An exchange database stores outlook mailboxes or POP3 mail accounts in both public and private database folders. Public exchange database folders can be accessed by all users of workgroup or domain network. The private exchange database cannot be viewed by the all users.
The public database folder on exchange server consists of two files i.e., pub1.EDB and pub1.STM. Text messages, emails and attachments of an user mailbox is stored in pub1.edb file whereas live media files (audio and video) of that account is stored in pub1.stm file. Same rule also applies to private exchange database files.
The size of public EDB file in exchange server 2003 is not an issue as it consists of just text messages and attachments. However, the size of EDB file will continue to grow, if your outlook mailbox is receiving emails and attachments continuously. MS exchange server does not allow to create and store Exchange database greater than 50 GB size. Therefore, if the size of pub1.edb and pub1.stm files of your exchange 2003 mailbox touches the 50 GB limit, it will display error messages. You cannot be able to use your live mail account on exchange server, if pub1.EDB and pub1.STM files containing your mailbox is damaged. There may be various reasons behind the corruption of exchange database folder such as oversize, virus attacks, slow internet connection and others.
The exchange database is defragmented on live exchange server runs on daily basis. You can schedule the timing of EDB and STM defragmentation process using the maintenance interval of exchange 2003 server. The online defragmentation process just free some space from the exchange mailbox.
You can distribute emails, attachments and live media of your oversized exchange 2003 mailbox to other public/private exchange database folders. To do that, you must use the inbuilt utility eseutil.exe of MS exchange 2003. The inbuilt database recovery utility transfers some data of the oversized exchange server database files (.EDB and .STM) to other user mailboxes mounted over exchange server 2003. It also removes some archived emails and attachments from the selected EDB and STM file. The inbuilt tool eseutil also eliminates other corruption issues of exchange server database folder. It successfully extracts emails, attachments, contacts, journals and other data from the corrupt exchange database folder and saves in new EDB and STM file.
However, severe corruption errors of exchange database cannot be eliminated with inbuilt eseutil tool of exchange server. You should use exchange 2003 database recovery utility to repair severely damaged EDB and STM files. The utility is capable to repair both public and private exchange database files. Exchange 2003 database recovery successfully extracts emails, attachments and other data from the corrupt folder of exchange server. Extracted data are restored by the utility in new EDB or PST files. Exchange 2003 database recovery utility can also recover highly encrypted emails and deleted emails from the corrupt EDB files. The utility can runs on different window OS platforms such as Window 2000, XP, 2003, Vista and 7.
