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Active Directory Maintenance,

Troubleshooting, and

Disaster RecoveryLesson 11

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Skills Matrix

Technology Skill Objective Domain Objective #

Backing Up ActiveDirectory

Configure backup andrecovery

5.1

Maintaining ActiveDirectory

Perform offlinemaintenance

5.2

Using the Reliability andPerformance Monitor

Monitor Active Directory 5.3

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Maintaining Active Directory

After successfully implementing aMicrosoft Windows Server 2008

environment, it is important to develop

maintenance procedures to keep it runningsmoothly.

A solid monitoring and maintenance plan

can prevent potential problems.

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Maintaining Active Directory

Active Directory is a database based onthe Extensib le Storage Eng ine (ESE)format.

Responsible for managing changes to theActive Directory database.

Changes are referred to as transactions.

Active Directory writes the transaction to

the Transaction log file (edb.log).

Active Directory updates the edb.chkcheckpo int f i le (A reference for database

information written to disk).

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Fragmentation

Like any database, modifications and changesto the Active Directory database can affectdatabase performance and data integrity.

As modifications are made to the database,

fragmentation can occur. Fragmentat ion refers to the condition of a disk

when data from the database is divided intopieces scattered across the disk.

As the database becomes more fragmented,searches for database information slow downand performance deteriorates.

The potential exists for database corruption.

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Defragmentation

Defragmentat ion is the process of takingfragmented database pieces and rearranging

them contiguously to make the entire database

more efficient.

Depending on the method used, the size of the

database can be reduced, making room for

additional objects.

Active Directory has two defragmentationmethods:

online defragmentation.

offline defragmentation.

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Online Defragmentation

Online defragmentation is an automaticprocess that occurs during the garbagecol lect ion process. The garbage collection process runs by

default every 12 hours on all domaincontrollers in the forest.

When the garbage collection processbegins, it removes all tombstones from the

database.

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A tombstone is what is left of an object that hasbeen deleted.

Deleted objects are not completely removed fromthe Active Directory database; rather, they are

marked for deletion. Tombstone objects have a lifetime of 180 days, by

default.

When the lifetime expires, the objects are

permanently deleted during the garbage collectionprocess.

Additional free space is reclaimed during thegarbage collection process through the deletion oftombstone objects and unnecessary log files.

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The advantage of an onlinedefragmentation is that it occurs

automatically and does not require the

server to be offline to run. An onlinedefragmentation does not reduce the

actual size of the Active Directory

database.

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Offline Defragmentation

Offline defragmentation is a manual process thatdefragments the Active Directory database inaddition to reducing its size.

Performing an offline defragmentation is not

considered to be a regular maintenance task. You should only perform an offline

defragmentation if you need to recover asignificant amount of disk space.

As its name suggests, offline defragmentationrequires that the server be taken offline so thatthe Active Directory database is closed and notin use.

An offline defragmentation cannot run while the

AD DS service is running.

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Offline Defragmentation

Performed while the server is booted toDirectory Services Restore Mode using

the ntdsutil command.

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Backing Up Active Directory

One of the most essential duties of anadministrator is ensuring that data and

operating system information is backed up

in case of a failure. Procedures that include the frequency of

backups in addition to the type of

information that needs to be backed upshould be planned and implemented in

every organization.

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To back up Active Directory, you must install theWindow s Server Backup feature from the ServerManager console.

If you wish to perform backups from the command

line, you will also need to install WindowsPowerShell, which is a new command-line and task-based scripting technology that is included withWindows Server 2008.

In the present release of Windows Server 2008

PowerShell cannot be installed on Server Core. Windows Server Backup supports the use of CD and

DVD drives as backup destinations, but does notsupport magnetic tapes as backup media.

Additionally, you cannot perform backups to dynamicvolumes.

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Backing up Active Directory

Windows Server 2008 supports two typesof backup: Manual backup.

Scheduled backup.

Using Server Backup or the Wbadmin.execommand-line tool when a backup isneeded.

Must be a member of the Administratorsgroup or the Backup Operators group tolaunch a manual backup.

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Windows Server 2008 does not back upor recover System State data in the

same way as servers that run Windows

Server 2003. In Windows Server 2008, you must back

up cr i t ical vo lumes rather than only

backing up the System State data.

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Backing up critical volumes involves backing up thefollowing data: The sys tem vo lume, which hosts the boot files, which

consist of bootmgr.exe (the Windows boot loader) and theBoot Con figu rat ion Data (BCD) store, which describes boot

applications and boot application settings and replaces theboot.ini file in previous versions of Windows.

The boot vo lume, which hosts the Windows operatingsystem and the Registry.

The volume that hosts the SYSVOL share.

The volume that hosts the Active Directory database(Ntds.dit).

The volume that hosts the Active Directory database logfiles.

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In Windows Server 2008, the system components that make upSystem State data depend on the roles installed on a particularcomputer and which volumes host the critical files used by theoperating system and its installed roles.

At a minimum, the System State consists of the following data, plusany additional data, depending on the server roles that are installed:

Registry. COM Class Registration database.

Boot files described earlier in this topic.

Active Directory Certificate Services database.

Active Directory Domain Services database.

SYSVOL directory.

Cluster service information. Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) metadirectory.

System files that are under Windows Resource Protection.

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At a minimum, the System State consists of thefollowing data, plus any additional data, dependingon the server roles that are installed: Registry.

COM Class Registration database.

Boot files described earlier in this topic.

Active Directory Certificate Services database.

Active Directory Domain Services database.

SYSVOL directory.

Cluster service information. Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)

metadirectory.

System files that are under Windows ResourceProtection.

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Restoring Active Directory

Windows Server 2008 offers the ability torestore the Active Directory database.

Restoring Active Directory using normal

replication. Restoring Active Directory using wbadmin

and ntdsutil.

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Restoring ctive Directory using Wbadmin

and Ntdsutil

Windows Server 2008 allows several differentrestoration methods, depending on the goals foryour restore.

You can use wbadmin, which is the command-

line component of the Windows Server Backupsnap-in, to perform a nonauthor i tat ive resto reof Active Directory, which restores a single

Active Directory domain controller to its statebefore the backup.

This method can be used to restore a singledomain controller to a point in time when it wasconsidered to be good. If the domain has otherdomain controllers, the replication process willupdate the domain controller with the most recent

information after the restore is complete.

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Monitoring Active Directory

Monitoring the Active Directory service isan important part of network

administration.

Monitoring enables you to take a proactiveapproach to network management.

By raising the awareness of possible

network problems before they occur, youhave better control over their impact.

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Monitoring Active Directory

Monitoring Active Directory can providethe following benefits:

Early alerts to potential problems.

Improved system reliability.

Fewer support calls to the helpdesk.

Improved system performance.

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Event Logs

Windows Server 2008 uses the Windows EventViewer to record system events, such assecurity, application, and directory serviceevents.

Directory Services logs: Events related to Active Directory are recorded in

the Directory Service log.

The Directory Service log is created when Active

Directory is installed. It logs informational events such as service start

and stop messages, errors, and warnings.

This log should be the first place you look when

you suspect a problem with Active Directory.

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Event Logs

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Reliability and Performance Monitor

The Reliab i l i ty and Perfo rmanceMoni tor is a tool located within the

Administrative Tools folder that will collect

real-time information on your localcomputer or from a specific computer to

which you have permissions.

This information can be viewed in anumber of different formats that include

charts, graphs, and histograms.

The reports can be saved or printed for

documentation ur oses.

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Reliability and Performance Monitor

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Diagnosing and Troubleshooting Active

Directory

To assist you with obtaining more detailedinformation in the event logs, you can set

the event logs to record diagnostic

information specific to processes related toActive Directory.

To enable, modify the following registry

key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Curre

ntControlSet\Services\NTDS\Diagnostics

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Active Directory Diagnostic Tools

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Active Directory Diagnostic Tools

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Summary

Active Directory has two defragmentationmethods: online defragmentation andoffline defragmentation.

Online defragmentation is an automaticprocess triggered by the garbage collectionprocess.

Offline defragmentation is a manual

process that requires the server to berestarted in Directory Services Restoremode.

The Ntdsutil command-line utility is used to

perform the offline defragmentation.

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Summary

The Active Directory database can be moved toa new location if you decide that there is a need

to relocate it due to space limitations.

This is accomplished with the Ntdsutil command-

line utility.

When you back up Active Directory, you must

include the System State data.

The System State data includes operatingsystem-specific information needed for installed

services and operating system components to

function.

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Summary

In the event of a domain controller failure,two restore options are available in

Windows Server 2008: authoritative and

nonauthoritative. An authoritative restore uses the Ntdsutil

command-line utility and allows you to

mark records that supersede any existingrecords during replication.

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Summary

The nonauthoritative restore methodrestores the Active Directory database to

its state before the backup.

After a normal restore, replication of morerecent object information from other

domain controllers is used to update the

database to match all other domain

controllers.

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Summary

Active Directory cannot be restored from abackup that is older than the default

tombstone lifetime of 180 days.

Domain controllers keep track of deletedobjects only for the duration of the

tombstone lifetime.

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Summary

When monitoring the health of ActiveDirectory, you can examine the DirectoryService log to obtain information.

The Directory Service log is created whenActive Directory is installed.

By default, it logs informational events,such as service start and stop messages,

errors, and warnings.Additional diagnostic logging can be

achieved by modifying the registry.

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Summary

The Reliability and Performance Monitor inWindows Server 2008 allows you to collect

real-time information on your local

computer or from a specific computer towhich you have permissions.

This information can be viewed in a

number of different formats that includecharts, graphs, and histograms.

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Summary

The Reliability and Performance Monitoruses performance objects, or categories,

and performance counters to organize

performance information. Performance counters are the specific

processes to monitor.

Many counters are available.

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