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Recovery Manager for AD Forest 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 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
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

Adjust to Active Directory changes method

This recovery method is available and selected automatically when the domain controller is a Global Catalog server and belongs to the excluded domain, and either Rebuild GC, advertise normally or Rebuild GC, advertise fast is checked on the Global Catalog tab of the project settings. You can suppress any of the first two options using advanced settings.

How the Adjust to Active Directory® changes method works:

  1. The agent removes lingering objects from other recovered domains, if any, using the Repadmin tool.

  2. If the previous step fails, the agent performs unhost and rehost of recovered domain partitions using the Repadmin tool.

  3. Only if both previous steps fails, the agent rebuilds Global Catalog on this domain without attempts to remove lingering objects. In case of full reset of Global Catalog, the replication of Global Catalog data may require additional time.

For details about recovery method settings, see Domain controller recovery settings and progress.

Resources/Images/Adjust_AD_changes_method.png

 

Phased recovery

Recovery Manager for Active Directory supports phased recovery of the Active Directory® forest. This scenario lets you perform the initial recovery during the first phase to make the forest function as soon as possible. The second phase can be postponed, so the full forest structure can be restored later.

  • Phase 1: Perform initial recovery
    Perform restore of one or several domain controllers in each domain.

  • Phase 2: Redeploy remaining DCs
    Restore remaining domain controllers using the Install Active Directory® recovery method.

Phase 1

Restore the selected domain controllers using any appropriate recovery method. For domain controllers that you do not plan to restore in this phase, use the Do not recover method with the enabled Keep this domain controller in the project option that allows you to remain the domain controller in the project and restore it later. If the Keep this domain controller in the project option is not checked, the domain controller will be permanently removed from the recovery project after the project update.

Resources/Images/do_not_recover_option.png

To update the project, click Tools | Update Project with Changes in Active Directory on the menu bar and follow the steps of the wizard. If the Keep this domain controller in the project option was selected for the domain controller, this DC will have "Removed, but remained in the project" status after comparing the project with live Active Directory® and will remain in the project after the project update.

Phase 2

To promote new domain controllers and re-promote/demote existing ones

  1. Open your project with domain controllers that were restored from a backup before.

  2. On the menu bar, click Tools | Recovery Project Settings.

  3. Open the Recovery Mode tab.

  4. In the Recovery mode drop-down list, select Repromotion.

  5. You cannot select domains for recovery. All domains are involved in recovery.

  6. Optionally, you can specify default credentials to access domain controllers in the selected domains.

  7. Now the Do nothing recovery mode is set for all running domain controllers that were recovered during Phase 1. This recovery mode does not perform any actions on the domain controller itself and does not remove it.

  8. For domain controllers that were not restored during Phase 1, the Reinstall Active Directory recovery method is selected by default. Also, a user can use the Install from Media option or change Reinstall Active Directory to any other available recovery method.

  9. Start the recovery process. The recovery process can be repeated many times - restore several not restored DCs, then restore the remaining DCs.

 

Managing Forest Recovery Agent

Recovery Manager for Active Directory (RMAD) employs a Forest Recovery Agent to recover domain controllers. For this reason, it is recommended that you install Forest Recovery Agent on each domain controller you want to recover with RMAD.

NOTE

To install, delete or upgrade the Forest Recovery Agent, RMAD uses the domain access credentials. For more details see the General tab section.

RMAD uses the Secure Remote Procedure Call (RPC) over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communication logic to establish secure connection between Forest Recovery Console and the Forest Recovery Agent based on the Microsoft Secure Channel (SChannel). The process of agent installation starts with generating the Console and Agent communication keys on the console side, then these keys are deployed to the agent host. After the keys are deployed, both sides verify that each other has a valid key to provide the mutual authentication without using the domain access credentials.

If Forest Recovery Agent is not installed a domain controller in your recovery project, RMAD attempts to automatically install the Forest Recovery Agent on that domain controller after you start the recovery operation on the project.

After you have upgraded the Forest Recovery Console to a new version, it is recommended that you manually upgrade the Forest Recovery Agent on each domain controller in your recovery projects to the version supplied with the new Forest Recovery Console. By doing so you ensure the Forest Recovery Console and the Forest Recovery Agent are fully compatible and can correctly communicate with each other after the upgrade.

In this section:

 

Installing or upgrading Forest Recovery Agent

Note

To install Forest Recovery Agent, the account under which Recovery Manager Console is running must be added to the Builtin\Administrators domain local group.

To deploy the Forest Recovery Agent, you can use the following methods:

Automatic method

Automatically deploys and upgrades (if required) the Forest Recovery Agent during backup of domain controllers. If this method is used, all necessary communication keys will be deployed as well.

To automatically install the agent

  1. In the Recovery Manager Console tree, expand the Computer Collections node to select the Computer Collection in which you want to automatically install or update the Forest Recovery Agent.

  2. On the Action menu, click Properties.

  3. In the Computer Collection Properties dialog box, open the Agent Settings tab, and then select the Ensure Forest Recovery agent is deployed check box.

  4. Click OK.

When backing up the Computer Collection, Recovery Manager for Active Directory will verify that an up-to-date version of the Forest Recovery Agent is installed on each domain controller in the Collection.

Note that clearing the Ensure Forest Recovery Agent is deployed check box does not uninstall the Forest Recovery Agent. For instructions on how to uninstall the agent, see Uninstalling Forest Recovery Agent.

Manual method

Allows you to deploy the Forest Recovery Agent on multiple domain controllers from the Forest Recovery Console.

You can use this method to upgrade the Forest Recovery Agent on domain controllers after you have upgraded the Forest Recovery Console to a new version.

To install or upgrade the agent using Forest Recovery Console

  1. Create or open a recovery project.

  2. Use the List of Domain Controllers area to select the domain controllers on which you want to install or upgrade the agent. To select multiple domain controllers, hold down CTRL, and click the domain controllers you want to select.

  3. On the menu bar, select Tools | Manage | Forest Recovery Agent or DCs.

  4. In the dialog box that opens, click the Install Agent button to install or upgrade the Forest Recovery Agent on the domain controllers.

To install the agent manually and deploy communication keys for the agent

  1. Copy RecoveryAgent64.exe from the Recovery Manager for Active Directory installation folder (C:\Program Files\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition) to a local folder on the target domain controller.

  2. Run RecoveryAgent64.exe.

  3. To establish a secure connection between the Forest Recovery Console and this instance of Forest Recovery Agent, you need to export a communication key (RecoveryAgent.pfx). To do this, you use the Forest Recovery Console, as follows:

    • Open a Forest Recovery project.

    • Select Tools | Manage | Forest Recovery Agent or DCs and click More in the Manage Domain Controllers dialog.

    • Select Export agent communication keys

    Resources/Images/ExportKey_Agent.png

    • The agent communication key file defaults to a location and file name, for example; C:\Users\administrator.RMAD.001\Documents\RecoveryAgent.pfx

    • Click the OK button to save the file.

  4. There is an alternate method to create the Agent communication key.

    • Select Tools | Fault Tolerance on the menu bar.

    • Click Export agent communication keys….

    • The agent communication key file defaults to a location and file name, for example; C:\Users\administrator.RMAD.001\Documents\RecoveryAgent.pfx

    Resources/Images/ExportKey_Agent.png

    • Click the OK button to save the file.

  5. Copy the RecoveryAgent.pfx file to the system used for the manual install and place it in the Forest Recovery Agent installation folder default location, C:\Program Files\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory Forest Edition

  6. Restart the Quest Forest Recovery Service so that the agent will use the key.

 

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