Exchange 2010: Unable to mount or switch over the database – Solution is here

If you getting the following frigging dialog box during activating a Database Copy or switching over the DAG server, no worries. There is a simple solution.

To verify the content index catalog files are really failed or not, run the following command in Exchange 2010 Management Shell.  Note: the server name would be mailbox server naming which is hosting the passive database.

Get-MailboxDatabaseCopyStatus –Server <MBX Server Name> | FL Name,*Index*

You will see ContextIndexState is Failed in results of above command. Also ContentIndexErrorMessage property will say “Catalog needs a reset for database <GUID>”.

Quick solution is,

1. Restart the “Microsoft Exchange Search Indexer” service on the server hosting the active DAG database
2. Run Update-MailboxDatabaseCopy –Identity <database name>\<Server name hosting passive db> –CatalogOnly

E.g., Update-MailboxDatabaseCopy –Identity DB1\MBXServer1 –CatalogOnly

Now try activating a database copy on your server.

Source:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/pepeedu/archive/2010/12/14/exchange-2010-database-copy-on-server-has-content-index-catalog-files-in-the-following-state-failed.aspx