This step-by-step guide provides the instructions and background information necessary to back up and recover the Active Directory® Domain Services (AD DS) server role in the Windows Server® 2008 operating system in your test lab. Tasks include backing up the full server, backing up critical volumes, and performing nonauthoritative and authoritative restores of Active Directory objects on either a full installation of Windows Server 2008 or a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008.

Information in this guide applies specifically to backup and recovery of AD DS. Details of Windows Server Backup and Windows Recovery functionality are discussed only in reference to their significance for AD DS backup and recovery scenarios. For more general information about Windows Server Backup and Windows Recovery scenarios, see the Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server Backup in Windows Server 2008 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=87597).

In this guide