Acronis Backup for Windows Server Essentials - User Guide - Manual (Page 295)

295 Copyright © Acronis International GmbH, 2002-2014
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Changes to Active Directory that occurred after the backup had been made will be lost.
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Re-creation of the domain controller is not an option.
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Even a backup with an expired tombstone lifetime can be used.
You need to recover the volumes that store Active Directory database files (p. 283). If these volumes
store other valuable data except Active Directory, copy this data to a different location before the
recovery.
To recover a domain controller when no other domain controllers are available
1. Ensure that the newest available backup is used for recovery. This is important because all
changes made to Active Directory objects after the backup will be lost.
2. Recover the domain controller from the backup by using a bootable media.
3. Restart the domain controller. Ensure that the Active Directory service has started successfully.
11.4.3 Restoring the Active Directory database
If the Active Directory database files are corrupted but the domain controller is able to start in
normal mode, you can restore the database in one of the following ways.
Re-promoting the domain controller
This method of restoring the database is available only if the domain has other domain controllers. It
does not require having a backup.
To restore the database, use the Dcpromo tool to demote the domain controller with the corrupted
database, and then to promote that domain controller again.
To re-promote the domain controller, run the following commands:
dcpromo /forceremoval
dcpromo /adv
Recovering the database from a backup
This method of restoring the database can be used regardless of whether the domain has other
domain controllers.
To restore the database, recover the Active Directory database files (p. 283). In addition, if you have
made any changes to Group Policy Objects (GPOs) since backup, you also need to recover the SYSVOL
folder (p. 288).
To recover the Active Directory database from a backup
1. Restart the domain controller and press F8 during startup.
2. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, select Directory Services Restore Mode.
3. [Optional] Create a copy of the current Active Directory database files in case the changes need
to be undone.
4. Change the original account of the Acronis agent service to the Directory Services Restore Mode
(DSRM) Administrator account:
a. Open the Services snap-in.
b. In the list of services, double-click Acronis Managed Machine Service.
c. On the Log On tab, in This account, specify the user name and password that you use to log
on to Directory Services Restore Mode, and then click Apply.