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Windows Server

Windows Server 2003 : Recovering from System Failure (part 1)

2/29/2012 4:10:22 PM
In a worst-case scenario, server hardware fails and cannot be recovered. To return to operations, you must have a complete backup of the server that you can restore to a new piece of hardware. This complete backup will include data stored on the server, applications, and the operating system itself.You will learn how to use the same utilities to back up the system so that you can return to operational status quickly in the event of such a worst-case scenario. You will also learn how to use the Recovery Console to perform surgical repairs of specific problems including service or driver failures.

System State

Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 introduced the concept of System State to the backup process. System State data contains critical elements of a system’s configuration including:

  • The system’s registry

  • The COM+ Class Registration Database

  • The boot files, which include boot.ini, ntdetect.com, ntldr, bootsect.dos, and ntbootdd.sys

  • System files that are protected by the Windows File Protection service

In addition, the following are included in the System State when the corresponding services have been installed on the system:

  • Certificate Services database on a certificate server

  • Active Directory and the Sysvol folder on a domain controller

  • Cluster service information on a cluster server

  • Internet Information Services (IIS) metabase on a server with IIS installed

To back up the System State in the Backup Utility, include the System State node as part of the backup selection. The System State and its components are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The System State


If you prefer to use the command line, use Ntbackup with the following syntax:

Ntbackup backup systemstate /J "backup job name" ...

Followed by the /F switch to indicate backing up to a file, or appropriate /T, /G, /N, /P switches to back up to a tape. 

There are several important notes and considerations related to backing up the System State:

  • You cannot back up individual components of the System State. For example, you cannot back up the COM+ Class Registration Database alone. Because of interdependencies among System State components, you can back up only the collection of System State components as a whole.

  • You cannot use Ntbackup or the Backup Utility to back up the System State from a remote machine. You must run Ntbackup or the Backup Utility on the system that is being backed up. You can, however, direct the backup to a file on a remote server, which can then transfer the file onto another backup media. Or you can purchase a third-party backup utility that can remotely back up the System State.

  • The System State contains most elements of a system’s configuration, but may not include every element required to return the system to full operational capacity. It is therefore recommended to back up all boot, system, data, and application volumes when you back up the system state. The System State is a critical piece of a complete backup, but is only one piece.

  • Performing a system state backup automatically forces the backup type to Copy, although the interface may not indicate that fact. Take that fact into consideration when planning whether to include other items in your backup selection.

To restore the System State on a computer that is operational, use the Backup Utility and, on the Restore And Manage Media tab, click the System State check box. If the computer is not operational, you will most likely turn to Automated System Recovery to regain operational status.

System State on a Domain Controller

The System State on a domain controller includes the Microsoft Active Directory directory service and the Sysvol folder. You can back up the System State on a domain controller just as on any other system, using the Backup Utility or Ntbackup command. As with all backup media, it is paramount to maintain physical security of the media to which the Active Directory is backed up.

To restore the System State on a domain controller, you must restart the computer, press F8 to select startup options, and select Directory Services Restore Mode. In Directory Services Restore Mode, the domain controller boots but does not start Active Directory services. You can log on to the computer only as the local Administrator, using the Directory Services Restore Mode password that was specified when Dcpromo was used to promote the server to a domain controller.

When in Directory Services Restore Mode, the domain controller does not perform authentication or Active Directory replication, and the Active Directory database and supporting files are not subject to file locks. You can therefore restore the System State using the Backup Utility.

When restoring the System State on a domain controller, you must choose whether to perform a non-authoritative (normal) or authoritative restore of the Active Directory and Sysvol folder. After restoring the System State using the Backup Utility, you complete a non-authoritative restore by restarting the domain controller into normal operational status. Because older data was restored, the domain controller must update its replica of the Active Directory and Sysvol, which it does automatically through standard replication mechanisms from its replication partners.

There may be occasions, however, when you do not want the restored domain controller to become consistent with other functioning domain controllers and instead want all domain controllers to have the same state as the restored replica. If, for example, objects have been deleted from Active Directory, you can restore one domain controller with a backup set that was created prior to the deletion of the objects. You must then perform an authoritative restore, which marks selected objects as authoritative and causes those objects to be replicated from the restored domain controllers to its replication partners.

To perform an authoritative restore, you must first perform a non-authoritative restore by using the Backup Utility to restore the System State onto the domain controller. When the restore is completed and you click Close in the Backup Utility, you are prompted to restart the computer. When that occurs, you must select No. Do not allow the domain controller to restart. Then, open a command prompt and use Ntdsutil to mark the entire restored database or selected objects as authoritative. You can get more information about Ntdsutil and authoritative restore by typing ntdsutil /? at the command prompt or by using the online references in the Help And Support Center.


Automated System Recovery

Recovering a failed server has traditionally been a tedious task, involving reinstallation of the operating system, mounting and cataloging the backup tape, then performing a full restore. Automated System Recovery makes that process significantly easier. Automated System Recovery requires you to create an ASR set, consisting of a backup of critical system files, including the registry, and a floppy disk listing the Windows system files that are installed on the computer. If the server ever fails, you simply restart with the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM and select the option to perform an Automated System Recovery. The process uses the list of files on the ASR disk to restore standard drivers and files from the original Widows Server 2003 CD-ROM, and will restore remaining files from the ASR backup set.

To create an ASR set, open the Backup Utility from the Accessories program group, or by clicking Start, then Run, and typing Ntbackup.exe. If the Backup And Restore Wizard appears, click Advanced Mode. Then, from the Backup Utility’s Welcome tab, or from the Tools menu, select ASR Wizard. Follow the instructions of the Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard. It will request a 1.44 megabyte (MB) floppy disk to create the ASR floppy. The ASR Wizard is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The Backup Destination page of the ASR Wizard


The backup created by the ASR Wizard includes disk configuration information for each disk in the computer, a System State backup, and a backup of files including the driver cache. The backup set is sizable. On a standard installation of Windows Server 2003, the ASR backup size will be more than 1 gigabyte (GB).

The ASR floppy disk is created by the Automated System Recovery Preparation Wizard, and is specific to the system and the time at which the ASR set was created. You should label the ASR backup set and floppy disk carefully and keep them together.

The ASR floppy disk contains two catalogs of files on the system: Asr.sif and Asrpnp.sif. If the system does not have a floppy drive when you create the ASR set, you can create the floppy disk after running the wizard by copying these two files from the %Systemroot%\repair folder on the system to another computer that does have a floppy drive, and copying the files to the floppy disk on that second system. If you lose the floppy disk, you can restore the two files from the %Systemroot%\repair folder in the ASR backup set. You must have the ASR floppy disk to perform an Automated System Recovery. If the system does not have a floppy drive you will need to connect one before performing the restore.

Tip

The ASR set contains the files required to start the system. It is not a comprehensive backup of the entire system. Therefore it is highly recommended to create a complete backup, including the System State, system volume, applications and, perhaps, user data when you create your ASR set.


When you perform an Automated System Recovery, you will need

  • The Windows Server 2003 setup CD-ROM

  • The ASR backup set

  • The ASR floppy disk created at the same time as the ASR backup set

Tip

You will also need any mass storage device drivers that are not part of the standard Windows Server 2003 driver set. To facilitate recovery, you should consider copying those drivers to the ASR floppy disk.


To restore a system using Automated System Recovery, restart using the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM, just as if you were installing the operating system on the computer. If the computer requires a mass storage device driver that is not included with Windows Server 2003, press F6 when prompted and provide the driver on a floppy disk. After loading initial drivers, the system will prompt you to press F2 to perform an Automated System Recovery. Press F2 and follow the instructions on your screen. Automated System Recover will prompt you for the system’s ASR floppy, which contains two catalogs, or lists, of files required to start the system. Those files will be loaded from the CD-ROM. Automated System Recovery will restore remaining critical files, including the system’s registry, from the system’s ASR backup set. There is a restart during the process, and if the computer requires a vendor-specific mass storage device driver, you will need to press F6 during this second restart as well. Because there is a restart, you should either remove the floppy after the initial text-based portion of the restore, or set the restart order so that the system does not attempt to restart from the floppy drive.

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