Best practices for disaster recovery

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

Best practices

  • Use Emergency Management Services if applicable.

    To ensure access to the server regardless of the condition of the network drivers or operating system files, consider setting up Emergency Management Services, a new feature in the Windows ServerĀ 2003 family. With Emergency Management Services, you can remotely manage a server in emergency situations that would typically require a local keyboard, mouse, and monitor, such as when the network is unavailable or the server is not functioning properly. Emergency Management Services has specific hardware requirements, and is available only for products in the Windows ServerĀ 2003 family.

    For more information, see Emergency Management Services.

  • Create a plan for performing regular backup operations.

    Review and incorporate the best practices for Backup into a plan for backing up all of your files on a regular basis.

    For more information, see Best practices for Backup.

  • Keep the installation CD where you can easily find it.

    If needed, you can start the computer from the installation CD and use the Recovery Console or Automated System Recovery.

    For more information, see Start the computer and use the Recovery Console or Recover from a system failure using Automated System Recovery.

  • Install the Recovery Console as a startup option.

    You can install the Recovery Console on your computer to make it available in case you are unable to restart Windows. You can then select the Recovery Console option from the list of available operating systems on startup. You cannot install the Recovery Console on an Itanium-based computer.

    For more information, see Install the Recovery Console as a startup option.

  • Specify startup and recovery options.

    Specify what you want the operating system to do if the computer stops unexpectedly. For example, you can specify that you want your computer to restart automatically and you can control logging options.

    For information about these options, see Specify what happens when the system stops unexpectedly.