AD restore question

[kennyb]

I have a general inquiry about restoring AD to Server 2008. I have BE2010 SP3 and it's been working and backing up fine, but as a quarterly test, I like to run some restores and see what files (if any) cannot be restored.

On my backup selections for a job, AD and NTDS and available. When I create a new restore job, this area is blank

Will it be blank because restoring AD is only available through Diretory Services restore mode?

thanks,

Ken

[SuperBrain]

This restore selection does not have a further drill down because you may no thave the Backup Exec Active Directory Agent license.

This license (if installed) allows you to perform Granular level restores from an AD (System State) backup. This technology is called Granular Recovery Technology (GRT).

You can still restore AD even without the license. This will be available via DSRM (like you rightly mentioned above)

Hope this helps.

[pkh]

If you want to test your system state backup, which for a DC includes AD, then you can do a redirected restore of the system state to another directory.

[kennyb]

If I don't have the AD agent, can I still redirect the system state to another location (e.g. the E drive on the backup exec server)

It seems like AD is backing up since I can see it in the Job Log under System State and it's in the selection list for our incremental and full jobs.

I just can't see it in the restore job since I need the AD agent to restore directly from it.

I should be able to restore using DSRM if need be.

I can send screenshots if that helps.

[lmosla]

For a redirected restore of system state, refer to:  http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO23095

[pkh]

If I don't have the AD agent, can I still redirect the system state to another location (e.g. the E drive on the backup exec server)

Yes, but you would be restoring the entire AD.

You cannot just restore AD.  You need to restore the entire system state, either back to the original server or redirect it to another directory.

[kennyb]

I figured if I was in a situation where we would need to restore AD, it would be a worst case scenario and not a need to restore a couple of accounts.

What concerns me is when I create a restore job, the AD record is blank yet everything else under System State has information. (see attached jpeg)

Again, I am assuming this is because we don't have the AD agent to do a brick level restore and the only way to restore AD is from boot using DSRM

thanks again.

[pkh]

Yes. This is correct. You cannot expand AD without the AD agent