Backup windows server 2008 active directory

A backup application binds to a local client-side DLL with entry points defined in Ntdsbcli. Although the topics in this section describe only how to back up and restore an Active Directory server, be aware that Windows and the Windows Server operating systems have several "system state" components that must be backed up and restored together. These system state components consist of:. The system state can be backed up in any order, but restoration of the system state must occur in the following order:.

Skip to main content. This browser is no longer supported. Download Microsoft Edge More info. Contents Exit focus mode. Is this page helpful? Please rate your experience Yes No. Any additional feedback? Active Directory is backed up as part of the System State on a domain controller whenever you perform a backup using Windows Server Backup, Wbadmin. For the purpose of this guide, we will be using System State backup because it allows us to backup only the components needed to restore Active Directory.

However note that Microsoft does not support restoring a System State backup from one server to another server of a different model, or hardware configuration.

The System State backup is best suited for recovering Active Directory only on the same server. As described later in this guide, Windows Server Backup must be installed through features in Server Manager before you can use it to back up or recover your server. The type of backup you select for your domain controllers will depend on the frequency of changes to Active Directory and the data or applications that might be installed on the domain controller.

The bare minimum you need to back up to protect essential Active Directory data on a domain controller is the System State. The System State includes the following list plus some additional items depending on the roles that are installed:.

File-based DNS zones must be backed up as part of a volume-level backup, such as a critical volume backup or full server backup. All the above backup types can be run manually on-demand, or they can be scheduled using Windows Server Backup. You can use either Windows Server backup or Wbadmin. Microsoft recommends using either a dedicated internal disk or an external removable disk such as a USB hard disk to perform the backups.

Backup operators do not have the privileges required to schedule backups. You must have administrative rights to be able to schedule a System State backup or restore.

A System State backup is particularly important for disaster recovery purposes as it eliminates the need to reconfigure Windows back to its original state before the system failure occurred.

It is important that you always have a recent backup of your System State. They may require you to perform regular System State backups to increase your level of protection. We recommended that you perform System State backups before and after any major change is made to your server.

Before going ahead with the backup process, you need to take note of the following initial steps:. It is important to ensure that the AD database is backed up in a way that preserves database consistency. One way to preserve consistency is to back up the AD database when the server is in a powered-off state. VSS is a technology included in Microsoft Windows that can create backup copies or snapshots of computer files or volumes, even when they are in use.

VSS writers create a snapshot that freezes the System State until the backup is complete to prevent modifying active files used by Active Directory during a backup process.

In this way, it is possible to back up a running server without affecting its performance. For this guide, we are going to show you how to change the Shadow Copy size limit configuration on the volume where we are going to store the AD database.

Select the partition where the server is installed, then right-click on it and click on Properties. Go to the Shadow Copies tab and then click on Enable as shown on the image below. In the next window, click Yes to confirm that you want to enable shadow copies as shown below. Click on Settings to continue.

In the Settings screen shown below, under Maximum size, select No limit. Windows Server Backup is a utility provided by Microsoft with Windows Server and later editions. Windows Server Backup is a feature that is installable in Windows Server just like in other previous editions.

Dewboy Feb 6, at UTC. So it seems if i do a System State backup I should be covered in these 2 item. AD Integrated means it's coupled so you sound pretty set. Dewboy Feb 7, at UTC. This topic has been locked by an administrator and is no longer open for commenting. Read these next