Before You Begin

  • Article

Before you start to back up your Windows EBS infrastructure, consider the following:

  • Locations of critical Windows EBS files

  • Storage volume requirements

  • Anticipated future volume requirements

  • Backup schedule and strategy

  • Off-site storage

This guide focuses primarily on the tools and procedures that are used to perform Windows EBS file backups. The topics provide links to more detailed information that is available from the Microsoft® Operations Framework (MOF). MOF is a framework of established best practices for planning, operating, supporting, and optimizing IT infrastructure.

Critical Windows Essential Business Server files

Windows EBS includes several Microsoft product technologies. Each of the following technologies maintains configuration and data files that are located on the servers running Windows EBS:

  • Windows Server® 2008, including Active Directory® Domain Services (AD DS) and other services

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

  • System Center Essentials

  • Microsoft® Forefront™ Threat Management Gateway

  • Microsoft SQL Server®

  • Native Windows EBS applications (such as the licensing service and Administration Console)

The following files and databases form the core of your Windows EBS infrastructure, and they should be backed up.

  • AD DS logs

  • AD DS database (NTDS.dit)

  • AD DS SYSVOL file

  • System Center Essentials SQL Server database

  • Windows Server Update Services SQL Server database

  • Administration Console SQL Server database

  • Microsoft Exchange Server database

  • Forefront TMG SQL Server logging database

Note

During the Windows EBS installation, you can select the storage devices on which these files are stored. To back up or restore these files, you need to know specifically where they are located on the selected storage devices. Procedures for locating many of the critical files are provided in Backing Up the Windows Essential Business Server Infrastructure later in this document.