Scenario: When you are trying to remove an Exchange Database, you receive the following error below.
This mailbox database contains one or more mailboxes, mailbox plans, archive mailboxes, public folder mailboxes or
arbitration mailboxes. To get a list of all mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database
<Database ID>. To get a list of all mailbox plans in this database, run the command Get-MailboxPlan. To get a list of
archive mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database <Database ID> -Archive. To get a list of all
public folder mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database <Database ID> -PublicFolder. To get a
list of all arbitration mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database <Database ID> -Arbitration.
To disable a non-arbitration mailbox so that you can delete the mailbox database, run the command Disable-Mailbox
<Mailbox ID>. To disable an archive mailbox so you can delete the mailbox database, run the command Disable-Mailbox
<Mailbox ID> -Archive. To disable a public folder mailbox so that you can delete the mailbox database, run the command
Disable-Mailbox <Mailbox ID> -PublicFolder. Arbitration mailboxes should be moved to another server; to do this, run
the command New-MoveRequest <parameters>. If this is the last server in the organization, run the command
Disable-Mailbox <Mailbox ID> -Arbitration -DisableLastArbitrationMailboxAllowed to disable the arbitration mailbox.
Mailbox plans should be moved to another server; to do this, run the command Set-MailboxPlan <MailboxPlan ID>
-Database <Database ID>.
You have also verified that there are no mailbox/mailbox types on the database you wish to remove by running the following commands:
get-mailbox -database DB01
get-mailbox -archive -database DB01 -DomainController <root dc>
get-mailbox -PublicFolder -database DB01
get-mailbox -Arbitration -database DB01
Resolution: Although an archive mailbox did not reside on the database we are trying to remove, we found that the database was still referenced in an archive mailbox that resided on a different database. The archive mailbox was referencing the database via the msExchArchiveDatabaseLink property in ADSIEdit.
Once we discovered the archive mailbox, we moved it to another database, thus refreshing the properties in ADSI Edit and removing the database we wished to remove.
To determine which mailbox may be holding you up from removing an Exchange Database, follow these steps:
1. Remove the database in verbose: remove-mailboxdatabase DB01 -verbose
2. Before it shows the error message, pay attention to the Verbose logging as it references the mailbox which is preventing the database from being removed.
VERBOSE: [18:03:27.819 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Runspace context: Executing user:
domain.com/users/exadmin, Executing user organization: , Current organization: , RBAC-enabled:
Enabled.
VERBOSE: [18:03:27.851 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Active Directory session settings for ‘Remove-MailboxDatabase’
are: View Entire Forest: ‘False’, Default Scope: ‘domain.com’, Configuration Domain Controller:
‘DC1.domain.com’, Preferred Global Catalog: ‘DC1.domain.com’, Preferred Domain Controllers: ‘{
DC1.domain.com }’
VERBOSE: [18:03:27.866 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Beginning processing Remove-MailboxDatabase
VERBOSE: [18:03:27.866 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Instantiating handler with index 0 for cmdlet extension agent
“Admin Audit Log Agent”.
VERBOSE: [18:03:27.866 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Current ScopeSet is: { Recipient Read Scope: {{, }}, Recipient
Write Scopes: {{, }}, Configuration Read Scope: {{, }}, Configuration Write Scope(s): {{, }, }, Exclusive Recipient
Scope(s): {}, Exclusive Configuration Scope(s): {} }
VERBOSE: [18:03:27.866 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Searching objects “db01” of type “MailboxDatabase” under the
root “$null”.
VERBOSE: [18:03:27.882 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Previous operation run on domain controller
‘DC1.domain.com’.
VERBOSE: [18:03:27.960 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Verifying that there is no associated mailbox user or move request
on the mailbox database “db01”.
VERBOSE: [18:03:28.023 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Mailbox with DistinguishedName
“CN=jdoe1,CN=Users,DC=domain,DC=com” is still present in this database.
VERBOSE: [18:03:28.038 GMT] Remove-MailboxDatabase : Admin Audit Log: Entered Handler:OnComplete.