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Recovery Manager for AD 10.2 - User Guide

Overview Getting started
Permissions required to use Recovery Manager for Active Directory Recovery Manager Console Getting and using help Configuring Windows Firewall Using Computer Collections Managing Recovery Manager for Active Directory configuration Licensing
Backing up data
Permissions required for the Backup operation Managing Backup Agent Using a least-privileged user account to back up data Using Managed Service Accounts Active Directory backups vs Windows System State backups Creating BMR and Active Directory backups Using the Backup Wizard Retrying backup creation Enabling backup encryption Backing up AD LDS (ADAM) Backing up cross-domain group membership Backing up distributed file system (DFS) data Backup scheduling Setting performance options Setting advanced backup options Unpacking backups Using e-mail notification Viewing backup creation results
Restoring data
Getting started with Active Directory recovery Managing deleted or recycled objects Restoring backed up Active Directory components Integration with Change Auditor for Active Directory Using granular online restore Restoring AD LDS (ADAM) Selectively restoring Active Directory object attributes Restoring objects in an application directory partition Restoring object quotas Restoring cross-domain group membership Performing a restore without having administrator privileges Reports about objects and operations Using complete offline restore Offline restore implications Restoring SYSVOL authoritatively Performing a granular restore of SYSVOL Recovering Group Policy Restoring data from third-party backups Using the Extract Wizard Restoring passwords and SID history
Full Replication Consolidating backup registration data Monitoring Recovery Manager for Active Directory Using Management Shell Collecting diagnostic data for technical support Using Recovery Manager for Active Directory web portal Appendices
Frequently asked questions Best practices for using Computer Collections Best practices for creating backups Ports Used by Recovery Manager for Active Directory Backup Wizard Online Restore Wizard Online Restore Wizard for AD LDS (ADAM) Group Policy Restore Wizard Repair Wizard Extract Wizard Technical characteristics Events generated by Recovery Manager for Active Directory Descriptions of PowerShell commands
Add-RMADBackup Add-RMADCollectionItem Add-RMADReplicationConsole Add-RMADStorageServer Backup-RMADCollection Compare-RMADObject Convert-RMADBackup ConvertTo-RMADRecycledObject Create-RMADStorageAgentSetup Expand-RMADBackup Export-RMADBackup Export-RMADSecureStorageBackup Get-RMADBackup Get-RMADBackupAgent Get-RMADBackupInfo Get-RMADBackupObject Get-RMADBackupSecurityStatus Get-RMADCollection Get-RMADCollectionItem Get-RMADDeletedObject Get-RMADGlobalOptions Get-RMADLicenseInfo Get-RMADObject Get-RMADReplicationConsole Get-RMADReplicationSchedule Get-RMADReplicationSession Get-RMADReplicationSessionItem Get-RMADReportObject Get-RMADReportObjectAttributes Get-RMADReportObjectChildren Get-RMADReportSession Get-RMADSession Get-RMADSessionItem Get-RMADSessionItemEvent Get-RMADStorageServer Get-RMADStorageServerHardeningStatus Get-RMADStorageServerRetentionPolicy Import-RMADBackup Install-RMADBackupAgent New-RMADCollection New-RMADSchedule Protect-RMADSecureStorageServer Publish-RMADBackupSecurityStatus Refresh-RMADStorageServer Register-RMADSecureStorageBackups Remove-RMADBackup Remove-RMADBackupAgent Remove-RMADCollection Remove-RMADCollectionItem Remove-RMADReplicationConsole Remove-RMADReplicationSchedule Remove-RMADReplicationSession Remove-RMADStorageServer Remove-RMADUnpackedComponent Rename-RMADCollection Restore-RMADDeletedObject Restore-RMADDomainController Restore-RMADObject Set-RMADCollection Set-RMADGlobalOptions Set-RMADReplicationConsole Set-RMADReplicationSchedule Set-RMADStorageServerRetentionPolicy Start-RMADReplication Start-RMADReportViewer Test-RMADSecureStorageBackup Unprotect-RMADStorageServer Update-RMADBackupAgent Update-RMADLicense

Using the Backup Wizard

You can start the Backup Wizard by selecting the console tree root, and then clicking Create Backup on the Action menu.

On the What to Back Up page, the wizard prompts you to specify what domain controllers or AD LDS (ADAM) hosts you want to back up. You can back up specific domain controllers or all computers that are in a specific container, such as an Active Directory domain or organizational unit.

On the Where to Store Backups page, the wizard prompts you to specify the path and name format for backup files. You can type the path and name manually, click Browse to locate a folder, and use the Expression button to have the path and name include macros enabling the automatic creation of separate subfolders and files for different backups.

On the When to Back Up page, the wizard asks you whether you want to schedule the backup creation operation. You can click Now if you want to start the operation immediately. Otherwise, you click Later and configure backup scheduling. If you choose to create backups without scheduling, you can optionally have the wizard create and retain a Computer Collection for the computers and containers you have selected. Later, you may use that collection to schedule backups. If you choose to schedule backups, the wizard creates a Computer Collection for the computers and containers you have selected, and schedules a backup creation task for that collection.

On the Computer Collection Name page, you can specify a name and description for the Computer Collection to be created.

By clicking the Advanced button on the Completed the Backup Wizard window, you can display the Properties dialog box to make changes to backup options. If you do not modify those options, the defaults are used. Default options are specified using the Collection Defaults command, which appears on the Action menu when you select the Computer Collections node in the console tree.

 

Retrying backup creation

Recovery Manager for Active Directory allows you to retry selected backup sessions. You can retry the creation of backups for individual computers or for all computers with a particular backup creation result. Any backup session can be retried regardless of its result.

To retry a backup session

  1. In the Recovery Manager Console tree, click Sessions.

  2. In the details pane, click the backup session to retry, and then click Retry Backup on the Action menu.

  3. In the Retry Backup dialog box, select one of the following options:

    • Computers where errors or warnings occurred. Retries backup for the computers reported with errors or warnings.

    • Computers where errors occurred. Retries backup for the computers reported with errors.

    • All computers. Retries backup for all computers in the selected session, regardless of the previous backup results.

  4. Click OK and then click Yes.

To retry backups for individual computers

  1. In the Recovery Manager Console tree, expand the Sessions node and select a session.

  2. In the details pane, select computers.

  3. On the Action menu, click Retry Backup.

  4. Click Yes to start the backup creation.

 

Enabling backup encryption

Recovery Manager for Active Directory allows you to protect your backups by encrypting them. You can enable the backup encryption in the Defaults dialog box for the Computer Collections node or a Computer Collection (Computer Collection properties), as well as in the Backup Wizard.

To enable backup encryption

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Right-click the Computer Collections node, and then click Collection Defaults.

    • Right-click the Computer Collection, and then click Properties.

    • Click Advanced on the Completing the Backup Wizard page.

  2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Backup tab.

  3. On the Backup tab, select the Encrypt and protect backups with password check box.

  4. In the Set Password dialog box, type and confirm by retyping a password, and then click OK.

A password can contain any combination of letters, numerals, spaces, and symbols. Passwords are case sensitive, so if you vary the capitalization when you assign the password, you must type the same capitalization when entering the password. You can change the backup protection password later by clicking Set Password on the Backup tab. Write the password down and keep it in a secure place. If you lose the password, you cannot restore data from that backup since Recovery Manager for Active Directory asks you to type the password.

Active Directory backup encryption:

  • Recovery Manager for Active Directory uses Microsoft's implementation of the AES 256 algorithm from RSA, Inc. (Microsoft RSA Base Provider), with the maximal (normally, 128-bit) cipher strength.
  • If you specify DC storage, UNC share or secure storage server for encrypted backups (Remote Storage tab): A Backup Agent writes a backup directly to the storage to an encrypted temporary file. This temporary file is local or remote depending on the storage type. Data is encrypted in memory during a backup process. When the backup is done, the temporary file is renamed to the *.bkf file.
  • If you specify a local storage for encrypted backups (Local Storage tab): A Backup Agent writes a backup via RPC connection to the storage on the Recovery Manager Console machine, data is encrypted in memory.

Bare Metal Recovery backup encryption:

  • The specified password is used to generate a passphrase with which the backup is encrypted. The password cannot be used directly to unlock the backup container *.vhd(x) file.
  • Recovery Manager for Active Directory uses a virtual hard disk encrypted with BitLocker as a container for the backup (256-bit AES encryption). Only backup volume is encrypted on the VHD disk.
  • Data is encrypted in transport by the BitLocker engine on the DC being backed up.

NOTE:

  • Backup encryption does not depend on Active Directory in any way.

  • Recovery Manager for Active Directory does not send unencrypted data over the wire.

The BitLocker Drive Encryption feature should be installed on all backed up domain controllers and on the Forest Recovery Console machine to support encrypted BMR backups. But note that the BitLocker feature does not encrypt DC drives automatically.

Figure: Encrypted BMR backup

Resources/Images/EncryptedBackup-01.png

Figure: Not encrypted BMR backup

Resources/Images/EncryptedBackup-02.png

 

Backing up AD LDS (ADAM)

With Recovery Manager for Active Directory, you can back up Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), previously known as Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM), by using one of the following methods:

 

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