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.