When comparing or restoring Active Directory® objects with the Online Restore Wizard, you can choose whether to use LDAP functions only (Agentless method) or Online Restore Agent (Agent-based method).
Note that some AD DS and AD LDS (ADAM) object attributes cannot be restored by using Recovery Manager for Active Directory. For more information on these attributes, see Quest® Knowledge Base Article 59039 “List of AD DS and AD LDS object attributes that Recovery Manager for Active Directory cannot restore” at Quest Support.
The following table contains performance test results of agentless and agent-based restore operations on the machine running Windows Server® 2008 R2. The agent-based restore is performed by a single Restore Agent instance.
Operating System: Windows Server® 2008 R2
CPU: 2 x Intel® Xeon® E5-2651 v2 1.8 GHz
RAM: 7.5 GB
Number of objects - Required time
1000 - 20 - 40 sec
10000 - 04 - 06 min
50000 - 23 - 34 min
Number of objects - Required time
1000 - 40 - 70 sec
10000 - 06 - 10 min
50000 - 30 - 50 min
The method that uses LDAP functions is referred to as agentless method. The agentless method has both advantages and limitations. The use of LDAP functions makes the wizard operations less intrusive on the domain controller. Also, you can deliberately choose the target domain controller and you can perform restore and compare operations without having administrative access to the target domain controller.
However, some object attributes, such as User Password and SID History, cannot be compared or restored.
The ability to perform an online restore using the agentless method builds on the Restore Deleted Objects feature. This feature extends the LDAP API to enable the restoration of deleted objects. However, this feature restores only the essential attributes required for the object's existence. Other attributes, such as those relating to membership in security and distribution groups, must be restored from a backup.
With the agentless method, you can perform a restore without having administrative access to the target domain controller. For more information, see Performing a restore without having administrator privileges.
In the Restore Wizard, on the Domain Access Options page, make sure the Use agentless method radio button is selected. This ensures that only LDAP functions are used to access the domain controller.
Select the RMAD console tree root.
On the main menu, select Actions | Settings.
In the dialog box that opens, on the General tab, under Default method for compare and restore operations, select the preferable method, and click OK. You can change the set default method later when using the Online Restore Wizard.
To overcome the limitations of the agentless method, the Online Restore Wizard provides the alternative, agent-based method. With the agent-based method, you can compare and restore any objects (including deleted ones) and any attributes (including User Password and SID History). A restore can be performed on a domain controller running any operating system supported by Recovery Manager for Active Directory (RMAD).
However, the agent-based method has the following drawbacks:
The target domain controller must be the same as that from which the backup was created. No ability to choose the target domain controller for the restore and compare operations.
The restore or compare operation is more intrusive: Online Restore Agent is installed on the domain controller when you start the compare or restore operation in the Online Restore Wizard and removed when you close the wizard.
Domain administrator rights on the target domain controller are required.
There may be situations where a user with Admin/Standard privileges may run into issues with DCOM configuration. An error will be generated prompting the user that it is a DCOM issue. The DCOM service needs to be updated in this case for which detailed steps are listed in the following Knowledge Base article Quest Knowledge Base Article 332970 “Cannot create a remote object" - Access is denied at Quest Support.
| NOTE |
User can select Automatically configure firewall before the restore operation check box, only if the Use agent based method radio button is selected. |
The Online Restore agent can be installed manually on a domain controller.
Locate OnlineRestoreAgent.msi, in the Recovery Manager for Active Directory installation folders and copy it to the domain controller.
Double click on the OnlineRestoreAgent.msi and follow the instructions to install.
A service called Quest Online Restore Agent will be installed.
The Online Restore Agent is installed as a Manual start service and in the Stopped state.
With the Online Restore Agent pre-installed, the RMAD Console will Start the service and then Stop it at the end of the operation. If the Online Restore Agent is not present, the agent will be installed and then uninstalled as normal.
Select the RMAD console tree root.
On the main menu, select Actions | Settings.
In the dialog box that opens, on the General tab, under Default method for compare and restore operations, select the preferable method, and click OK. You can change the set default method later when using the Online Restore Wizard.
With Recovery Manager for Active Directory (RMAD), you can perform the following tasks on deleted or recycled Active Directory® objects:
View a list of deleted and/or recycled objects in a particular Active Directory® domain.
Selectively recover deleted Active Directory objects by either undeleting (reanimating) them or restoring the objects from a backup created with RMAD.
To undelete (reanimate) an object, RMAD fully relies on the functionality provided by Active Directory®, therefore to use this method you need no Active Directory® backups. Note that you can only undelete objects in an Active Directory® forest whose functional level is higher than Windows® 2000.
Recycle deleted Active Directory® objects (only when Microsoft’s Active Directory® Recycle Bin feature is enabled in your environment).
Recover recycled Active Directory® objects from backups created with RMAD.
In order you could selectively recover Active Directory® objects, the user account under which RMAD is running must have specific permissions. For more information on these permissions, see Permissions required to use Recovery Manager for Active Directory.
The result of the undelete operation performed on an object depends on whether Microsoft’s Active Director®y Recycle Bin feature is enabled or disabled in your environment.
In an Active Directory® environment where Microsoft’s Active Directory® Recycle Bin feature is not supported or disabled, a deleted object is retained in Active Directory® for a specified configurable period of time that is called tombstone lifetime. A deleted object becomes a tombstone that retains only a partial set of the object’s attributes that existed prior to object’s deletion. During the tombstone lifetime period, you can use RMAD to undelete (reanimate) the object or restore it from a backup created with RMAD. Performing the undelete operation on the object will only recover the object’s attributes retained in the tombstone.
When an object is deleted in a forest where Microsoft’s Active Directory® Recycle Bin feature is enabled, the object goes through the following states:
Deleted state. The object retains all its attributes, links, and group memberships that existed immediately before the moment of deletion. The object remains in this state for a specified configurable period of time that is called deleted object lifetime. When the applicable deleted object lifetime period expires, the object is transferred to the next state—“recycled”.
While an object remains in the “deleted” state, you can use Recovery Manager to undelete (reanimate) the object with all its attributes, links, and group memberships that existed immediately before the object’s deletion.
Alternatively, you can authoritatively restore the object to its backed-up state from a backup created with RMAD.
If necessary, you can use RMAD to override the applicable deleted object lifetime setting and manually transfer specific deleted object state from “deleted” to “recycled” state. For more information, refer to Recycling deleted objects.
Recycled state. After a deleted object is transferred to the “recycled” state, most of the object’s attributes are purged (stripped away), and the object retains only those few attributes that are essential to replicate the object’s new state to other domain controllers in the forest. The object remains in the recycled state for a specified configurable period of time that is called recycled object lifetime.
To manage recycled objects, you can use the Deleted Objects container provided by RMAD. In this container, you can view a list of all recycled objects in the domain, selectively recycle deleted objects, and recover recycled objects from backups created with RMAD.
For more information, see Recycling deleted objects.
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