Backing up Only Active Directory Objects

First of all you don't know what all files to take in your backup. There are many files for Active Directory and many registry entries that are created when you promote your server to domain controller. NTDS.DIT contains all active directory objects and some registry etnries are also created. This file is located in \winnt\NTDS directory. You must take backup of SYSVOL folder also.

M$ has designed its backup program very powerfully. If you take System State backup you don't need to worry. Simply you take the System State backup and restore when you required. If you want to take only Active Directory backup then first of all you need to know the files and registry entries created in your computer. If you are not sure and don't know what all files to backup then there is one solution for this. You can use WININSTLE program to know what all files and registry entries are created when you promote a computer to domain controller. So you can easily take manual backup of active directory. There are two part of this program. One is Before Snapshot and After Snapshot. You run this program and install in your computer and then run the Before Snapshot next you promote your computer to domain controller after restarting your computer you run this program again to see what all changes have been made to your system. Then this program will store all changed made to a separate location you specify. So it will create a MSI file for your active directory if anything happens you can run this MSI file to restore Active Directory. You can find WINISNTLE in \VALUEADDED\3RDPARTY\MGMT\WININSTLE directory. Its in Windows 2000 or 2003 CD.

Let me know.

Dear Systemprog

 Thanks for your answer,

 But as i mentioned that, i have a real time production environment, i want to prepare a test lab exactly match to real production server. If i take system state, when i try to restore on my test lab, i got blue screen while booting after restore.
 That means it is taking the driver list along with active directory.

 Ur taking about the WININSTLE, how can i create domain controller on on going production server ? I need prodcution server active directory backup.
 

>>>But as i mentioned that, i have a real time production environment, i want to prepare a test lab exactly match to real production server.

So you have these techniques to use for disaster recovery:  -

1. Creating an Additional Domain Controller.
2. Using Image Technique.
3. Using WINISNTLE (optional).

1. Creating an Additional Domain Controller: -
You could create an additional domain controller for your root domain and then disconnecting it from the network for future use. If anything happens to your production server in future you can make test lab production as a real production server later.

2. Using Image Technique.
Then you could use Image Technique. You will create a Image of the server and restore it to test lab computer. If anything
happens to your production system you can restore this image or you can shift test lab computer to production.

Cloning computer: -
http://freshmeat.net/articles/view/1375/

3. Using WINISNTLE
I have already told about this but this is used only when you are implementing from scratch.

Is that you want Javed?

Let me know.

Thanks
SystmProg

Dear Sys

The link u have given it is having Linux commands????