Backing Up and Restoring Cluster Data

  • Article

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

In order to maintain high availability on your server clusters, it is important to back up server cluster data on a regular basis. The Backup or Restore Wizard in Windows Server 2003 (Ntbackup.exe) has been enhanced to enable backups and restores of the local cluster database, in addition to the capacity to restore configurations locally and to all nodes in a cluster.

Note

  • In addition to the Backup or Restore Wizard, Ntbackup.exe is also available as a command-line tool. For more information about Ntbackup.exe, in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003, click Tools, and then click Command-line reference A-Z.

Although there are some scenarios in which you can restore data without having a backup data set available, your options are limited. Providing true high availability to your users is possible only by backing up your data on a regular basis. For information about what you can do to restore your server cluster without a backup, see the Server Cluster (MSCS) Backup and Recovery Best Practices link on the Web Resources page at https://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.

A new backup and restore feature in Windows Server 2003 is Automated System Recovery (ASR), which helps you recover a system that will not start. ASR is a two-part recovery option consisting of ASR backup and ASR restore, both of which are accessed through the Advanced mode of the Backup or Restore Wizard. Note that ASR backs up only the partition used by the operating system. You must back up other partitions by using the standard Backup or Restore Wizard.

You can use ASR to recover a cluster node, the quorum disk, and the signatures on any lost shared disks. You can use ASR to restore a Windows Server 2003 installation when:

  • A node cannot start as the result of damaged or missing Windows Server 2003 system files. ASR verifies and replaces damaged critical system files.

  • There is a hardware failure, such as disk failure. ASR restores the installation to the state of your most recent ASR backup.

  • The Cluster service will not start on the local node because the Cluster database is corrupt or missing.

  • The disk signature has changed on one of the shared disks as a result of a disk replacement or other disk-related issue, causing a shared disk to fail to come online.

For more information about ASR, see "Automated System Recovery (ASR) overview" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.

For specific information about backing up cluster disk signatures and partition layouts, the cluster quorum, and data on cluster nodes, see "Backing up and restoring server clusters" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003. Details include how to restore the cluster database on a local node, how to restore the contents of a cluster quorum disk for all nodes in a cluster, and how to repair a damaged cluster node by using ASR.

Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003 also includes:

  • The specific permissions that a cluster administrator needs in order to perform each backup and restore procedure. For example, to back up the data on cluster nodes or to restore a damaged cluster node using Automated System Recovery, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. For the specific access control permissions you need to perform each backup and restore operation, see "Backing up and restoring server clusters" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.

  • Ten failover and restore scenarios that describe failure from cluster disk data loss, cluster quorum corruption, cluster disk corruption or failure, and complete cluster failure. Scenarios include symptoms that are common indications of a server cluster failure, and methods for recovering from such failures. For more information see "Backing up and restoring server clusters" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.

Important

  • For information about backing up applications that run on your server cluster, consult the documentation for the application.