Riguy Index and Archive:
System State Backup Continued:
from Part 1
6. Then it must be decided whether to append to media or basically replace (overwrite) altogether. I prefer appending in this case, because it is not a tape backup:
7. After this, backup labels are needed and are self-explanatory:
8. The Administrator account information must be entered. Then, a "When
to Back up" window opens. I give the Job Name a name: "System State Back Up", of all things:
9. Scheduling can then be done via the "Set Schedule" tab. These can be manipulated at any time afterward. Just for kicks, I choose an off-time for my busy home network:
10. At this point the backup job is finished. A summary is issued, same as the one mentioned in initially Step 5:
11. After completion, the backup "Schedule Jobs" window is filled in with daily records containing nifty icons, as a daily backup was chosen in this case:
A slightly trickier task is the Restore. In order to restore in the event of a failure or some type of disaster, the failed hardware would need to be fixed or replaced obviously as a first step. The simple angle is to follow the earlier previous steps and of course use the Restore tab.
But it is likely more complex. It could be necessary to boot the server (if a domain controller) into Directory Services Restore mode (DSR). The DSR is a password-protected command line interface which looks a lot more frightening than it actually is. Anyone with a little bit of DOS or Unix command line talent should feel at ease here. However, be careful, it is very powerful. Also, while in DSR the Windows 2000 services are not being provided, so enter only as needed, or on a test system. Then a couple of decisions need to be made re: the type of restore required: authoritative or nonauthortative.
The pertinent information here, straight from Microsoft's site:
"If you are restoring the System State data to a domain controller, you must choose whether you want to perform an authoritative restore or a nonauthoritative restore The default method of restoring the System State data to a domain controller is nonauthoritative. In this mode, any component of the System State that is replicated with another domain controller, such as the Active Directory directory service or the File Replication service (including the SYSVOL directory), will be brought up to date by replication after you restore the data. For example, if the last backup was performed a week ago, and the System State is restored using the default restore method (nonauthoritative), any changes made subsequent to the backup operation will be replicated from the domain controllers."
Read the following carefully if restoring within Active Directory, on a domain controller:
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