchange Administrator program to export the mailboxes, custom recipients, and distribution lists (DLs) to .csv files. These files can then be imported to the production server to bring back all the information about the mailboxes, custom recipients, and DLs into the new (empty) directory after the information store has been restored.

Additional query words: directory corruption corrupted

Keywords: kbinfo KB184902

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