As with earlier versions, when you install the first Exchange 2010 Server a Default Mailbox Database is created and to maintain the Uniqueness a random number is added to the Mailbox Database name. When administrators try to delete or remove the Default Mailbox Database, it results in a error as follows:
The mailbox database ˜<database name> cannot be deleted.
Error: This mailbox database contains one or more mailboxes or arbitration mailboxes. To get a list of all mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database . To get a list of all arbitration mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database -Arbitration. Before you can remove this mailbox database, you must disable, move or remove user mailboxes and move arbitration mailboxes.
So what causes it and how can we overcome this…
This is due to fact that there are still Arbitration Mailboxes in the Default Mailbox Database, which are not Managed/Moved from the Exchange Management Console (EMC). The activities that we need to perform are as follows:
- Use Get-Mailbox Database to get list of Mailboxes
- Followed by New-MoveRequest to start moves
- Verification using Get-MoveRequest | Fl, to ensure status for each of the system and federatedemail mailboxes is Completed
- Finally Remove-MoveRequest powershell cmdlet before we remove the Mailbox Database
