Whenever you encounter problems with your information store (for example, event ID 1011, the information store service would not start) the simplest thing to do is to reboot the Exchange Server. But if the information store service still does not start, the next option is to run the isinteg command. This utility checks for any problems with mailboxes, public folders, and other parts of the information store.
You can run the isinteg utility two ways:
- Default mode in which the tool runs the tests you specify and reports its findings.
- Fix mode, where you will specify optional switches. Including an optional switch makes isinteg run the specified tests and attempt to fix whatever it can.
In most cases, such as after restoring an offline backup or after performing an offline defrag of the Exchange databases, you will need to run isinteg to resolve integrity problems.
The most important thing about running isinteg is that it is best to run the command until it no longer reports any problems. Just running the command once does not guarantee that the information store is functioning properly. Depending on the size of the information store, the process can take a long time, but it ensures that the databases are properly functional. Running isinteg is not destructive, but you should note that when running in fix mode using the --fix switch you may run the risk of losing data.
You can use the following command to perform a thorough test on the Exchange database:
isinteg --pri --test alltests
Depending on the size of the database performing this test can take up some time.
Adesh Rampat has 10 years experience with network and IT administration. He is a member of the Association of Internet Professionals, the Institute for Network Professionals, and the International Webmasters Association. He has also lectured extensively on a variety of topics.
