How to backing Up Active Directory?

How to backing Up Active Directory?

Hello Friends,

Many administrator don’t knows the Active Directory backup process, this is article will show you, how to backup the AD.

If you want to back up Active Directory to tape or disk.

Resolution:-

Back up the System State, this includes the Active Directory-related files on the domain controller. Here are the directions for backing up the System State using the NtBackup utility that comes installed on Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 computers:

Using a graphical user interface:-

1.     Go to Start All Programs (or Programs for Windows 2000) Accessories System Tools Backup.

2.     Click the Advanced Mode link.

3.     Click the Backup tab.

4.     Check the box beside System State.

5.     Check the box beside any other files, directories, or drives you would also like to back up.

6.     For Backup destination, select either File or Tape depending on where you want to back up the data to.

7.     For Backup media or file name, type either the name of a file or select the tape to save the backup to.

8.     Click the Start Backup button twice.

Backup using a command-line interface

The NtBackup utility supports several command-line parameters that you can use to initiate backups without ever bringing up the GUI.

For the complete list of supported commands on Windows 2000, see MS KB 300439 (How to Use Command Line Parameters With the "Ntbackup" Command).

For the complete list of supported commands on Windows Server 2003, see MS KB 814583 (HOW TO: Use Command Line Parameters with the Ntbackup Command in Windows Server 2003).

How to restart a Domain Controller in Directory Services Restore Mode?

Problem: You want to restart a domain controller in DS Restore Mode.

Resolution:

To enter DS Restore Mode, you must reboot the server at the console.

Press F8 after the power-on self test (POST), which will bring up a menu, as below.

From the menu, select Directory Services Restore Mode.

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What is DFS?

Hello Friends, 

Is site part of the Active Directory namespace?

NO: - When a user browses the logical namespace, computers and users are grouped into domains and OUs without reference to sites. However, site names are used in the Domain Name System (DNS) records, so sites must be given valid DNS names.

What is DFS?

The Distributed File System is used to build a hierarchical view of multiple file servers and shares on the network. Instead of having to think of a specific machine name for each set of files, the user will only have to remember one name; which will be the 'key' to a list of shares found on multiple servers on the network. Think of it as the home of all file shares with links that point to one or more servers that actually host those shares.

DFS has the capability of routing a client to the closest available file server by using Active Directory site metrics. It can also be installed on a cluster for even better performance and reliability. 

Understanding the DFS Terminology It is important to understand the new concepts that are part of DFS. Below is an definition of each of them.

Dfs root: You can think of this as a share that is visible on the network, and in this share you can have additional files and folders.

Dfs link: A link is another share somewhere on the network that goes under the root. When a user opens this link they will be redirected to a shared folder.

Dfs target (or replica): This can be referred to as either a root or a link. If you have two identical shares, normally stored on different servers, you can group them together as Dfs Targets under the same link. The image below shows the actual folder structure of what the user sees when using DFS and load balancing.

Figure 1: The actual folder structure of DFS and load balancing

Windows 2003 offers a revamped version of the Distributed File System found in Windows 2000, which has been improved to better performance and add additional fault tolerance, load balancing and reduced use of network bandwidth. It also comes with a powerful set of command-line scripting tools which can be used to make administrative backup and restoration tasks of the DFS namespaces easier. The client windows operating system consists of a DFS client which provides additional features as well as caching.

 

What are the types of replication in DFS?

There are two types of replication: * Automatic - which is only available for Domain DFS * Manual - which is available for stand alone, DFS and requires all files to be replicated manually. 

Which service is responsible for replicating files in SYSVOL folder?

File Replication Service (FRS)

 What all can a site topology owner do?

The site topology owner is the name given to the administrator (or administrators) that oversee the site

topology. The owner is responsible for making any necessary changes to the site as the physical network grows and changes. The site topology owner’s responsibilities include:

■ Making changes to the site topology based on changes to the physical network topology.

■ Tracking subnetting information for the network. This includes IP addresses, subnet masks, and the locations of the subnets.

■ Monitoring network connectivity and setting the costs for links between sites.

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