Exchange 2013 Default DB

When you first install an Exchange 2k13 Mailbox Database you will notice there is a default database named something like below. You can access this by going to the EAC (https://fe1/ecp), Servers, Databases or using the EMS command Get-MailboxDatabase.

Most Administrators are going to want to either change this default name or delete this database. Renaming is pretty straightforward but deleting can be a little confusing. I will go through both tasks and hopefully clear up the hurdles you may face. Let’s dig in.

To rename the database open the EAC, Click Servers, Databases, Click Edit (pencil), type in your new name and click save.

You don’t have to dismount or anything just rename and save. Now if you are obsessive compulsive like me then the .edb database file name will have to match the actual DB name. When you rename the DB it won’t change the .edb name. You can do that by dismounting the DB and running Move-DatabasePath –Identity “NewDBName” –EdbFilePath “<path>\NewDBName.edb. Now mount the DB with Mount-Database “NewDBName”. We are now finished renaming our DB and the EDB file.

Now let’s say we don’t want to rename it but we want to delete it. We open up EAC and Click Servers, Databases, and then we click the trash can and click Delete. Unfortunately we get this error.

If you have moved all other mailboxes off this database (Get-Mailbox –Database “DatabaseName” | New-MoveRequest –TargetDatabase "TargetDatabaseName") then more than likely this error is due to Arbitration mailboxes. These hidden mailboxes are created by default when you add the first Exchange 2k10\2k13 Server to the Org. Since these mailboxes are hidden you won’t get them by running Get-Mailbox. You must include the –Arbitration switch (see below).

Now to actually move these mailboxes we need to run Get-Mailbox –Arbitration and then pipe that to New-MoveRequest similar to below.

Once these moves are completed (Get-MoveRequest to check status) we can go back into EAC and delete this mailbox database successfully.

Comments

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Great - thanks for sharing!

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Awesome, this worked great for me. Thanks

• Anonymous
  January 01, 2003
  Exchange server databases can be read, opened by the medium of microsoft exchange recovery edb www.exchangeserver.recoverytoolbox.com

• Anonymous
  November 18, 2013
  Thank you for the greate article!

• Anonymous
  November 25, 2013
  It is the Exchanage 2010 way to remove the default DB, you do not need to do it on Exchange 2013 any more! You can easily remove the default DB after migate the mailboxes.

• Anonymous
  December 03, 2013
  Great article. Helped me. At first it would not let me delete the default database but did let me after I rebooted the server.

• Anonymous
  April 03, 2014
  Thanks for the tip! One question on renaming the default database. After successfully renaming it and the .mdb file, I was unable to remove the old database because Exchange 2013 still writes to it. Without the original default database, i was unable to mount the renamed database. It only mounted after i brought it back. I tried rebooting the server to no avail...am i missing something?
  
  Gracias!

• Anonymous
  June 25, 2014
  Great Article.
  Thanks :-)

• Anonymous
  July 25, 2014
  Not sure why none of the Exchange 2013 upgrade guides mention this. Worked great, though, thanks!

• Anonymous
  August 18, 2015
  When I try to change the the from the Exchange Management Shell nothign happends. I just get two Chevrons in the console and nothng happends... or does it take some while to rename?

• Anonymous
  November 08, 2015
  The comment has been removed