Create an LDIF file for recovering back-links for authoritatively restored objects

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

If you have authoritatively restored objects that have back-links in another domain, you can use this procedure to create an LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF) file that you can run against a domain controller in that domain to restore the back-links. Perform this procedure on a domain controller in the domain that has the back-links.

Before you perform this procedure, you must:

  • Copy the .txt file that Ntdsutil created during the authoritative restore procedure, which you performed on the first domain controller, to a location on this domain controller or a network share.

  • Restore this domain controller from backup media.

After you restore this domain controller from backup media, perform this procedure while the domain controller is still running in Directory Services Restore Mode.

Administrative credentials

To perform this procedure, you must provide the Administrator password for Directory Services Restore Mode.

  1. In Directory Services Restore Mode, click Start, click Run, type ntdsutil, and then press ENTER.

  2. At the ntdsutil: prompt, type authoritative restore, and then press ENTER.

  3. At the authoritative restore: prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    create ldif files from TextFilePath

    where TextFilePath is the location and file name of the .txt file that Ntdsutil created during the initial authoritative restore of the object whose back-links you want to restore, for example, d:\ldif\ar_20050609_091558_objects.txt.

    Ntdsutil displays a message stating that one or more specified objects have back-links in this domain and an LDIF file has been created in the current working directory.

  4. At the authoritative restore: and ntdsutil: prompts, type quit.

See Also

Concepts

Restore Active Directory from backup
Run an LDIF file to recover back-links