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Possible to restore a AD server from a vmware snapshot backup?

  • 15 November 2021
  • 3 replies
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Userlevel 2
Badge +6

Hi All.

In a scenario where you have Vmware snapshot backups of AD servers (2016/2019), would it be possible to do a Vmware restore of the server, and get it up and running again, if one AD server out of two has crashed?

 

Are there any considerations or things that have to be done after the restore, before its working as a domain controller in a pair of two domain controllers again ?

 

Or what would best practice be on a AD server running in vmware?

 

Regards

-Anders

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Best answer by Laurent 15 November 2021, 11:59

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Userlevel 6
Badge +15

Hi @ApK ,

 

Honestly, from what I’ve always been told by the AD experts I met, is that it’s better to not restore an AD DC from its backup as long as you have another running DC. 

In that case, they told me that creating a new VM, deploying the AD DC role on it and promoting it in the AD would be much safer.

If you need to have a granular capacity to restore parts of your AD, and have the AD agent deployed inside this VM, then it could be useful. Otherwise, just consider that your DC is a trashable VM that should be redeployed in case of issue on the VM itself, better than beeing fully restored from a VM backup.

But that’s my opinion :relaxed:. I’m open to any suggestion by anyone.

Laurent.

Userlevel 2
Badge +6

Hi Laurent.

Thanks for your reply.

 

That’s my own thoughts, but you might meet somebody in the organization who wants the server restored and up and running. Thought that maybe Commvault had described the process, around a non-authoritative restore of the DC or something like that.

 

Already have the AD agent installed on AD servers and that part is working like a charm :-)

Userlevel 7
Badge +23

Well said, @Laurent !

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