How to Mount Public Folder Database in Exchange Server?

However, there can be reasons when you are not able to mount the pub.edb folder database. There could be different reasons behind it. So that, you can get back the database in the correct form. So, today we will be discussing ways to mount Public folder database in Exchange 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019.

Lets’ understand this thing through a user query –

Hi, I have been using the Exchange Server, but I don’t know why I’m not able to mount the Exchange. The Exchange 2010 public folder database not mounted at all. To do so, I have tried different commands. But the Exchange Server has stopped working on my test networks. Eventually, when I tried to mount it, it wasn’t mounted. So, can anyone please suggest with some relevant solutions for mounting the pub.edb folder?

Just with the reference to the above user query, we are assuming many of you may be having the same issue.

Solutions to Mount Exchange Public Folder Database

There are two manual methods available to mount public folder database in Exchange 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019. Either you can use the PowerShell method or the UI method. However, the PowerShell is easier than the UI one.

Suggestion: But, if somehow you have got corruption in your EDB file then mounting the pub.edb won’t be possible. However, it can be resolved with the BitResQ Recovery for Exchange Server. Using this software you can easily recover the database. After completing the procedure, you’ll be able to mount it.

Moreover, it will remove numerous encryption from the Exchange EDB file. This tool will help you to get back the Exchange emails, contacts, tasks, journals, etc. Using this tool, you will get a mailbox in the database in the correct form. Later then, you can store the mailbox in a different format with this tool.

Mount Public Folder Database in Exchange Using UI

Use this method to mount Exchange database easily. So, to perform the task, first, you need to login into Exchange Admin Center. After successful login, just follow the guidelines as given below –

1. In the first step, tap on the Servers tab
2. Then, choose the Databases option
3. Now, mouse-click on the three dots icon
4. After that, just click on the Mount button or dismount button as per your requirement.

Although you can take the help of this method. But, for your information, it will only mount or dismount the one database (public folder) at a time. So, if you’re planning to mount multiple pub.edb folders then it can’t possible.

But before processing the task you should know the database name. So, to get it you can use it either from Exchange Admin Center or with the Get-Mailbox Database cmdlet.

Use PowerShell to Mount Exchange Database

Before mounting the public folder database, use PowerShell to check the database status or databases in the Exchange Setup. For this, use Get-MailboxDatabase and Format-Table to get the desired information. To know about the status use the command:

Get-MailboxDatabase –Identity -Status | Format-Table Name, BackupInProgress, OnlineMaintenanceInProgress

If you want to check all the Databases then you should change the Identity with the Server Name –

Get-MailboxDatabase –Server -Status of Database | Format-Table Name, BackupInProgress, OnlineMaintenanceInProgress

Or, you can use ESEUTIL /mh command to check the state of a database of the public folder.

eseutil /mh < edb file path>

There, you will get to see either Clean or Dirty Shutdown. After that, when you have the database name, make sure it is healthy. So that, you can mount that public folder database –

Mount-Database –Identity –Confirm:$False

If you would like to have a confirmation, enter Yes to continue, and remove the –Confirm part at the end of the command. Type Yes for the confirmation, and then just erase the confirmation at the end of the command.

This will mount the desired database. But if you want to mount all the database in a Exchange server. Then, for this, there are two ways available to mount all databases in your Exchange Server. Either use ForEach loop using the Get-Database and then use the Mount-Database for Public folder. Second way that you can use the one-liner as below. Use the below command for a quick way-

Get-MailboxDatabase –ExhangeServer | Mount-Database –Confirm:$False

This will execute the Mount-Database command for each public folder Exchange database in the server. However, you can dismount single or multiple databases by changing the first part of the cmdlet from Mount-Database to DisMount-Database. For instance –

DisMounted-Database –Identity –Confirm:$False

If you don’t face any issues, then you can mount or dismount your public folder database easily. Furthermore, all the above commands are applicable to Exchange Server 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019. But, in case, if you are still using 2010 and 2013, we recommend you to upgrade it.

But, in case, the database doesn’t mount, then it means there is some kind of issue. It can be a corrupted database, corrupted log files, or many others. But the bad news is that you cannot have the data from the dismounted public folder database. As there is no such solution for a dismounted database. In this situation, you can take the help of the BitResQ Software as mentioned above. It will help you to get back the data easily.

Conclusion

Today, we have discussed the ways to mount public folder database in exchange 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019. Here, we have mentioned different ways to mount Exchange database. So, use them successfully. But incase, if the database cannot be mounted or dismounted somehow. Then, we recommend you to go for the suggested software.