You have to remember there are 2/3 databases in Exchange.
There is the Directory, dir.edb. This stores the users/groups/etc....
There is the Public Database, pub.edb which store public folders and such.
And there is the Private Databse, priv.edb which stores the private
mailboxes and such.
I've restored the pub and priv database to a different server with a
different name before, I know it works.
It is all documented in Microsoft's Exchange Disaster Recovery whitepaper
you can find on there site.
The only time you need the machine to be identical is when you are restoring
the directory.
Even then it does not need the same sid. It just has to be a domain
controller with the same computer name as the original.

Mark


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roger Hohmann [SMTP:Roger_Hohmann AT WESTLB DOT DE]
> Sent: Friday, July 16, 1999 9:51 AM
> To:   ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject:      Re: Restoring Exchange
>
> I can remember our NT admin asked some guys at MS about this and, as far
> as I remember, the response: you are *never* able to restore the
> exchange db to another box with different SID. Independent of adsm or
> *any* other backup/restore tool.
>
> Please tell me if I'm wrong, we would need this, too.
>
> Regards
>
> Roger
>
> "Ittner, Sean" schrieb:
> >
> > Hello all - I am a newbie here but I thought I understood ADSM.  I am
> trying
> > to restore my exchange database to another machine so that I can recover
> a
> > mailbox.  I have followed all the steps from both the ADSM documentation
> and
> > the Microsoft documentation but I cannot get the Information Store to
> > restart after I have restored it.  The event viewer reports problems
> with
> > the transaction logs and not being able to read them.  Am I missing a
> step?
> > I installed exchange to the same service level, set the logging to match
> the
> > production machine (no circular logging), restored the private database
> > using the ADSM agent......
> > Anyone have experience making this work?
> >
> > Sean Ittner
> > Siemens Energy & Automation
>
> --
> Roger Hohmann
> Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale
> Division: 009 Services
> Abteilung: 001-80622
> Herzogstra_e 15
> D - 40217 D|sseldorf
> Tel.: +49211 826 8155
> Fax : +49211 826 5393
> mailto:roger_hohmann AT westlb DOT de