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Recovery Manager for AD Disaster Recovery Edition 10.3 - 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 Cloud Storage Secure Storage Server Hybrid Recovery with On Demand Recovery 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 Using Forest Recovery Agent 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 Recovering an Active Directory forest
Forest recovery overview Deploying Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition (Disaster Recovery Edition) Permissions required to use Forest Recovery Console Forest Recovery Console Managing a recovery project Recovery methods Phased recovery Managing Forest Recovery Agent Rebooting domain controllers manually Resetting DSRM Administrator Password Purging Kerberos Tickets Managing the Global Catalog servers Managing FSMO roles Manage DNS Client Settings Configuring Windows Firewall Developing a custom forest recovery plan Backing up domain controllers Assigning a preferred DNS server during recovery Handling DNS servers during recovery Forest recovery approaches Deciding which backups to use Running custom scripts while recovering a forest Overview of steps to recover a forest Viewing forest recovery progress Viewing recovery plan Viewing a report about forest recovery or verify settings operation Handling failed domain controllers Adding a domain controller to a running recovery operation Selectively recovering domains in a forest Recovering SYSVOL Deleting domains during recovery Resuming an interrupted forest recovery Recovering read-only domain controllers (RODCs) Checking forest health Collecting diagnostic data for technical support
Restore Active Directory on Clean OS method Bare metal forest recovery Using Management Shell Creating virtual test environments Appendices
Frequently asked questions Best practices for using Computer Collections Technical characteristics Best practices for creating backups Best practices for creating backups for forest recovery Best practices for recovering a forest Descriptions of recovery or verification steps Ports Used by Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition (Disaster Recovery Edition) Backup Wizard Online Restore Wizard Online Restore Wizard for AD LDS (ADAM) Group Policy Restore Wizard Repair Wizard Extract Wizard Events generated by Recovery Manager for Active Directory

Manage DNS Client Settings

You can use the Forest Recovery Console to view or change DNS client settings for each domain controller in your recovery project. In the DNS client settings, you can define the DNS servers used by the domain controller. You can manage DNS client settings before or after recovery of your project.

NOTE

Recovery Manager for Active Directory uses the domain controller access credentials to manage DNS client settings.

To view or change assigned DNS servers

  1. In the Forest Recovery Console, open the recovery project in which you want to view or change the assigned DNS servers.

  2. On the menu bar, select Tools | Manage | DNS Client Settings.

  3. In the dialog box that opens, use the following elements:

Elements you can use

Element Description
Suggest Previous Settings Allows you to revert to the DNS client settings the domain controllers in your recovery project used before the recovery (that is, the settings stored in the recovery project).
Edit Allows you to change the DNS client settings for the domain controller selected in the list.
Undo Allows you to undo the changes you have made.
Apply Applies the changes you have made.

 

Configuring Windows Firewall

A firewall enabled in your environment may block traffic on ports used by Recovery Manager for Active Directory (RMAD), preventing you from backing up or restoring data. Before you start using RMAD, make sure your firewall does not block traffic on ports used by RMAD. For more information about these ports, see the Deployment Guide supplied with this release of RMAD.

This section provides instructions on how to configure the built-in Windows Firewall enabled on Windows Server® 2008 R2 or higher domain controllers in a domain or forest you want to recover, so that RMAD could recover that domain or forest. To ensure a successful recovery, create the following Windows Firewall security rules on all Windows Server® 2008 R2 or higher domain controllers in the domain or forest (leave the default values for settings not mentioned below):

Rule 1a (inbound)

- Rule type: Custom
- Program path: %SystemRoot%\System32\Svchost.exe
- Service settings: Windows Management Instrumentation (Winmgmt)
- Protocol: TCP
- Local ports: Any
- Remote ports: Any
- Local IP addresses: Any
- Remote IP addresses: Any
- Action: Allow the connection
- Rule profile: Domain, private, and public
- Allowed users: Any
- Allowed computers: Any

PowerShell for the Rule 1a settings: New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Rule 1a" -Group RMAD -Enabled True -Profile Any -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -Program "%SystemRoot%\System32\Svchost.exe" -Service WMI

Rule 2a (inbound)

- Rule type: Custom
- Program path: System
- Service settings: Apply to all programs and services
- Protocol: TCP
- Local ports: 445
- Remote ports: Any
- Local IP addresses: Any
- Remote IP addresses: Any
- Action: Allow the connection
- Rule profile: Domain, private, and public
- Allowed users: Any
- Allowed computers: Any

PowerShell for the Rule 2 settings: New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Rule 2a" -Group RMAD -Enabled True -Profile Any -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 445 -Protocol TCP -Program System

Rule 3a (inbound)

- Rule type: Custom
- Program path: <Product installation folder>\FRRestoreService64.exe
The default product installation folder is %ProgramFiles%\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition.
- Service settings: Apply to all programs and services
- Protocol: TCP
- Local ports: RPC dynamic port range
- Remote ports: Any
- Local IP addresses: Any
- Remote IP addresses: Any
- Action: Allow the connection
- Rule profile: Domain, private, and public
- Allowed users: Any
- Allowed computers: Any

PowerShell for the Rule 3a settings: New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Rule 3a" -Group RMAD -Enabled True -Profile Any -Direction Inbound -LocalPort RPC -Protocol TCP -Program "%ProgramFiles%\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition\FRRestoreService64.exe"

Note: If the Online Restore Agent uses a specific TCP port then specify the TCP port in the LocalPort parameter. If the RPC dynamic port range is used then specify the RPC dynamic port range in the LocalPort parameter.

Rule 4a (inbound)

- Rule type: Custom
- Program path: %SystemRoot%\System32\Svchost.exe
- Service settings: Remote Procedure Call (RpcSs)
- Protocol: TCP
- Local ports: RPC dynamic port range
- Remote ports: Any
- Local IP addresses: Any
- Remote IP addresses: Any
- Action: Allow the connection
- Rule profile: Domain, private, and public
- Allowed users: Any

PowerShell for the Rule 4a settings: New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Rule 4a" -Group RMAD -Enabled True -Profile Any -Direction Inbound -LocalPort RPCEPMap -Protocol TCP -Program "%SystemRoot%\System32\Svchost.exe" -Service RpcSs

For more information about RPC dynamic port range, refer to the following Microsoft Support Knowledge Base articles at https://support.microsoft.com:

 

Developing a custom forest recovery plan

When planning for Active Directory® forest recovery, you should first have a detailed topology map of your forest. The map should list all the information about the domain controllers, such as their names, FSMO roles, backup status, and the trust relationships between them.

IMPORTANT

Make sure that Forest Recovery Agents are installed and function properly on all domain controllers in the forest.

Because of the complexity and critical nature of the forest recovery process, it is strongly recommended that Active Directory® administrator observe the following rules to prevent the forest failure:

  • Use only reliable and tested hardware, such as hard disks and uninterruptible power supply.

  • Test any new configuration in a test lab before deploying it in your environment.

  • Ensure that each domain in the forest has at least two domain controllers.

  • Keep detailed logs about the health state of Active Directory® on a daily basis, so that in case of a forest-wide failure the approximate time of failure can be identified.

  • Regularly back up all domain controllers in the forest with Recovery Manager for Active Directory.

  • Use the Forest Recovery Console to create a recovery project for your forest. Verify the settings of your forest recovery project on a regular basis, especially when there are membership changes to the Enterprise Admins or Domain Admins group. This helps ensure that the IT staff fully understands the forest recovery plan.

Recovery Manager for Active Directory allows you to restore a domain in the forest to its state at the time of the last trusted backup. Consequently, the restore operation will result in the loss of at least the following Active Directory® data:

  • All objects (such as users and computers) that were added after the last trusted backup.

  • All updates made to existing objects since the last trusted backup.

  • All changes made to either the configuration partition or the schema partition in Active Directory® (such as schema changes).

  • Additionally, any software applications that were running on the domain controllers will need to be reinstalled on the domain controllers after the forest is recovered.

 

Backing up domain controllers

To restore domain controllers, you can use backups created with Recovery Manager for Active Directory. For this reason, you should back up domain controllers in the forest on a regular basis using one of these applications.

It is a good practice to create a Computer Collection that includes all domain controllers in the forest and back up the Collection each time you make changes to the forest infrastructure. Besides, you can use the Computer Collection to ensure that Forest Recovery Agent is installed on each domain controller in the Collection.

For more information about using the Forest Recovery Agent and Computer Collections, see the User Guide supplied with this release of Recovery Manager for Active Directory.

 

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