Microsoft KB Archive/811219

= Recovering FRS objects and files using system state restores =

Article ID: 811219

Article Last Modified on 2/28/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

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Table of Contents
SUMMARY
 * When to Use System State Restore With FRS
 * Object Recovery with System State Restoration


 * File Recovery with System State Restoration
 * Preventative Planning

More Information



SUMMARY
This article discusses how to use system state backups to restore information that the Microsoft Windows 2000 File Replication Service (FRS) requires. back to the top

When to Use System State Restore With FRS
The reason that system state restores that use Ntbackup.exe are rarely used to recover FRS content is because the data that FRS replicates is typically located in the target folder, which is the pre-existing folder on a member of the replica set.

Perform system state restores with FRS only in either of the following scenarios:  Object Recovery: To recover deleted FRS objects in the directory service, including FRS member, subscriber and connection objects that defined the replica set. This scenario typically occurs when objects are unintentionally deleted from the Active Directory directory service by using the Active Directory User and Computer administrative tool or Ldp.exe. In some cases, the deleted objects prevent FRS from successfully replicating the SYSVOL replica set. This prevents the propagation of changes to Group Policy objects. In this case, a system state restoration in the best method to resolve this issue. For additional information about Ldp.exe, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

244344 Deleting objects from Active Directory using Ldp.exe

 File Recovery: The files for the replica set no longer exist on any FRS replication member. This scenario typically occurs when administrators accidentally delete the Policies folder on one replica when they try to rebuild a policy. FRS replicates the deletion of the Policies folder to all other domain controllers in the domain until all the Policies folders are deleted.

Because system state backups include copies of the Active Directory database and the contents of SYSVOL, you can use them to recover from both these scenarios.back to the top

Object Recovery with System State Restoration
FRS replication is prevented because there are missing objects in the Active Directory. Recovery from a system state backup permits you to return to typical FRS operation. To do so:  Perform a system state restoration on a domain controller. For additional information about how to perform a system state restore, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

240363 How to use the Backup program to back up and restore the system state in Windows 2000

 Configure the files in the DFS root on that domain controller such that they are authoritative for the restored information. When you replicate for the first time, the files and folders on the first server, also known as the initial master server, become authoritative. This means that those files and folders are duplicated to other additional domain controllers for the first replication cycle before multimaster replication takes effect. By marking the restored files as authoritative, they will be used as the source for replication until multimaster replication begins. re-create any member objects for computers that were added to the domain since you created the system state backup. You may want to use a script to help you.

File Recovery with System State Restoration
If FRS replication is affected because of a deletion that FRS replicated, recovery from a system state backup permits you to return to typical FRS operation.

Note: If a domain controller has not yet completed replication, you can recover the deleted files by moving the files out of the replica tree, then moving them back into the replica tree on the domain controller that has not yet completed replication. The files receive new file version numbers, which causes them to replicate back to the other replication members.

To recover deleted files by using system state restoration, follow these steps:  Perform a system state restoration on a domain controller.

For additional information about how to perform a system state restoration, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

240363 How to use the Backup program to back up and restore the system state in Windows 2000

</li> During the restoration, restore the files to a different location. To do so, in the Restore Files to box, click to select the Alternate location check box, and then select a temporary folder.</li> When the restore is complete, copy the files from the temporary folder to the appropriate FRS folder for replication. If these are policy files, copy them to the Policies folder in the SYSVOL tree.

Note The object's original permissions will be added to inheritable permissions in the new location. To add an object's original permissions to inheritable permissions when you copy or move an object, use the Xcopy.exe utility with the -O and -X switches. To preserve existing permissions without adding inheritable permissions from the parent folder, use the Robocopy.exe utility. This utility is available in the Windows 2000 Resource Kit.</li> Synchronize the Group Policy objects in the directory service to those that are now stored on the file system, including the Gpt.ini, which contains the Group Policy Template version numbers.</li></ol>

Note: It is not a good idea to perform an authoritative restore by using the  registry key. This reverts objects in the directory service and registry values to an earlier state, so the authoritative restore may have a greater effect than you want.

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Preventative Planning
Appropriate planning that includes regular system state backups is very valuable for preventing data loss. Include the following steps in your preventative maintenance planning:
 * Perform regular system state backups. Update these backups before and after you make changes to the directory service such as the addition and removal of domain controllers in the domain, and the addition, deletion or modification of policies.
 * Maintain an off-site additional domain controller that is configured with an infrequent replication schedule (also known as a lazy replication schedule). A lazy replication schedule replicates every three to four days. This permits you to retrieve objects and mark them as authoritative if there is an accidental deletion.

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MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about system state backups, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

240363 How to use the Backup program to back up and restore the system state in Windows 2000

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Keywords: kbhowto KB811219

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