Hi Josiah,

For question1, I suggest you to refer to "Windows Server 2008 and 2012 Active Directory backup and recovery" section of "EMC Avamar 6.1 for Windows Server" . Hope it helps.

Hi Josiah,

Do you see "Active Directory restore roadmap" section on the guide?

There has been listed detailed steps for Active Directory backup and recovery.

Active Directory restore roadmap:

To restore Windows Server 2008 or 2012 Active Directory, complete the following tasks. Tasks 1 and 2 are required for both nonauthoritative and authoritative restores:

◆ “Task 1: Create an online Active Directory backup” on page 126 

Comment: This backup may only be used to perform an online restore of the Active Directory state.

◆ “Task 2: Set up the client for Active Directory restore” on page 128

• “Option 1: Manually boot into DSRM with System Configuration” on page 128

-or-

• “Option 2: Add a Windows bootloader entry” on page 129

At the completion of Task 2, proceed to the appropriate Task 3 for nonauthoritative or

authoritative restore. Do not perform both:

◆ “Task 3: Restore Active Directory with a nonauthoritative restore” on page 130

-or-

◆ “Task 3: Restore Active Directory with an authoritative restore” on page 134

Hi Leo,

Thanks for the reply. I did go through the steps in the EMC Avamar 6.1 for Windows Server User Guide. I created a new VSS backup and unchecked the "Create Disaster Recovery Backup" checkbox. This should JUST backup active directory according to the manual, correct?

Once I go to restore this backup, I don't have the option to select only active directory. I can either restore ALL of the system state, or none of it. The individual checkboxes are greyed out.

Also, please let me know if anyone has any insight on the vSphere/Avamar ISO deal.

Thanks!

Josiah

Hi Leo,

I did walk through the Active Directory Restore Roadmap:

task 1: I created a Dataset with VSS as the Source Data. No exclusions. I went to options and UNchecked the box for "Create Disaster Recovery Backup".

Then I created a group and added the client to this group, and enabled the group.

The backup was successful, but when I go to Backup and Restore -> Select the client -> Select For Restore -> browse through System State, to BootableSystemState, I can't select JUST active directory. I either have to select the ENTIRE "BootableSystemState" directory (which selects all System State items) or select NONE at all.

Here is what happens when I try selecting "Active Directory". I simply can't select the check box:

But it WILL let me select ALL of the items:

My question is, why can't I just select Active Directory for the restore as the manual specifies I should??

Understood. Thanks for your help!

There is actually a client side hotfix for this issue. It replaces avtar.exe and avvss.exe on the client. Ask support about Hotfix 6_1_101-87_HF49095.

The hotfix allows for Active Directory *only* restores. It also seems to help the backup run a bit faster as well.

Just FYI.

-jcs

in reading through this now I have a couple of questions on it.

1)  Clear the Create Disaster Recovery Backup checkbox as shown in the following

figure. Clearing this checkbox specifies that the backup created can only be used

for online restore:

what does that really mean...  "online restore".

I look at my normal backup of my DC and I see system state and I see that I can restore only Active Directory.

but I never did any special backup and "unchecked" that box.

so what is the difference in doing this "special" backup that is stated in the manual, and a normal backup + vss backup?

We are on 7.1.x of Avamar environment, did anyone work with EMC and obtain this hotfix for latest releases?

This change was incorporated into the Avamar 7.0 branch in bug 49116. No hotfix is required for 7.1.