Backing Up the Windows Server 2003 Operating System and Services


The Windows Server 2003 operating system contains several features to enhance operating system stability, provide data and service redundancy, and deliver feature-rich client services. To provide the most disaster recovery options, many services have their own backup tools and may require additional attention. This section discusses ways to back up a Windows Server 2003 system to prepare for complete server failure or to be able to recover to a previous state. This section also outlines specific Windows Server 2003 services that have tools to aid in the backup recovery process.

Backing Up Boot and System Volumes

A backup strategy for every Windows Server 2003 system should always include the boot and system disk volumes. On many installations, the boot and system volume are one and the same, but sometimes they are located on completely separate volumes, usually on dual-boot computers. For the rest of this section, we will assume that they are both on the same partition, and we will refer to it as the system volume. This volume contains all the files necessary to start the core operating system. It should be backed up before and after a change is made to the operating system and once every 24 hours if possible.

When applications are installed, they will, by default, install on the system partition unless a different partition is specified during installation. On average, the amount of data on the system volume, with applications and services installed, is anywhere from 1GB to 5GB. System volume usage can be on the high end when administrators forget to purge or archive logs such as the Web and FTP logs, if they are used on the system.

Note

When system volumes are backed up, the system state should be backed up at the same time to simplify recovery if a server needs to be rebuilt from scratch.


Backing Up Data Volumes

If a server is used as a file server, it is recommended to store user data separate from the operating system to improve overall system and user data access performance. When systems are built with this recommendation in mind, backing up just the system volume does not back up the user data. Backing up data volumes on a system is just as important, if not more important, than backing up the system volume. This volume usually contains user files and folders and application data including Web site data, log files, and databases. Usually, the data volumes end up being the largest volumes. This makes for longer backup intervals and may require more than one tape if a tape device is being used. For many organizations, a full backup of data volumes can be run only once a week, but to capture all new and modified data, incremental or differential backups can be run every day.

Backing Up Windows Server 2003 Services

Many Windows Server 2003 services store configuration and status data in separate files or databases located in various locations on the system volume. If the service is native to Windows Server 2003, performing a complete server backup on all drives and the system state, the critical data is certainly being backed up. A few services provide alternative backup and restore options. The procedures for backing up these services are outlined in the section titled "Using the Windows Server 2003 Backup Utility (ntbackup.exe)" later in this chapter.

Backing Up the System State

The system state of a Windows Server 2003 system contains, at a minimum, the System Registry, boot files, and the COM+ class registration database. Backing up the system state creates a point-in-time backup that can be used to restore a server to a previous working state. Having a copy of the system state is essential if a server restore is necessary.

How the server is configured determines what else, other than the three items listed previously, will be contained in the system state. On a domain controller, the system state also contains the Active Directory database and the SYSVOL share. On a cluster, it contains the cluster quorum data. When services such as Certificate Server and Internet Information Server, which contain their own service-specific data, are installed, these databases are not listed separately but are backed up with the system state.

Even though the system state contains many subcomponents, using the programs included with Windows Server 2003, the entire system state can be backed up only as a whole. When recovery is necessary, however, there are several different options. Recovering data using a system state backup will be covered in Chapter 33.

The system state should be backed up every night to prepare for several server-related failures. A restore of a system state is very powerful and can return a system to a previous working state if a change needs to be rolled back or if the operating system needs to be restored from scratch after a complete server failure.

Using the Directory Services Restore Mode Password

When a Windows Server 2003 system is promoted to a domain controller, one of the configurations is to create a Directory Restore Services mode password. This password is used only when booting into Directory Restore Services mode. Restore mode is used when the Active Directory database is in need of maintenance or needs to be restored from backup. Many administrators have found themselves without the ability to log in to Restore mode when necessary and have been forced to rebuild systems from scratch to restore the system state data. Many hours can be saved if this password is stored in a safe place, where it can be accessed by the correct administrators.

The Restore mode password is server-specific and created on each domain controller. If the password is forgotten, and the domain controller is still functional, it can be changed using the command-line tool ntdsutil.exe, as shown in Figure 32.1. The example in Figure 32.1 changes the password on the remote domain controller named dc1.companyabc.com.

Figure 32.1. Changing the Active Directory Restore mode password using ntdsutil.exe.





Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed(c) R2 Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed (R2 Edition)
ISBN: 0672328984
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 499

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