Restoring the System State
The System State includes the registry, the COM+ Class Registration database, and boot and system files. If the server is a domain controller, the data also includes the Active Directory services database and the SYSVOL directory.
Note:
The best recovery procedure depends on many hardware and software variables that pertain to the server and its environment. For a complete Windows recovery procedure, refer to the Microsoft documentation.
Read the following notes carefully before you restore the System State:
The System State should be restored in its entirety. Do not restore selected files.
Do not redirect a System State restore. System State is computer-specific and to restore it to an alternate computer can result in an unusable system.
Do not cancel a System State restore operation. To cancel the operation may leave the system unusable.
To restore the System State to a domain controller, the Active Directory must not be running.
Use the following procedure to restore the System State.
To restore the System State
- To restore the Active Directory, restart the system, and press F8 during the boot process. F8 brings up a startup options menu. Press F8 upon restart if the system to which you are to restore is a Windows domain controller. Otherwise, begin with step 4.
- From the startup options, select Directory Services Restore Mode and continue the boot process.
- Ensure that the NetBackup Client Service, either bpinetd on Windows or inetd on UNIX, has started. Use the Activity Monitor or the Services application in the Windows Control Panel.
- Start the Backup, Archive, and Restore client interface. Click Select for Restore, and place a checkmark next to System State.
- To restore a system state backup using an incremental backup, select the full backup and one or more differential-incremental or cumulative-incremental backups.
- From the Actions menu, select Restores.
- From the Restore Marked Files dialog box, select Restore everything to its original location and Overwrite the existing file.
Do not redirect the System State restore to a different host. System State is computer-specific. To restore it to a different computer can result in an unusable system.
- Click Start Restore.
- The network may contain more than one domain controller. To replicate Active Directory to other domain controllers, perform an authoritative restore of the Active Directory after the NetBackup restore job completes.
To perform an authoritative restore of the Active Directory, run the Microsoft ntdsutil utility after you restored the System State data but before the server is restarted. An authoritative restore ensures that the data is replicated to all of the servers.
Additional information about an authoritative restore and the ntdsutil utility is available.
See the Microsoft documentation.
- Restart the system before performing subsequent restore operations.
If you booted into Directory Services Restore Mode on a domain controller, restart into normal mode when the restore is complete.
