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Restore a certification authority from a backup copy

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

To restore a certification authority from a backup copy

  • Using the Windows interface

  • Using a command line

Using the Windows interface

  1. Log on to the system as a Backup Operator or a Certification Authority Administrator.

  2. Open Certification Authority.

  3. In the console tree, click the name of the certification authority (CA).

    Where?

    • Certification Authority (Computer)/CA name
  4. On the Action menu, point to All Tasks, and click Restore CA.

  5. Follow the instructions in the Certification Authority Restore Wizard.

Notes

  • To open Certification Authority, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Certification Authority.

  • This procedure is useful if you want to restore a CA without restoring the entire server on which the CA is installed. To back up the CA for later restoration using this procedure, see Related Topics.

    In general, you should use Backup to back up and restore both the CA and the server. For more information about backing up a computer running a Windows Server 2003 operating system, see Related Topics.

Using a command line

  1. Open Command Prompt.

  2. Type:

    certutil -restore BackupDirectory

Value Description

restore

Specifies a full restore of the CA's data.

BackupDirectory

Specifies the path where the backup data is located.

Notes

  • To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.

  • To view the complete syntax for this command, at a command prompt, type:

    certutil -restore -?

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Role-based administration
Working with MMC console files
Back up a certification authority
Using Network Monitor
Backup
Checklists for Backing Up and Restoring Data
Certutil tasks for backing up and restoring certificates