Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 - restore system state only

[Compwiz]

In most backup programs for servers you have the option to do a system state recovery only.  I have

Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 with a Windows 2008 Small Business Server.   After several days of issues we have discovered that the windows registry and some dll files are corrupt.   We do not want to recover everything back to the time before the problem started because it will erase our exchange, data, etc that has been done since the problem started.  I have a backup that is dated before the problems but have no idea how to run just a system state recovery with this product.  I can review the recovery points and see them with no problem but of course they contain full backups of the whole drives.   Can you assist me on just recovering the system state only from one of these recovery points????

[Andreas_Horlach]

Hi Compwiz,

You can recovery individual files and folders by extracting them from the mount point, and your can do point-in-time restore from any or the backup images, whenever they were created. You can also view the file and folder properties in that mount point. Or, dthe system will restore to that point in time when the backup was created. There is not a function in BESR to restore only the system registry, COM + Database, Certificate Services, Active Directory, SysVol and IIS Metabase. Restoring any of those files or folders would require you to mount the image file and pull that data and restore.

One thing you can try is to convert the image files into a VM and boot them virtually. Or you can create an empty volume and restore the image files into a VM.

[Compwiz]

I need to do a system state recovery which I think you are telling me unless I know the folders, files, etc is not possible with your software.   I do not understand.  Why would symantec sell a software product that does not allow an administrator to do an important server function like restore the system volume???  This is a server backup program???  I am not pleased and need additional information - this is unheard of in a server product.

[Compwiz]

Not to mention - your software advertises it does that - read the descriptions.

[Andreas_Horlach]

Perhaps I am not understanding what you mean by 'system state'. BESR creates VSS snapshot backups and allows you to restore those volumes. You can restore just the system volume, or you can restore all of the volumes. You can also restore individual files and folders from within those volumes. I.E., if your C:\ OS volume crashes, even though you've backed up C:\, D:\, E:, and F:\, you can restore all or any of those volumes, or files/folder within.

System state backups in my mind are backups that are not VSS backups. To get a crash consistent system state backup, you can boot to the recovery CD and create a non-vss, crash consistent backup from the recovery environment.

Please let me know if I am still not answering your question. If it appears I am contradicting the user's guide, I apologize. Always go by the user's guide first.

[Compwiz]

You are still not answering my question.   In windows you have the option of backing up the system state.  That is the Windows Server terminalogy.   You have the option with the windows backup utility to restore just the system state which includes the windows system files and the registry.   I do not know all the files contained in that but you don't need to with the windows backup utility or even the synmantec backup exec I used to use.  You can select the system state from the selection menu and restore only that.   I don't see that in your selection process. I  am not able to run the destop app because of the windows corruption.   You can't reinstall because again the windows is corrupt and the windows installer will not run.   I can get to the viewer which allows you to see recovery points.   I need this assistance immediately - please let me know if you can precise directions on this procedure.

[Compwiz]

You are still not answering my question.   In windows you have the option of backing up the system state.  That is the Windows Server terminalogy.   You have the option with the windows backup utility to restore just the system state which includes the windows system files and the registry.   I do not know all the files contained in that but you don't need to with the windows backup utility or even the synmantec backup exec I used to use.  You can select the system state from the selection menu and restore only that.   I don't see that in your selection process. I  am not able to run the destop app because of the windows corruption.   You can't reinstall because again the windows is corrupt and the windows installer will not run.   I can get to the viewer which allows you to see recovery points.   I need this assistance immediately - please let me know if you can precise directions on this procedure.

[Andreas_Horlach]

Simply put, a 'system state' similar to what 2008 backup uses is not an option in BESR. You can restore the BESR backup to any point in time a recovery point exists, and you can manually put files out of the backup image. If you restore the image file back to a certain point in time when the backup was created, it will boot up into the OS as if it picked up right where it left off when the back up was created.

Let me know if this helps.

[progentCT]

That makes BESR an incomplete solution for a domain controller.  If restoring an image is the only option then the server will be in USN rollback if other domain controllers are on the network.

Workarounds would include:

• Image restore with no other DCs on the network.  If you have another DC, trash it.
• Demote and promote the server after restore (or force demotion and use ntdsutil to remove the DC from the working AD (make sure to wait for replication and AD cleanup to complete before adding the server back if using the same name)).  No simple task with SBS.
• Combine a 'windows backup' system state backup with your BESR backups.  I've found that booting to DSRM mode and running a system state restore in non-authoratative mode (the default) can bring a server back from USN rollback.

[GeoffRose]

Is there a symantec best practice for system state - especially when it comes to a domain controller?

MS says it does not support disk imaging of a domain controller - see page 8 here 

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/Virtualizing_Windows_Active_Directory.pdf

and also

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888794

I think personally I will run a windows system state backup on top of the BESR ones.

[Andreas_Horlach]

This might be useful to anyone considering BESR / SSR on a domain controller:

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH161948