How to Backup Active Directory Server 2016/2012 with Windows Server Backup.
In this article, I 'll show how to backup Active Directory Server 2016 or Server 2012 with the Windows Server Backup application. After reading this article you'll know how to perform and schedule full server backups on a Windows Server 2016 or Server 2012, in order to restore your server if anything goes wrong.
As you may know the System Restore feature is not available/supported on Windows Server Editions 2008, 2012/2012R2 or 2016, but instead of System Restore, you can use the Windows Server Backup application to create and schedule full backups* of your Server's state, in order to roll back to a previous system state, or to recover your server when needed.
* Note: A Full backup (aka "System Image backup"), contains all Server's data, including the System State, the Active Directory configuration and the Applications, and it is the best option to restore your server's configuration to the same or to a different server (Bare Metal Recovery).
Related articles:
- How to Restore Server 2016 or 2012 to a Previous System State if Windows can start normally (Online Method)
- How to Recover Server 2016/2012 from a Full Backup if Windows Fails to Boot. (Offline Method)
- How to Restore Files from Windows Server Backup in Server 2016/2012/2012R2.
How to FULL Backup Server 2016 or Server 2012, by using the Windows Server Backup Feature.
Part 1. Install Windows Server Backup Feature on Windows Server 2016/2012.
Part 2. Create and Schedule Full Backups on Server 2016 using Windows Server Backup.
Part 1. How to Install Windows Server Backup Feature on Windows Server 2016/2012/2012R2.
1. Open Server Manager and click Add Roles and Features.
2. At the first screen of 'Add Roles and Features wizard' leave the Role-based or feature-based installation option and click Next.
3. At the next screen, leave the default option "Select server from the server pool" and click Next.
4. On Server Roles options, click Next again.
5. On Features options, select the Windows Server Backup feature and click Next.
6. Finally click Install.
7. When the installation is completed click Close and restart your server.
Part 2. How to Schedule System Image Backups using Windows Server Backup.
To full backup Windows Server 2016/2012/2012R2 to an attached storage device (e.g. a USB drive, NAS, or to Network Shared Folder), with the Windows Server Backup:
1. Open Server Manager and from the Tools menu open the Windows Server Backup.
2. At Windows Server Backup screen, select Local Backup on the left and then click on Backup Schedule on the right. *
* Note: If you don't want to schedule backups, then click on "Backup Once" once option.
3. At Backup Schedule Wizard 1st screen, click Next.
4. At 'Select Backup Configuration' screen choose Custom and click Next.
5. At 'Select Items for Backup' screen click Add Items.
5a. Select the Bare metal recovery* checkbox (this will include the System State, the System Reserved Partition and the local disk C:) and click OK.
* Notes:
1. The Bare Metal Recovery (BMR) backup, backs up operating system files and all data except user data on critical volumes. By definition, an BMR backup includes a system state backup and provides protection when a machine won't start or if the OS hard disk has failure and you have to recover everything on a new hard drive or to a different server.
2. If you want to take a full backup of your server (OS Settings & User's Data), include also (select), the additional volumes which contains the data (e.g. the disk F:).
6. Then, click Advanced Settings.
6a. At VSS Settings tab, select VSS full Backup.
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7. Then, click Next to continue.
8. At 'Specify Backup Time' screen, select how often you want to run the backup and click Next again. *
* TIP: If you want to schedule the backup at a different time (e.g. to be taken once a week or once a month) or to delete the scheduled job, then open the Task Scheduler and go to Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Backup. At the right pane, right click on the backup task to change it's properties or to choose one of the other options (e.g. to Run, End, Disable or Delete the backup task).
9. At 'Specify Destination for the backup' screen, specify where you want the backups to be saved and click Next again. *
* Available Backup Destination options:
- Backup to a hard disk that is dedicated for backups: By choosing this option the backup will be stored to a dedicated empty hard disk which will be formatted and then will be only used to store backups. That will make the disk inaccessible (invisible) in the Windows Explorer and will be only accessible from the system when needed.
- Backup to a volume: Use this option if you don't want to dedicate an entire hard drive to store the backups or you want to use the backup drive to store additional data.
- Backup up to a shared network folder: Use this option if you want to store the backup to another network location (e.g. a network shared folder, a NAS device, etc.). Keep. in mind that when you use a shared folder s the backup destination, each back will erase the previous backup and only the latest backup will be available.
Note: For this example, I want to store the backups to an external USB hard disk, so I have chosen the "Backup to a volume" option.
10. At 'Select Destination Volume' screen, click Add.
11. Select the Volume (disk) you want to store the backup and click OK.
12. Then click Next.
13. At 'Confirmation' screen click Finish and then close the backup wizard.
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14. To manually take the first full backup of your server, with the Windows Server Backup application:
1. Click the "Backup once" option on the right. *
Note: If you want to modify the backup options, (e.g. the scheduled time, the backup location, or the backup type), click the Backup Schedule link.
2. At the "Backup Once" wizard, choose the "Scheduled backup options" and click Next.
3. Finally click Backup to start the backup process.
4. Wait for the backup process to complete and your 're ready.
Related articles:
- How to Restore Server 2016 or 2012 to a Previous System State if Windows can start normally (Online Method)
- How to Recover Server 2016/2012 from a Full Backup if Windows Fails to Boot. (Offline Method)
- How to Restore Files from Windows Server Backup in Server 2016/2012/2012R2.
That’s it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
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