Three types of restore on Windows 2000
Rick Cook
In Windows 2000 there are three different ways of restoring replicated data.
The default is a non-authoritative restore, which synchronizes the restored data with the other domain controllers. In this case the data on the domain controller being restored is replicated from the non-failed domain controllers. Since only changed data is replicated, this option minimizes traffic on the network.
In an authoritative restore, by contrast, the domain controller being restored is controlling. This rolls the entire network back to the time of the backup being restored. This isn't a common method, but it is useful in some circumstances; if, for example, you need to restore data that was deleted by mistake.
The third method is a primary restore, which is typically used when all the domain controllers on the domain have been lost and you have to rebuild the domain from backup. In a primary restore the server being restored is the only working server of a replicated data set. In this case primary restore is used to restore the first domain controller and non-authoritative restore is used for the other controllers.
The kinds of restore and other issues relating to backup and disaster recovery in Windows 2000 are covered in a paper titled "Windows 2000 Disaster Recovery Guidelines" which is available from the Microsoft TechNet (www.microsoft.com/technet/win2000/recovery.asp).
Rick Cook has been writing about mass storage since the days when the term meant an 80K floppy disk. The computers he learned on used ferrite cores and magnetic drums. For the last twenty years he has been a freelance writer specializing in storage and other computer issues.
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Related Book
The Windows 2000 Professional Handbook - Administrator's Advantage Series
Author : Louis Columbus
Publisher : Charles River Media
Published : Jan 2001
Summary :
Focusing on the needs of the technical professional who is responsible for a series of Windows NT and Windows 2000 systems, The Windows 2000 Professional Handbook is designed to be both a handy desk reference in addition to a textbook for MCSE courses. This book provides readers with insights into how Microsoft's latest enterprise-based operating system solves the connectivity challenges with hands-on examples and cases that arise in organizations running multiple operating systems.
