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Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Disaster Recovery
Archived content. No warranty is made as to technical accuracy. Content may contain URLs that were valid when originally published, but now link to sites or pages that no longer exist.
Published: January 1, 2003

On This Page

Introduction
Part 1: Disaster Recovery Concepts
Part 2: Backing Up SharePoint Portal Server 2001
Part 3: Repairing SharePoint Portal Server 2001
Part 4: Restoring SharePoint Portal Server 2001
Appendix A: Disaster Recovery Tables
Appendix B: Useful Resources
Appendix C: Windows 2000 Backup and Restore Procedures
Appendix D: Example Disk Layout for Increased Fault Tolerance

Introduction

By developing and implementing a well-planned backup strategy, you can help your company prevent the loss of business-critical data within its Microsoft® SharePoint™ Portal Server deployment. This document provides information about planning and implementing a backup strategy for your deployment of SharePoint Portal Server. This document also provides procedures to help you prepare for and implement a recovery should you lose business-critical data.

Although this document is intended for all information technology administrators, the technical explanations and procedures are written to benefit beginning administrators who might not have previous experience with disaster recovery processes.

This document is divided into four primary sections and three appendices:

  • Part 1: Disaster Recovery Concepts

    This section contains information about planning a backup strategy for your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment.

  • Part 2: Backing Up SharePoint Portal Server

    This section contains the backup procedures you need to perform to safeguard your deployment against computer-related disasters.

  • Part 3: Repairing SharePoint Portal Server

    This section contains the SharePoint Portal Server repair procedures you need to recover from computer-related disasters.

  • Part 4: Restoring SharePoint Portal Server

    This section contains the SharePoint Portal Server restoration procedures you need to recover from computer-related disasters.

  • Appendix A: Disaster Recovery Tables

    This section contains tables that list the required preventative and recovery procedures for disaster recovery scenarios that might occur in your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment. Each procedure listed in the chart contains a hyperlink to the section in this document that explains, in detail, how to perform that procedure.

  • Appendix B: Useful Recovery Resources

    This section contains additional resources to help you maximize your understanding of the disaster recovery issues discussed in this document. Many Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and technical papers discuss resolutions for particular errors that you might encounter during SharePoint Portal Server backup and restore operations

  • Appendix C: Windows 2000 Backup and Restore

    This section includes general information about disaster recovery processes and suggests ways you can minimize the impact of a computer-related disaster in your company.

  • Appendix D: Example Disk Layout for Increased Fault Tolerance

    This section includes an example of increasing fault tolerance by partitioning hard disks. You can apply this example to your own system to increase fault tolerance.

In addition to reviewing this document and the resources listed in "Appendix B: Useful Recovery Resources," you can also review the most current SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Knowledge Base articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com/. The Microsoft Knowledge Base contains the most up-to-date and detailed information about specific recovery topics. By reviewing these articles, you can often resolve known issues before you perform a full-server recovery procedure.

Tip To take advantage of the hyperlinks within this document, view this document on your computer instead of in print form.

Part 1: Disaster Recovery Concepts

This document contains SharePoint Portal Server backup and restore processes. To help you understand these processes, Part 1 of this document contains the following sections about disaster recovery concepts:

  • Planning a SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Deployment

  • Developing A Disaster Recovery Plan

Planning a SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Deployment

Planning your SharePoint Portal Server deployment is directly related to the disaster recovery strategy you decide to implement. Whether your company uses a small deployment with the indexing, search, and document management needs for only a few hundred users or a large implementation that serves thousands of users, the deployment choices you make directly affect your SharePoint Portal Server backup and restore options.

It is important to consider the following factors when developing a SharePoint Portal Server deployment strategy:

  • Acceptable downtime It is fairly easy to measure the costs of replacing lost hardware and data. However, it is difficult to assess the total cost of any amount of time your server running SharePoint Portal Server is not available (downtime) during a disaster. Excessive downtime can result in the loss of sales, loss of customer goodwill, loss of productivity, loss of competitiveness, missed contractual obligations, and increased costs resulting from the need to make up these losses. Therefore, you and your management team should agree in advance on what the acceptable amount of downtime is for your SharePoint Portal Server deployment. This agreement is called a service level agreement. After you establish a service level agreement, you can determine what deployment and server configurations are best suited for that agreement.

  • Hardware needs for backup and restore processes To adhere to your service level agreement, you should ensure that you have the necessary hardware (such as hard disks, disk controllers, and backup devices) for your SharePoint Portal Server deployment. Furthermore, it is important that you understand the performance benefits and risks of the hardware you select. Selecting hard disk drives and other hardware that use the latest technology to maximize performance can significantly decrease the amount of time it takes to back up and restore your servers. Ensure that your hard disk drives have enough capacity to handle future SharePoint Portal Server database growth. Before selecting a specific combination of hardware needed to run your backup and restore operations, you should consult the hardware specifications in advance to determine whether the time it will take to restore your server will be sufficient to meet the requirements of your service level agreement.

  • Administration The deployment strategy you implement coincides directly with the available administrative resources in your company. Having a properly trained and fully staffed administrative support team provides your company with the support it needs to recover from a disaster in your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment. Whether your company employs a centralized operations staff to handle all computer-related disasters, or holds each department responsible for developing and implementing its own disaster recovery plans, your administrative plan is an important part of your SharePoint deployment. For more information about developing a successful administrative plan, see Chapter 4, "Administration and Maintenance," in Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Server Resource Kit.

  • Single points of failure Disasters can range from losing all the data in every computer at a site, to losing the contents of a single folder or category. It is important to consider how your deployment strategies influence your ability to recover from various disasters. When planning your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment strategy, it is important to consider the benefits of reducing the impact that a single failure can have on your deployment. For example, using disk mirroring for all the hard disks on your servers running SharePoint Portal Server 2001 ensures that the data in your deployment is protected in the event of a single hard disk failure.

Increasing Availability and Reliability

The first step in disaster recovery planning is to consider ways in which you can avoid or minimize the impact of a disaster. There are many different preventative measures you can take to help prevent or minimize the effects of disasters such as hardware failure or power outages.

Fault tolerance is a system's ability to continue functioning when part of the system fails. A fault tolerant server deployment is one that takes preventative measures in minimizing the possibility of a disaster occurring, as well as minimizing the impact of a disaster should it occur.

It is crucial that your SharePoint Portal Server deployment is fault tolerant. You must ensure that all configurations are secure in case your deployment experiences problems.

This section covers fault tolerance in the following topics within SharePoint Portal Server 2001:

  • Database files

  • Server disk portioning best practices

  • RAID configurations

  • Disk defragmentation

  • Power control

  • Minimizing single points of failure

  • Antivirus protection

  • Server security

Database Files

To provide fault tolerance in the event of a hard disk failure, keep your database files on separate physical hard disks from your database log files. Keeping the database and log files on separate disks can also significantly increase hard disk input/output (I/O) performance.

  • If the hard disk containing the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database is damaged, you can replace the damaged disk, and then restore the most recent database backup.

Server Disk Partitioning Best Practices

Keeping your SharePoint Portal Server backup files and log files on separate disks is important, but there are additional factors to consider when partitioning the hard disk drives of your servers running SharePoint Portal Server 2001. To increase fault tolerance and make troubleshooting easier, consider the following recommendations when partitioning your hard disks:

  • Partition your disks so that you can boot to a command prompt in an emergency. Partitioning your disks in this way increases your recovery options. For example, you may be able to boot to a command prompt and modify or replace any damaged boot files that may be preventing you from starting Microsoft Windows® 2000.

  • Partition your disks so that the application files, database files, and log files for SharePoint Portal Server are all on separate hard disks to increase performance and reduce the amount of data you need to recover.

If you partition your disks by using these recommendations, each set of files is assigned a separate drive letter. Having each set of files represented by its own drive letter helps you keep track of which partitions you must back up in accordance with the disaster recovery method you select.

For more information about specific disaster recovery scenarios, see "Appendix A: Disaster Recovery Tables" later in this document.

RAID Configurations

Using a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) is a useful way to increase the fault tolerance of your SharePoint Portal Server deployment. RAID is a mechanism for storing identical data on multiple disks for redundancy, improved performance, and increased mean time between failures (MTBF). A RAID configuration is one in which part of the physical storage capacity contains redundant information about data stored on the hard disks. The redundant information is either parity information (in the case of a RAID-5 volume), or a complete, separate copy of the data (in the case of a mirrored volume), or a combination of both (RAID 1+0 technology). The redundant information enables data regeneration if one of the disks or the access path fails, or if a sector on the disk cannot be read.

Although disk mirroring creates duplicate volumes that can continue functioning if the disk being mirrored fails, disk mirroring does not prevent damaged files (or other file errors) from being copied to mirrored volumes. For this reason, do not use disk mirroring as a substitute for keeping current backups of important data on your servers.

For more information about disk mirroring and disk striping with parity, see Windows 2000 Server Help.

Disk Defragmentation

Disk defragmentation is the process of rearranging data on a server's hard disks to make the files more contiguous. Defragmenting your hard disks helps increase disk performance and ensures that the servers in your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment run smoothly and efficiently.

Because severe disk fragmentation can cause performance problems, run a disk defragmentation program (such as Windows 2000 Disk Defragmenter) on a regular basis or when server performance levels fall below normal. Backing up a heavily fragmented file system requires more reading from the disk, so you should ensure that your disks are recently defragmented.

SharePoint Portal Server 2001 databases also require defragmentation. By default SharePoint Portal Server defragments the database online at 12:00 midnight every day. You can defragment the database off line by using the Information Store Integrity Checker (ISINTEG) tool that is discussed later in this document.

Power Control

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and battery backup increase fault tolerance in your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment. They are necessities for servers that contain mission-critical data, especially in large server deployments. A UPS and battery backup provide protection against power surges and short power losses that can cause damage to your servers and the data contained therein. If the location of your servers requires cooling to keep the hardware working properly, consider making the climate control system fault tolerant (for example, keep a battery backup power available for each unit).

Minimizing Single Points of Failure

It is crucial to incorporate special hardware configurations that duplicate the hardware within your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment. If you incorporate these duplicate hardware configurations, one path of data I/O or the physical hardware components of a server (such as computer, network, or Storage Area Network components) can fail without affecting the operations of a server.

Antivirus Protection

Ensure that all your servers are protected with adequate antivirus software. Keep the software up-to-date with the latest virus signature files. Use the automatic update feature of your antivirus application to keep the virus signatures current. It is very important that you exclude all SharePoint Portal Server data paths from being scanned as scanning the data paths will corrupt them. You can find these data paths in the SharePoint Portal Server Administration in Microsoft Management Console by right-clicking the server name, and then clicking Properties. Click the Data tab. The paths you need to exclude are listed in the box on that tab.

Server Security

To help protect the servers in your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment from accidental or purposeful harm that might result in downtime, take the following precautions:

  • Keep your servers up-to-date with security patches.

  • Ensure access permissions are set up correctly.

  • Keep your servers in a physical environment that prevents unauthorized people from accessing them.

Developing a Disaster Recovery Plan

It is important to develop a disaster recovery plan before an emergency occurs. Therefore, you must ensure that administrators, operators, and support staff who deal with your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment have access to various training opportunities and documentation about disaster recovery issues.

If one or more of your servers experiences problems, the subsequent downtime can be costly. However, investing in good training courses and up-to-date technical manuals for your server administrators, operators, and support staff, will help prepare your company and potentially decrease downtime. For information about various training courses and manuals, see "Appendix B: Useful Resources" later in this document.

Aside from providing training courses and technical manuals, you can perform occasional disaster recovery simulations in separate domains not being used in a production environment. These simulations familiarize administrators, operators, and support staff with recovery procedures, as well as indicate any deficiencies in your backup and restore strategies.

Hardware Records

To limit the amount of time you spend troubleshooting hardware configuration problems during a disaster recovery, maintain current hardware configuration records, including:

  • A list of your hardware vendor's contact information, such as support phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Web pages for online support.

  • A list of the hardware in each server, with firmware update versions and hardware driver versions (this hardware information can be found in Windows 2000 Device Manager).

  • A list of the BIOS information, interrupt request (IRQ) settings, hard disk configuration information, and jumper settings on your server's hardware.

Tip To provide easy access to your hardware configuration records, create a folder for each server's configuration information, and store the records on a shared server in your network.

Software Records

To limit the amount of time you spend troubleshooting software-related problems during a disaster recovery, maintain current software records, including:

  • A list of your software vendor's contact information, such as support phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and Web pages for online support.

  • A list of software upgrades (such as service packs) and software patches that are installed on your servers. This list should be organized by date. This list should also include the dates that System State backups are made between software upgrades.

    Important: Maintain a chronological list of software upgrades and your System State data backups. Typically, Windows 2000 System State backup backs up all protected operating system files, including many DLL files. When you restore the System State backup, it is possible that the System State data, including the DLL files, will be out of sync with the software versions that are installed on the server. However, if you maintain a list of current software updates, you can refer to this list to install the software updates in the same order they were installed prior to the System State backup being restored.

  • A record of your server's configuration, including:

    • Hard disk configuration information, including a list of each hard disk partition with the volume names and sizes of the portions (the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit utility Dump Config [Dumpcfg.exe] provides this information) as well as a summary of what is installed on each partition.

    • Computer name of the server.

    • List of any static IP addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways used by the server.

  • Log books that are kept next to each server in your SharePoint Portal Server deployment. Table 1 illustrates a simple software logbook for a server. Table 2 illustrates a logbook for the restoration process of that server. Note that the event processes appear in the same order in both tables.

Table 1 SharePoint Portal Server 2001 "SERVER01" logbook

Date

Event

1/10/2001

Windows 2000 Advanced Server installed

1/10/2001

Antivirus software version 4.0 installed

1/10/2001

Video driver update version 1.5 installed

1/11/2001

Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 installed

1/11/2001

Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 installed

1/12/2001

System State backup made

1/12/2001

SharePoint Portal Server 2001 installed

1/12/2001

SharePoint Portal Server Service Pack 1 installed

1/13/2001

SharePoint Portal Server MSDMBACK backup performed

3/11/2001

Server hit by lightning. Hardware destroyed.

Table 2 SharePoint Portal Server 2001 "SERVER01" recovery logbook

Date

Event

3/11/2001

Windows 2000 Advanced Server installed

3/11/2001

Antivirus software version 4.0 installed

3/11/2001

Video driver update version 1.5 installed

3/11/2001

Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 installed

3/11/2001

Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 installed

3/11/2001

System State backup restored

3/11/2001

SharePoint Portal Server installed

3/11/2001

SharePoint Portal Server Service Pack 1 installed

3/11/2001

SharePoint Portal Server MSDMBACK restore performed

Hardware Contingency Planning

To help minimize downtime costs, including losses in sales and productivity, keep replacement hardware immediately available for your production servers. For example, a company might spend a lot of time and resources troubleshooting the cause of a network issue, only to learn that the issue could have been resolved much faster had there been spare network adapters nearby.

Types of replacement hardware you should keep available include alternate backup servers, network adapters, video and hard disk controller cards, routers, cables, hard disks, and power supplies.

Safe Storage of Backup Data

To safeguard against data loss from a catastrophic event (such as a fire or earthquake), keep duplicates of your server backups in a different location from the physical servers.

Insurance

In the event of critical data loss, it is important that your company is insured for the cost of recovering, replacing, or reconstructing the lost data. Consult your insurance provider for more information about the coverage options that would best suit your company.

Part 2: Backing Up SharePoint Portal Server 2001

Part 2 provides you with the procedures you need to back up the data in your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment. The procedures you perform are dependant on your topology and the type of backup plan you create. The data you decide to back up depends on the recovery strategy you select. You can categorize your recovery strategy as either a plan to restore the server, rebuild the server, or restore to a stand-by recovery server. Each strategy has its own set of backup and restore procedures.

For a list of the different backup procedures you must perform to protect your data from various disasters, see "Appendix A: Disaster Recovery Tables" later in this document.

Overview

To successfully protect your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment from losing critical data in the event of a disaster, it is important to completely back up your servers running SharePoint. The data that you decide to back up as part of your disaster recovery strategy determines the recovery processes that you can perform. These tasks cannot be planned separately.

A company that does not fully back up SharePoint Portal Server has not carefully considered its backup strategy. For example, if a company experiences a disaster and only has backup copies of the most basic server elements, it may be able to recover the SharePoint Portal Server configuration settings. However, with such limited backups, that company may not be able to recover data or configuration information that existed on the original server (for example, extranet sites, management scripts, Active Server Pages [ASP], or system management software that resided on the server before it was rebuilt).

If you take time to back up everything in your SharePoint Portal Server implementation, you might be able to completely restore critical data. It is recommended that you practice disaster recovery procedures in a test environment before implementing a back up strategy on your production servers.

Static and Dynamic Data Backups

You should consider two types of data to back up in your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment: static and dynamic. Static data is data that seldom or never changes, such as installation CDs for your software applications and management scripts. Dynamic data is data that is constantly changing, such as the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database, the registry, and the Internet Information Services metabase.

When you plan a backup strategy, the first step is to compile a list of your servers' static and dynamic data so you can determine what data is restored from backup and what data is re-created or reinstalled manually. Following a disaster, it is usually easier and less time consuming to restore or replace static data than dynamic data.

Static data includes, but is not limited to, the following types of data:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server operating system software and any service packs or software updates (for example, Windows updates or Microsoft Product Support Services software patches)

  • Packaged application software (for example, Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Server)

  • Supporting software, such as antivirus software, third-party backup software, or system management software

  • User application software, such as ASP applications and workflow software

  • Management scripts

Dynamic data includes, but is not limited to, the following types of data:

  • Windows System State data

  • Internet Information Services (IIS) metabase

  • SharePoint Portal Server database

  • Dynamic data backups

Backup Rotations and Schedules

To ensure that you are able to recover the maximum amount of data after a disaster, maintain regular backup rotations and schedules.

For the data included in your Windows backup set, it is recommended that you perform a normal backup once a month and perform an incremental or differential backup weekly. Because the data in your Windows backup set can change (even if you have not changed the server's configuration), it is important to use a rotation schedule that creates a weekly backup of your Windows backup set.

For your dynamic data, the backup rotations and schedule you use depends on how often the data changes.

For your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database, it is recommended that you perform a normal backup daily and perform incremental or differential backups throughout the day. If possible, schedule your backups for periods of nonpeak e-mail usage.

For more information about backup types and rotation schedules, see "Backup Types and Rotation Schedules" later in this document.

Backing Up SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Data

The dynamic data contained within your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment is the most important data to back up. You can use a SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database backup to restore damaged or corrupted portals to a functioning server running SharePoint Portal Server. You can also use SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database backups to restore your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database to an alternate server. For more information about how to restore SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database to an alternate server, see "Restoring SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Database to Another Server," later in this document.

SharePoint Portal Server 2001 uses the built-in backup program called MSDMBACK.VBS to back up the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database. There are also third-party backup offerings that use the same backup API as MSDMBACK.

To back up the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database

  1. On your server running Windows 2000 Server and SharePoint Portal Server 2001, click Start, and then click Run.

  2. In the Run box, type cd\, and then press ENTER.

  3. Type cd <drive letter>, where <drive letter> is the disk drive on which you installed SharePoint Portal Server.

  4. Browse to the SharePoint Portal Server folder.

    C:\Program Files\SharePoint Portal Server\ is the default directory for a standard installation of SharePoint Portal Server.

  5. Open the Bin folder.

    Your path should be <drive letter>:\<installation path>\SharePoint Portal Server\bin.

  6. Type msdmback /b <drive letter>:\<backup path>\backup.bak, where <drive letter> and <backup path> represent the location at which you want to create and store your backups, and then press ENTER.

    You can also use the /o switch with the msdmback command to ensure that catalogs are restored to their original paths.

  7. Click OK in the message that appears.

    The backup has completed successfully when the progress dialog box disappears.

Important: Do not back up or restore the SharePoint Portal Server IFS drive (by default, this is drive M and is disabled) or the hard disks or folders that contain your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database files and log files with your full computer backups. Restoring this information together can cause problems, including database corruption. For an exception to this, see the next example.

Part 3: Repairing SharePoint Portal Server 2001

Not all problems you might experience with your server running SharePoint Portal Server 2001 necessarily require you to perform a database restore or a complete recovery of the server. It might be possible to repair SharePoint Portal Server 2001 by repairing your SharePoint database, or by reinstalling SharePoint Portal Server 2001.

Note: Before attempting to perform any of the following procedures, restart the server running SharePoint Portal Server. Restarting the server might resolve the problem.

This section contains the following topics about repairing SharePoint Portal Server 2001:

  • Reinstalling SharePoint Portal Server 2001 over a damaged installation

  • Repairing SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database

  • Reindexing the data on your SharePoint Portal Server database

  • Restoring Microsoft Search

Reinstalling SharePoint Portal Server 2001 over a Damaged Installation

Reinstalling SharePoint Portal Server and any relevant service packs and hot fixes might fix problems by helping to ensure that all SharePoint Portal Server files are intact and are the correct version. Reinstalling SharePoint Portal Server 2001 and any service packs stops services from running on the server during the install processes; therefore, users cannot access the server until after the installations are complete.

To reinstall SharePoint Portal Server 2001

  • Insert the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Installation CD, and then click Repair SharePoint Portal Server.

Repairing SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Database

You can repair SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database files (.edb files) by using the following SharePoint Portal Server 2001 utilities: SharePoint Portal Server Integrity Checker (SPSINTEG), Extensible Storage Engine Utility (ESEUTIL), and Information Store Integrity Checker (ISINTEG).

Consider the following information when repairing SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database:

  • Before attempting to repair your installation of SharePoint Portal Server, you should run the SharePoint Portal Sever Integrity Checker.

  • Repairing the SharePoint Portal Server database by using the Extensible Storage Engine Utility and the Information Store Integrity Checker can result in losing data in the database you repair. For this reason, you should create a backup of your SharePoint Portal Server database prior to attempting the repair process. For information about backing up your database, see "Backing Up SharePoint Portal Server" later in Part 3 of this document. Because you cannot undo changes made to a database during the repair process, use ESEUTIL and ISINTEG only as a last resort. It is recommended that you recover a damaged database by restoring a backup, rather than repairing a database.

  • If you use ESEUTIL to repair an SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database, you must have enough free disk space for ESEUTIL to make a copy of the database being repaired. Before you begin the repair process, ensure that the amount of disk space on the hard disk drive containing your database files is greater than the size of the database being repaired.

  • Using the ESEUTIL and ISINTEG utilities to repair a database file takes a substantial amount of time. Typically, it takes much longer to repair a database than it does to restore a database from backup.

  • If both utilities run successfully (for example, if there are no errors at the end of the last ISINTEG run), the database is generally considered to be repaired and ready to replace the damaged database.

  • If ESEUTIL and ISINTEG are unable to fix every error in the database, you should not discard a repaired database. You should discard a repaired database only if you experience specific problems with it. For example, if a database does not mount after completing the repair process, you should discard that database.

  • It is possible to restore data from a damaged database by using an alternate server. For example, you can restore a damaged database to an alternate server, extract data from it by using the Workspace Export Utility (SPSIMEX), and then insert the data into a new database with Spsimex import utility.

Setting Paths for the Tools

You should set the path to the tools before you run them. The paths in the steps below assume a default installation of SharePoint Portal Server. If you have modified the file paths, you should change the paths accordingly.

To set the paths to the tools:

  1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and the click OK.

  2. Browse to C:\Program Files\SharePoint Portal Server\Data\Web Storage System.

  3. Type path = %path%; c:\progra~1\common~1\micros~1\websto~1\bin.

From this point you can run the tools.

SharePoint Portal Server Integrity Checker

You should run the SharePoint Portal Server Integrity Checker (SPSINTEG) if you think that there might be incorrect metadata. You can get SPSINTEG from the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Resource Kit CD in the tools folder or from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/bb267362.aspx.

To run SPSINTEG

  • At the command prompt, type spsinteg.vbs <server|workspace> [logfile] [level]

    where the placeholders represent the following:

    <server|workspace>: A valid computer running SharePoint Portal Server or workspace. Required. If you specify the server, all workspaces on the server are verified. If you specify the workspace, only the workspace is verified.

    [logfile]: Log file to output results. Optional.

    [level]: Logging level. Optional. If this parameter is verbose, verbose logging is logged to the logfile.

  • To view Help and examples, at the command prompt, type cscript spsinteg.vbs /?

  • As the script is running, the verification steps appear with the status of each step. Warnings and failures appear, including detailed information about the warning or failure. For more detailed information about the warning or failure, use the verbose logging level option when running the script. When the script has completed, the overall status of the integrity run appears detailing the number of failures and warnings that have occurred.

  • If you are logging to a file and verbose logging is enabled, the log file size depends on the number of documents that are in your document library. Verification verbose logging for each document in the document library can take as much as 5 KB per document.

  • Running the integrity checker should be done only when you suspect that there is corruption in your workspace. It takes approximately 1 second to verify each document. For example, if there is a workspace that contains 10,000 documents in the document library, it takes approximately 3 hours to verify the integrity of the workspace.

  • The integrity checker uses the memory and CPU of the server. If you suspect workspace corruption, you should run the integrity checker during scheduled maintenance periods.

Extensible Storage Engine Utility

You should run the Extensible Storage Engine Utility (ESEUTIL) if the MSEXCHANGEIS service will not start.

To run ESEUTIL

  • On the command line, type one of the following:

    • eseutil /g wss.mdb Checks the integrity of the database.

    • eseutil /mh wss.mdb Checks to see if there has been a hard repair done on the database. See the repair count field.

    • eseutil /p wss.mdb As a last resort, performs a hard repair. You will lose data if you run the utility with this switch. The only time you would run this is if you do not have a backup of your database and you have tried everything else in this paper already. An alternative to running this command would be to use the Workspace Export Utility and Workspace Import Utility and rebuild the server.

      For more information about the Workspace Export Utility and Workspace Import Utility tools, see the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Resource Kit or the following links:

      Workspace Export Utility

      http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/bb267362.aspx

      Workspace Import Utility http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/bb267362.aspx

Information Store Integrity Checker

You should run the Information Store Integrity Checker (ISINTEG) when you suspect that there is corruption in your SharePoint Portal Server database -- if you notice inconsistency or strange errors in the database, for example.

To run ISINTEG

  1. Create a folder on of the root of your data drive.

    For example, create a folder named C:\logs.

  2. Dismount the store by typing Dismount.vbs on the command line.

  3. Create the mount.vbs file by copying the following text, pasting it into a text editor such as Notepad, and then saving it as mount.vbs.

    Option Explicit
 
Dim wshNetwork
set wshNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
 
Dim strMachine
strMachine = wshNetwork.ComputerName
 
Dim strURL
strURL = "file://" + strMachine + "/CN=Sharepoint Portal Server
Store,CN=Sharepoint Portal Server
Group,CN=InformationStore,CN=" + strMachine + ",CN=Servers"
'strURL = "file://./backofficestorage/"
Dim psdb
Set psdb = CreateObject("CDOEXM.PublicStoreDB")
 
msgbox strURL
psdb.DataSource.Open (strURL)
psdb.Dismount (0)
MsgBox CStr(psdb.Status)

  4. Run the mount.vbs file.

    After you run mount.vbs, a message that contains your server specific information will appear.

  5. Click OK in the message.

    A message saying that the database is dismounted will appear.

  6. On the command line, browse to c:\progra~1\common~1\micros~1\websto~1\bin.

    This is the default path -- you might have to adjust it if your installation specified another folder.

  7. On the command line, type Isinteg –s <server name> -fix –l <path and log name.txt> -test alltests.

  8. Look at the output file and find test #9: the folders test.

    Look for errors or warnings. If you receive any errors or warnings you MUST run ISINTEG again, making sure to change the log file name. If you find that all of the errors and warnings are fixed in the second pass, proceed to step 10. If errors and warnings are not fixes, proceed to the next step.

  9. If ISINTEG did not fix all of the errors in your database you must run it one more time, changing the log file name again.

    Check test 9 and verify that all of the error and warnings are either fixed or that there are no errors and no warnings.

  10. Mount the database by running the Mount.vbs file that you created in step 3.

    A message that says that the database is remounted will appear.

  11. Reboot your server.

Reindexing the Data on Your SharePoint Portal Server Database

Reindexing the data on your SharePoint database requires that you remove full-text indexing information and re-create full-text indexes. To delete the damaged indexes and re-create them, use the following procedure.

To remove full-text indexing information

  1. Stop the Microsoft Search (MSSEARCH) service

  2. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Administrative Tools.

  3. Click Services.

  4. Right-click MSSEARCH, and then click Stop.

  5. Minimize the Services MMC applet window.

  6. Open Windows Explorer and browse to the drive you installed SharePoint Portal Server installation files on.

  7. Open the Program Files folder (by default this will be C:\Program Files).

  8. Open the SharePoint Portal Server\Data\FTDATA\SharePoint Portal Server\ folder.

    In this folder are between 3 and 7 files, including sps.edb and sps.stm, and multiple folders.

  9. Highlight all of the files (not the folders) and delete them.

  10. Close Windows Explorer and restore the Services applet window.

  11. Right-click MSSEARCH, and then click Start.

    A full index should automatically start.

Restoring Microsoft Search

The Microsoft Search service is essential to full-text indexing. You cannot create full-text indexes for your SharePoint Portal Server database if the Microsoft Search component is damaged or corrupt. If problems occur with Microsoft Search, you must restore it by rerunning the SharePoint Portal Server Service Pack 1 installation and choosing the repair option.

Part 4: Restoring SharePoint Portal Server 2001

The recovery procedures you perform depend on the following three factors:

  • The type of disaster that occurs

  • The most recent backup available

  • The amount of time you can spend on the recovery

Note: For some problems that occur, you do not need to restore any backups. For example, you can resolve some problems by repairing your Windows 2000 or SharePoint Portal Server 2001 installation.

In the event of a disaster, you might need to perform some or all of the various recovery procedures. For a complete list of these recovery procedures, including the required backups, see "Appendix A: Disaster Recovery Tables" later in this document.

Restoring the Server Overview

To restore a server, first restore the contents of the server's disk drives by using Windows 2000 Backup or a third-party disk-imaging utility, and then restore your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database. Restoring a server requires a full computer backup set (which includes a backup of System State data and most of the data on your hard disks, excluding the SharePoint installable file system [IFS] drive and the drives or folders that contain your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database files), and a backup of your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database.

Note: For more information about how to back up System State data, see "Appendix C: Windows 2000 Server Backup and Restore Procedures" of this document.

If you encounter problems restoring SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database to the original server, or to the server to which you have restored the original server's configuration, you can restore SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database to an alternate server. However, you should restore the database to an alternate server only as a last resort. The alternate server to which you restore the database must meet specific criteria. For example, SharePoint Portal Server 2001 service packs and hotfixes that you install on the alternative server must match those of the server where the database was backed up.

Restoring SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Data

When you use the msdmback command to restore SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database, application programming interface (API) calls are made to the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) to restore SharePoint database files and their associated log files. A SharePoint Portal Server restore will restore all of the documents, data, metabase, and portal information on your server running SharePoint Portal Server 2001. In a disaster recovery scenario that involves rebuilding a server, use Backup to restore your SharePoint Portal Server database after you run SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Setup and any SharePoint Portal Server 2001 service packs and hotfixes.

Preparing to Recover SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Database

Before you restore SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database, perform the following steps:

  • Determine the database location of the files you are restoring

  • Copy or move the existing versions of the database files you are restoring

Determining the Database Location of the Files you are Restoring

Before you restore the SharePoint Portal Server database, you should determine the location of the database files that you are going to restore. Having a record of these locations is necessary if you want to move or copy the current database files before the restore process overwrites them.

To determine the database file location of the files you are restoring

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click SharePoint Portal Server Administrator.

  2. In SharePoint Portal Server Administrator, expand the root, right-click the Server Name (for example, Sharepoint1), and then click Properties.

  3. Click the Data tab.

    This tab lists the locations of all of the WSS Database files, Search Indexes, Temp files and Gatherer log files.

Copying or Moving the Existing Versions of the Database Files that You Are Restoring

In the event that the restore process is unsuccessful, you should make a copy of the existing database files you are restoring before they are overwritten. Keeping a copy of the damaged database files allows for more recovery options. For example, if your restore is unsuccessful, a copy of these files allows to you to revert back to the original versions, which might be repairable. The disadvantage of copying the database files is that it can nearly double the time it takes to bring your server back online.

Important: Copying or moving the database files to a location on a different server in your network takes more time than copying or moving files to an alternate location on the same physical hard disk.

To copy or move the existing versions of the database files you are restoring

  1. Ensure that the database that you are copying or moving is dismounted.

  2. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.

  3. In Windows Explorer, create a folder to store the database files you want to copy or move, preferably a temporary folder on the same hard disk.

    If you are going to copy the files, ensure that there is enough disk space on the drive to which you are copying the files.

  4. In Windows Explorer, go to the location of the database files you want to copy or move, and then copy or move the existing files to the folder that you created.

    For more information about how to determine the locations of the database files you are restoring, see "Determining the Database Location of the Files You Are Restoring" earlier in Part 3 of this document.

Restoring a SharePoint Portal Server Database

The first step in restoring a SharePoint Portal Server database is verifying that you have a backup of the data and have decided how you want to proceed. You can then proceed to the steps outlined below.

  1. Save the backup file that you want to restore to a hard disk drive on your server.

  2. Click Start, click Run, type CMD, and then click OK.

  3. Type cd\ at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.

  4. Type cd c:\progra~1\sharep~1\bin and press ENTER.

    (This path is the default path. You might need to change it if you installed SharePoint Portal Server differently.)

  5. Type Msdmback /r <path to the backup file> and press ENTER.

  6. Click OK on the copyright message that appears.

    A progress indicator will appear, and then disappear when restoration is complete.

Restoring SharePoint Portal Sever to Another Server

You can restore the backup file that you created by using MSDMBACK to a server other than the one that it came from. You will need to set of the permissions on the SharePoint Portal Server MMC and make sure that you create local accounts to duplicate the local accounts on the original server. Also verify that the same service packs are installed on both servers.

Resolving SharePoint Portal Server Database Restore Problems

If the restore process fails, it is important to troubleshoot and resolve the problem as soon as possible. In some situations, performing the restore process again corrects the problem. In other situations, you might need to repair one or more SharePoint Portal Server database. For information about how to repair a database, see "Repairing SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Database" in Part 3 of this document.

For general information about how to search and troubleshoot restore errors, see "Useful Backup and Restore Knowledge Base Articles" in Appendix B of this document.

If you experience problems with the database you attempt to restore, check the application log for errors, and then search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for solutions.

If the restore process does not complete successfully, search for errors within the Backup status window, the Windows 2000 Backup/Restore log, or the application log in Event Viewer. These errors that may alert you to the probably cause of the failure. However, before attempting the restore process again, you should perform the following basic troubleshooting procedures.

Note: For some of the steps in the following procedure (including an attempt to perform the restore process again) you must have an available archive copy of your damaged database files in case further attempts to restore your SharePoint Portal Server database fail. If additional restore attempts fail, you can use the Extensible Storage Engine Utility (ESEUTIL) and the Information Store Integrity Checker (ISINTEG) to repair any archived versions of your database files.

To troubleshoot the causes of failed restore processes

  1. Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com/ for the specific errors found in the application log in Event Viewer.

    If you cannot locate the error in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, proceed to step 2.

  2. Look in "Backup and Restore Knowledge Base Articles" in Appendix B for the errors that are appearing.

  3. If none of these steps help you to restore your database, contact Microsoft Product Support Services at http://support.microsoft.com/.

SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Stand-By Recovery Server

The stand-by recovery server method involves keeping one or more extra server computers held in reserve for use as a recovery server in the event a disaster occurs. A stand-by recovery server is a computer with exactly the same hardware, firmware updates (such as BIOS updates), software updates (such as Windows 2000 updates), hardware configuration, applications (such as antivirus applications, administrative software, and so on), and disk partitioning as the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 servers it is designed to replace. A stand-by recovery server should also have Windows 2000 installed, a temporary computer name assigned, and it should be a member of a workgroup instead of a domain.

Stand-by servers prevent excessive downtime by having all necessary files preinstalled. A stand-by recovery server is brought into production by restoring Windows system configuration information and SharePoint Portal Server dynamic data.

Using stand-by recovery servers is a common practice in server environments that include rack-mounted hardware. In such environments, support technicians routinely replace modular components as they become damaged. This method is especially useful in conjunction with data storage technologies that offer continuous availability such as Storage Area Networks (SANs).

The most important factor in using the stand-by recovery server method is that the hardware, software updates, and firmware updates on your stand-by recovery servers must be identical to the server it is designed to replace. In addition, the hardware configuration for non-PCI hardware must be identical. The reason the hardware configuration must be identical is because you restore the Windows 2000 System State data of the original computer to the stand-by recovery server.

Tip One way to ensure that your stand-by recovery server is compatible is to perform a test recovery on that server (including restoring the Windows backup set, and other required restore steps).

The following are two different scenarios that use stand-by recovery servers:

  • If a disaster other than a hard disk failure occurs (for example, if your CPU or other hardware become damaged), remove the hard drives from the damaged server, put them in the stand-by recovery server, start the server, and then run Chkdsk /f on all drives. The server can be running again in minutes.

  • If the hard disk fails (for example, the hard disk containing your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database), start the stand-by recovery server and then restore your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database from backup.

Backup Requirements for the Stand-By Recovery Server Method

  • A stand-by recovery server After you completely set up the stand-by recovery server, keep it shut down in a safe place until it is needed to replace a production server.

  • Windows backup set A Windows backup set includes three parts: System State data, the Windows boot partition, and the Windows system partition these are all of the necessary files for running the operating system.

  • Dynamic data backups A back up of any mission-critical data or other data that is impossible or difficult to re-create manually, such as Web pages, Web applications and custom scripts custom web parts or directories that are not part of the SharePoint Portal Server backup.

  • SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database backups To back up SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database, use the Msdmback command. Perform these database backups daily to keep them current.

Recovering by Using a Stand-By Recovery Server

To recover a server by using a stand-by recovery server

  1. Determine if the hard disk drives of the server that experienced the disaster are undamaged, and then do one of the following:

    • If the hard disk drives are damaged, proceed to step 2.

    • If the hard disk drives appear undamaged, remove the hard drives from the production server and install them to replace the drives in the stand-by recovery server. After starting the stand-by recovery server, verify that the disks are not damaged. To verify that the disks are not damaged, from a command prompt, run chkdsk /f for each drive. If this process fails, replace the damaged drives with the drives that originally existed on the stand-by recovery server, and then proceed to step 2.

  2. Ensure that the damaged server is no longer running, and then start the stand-by recovery server.

  3. Restore your Windows backup set.

    Restoring your System State data and Windows operating system files restores the Windows 2000 registry database files that provide the rebuilt computer with its original NetBIOS name, returns the server to its original domain, and restores many other important files (such as the IIS metabase).

  4. Restore your dynamic data from backup.

  5. Run SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Setup. This returns the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 operating files to the computer.

  6. Reinstall any SharePoint Portal Server 2001 service packs and hotfixes.

  7. Restore SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database by using MSDMBACK.

Server Recovery Strategy Summary Table

Table 3 summarizes the three strategies for recovering a SharePoint Portal Server 2001 server from a disaster, including advantages and disadvantages for each.

Table 3 Backup and Recovery methods

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Appendix A: Disaster Recovery Tables

As previously stated in this document, there are different methods you can use to recover a damaged server. The disaster recovery tables in this appendix provide procedural information about these different recovery methods. The tables serve two purposes:

  • List what backups and other actions are required to recover a damaged server.

  • List the steps you must perform to implement a successful recovery.

There are four disaster recovery tables:

  • Table A1: Repairing the Server Contains information about how to fix problems without restoring or rebuilding the server.

  • Table A2: Restoring the Server Contains information about how to restore a server by using a full computer backup set and any other necessary dynamic data backups.

  • Table A3: Rebuilding the Server Contains information about how to re-install the Windows 2000 operating system, restore the Windows backup set, and then apply any other necessary dynamic data backups.

  • Table A4: Stand-By Recovery Server Contains information about how to use stand-by recovery servers to speed up or facilitate the recovery process and how to apply backup restorations from the production server to the recovery server.

Use the content in the rows labeled "Required Preventative Steps" to help you create a disaster recovery plan for your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 deployment. Use the content in the rows labeled "Disaster Recovery Steps" to help you recover your server if a disaster occurs.

Disaster Recovery Scenario

To help you understand how to use the disaster recovery tables, consider the following fictitious disaster recovery scenario.

Company Name: Blue Yonder Airlines

Server Recovery Strategy: Blue Yonder Airlines has a general company policy that instructs its administrators to use the "restore the server" recovery strategy. The company maintains an inventory of hardware that administrators can use to replace the hardware for each server in its implementation. Administrators are also instructed to perform the following backups:

  • Full computer backup set of the servers running SharePoint Portal Server 2001 once a week (and also following any software updates that are applied) in a two-tape rotation

  • Normal nightly backups of the SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database using Msdmback

For more information about the restore the server recovery method, see "Restoring the Server" in Part 3 of this document.

Disaster Occurs: A small computer system interface (SCSI) controller card on one of the servers running SharePoint Portal Server 2001 fails, causing many of the SharePoint and Windows services to stop running. Administrators restart the server, but they can start Windows 2000 only in Safe Mode. This leads them to believe that some file corruption occurred.

Selecting a Recovery Option: In an effort to find a solution administrators browse the disaster recovery tables in this document. After browsing the tables, the administrators conclude that there are two possible recovery procedures they can perform: a Windows 2000 Installation Repair or a SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Restore.

The recovery procedure that the administrators select is dependant on the following factors:

  • If the problem is minor, perhaps affecting only Windows 2000, the "Windows 2000 Installation Repair" procedure in "Table A1: Repairing the Server" is the most appropriate solution.

  • If the administrators must restore the entire server and do not want to spend time repairing the server the procedures in "Table A2: Restoring the Server" is the most appropriate solution.

After running CHKDSK from Windows 2000 Safe Mode, the administrators realize that the file system is severely damaged. Therefore, they decide that performing a Server Restore is the best solution.

Implementing the Recovery: To recover from this disaster administrators replace the faulty SCSI controller card, and then follow the recovery procedures in the "SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Member Server Restore" column of "Table A2: Restoring the Server".

Table A1 Repairing the Server

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Table A2 Restoring the Server

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Table A3 Rebuilding the Server

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Table A4 Stand-By Recovery Servers

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Appendix B: Useful Resources

The following technical papers and Microsoft Knowledge Base articles provide valuable information regarding concepts and processes.

Other Technical Papers

Additional Documentation

Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles

The following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles are available on the Web at http://support.microsoft.com/

Backup and Restore Knowledge Base Articles

  • 281413 How to Back Up a SharePoint Portal Server

  • 292719 How to Automate Backup by Using Windows 2000 Task Scheduler

  • 281425 Backup and Restore Do Not Respond If Reuired Services Are Not Started

  • 287586 "Access Is Denied" Error Message When Backing Up SharePoint Portal Server

  • 287350 Workspace Is Unusable When the Restore Operation That Uses the IKnowledgeServer Programming Interface uits Unexpectedly

  • 306518 INFO: Troubleshooting Guide for 80004005 Errors in Active Server Pages and Microsoft Data Access Components

  • 312551 Backup Does Not Work with Error 800700B7

  • 281426 Backup Fails with Error 80070426

  • 321251 Error 80010105 or 80070005 When You Use the Msdmback.vbs Backup Utility

  • 296220 Indexing Stops Working and ESE98 Event Messages Are Logged

Useful SharePoint Portal Server Knowledge Base Articles

  • 275038 Virtual Directories Displayed with Stop Sign Symbols

  • 309675 IIS Lockdown Tool Affects SharePoint Portal Server

  • 320111 Random Errors May Occur When Antivirus Software Scans Microsoft Web Storage System

  • 283985 Error Message: Setup Failed While Installing Sub-Component OLEDB Protocol with Error Code 0xc103798A

  • 283990 Client Components Reuire Outlook Express on Non-Windows 2000 Based Computers

  • 284013 Error Message: The Command REGSVR32/S CDOWFEVT.DLL Failed

  • 287304 You Cannot Start Outlook Express After You Install SharePoint Portal Server

  • 287309 The Process Cannot Access the File Because It Is Being Used by Another Process

  • 291564 Setup Fails When Office Server Extensions Is Installed

  • 291835 TIFF Filter Stops Working After You Start the Windows Components Wizard

  • 295015 Issues to Consider When You Install SharePoint Portal Server on a Domain Controller

  • 295721 SharePoint Portal Server Setup Does Not Work with Error 0XC0070002

  • 296791 Exchange 2000 IFS Logs Error Message in Application Event Log When SharePoint Portal Server Starts

  • 295012 Programs That Cannot Coexist with SharePoint Portal Server

  • 294265 Client Components Setup Fails and You Receive an "Internal Error 2755" Message

For more information: http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/default.mspx

Appendix C: Windows 2000 Backup and Restore Procedures

The following section guides you through the steps needed to back up and restoring your computers running Windows 2002 Server. It contains the following sections:

  • Software and firmware updates

  • Windows 2000 disks

  • Backing up Windows 2000 Server

  • Repairing Windows 2000 Server

  • Restoring Windows 2000 Server

  • Advantages and disadvantages to restoring a server

  • Restoring full computer backup sets

  • Rebuilding the server

Software and Firmware Updates

To protect your SharePoint implementation against problems that hardware and software vendors have identified and corrected, keep your servers up-to-date with the latest software updates (such as hardware drivers and software patches) and firmware updates (such as basic input/output system [BIOS] updates). Most software and hardware vendors have Web sites that provide software and firmware updates for their products.

It is recommended that you regularly download the latest Windows 2000 software updates. Some Windows 2000 updates fix known problems or provide security enhancements. To download the latest Windows 2000 software updates, see the Microsoft Windows Update Web site at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=6549.

Note: You should deploy software and firmware updates in a test server environment before you install these updates on your production servers. Before you update software and firmware on your production servers, ensure that you can back out of any update if problems occur. You can back out of some of these updates if you keep a Windows backup set (which includes a backup of System State data, system partitions, and boot partitions or a full computer backup set (which includes a backup of System State data and most of the data on your hard disks) of your servers prior to installing the updates. You can also back out of some of these updates if you have images of your server's boot and system partitions taken prior to installing the updates.

Keeping your software and firmware updates available saves a great deal of time when recovering from a disaster. For example, each update that is not stored on a disk at your location requires time to locate and download. This process can be very time consuming, especially if you need to download the updates over a slow Internet connection.

One strategy for keeping your software and firmware updates available is to archive the updates by copying them to a network share in a folder with the same name as the computer where the updates are installed. If you archive these software and firmware updates, you can reinstall the operating system following a disaster, and then go directly to the folder on the network where you copied the updates and reapply the software and firmware updates. Having these updates stored in a network folder also gives you a central location for recording general information about the server, such as its disaster history, configuration information, and hard disk structure.

Another strategy for keeping your software and firmware updates available is to archive the updates to CD-ROM so each server has its own CD-ROM of all the updates applied to it (be sure to leave the session open for multiple burns as you add new updates to the server).

Windows 2000 Disks

Ensure that your Windows 2000 Server CD is available after a disaster. Other disks that are helpful when rebuilding the Windows 2000 operating system include:

  • Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Disk (ERD)

  • Windows 2000 startup disk

  • Windows 2000 Setup disks

Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Disk

Always maintain a current Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) for each server in your company.

To create an ERD, in the Windows 2000 Backup utility (Backup), on the Welcome tab, click Emergency Repair Disk.

Windows 2000 Startup Disk

To access a drive that has a faulty startup sequence, create a Windows 2000 startup disk. This disk can access a drive that has the NTFS, FAT16, or FAT32 file system installed. A Windows 2000 startup disk can help with the following startup problems:

  • Corrupted boot sector

  • Corrupted master boot record (MBR)

  • Virus infection

  • Missing or corrupted NTLDR or Ntdetect.com

  • Incorrect Ntbootdd.sys

Note: If your disk configuration involves mirrored volumes, and the primary volume of the mirror fails, you can still use a Windows 2000 startup disk to start Windows 2000. To do this, on the Windows 2000 Startup disk for that server, modify the Boot.ini file so that it points to the Windows 2000 folder on the volume that is still intact. For more information, see Windows 2000 Server Help.

To create a Windows 2000 Startup floppy disk

  1. Insert a blank, formatted 1.44-MB disk into the disk drive on a computer running Windows 2000.

  2. Ensure that Windows Explorer is configured to show hidden files and folders. To show hidden files and folders:

  3. In Windows Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Folder Options.

  4. In Folder Options, click View.

  5. On the View tab, under Advanced settings, select the Show hidden files and folders check box.

  6. From Windows Explorer, copy the Boot.ini file from the boot partition of the computer to the disk.

  7. Insert the Windows 2000 Server Setup CD.

  8. Copy NTLDR, Ntdetect.com, and Ntbootdd.sys from the Windows 2000 Setup CD to the disk.

Tip To use your Windows 2000 startup disk as a template to make other startup disks for other servers, copy the startup disk and replace the Boot.ini on the copy with the Boot.ini on another server.

Windows 2000 Setup Floppy Disks

If any of your servers running Windows 2000 are incapable of starting from CD-ROM, create a set of Windows 2000 Setup boot disks. Windows 2000 Setup boot disks allow you to access the Windows 2000 Setup CD-ROM in case you need to repair or reinstall Windows 2000.

To create a set of Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks

  1. Insert a blank, formatted 1.44-MB disk into the floppy disk drive on a computer that is running Windows 2000.

  2. Insert the Windows 2000 Server Setup CD.

  3. Click Start, and then click Run.

  4. In Run, type <D> :\bootdisk\makebt32 a:, where <D> is the drive letter assigned to your CD-ROM drive, and then click Enter.

    Note: Makebt32.exe runs under Windows 2000, Windows NT® version 4.0, and Windows NT version 3.51. To create Windows 2000 floppy disks on a computer running Microsoft MS-DOS®, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows 95, type <D> :\bootdisk\makeboot a: in the command line.

  5. Follow the prompts to create the full set of four Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks.

Backing Up Windows 2000 Server

A full computer backup is a backup of the System State data and most of the data on the hard drives of your computer. Having a full computer backup set available is essential if you want to recover a server by restoring the server.

(For more information about restoring a server, see "Restoring the Server" in Part 1 of this document.) Having a full computer backup set available is also helpful if you want to ensure that you have a copy of all of the data on your server (for example, the contents of your drives on a specific date).

Important: Although backing up most of the contents of the drives of your computer is the major component of your full computer backup set (when you use the Backup utility), it is also important to back up the Windows 2000 System State data as part of the same backup set. If you use disk-imaging software to create your full computer backup set, you do not need to back up your System State data as part of your backup set. For more information about System State data, see "Windows 2000 System State Data" later in this section.

This section contains the following information about computer backups:

  • Creating full computer backup sets by using Backup

  • Creating full computer backup sets or operating system backups by using disk-imaging software utilities

  • Windows 2000 System State data

Creating Full Computer Backup Sets Using Backup

You can use Backup to create full computer backup sets. A full computer backup that was performed using Backup can be restored only within Backup; therefore, Windows 2000 must be functioning well enough after the disaster to allow you to start the operating system and restore your full computer backups. If the disaster renders your operating system unusable, you must repair or reinstall Windows 2000, and then restore your full computer backup.

Note: If a disaster renders your operating system unusable, you do not have to repair or reinstall Windows 2000 if you can restore a disk image of the boot partition (containing the files that start Windows) and the system partition (which contains the remaining Windows files). For more information about operating system disk images, see "Creating Windows 2000 Disk Images" later in this section.

Creating Full Computer Backup Sets or Operating System Backups by Using the Backup Utility

A full computer backup set includes a backup of the computer's System State data and most of the files on all the logical drives of your server. The System State data and the drives of your computer must be backed up in the same backup set.

Do not back up the following directories and drives when creating a full computer backup set:

  • Installable File System (IFS) drive Backing up the IFS drive can damage your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database.

  • SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Back up your SharePoint Portal Server database separately using the msdmback utility provided with SharePoint. For more information about how to back up SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database, see "Backing up SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Database" earlier in Part 2 of this document.

Caution: Do not back up the IFS (Installable File System) drive M:.

To create a full computer backup set by using Backup

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.

  2. In Backup, click the Backup tab.

  3. On the Backup tab, under Click to select the check box for any drive, folder, or file that you want to back up, click the box next to each item you want to back up.

    Caution Do not select the drives or folders listed as exceptions earlier in this section. Important: You must include the Windows boot partition and system partition (by default, located in drive C) and the System State data as part of your full computer backup set.

  4. Next to the Backup media or file name box, click Browse to select the media for your backup.

  5. Click Start Backup.

  6. In Backup Job Information, in the Backup description text box, type a backup description, set the appropriate options, and then click Start Backup.

  7. After the backup is complete, verify that the backup was successful.

Creating Full Computer Backup Sets or Operating System Backups Using Disk-Imaging Software Utilities

You can use a disk-imaging utility to create disk-image files. A disk image file (also known simply as a disk image) is a binary copy of an entire disk or drive. Disk images contain binary versions of all data stored on the source drive, including files and folders, boot sectors, file allocation tables, volume attributes and all other system-specific data. Disk images do not contain actual files or folders; they contain the raw data of the original disk, sector by sector. Disk-imaging software helps decrease the amount of time it takes to rebuild or restore a server.

Because disk-imaging software typically runs separate of the Windows 2000 operating system, you can perform a complete backup without any files being in use. To take advantage of this functionality, use a bootable floppy disk that contains the disk-imaging utility software to start your computer outside of Windows, and then back up the data on your server.

You can use disk-imaging software to perform the following tasks:

  • Create full computer disk images

  • Create Windows 2000 disk images

Creating Full Computer Disk Images

You can create disk images of every drive on your servers running SharePoint Portal Server 2001. Generally, most SharePoint Portal Server 2001 implementations do not use disk images to back up all of the drives on their computers for the following reasons:

  • Performing disk-image backups of all of the drives of your servers running SharePoint Portal Server 2001 takes a long time.

  • Performing disk-image backups of drives containing SharePoint Portal Server 2001 data can be done only when those database are dismounted. As a result, SharePoint Portal Server 2001 users will be unable to access the portal while the backup is running.

Creating Windows 2000 Disk Images

More commonly, disk-imaging utilities are used to create an image of only the partitions needed to restore Windows 2000 after a server is damaged. To create a disk image of the Windows operating system, you must create an image of both the boot partition and the system partition. After you restore Windows 2000 from a disk image, you can use Backup to restore your full computer backup set. If a disaster occurs, you can restore your operating system from that disk image in less time than it takes to reinstall Windows 2000. Windows 2000 disk images are usually created after Windows 2000 is installed, configured, and updated with all the current service packs and software updates.

With most disk-imaging utilities, you can create a bootable floppy disk that you can use to start the disk-image restore process. If the hard drive partition from which you normally boot your computer is damaged, this floppy disk allows you to start your computer. Because most drives in Windows 2000 operating system are formatted with NTFS, this method requires that your disk-imaging software have the ability to read NTFS partitions. Furthermore, if your disk-image files are stored on a remote server, you must also have a network boot disk so you can access the network and then copy the disk-image files from the remote computer to the computer to which you want to restore them.

Another method for restoring a Windows 2000 disk image involves keeping an additional hard disk formatted with the FAT32 file system on your computer. On that hard disk, you must keep your disk-imaging software and the Windows 2000 disk image for that computer. To restore the disk image, open a command prompt by using a boot disk that allows you to boot to MS-DOS (for example, a Windows 98 Startup floppy disk); then use the disk-imaging utility located on your hard disk formatted with FAT32 to restore your Windows 2000 disk image.

Important: The additional hard disk partition must be formatted with FAT32 because a Windows 98 startup disk cannot access a partition that is formatted with NTFS.

Summary of Disk-Imaging Considerations

  • Disk-image backups can occupy a large amount of disk space, so it is usually not feasible to perform these backups on a daily basis.

  • Most disk-imaging software utilities cannot perform Incremental or Differential backups. As result, the backups you perform with disk-imaging software are less flexible than the backups you perform with Backup.

  • Disk images are more useful if you create Windows 2000 operating system disk images than if you create full computer disk images.

  • Windows 2000 disk images give you a starting point for the restore process. You can quickly restore the operating system using the disk image, and then restore the other backups, such as a full computer backup set or a Windows 2000 backup set.

  • Restoring a disk image is the fastest method if you need to restore a server that has just had its hard drive replaced.

  • Although it is possible, you should not use full computer disk-imaging backups as your primary method of backing up your servers running SharePoint Portal Server 2001. If you attempt to create a full computer backup set using a disk-imaging utility, you must ensure that your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database are dismounted during the backup process.

  • If you use disk-imaging software to create full computer backups, you can only restore your SharePoint Portal Server 2001 implementation to the point of your latest disk-image backup.

    Tip If your backup plan involves creating a full computer backup set, you should also perform SharePoint database backups using the Microsoft Information Store option in Backup.

  • Disk-image backups are stored on hard disks (they cannot be stored on tape). For fault tolerance purposes, do not store a disk-image backup of a computer on that same computer. One alternative is to keep all of your disk images safe by storing them in a central location in your implementation. If a disaster occurs, you can start the replacement computer from a network boot disk, and then restore the disk image for that computer.

For more information about the process used to create and restore disk images, see the documentation that is included with your third-party disk-imaging software.

Windows 2000 System State Data

System State data is a collection of unique settings and files stored on your computer that allows your Windows 2000 Server computer to operate properly. Backing up the System State data preserves the unique information about a server that must be restored when attempting to rebuild a damaged server.

The Windows 2000 System State data backup contains the following system components of Windows 2000 Server:

  • The Windows 2000 registry

  • Windows 2000 boot files

  • Windows 2000 protected operating system files

  • The Windows 2000 IIS metabase

  • COM+ Class registration database

To back up Windows 2000, you must back up both the System State data and operating system files. To back up a computer's System State data, use the System State option in Backup. To back up a computer's operating system files, back up the boot partition (the partition that contains the files that start Windows 2000) and the system partition (the partition that contains the Windows 2000 folders, such as the WINNT, Documents and Settings, and Program Files folders). A backup set that includes backups of the Windows 2000 operating system files, the System State data, and the boot and system partitions is called a Windows backup set.

Important: In preparing to restore the Windows 2000 operating system configuration information, you must restore the server's System State data and its operating system files; these data and files must be part of the same backup set.

If your backup strategy includes keeping a current Windows backup set (which includes System State data), you do not need to back up IIS separately because IIS is included in a System State data backup. If you want to back up or restore the IIS metabase separately, you can use the Backup/Restore Configuration command within the IIS snap-in; alternately, you can save a copy of the Metabase.bin file located in the System Root\System 32 Inetsrv folder.

Note: If you want to be able to restore the IIS metabase without having to restore all of the System State data, consider keeping a separate back up of the IIS metabase. For example, if you discover problems with IIS, it is quicker to restore a separate IIS metabase backup than to restore System State data. However, if the entire server is damaged, a separate IIS metabase backup is not helpful because the metabase depends on encryption keys that are backed up with other parts of the System State data.

Repairing Windows 2000

There are many troubleshooting techniques you can use to resolve problems with a Windows 2000 installation. However, if a problem arises, consider the following possibilities before using more complex troubleshooting techniques:

  • Recent changes to your Windows 2000 installation, such as the installation of new software, new drivers, or configuration changes, might be causing or contributing to the problem.

  • Other users may have experienced a similar problem and contacted Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) for assistance. In turn, PSS may have written an article describing how to resolve the issue. Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com/ for an article describing the problem.

If you cannot resolve the problem using these suggestions, use this section to familiarize yourself with the following basic troubleshooting techniques:

  • Running the Windows 2000 Chkdsk utility

  • Running Windows 2000 System File Checker

  • Using the Safe Mode boot options

  • Using the Last Known Good Configuration boot option

  • Using the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

  • Using the Emergency Repair Process

  • Reinstalling Windows 2000

Note: This section does not provide every possible troubleshooting technique for Windows 2000. For more information about repairing Windows 2000, see the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Operations Guide of Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit.

Running the Windows 2000 Chkdsk Utility

If your Windows 2000 installation experiences a problem, you can use the Chkdsk disk repair utility included in Windows 2000 to ensure that the file system integrity and the hard disk integrity are sound. The Chkdsk utility creates and displays a status report for a disk based on the file system used. Chkdsk also lists and corrects errors on the disk. You can run Chkdsk from within Windows 2000. If you are unable to start Windows 2000 as a result of the problem, you can run Chkdsk from the Windows 2000 Recovery Console in Windows 2000 Setup.

Note: If the Chkdsk utility cannot lock the drive, it will offer to check the drive the next time the computer restarts. Also, if you run Chkdsk on a fixed disk, you must be a member of the Administrators group. Tip Some third-party diagnostic and repair software packages have advanced features for verifying the integrity of your hard drive, the file system, and the data contained therein.

Running Windows 2000 System File Checker

If your Windows 2000 installation experiences a problem, but you can still start Windows 2000, you can use the System File Checker tool (Sfc.exe) to ensure that all the Windows 2000 operating system files are the correct version and are still intact. System File Checker is a command line tool that scans and verifies the versions of all protected system files. If System File Checker discovers that a protected file was overwritten, it retrieves the correct version of the file from the %systemroot%\system32\dllcache folder, and then replaces the incorrect file.

To run Windows 2000 System File Checker, click Start, click Run, type sfc /scannow, and then click OK.

For more information about the System File Checker tool, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 222193, "Description of the Windows 2000 Windows File Protection Feature."

Using the Safe Mode Boot Options

If your Windows 2000 installation experiences a problem, and you are unable to boot normally into Windows 2000, try using the following Safe Mode advanced startup options for Windows 2000:

  • Safe Mode

  • Safe Mode with Networking

  • Safe Mode with Command Prompt

The Safe Mode boot options are troubleshooting modes that load Windows 2000 with a minimal set of device drivers and services. After you start Windows 2000 in Safe Mode, you can use troubleshooting techniques such as running System File Checker or restoring backups to resolve the problem.

For more information about the Safe Mode boot options and other advanced startup options, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 202485, "Description of Safe Boot Mode in Windows 2000."

Using the Last Known Good Configuration Boot Option

If you experience difficulty starting Windows 2000 after you install a new driver or change a driver configuration, you can use the Last Known Good Configuration advanced startup options for Windows 2000. If you use the Last Known Good Configuration boot option, the registry configuration reverts to the condition it was in before you made the changes that prevented Windows 2000 from starting normally. Furthermore, if you use this option, you will lose all configuration changes that were made since you last successfully logged on to your system.

For more information about the Last Known Good Configuration and other advanced startup options, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 202485, "Description of Safe Boot Mode in Windows 2000."

Using the Windows 2000 Recovery Console

With the Windows 2000 Recovery Console, you can obtain limited access to NTFS, FAT, and FAT32 volumes without starting the Windows graphical interface. In the Recovery Console you can:

  • Use, copy, rename, or replace operating system files and folders.

  • Enable or disable services or devices from starting when you next start your computer.

  • Repair the file system boot sector or the master boot record (MBR).

  • Create and format partitions on drives.

You can install the Windows 2000 Recovery console as a Windows 2000 Boot Menu option, or you can run the Recovery Console from Windows 2000 Setup.

Using the Emergency Repair Process

You can use the Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Process to fix problems that prevent you from starting your computer, including problems with your registry, system files, partition boot sector, and startup environment. You start the Emergency Repair Process after using either the Windows 2000 Setup CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks to restart the computer. However, the Emergency Repair Process is more successful if you create an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) after you install Windows 2000. If you have an ERD, the Emergency Repair Process attempts to replace damaged files on your computer. For information about how to create an ERD, see "Windows 2000 Emergency Repair Disk" in Appendix C of this document.

To run the Emergency Repair Process

  1. Restart your computer using either the Windows 2000 CD or the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks.

    Note: You can only use the Windows 2000 Setup CD to start your computer if your computer hardware and BIOS support this functionality. For information about how to create a set of Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks, see "Windows 2000 Setup Floppy Disks" in Appendix C of this document.

  2. Run Windows 2000 Setup.

  3. In Setup Notification, click Enter to continue the Setup process.

  4. On the Welcome to Setup page press R to repair a Windows 2000 installation.

  5. On the Windows 2000 Repair Options page, press R to repair a Windows 2000 installation using the Emergency Repair Process.

  6. Select one of the following repair options:

    • Press M if you want to perform a manual repair. The manual repair option, which requires user interaction, allows you to select whether you want to repair system files, partition boot sector problems, or startup environment problems. However, this option does not allow you to repair problems with your registry. If you want to manually repair individual registry files or replace your entire registry, use the Recovery Console.

      Important: The manual repair option should only be used by advanced users or administrators.

    • Press F if you want to perform a fast repair. The fast repair option is the easiest and does not require any user interaction. This option attempts to repair problems related to the registry, system files, the partition boot sector on your boot volume, and your startup environment (if you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system). The fast repair option uses a backup copy of the registry that was created when Windows 2000 Setup was first run on your computer. If you select this option, you may lose settings or preferences you created since Setup was first run.

  7. If you have an ERD, press ENTER. The repair process starts, prompting you to insert your ERD disk. It also prompts you to insert your Windows 2000 Setup CD.

  8. If you do not have an ERD, press L. The repair process starts, attempting to locate your Windows 2000 installation. It also prompts you to insert your Windows 2000 Setup CD.

    Note: If the Emergency Repair Process cannot fix your system, try using the Recovery Console, or try reinstalling Windows 2000.

  9. Follow the prompts as the Emergency Repair Process attempts to repair your computer.

  10. When prompted, restart your computer. If the Emergency Repair Process was successful, your computer automatically restarts.

Important: The Emergency Repair Process relies on information that is saved in the Systemroot\Repair folder. You must not change or delete this folder.

Reinstalling Windows 2000

If the computer still does not operate normally after you perform the Emergency Repair Process, use the Windows 2000 Setup CD to perform an in-place upgrade over the existing installation. The length of time it takes to perform this in-place upgrade is equal to the amount of time it took to perform your original Windows 2000 installation.

Important: After you perform an in-place upgrade, changes that were made to your system after the original Windows 2000 installation (such as service pack upgrades and system customizations) may be lost.

Restoring the Windows 2000 Server

A Windows backup set contains a server's unique operating system data and configuration information. You must restore this data using the "rebuild a server" recovery method. When you restore a Windows backup set to a server, the operating system files and registry information from the original server is restored. When the original server's registry is restored, the original computer name is restored, and the server is returned to its original domain with a computer account matching the System ID (SID) in Active Directory.

For information about how to create a Windows backup set, see "Backing Up Windows 2000" in Appendix C of this document.

Note: In general, the older your Windows backup set is, the more likely you are to experience problems that must be resolved before you can restore SharePoint Portal Server. Therefore, you should create Windows backup sets at least once a week.

Because of the dependencies among System State components, you cannot back up or restore individual components of System State data using Backup. However, you can restore the following types of System State data by restoring a System State data backup to an alternate location:

  • Windows 2000 registry files

  • Windows 2000 boot files

  • SYSVOL directory files

To restore a Windows backup set

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.

  2. Click the Restore tab, and then, in the console tree, click the backup media you want to restore.

  3. Click the check boxes next to the drive letters for your boot partition and system partition, and then click the check box next to System State (Figure 42).

    Important: To properly restore all Windows components, a Windows backup set must contain the System State data, the boot partition, the system partition, and must have been backed up as part of the same backup job.

  4. In the Restore files to list, select the location to where you want the files restored. By default, the location specified is Original location.

  5. Click Start Restore.

  6. In the Restoring System State will always overwrite current System State unless restoring to an alternate location warning dialog box, click OK.

  7. If Backup prompts you for the location of the backup file to use in the restore, select the correct backup file name, and then click OK.

  8. After the restore is complete, ensure that the restore was successful.

  9. After you verify that your Windows backup set is successfully restored, in the Restore Progress dialog box, click Close. You are then prompted to restart your computer to complete the restore. Click Yes to restart.

Important: If you perform this procedure as part of rebuilding a server, after restarting your computer, you may experience errors indicating that one or more services could not start. These errors occur because restoring the Windows backup set also restores the original registry of the server being rebuilt. That registry may include entries that attempt to start services that are not yet reinstalled (such as MSEXCHANGEIS). Ignore the errors. These errors should be resolved when you finish rebuilding the computer.

Advantages and Disadvantages to Restoring a Server

Restoring the server has the following advantages and disadvantages in comparison to rebuilding the server:

Advantages

  • You can usually restore a server faster than you can rebuild an entire server. It is faster because when you rebuild a server, you must manually install Windows 2000 Server, SharePoint Portal Server 2001, and other applications or files.

  • You can restore all configuration information for your applications such as Active Server Pages (ASP), extranet sites, and workflow software instead of re-creating it.

Disadvantages

  • Because you are backing up most files on your computer, you need more disk space or tapes for your backup sets, and your backup jobs take longer to complete.

  • You spend more time managing your backups compared to other methods. You can minimize this time if you automate your backups.

  • Your computer operating environment is not as clean as rebuilding a server. Full computer backups back up every file on a disk drive, including any damaged files or mismatched DLLs. For this reason, rebuilding a computer can result in a cleaner computer operating environment.

  • You may experience severe problems if any of the replacement hardware (for example, disk drives) on the server being restored is different than the hardware on the original server. These problems may occur because the files backed up during the full computer backup contain driver information and files specific to the hardware on the original server. Furthermore, if you restore a full computer backup set to a computer that has a different CPU, chip set, processor, or other operating system components than the original server, you may not be able to start Windows 2000 properly. To avoid this problem, ensure that you have replacement hardware that is identical to the hardware you are currently using, or consider using the stand-by recovery server method.

    Tip To resolve these issues if they occur, start Windows 2000 in Safe Mode after you restore the full computer backup set, remove the drivers for the different hardware, restart the computer, and then allow the computer to detect the different hardware. Keep in mind that you may still experience problems integrating or installing the new drivers into your server. These problems are similar to those that many users experience when installing new hardware.

  • If you use the Backup utility to create a full computer backup set, you must be able to boot into Windows 2000 from that server to restore the backup. If you cannot boot into Windows from the original Windows 2000 installation, you must perform a parallel installation of Windows 2000 and restore from there. An advantage of using disk-imaging software is that you can quickly restore an image of the Windows 2000 operating system from which you can then restore your full computer backup set.

Note: If you use disk-imaging software, keep an image of your server immediately after you install Windows 2000 and any of its service packs. With that disk image, you can quickly restore a disk image that allows you to boot your server into the original Windows 2000 installation, and then use Backup to finish restoring the server using your full computer backup sets.

Restoring Full Computer Backup Sets

A full computer backup set includes a backup of System State data and most of the data on your hard disks. A full computer backup set should not include the SharePoint installable file system (IFS) drive and the drives or folders that contain your SharePoint Portal Server 2001log files and database files. For detailed information about how to create full computer backup sets, see "Backing Up Windows 2000 Server" in Appendix C of this document.

Restoring a full computer backup set is the primary step in the "restore the server" recovery method. Restoring a full computer backup set to a computer allows you to recover a server running SharePoint Portal Server 2001 without having to reinstall applications that were running on the server. For more information about full computer backup sets and the "restore the server" recovery method, see "Restoring the Server" in Appendix C of this document.

Depending on the backup and restore utility or program you use, the steps you perform to restore your full computer backup set can vary. For example, if you use Backup to create your full computer backup sets, then you would use Backup to restore them. Similarly, if you use a disk-imaging software utility to create your full computer backup sets, you would use that same utility to restore those backup sets. For more information about how to create full computer backup sets, see "Backing Up Windows 2000 Server" in Appendix C of this document.

This section provides the following information about restoring full computer backups:

  • Restoring a full computer backup set by using Backup

  • Restoring a full computer backup set or operating system backup by using disk-imaging software utilities

Restoring a Full Computer Backup Set with Backup

If you used Backup to create a full computer backup set, you must also use Backup to restore that backup set. Because you must use Backup in this case, it is important that Windows 2000 is functioning well enough after the disaster to allow you to start Windows 2000 and run Backup.

Note: If you cannot start Windows 2000 in Normal mode, use the Safe Mode boot menu option, and then attempt to restore your full computer backup set from that mode.

If you cannot start Windows 2000 after a disaster occurs, use one of the following troubleshooting techniques:

  • Repair the existing Windows 2000 installation. For information about how to repair Windows 2000, see "Repairing Windows 2000" in Appendix C of this document.

  • Perform a parallel installation of Windows 2000 to a different folder than the original location, and then start Windows 2000 from that parallel installation.

  • Install Windows 2000 by restoring a disk image of Windows 2000. For information about how you can use Windows 2000 disk images to help restore your computer, see "Creating Windows 2000 Disk Images" in Appendix C of this document.

To restore a full computer backup set

  1. On the computer for which you want to restore your full computer backup set, start the Windows 2000 operating system.

  2. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.

  3. Click the Restore tab, and then, in the console tree, click the backup media you want to restore.

  4. Click the check boxes next to the drives that you want to restore, and then click System State. You should always include the System State data when you restore the drive partitions of your full computer backup set (Figure 43).

    Important: If the full computer backup set you are restoring includes the SharePoint IFS drive (letter M by default) or the drives or folders that contain the SharePoint database files and log files, do not select those drives or folders. If you restore those drives or folders, you will corrupt your database. To restore your SharePoint database, you should restore the SharePoint database backup you performed using the msdmback utility. For information about how to restore SharePoint database, see "Restoring SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Database" in Part 3 of this document.

    Cc723722.spsd01(en-us,TechNet.10).gif

    Figure 43: Restoring a full computer backup set

  5. In the Restore files to list, select the location to where you want the files restored. By default, the location specified is Original location.

  6. Click Start Restore.

  7. If you are restoring the System State data as part of the full computer backup set restore, in the Restoring System State will always overwrite current System State unless restoring to an alternate location warning dialog box, click OK.

  8. Once the restore is complete in the Restore Progress dialog box, click Close. You are then prompted to restart your computer to complete the restore. Click Yes to restart.

Restoring a Full Computer Backup Set or Operating System Backup with Disk-Imaging Software Utilities

If you use disk-imaging software to create a full computer backup set, you can restore those images to restore your server. A more common use of disk images is to create disk images of only your operating system. For more information about how to use disk-imaging software, see "Creating Full Computer Backup Sets or Operating System Backups by Using Disk-Imaging Software Utilities" in Part 2 of this section.

Note: When using some disk-imaging products, you may be unable to log on to Windows 2000 after you restore the disk image, especially if you restore the image to different hardware. If you encounter this problem, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 249321, "Unable to log on if the Boot Partition Drive Letter Has Changed."

For specific information about the process used to create and restore disk images, refer to the documentation that is included with your third-party disk-imaging software.

Rebuilding the Server

To rebuild a server, you begin by installing as much of the static data on your computer as possible (including performing a new installation of Windows, installing applications that existed on the server, and so on), and then use MSDMBACK to restore your SharePoint database. Finally, you must restore SharePoint service pack 1 and any SharePoint hotfixes.

When rebuilding a server, you must have all of the software to install your static data (Windows 2000 Server disks, SharePoint Portal Server 2001 disk, and so on), as well as the necessary backups to restore any dynamic data (a Windows backup set, My Documents folder backups, SharePoint Portal Server 2001 database backups, and so on). It is not necessary to back up all of the contents of your drives. You just need to back up the information that cannot feasibly be re-created without a backup; at a minimum, this includes a Windows backup set and a backup of your SharePoint database.

For information about how to create a Windows backup set, see "Backing Up Windows 2000 Server" in Appendix C of this document.

For information about how to back up SharePoint database, see "Backing Up SharePoint Portal Server 2001 Database" in Part 2 of this document.

Appendix D: Example Disk Layout for Increased Fault Tolerance

The following procedure and Table D1 provide general practices you can follow to help you increase fault tolerance.

Note: The following procedure and corresponding table do not include advanced factors such as disk mirroring or disk striping.

The number of hard disks in your SharePoint Portal Server deployment might be different than the number of hard disks used in this example. You can apply the logic of this example as it relates to your own server configuration.

To create partitions for the hard disks of an SharePoint Portal Server with four hard disks

  1. On a new server with hard disks that are not partitioned, boot to the command prompt by using a boot disk that allows you to boot to MS-DOS (for example, a Windows 98 Startup floppy disk).

  2. On the first hard disk, Fixed Disk 1, run Fdisk from the command prompt, create a primary partition of 100 megabytes, and then set it to "active" (drive C).

  3. Also on Fixed Disk 1, create an extended partition on the remaining capacity of the hard disk. From the extended partition, create a logical drive (drive D).

  4. Quit Fdisk, and then restart the computer by using the Windows Startup floppy disk.

  5. From a command prompt, type format C: /s.

  6. Restart the computer, and then install Windows 2000 Server (either by booting to Setup from the Windows 2000 CD, or by using Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks). During Setup, install Windows 2000 Server to drive D. Format drive D as NTFS.

  7. After booting into Windows, open the Disk Management snap-in and create an extended partition out of 100 percent of Fixed Disk 2. Format this partition as NTFS; this is the disk to which you will install SharePoint Portal Server 2001 (drive E).

  8. Create an additional extended partition on Fixed Disk 3 and format this disk as NTFS; this is the disk in which you will place your SharePoint data files (drive F).

  9. Create and additional extended partition on Fixed Disk 4 and format this disk as NTFS; this is the disk in which you will place your SharePoint log files (drive G).

Table D1 illustrates a possible partitioning scheme for a server running SharePoint Portal Server 2001 that has 4 hard disks.

Table D1 SharePoint Portal Server 2001 hard disk partitioning scheme

Disk

Drive configuration

Fixed Disk 1

Drive C (Fat16) – Windows 2000 boot files and MS-DOS boot files, with a boot option in Boot.ini to boot to a MS-DOS command prompt.

Drive D (NTFS) – Windows 2000 operating system files and swap file.

Fixed Disk 2

Drive E (NTFS) – SharePoint Portal Server files and additional server applications (such as anti-virus software and resource kits).

Fixed Disk 3

Drive F (NTFS) – SharePoint Portal Server data files

Fixed Disk 4

Drive G (NTFS) – SharePoint Portal Serverlog files

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