Windows Server 2008 Data Mining and Active Directory snapshots

In our series of reports on Windows Server 2008, the previous article focuses on the application of the Data Mining tool (database mounting Tool), which is capable of loading the Active Directory (Active Directory) files of the backup. This backup can be created by Microsoft's own or Third-party software-provided Volume Shadow Copy service (Volume Shadow Copy Services, VSS). In the preceding article, we detail the benefits of data-loading tools in disaster recovery, and enumerate some of the tools used to access historical data. In addition to the system-level or volume-level backup, the IFM command in the Ntdsutil command-line tool backs up the directory service data, and you can use snapshots to establish a backup of the Active Directory files in the drive, and to view Point-in-time restores when needed.

In this article, we will continue to introduce the new features introduced by the Windows Server 2008 domain controller and, as always, recommend some third-party software that makes the operation easier.

Balance of snapshot function and system performance

For users who often use snapshots, it is necessary to maximize the functionality of the snapshot and ensure that the application of the snapshot minimizes the performance impact of the Active Directory. Therefore, in the use of the following points to be noted:

(1) The content and state of the volume page are stored in a snapshot in a different form;

(2) Although the size of the snapshot depends on the system changes and time to save, but generally, it is generally very small, and requirements can be quickly viewed;

(3) The information of the snapshot originates from the volume page, so it needs to rely on the disk's operation. The way the snapshot works based on the copy on-write will increase the disk I/O workload, which may have an impact on the overall performance of the system;

(4) It is necessary to realize that snapshots cannot be used directly for the storage of Active Directory objects (they can be backed up by real system state and critical volume pages). The main function of the snapshot is to enable users to quickly create and browse the Active Directory state for a specific period of time, so that changes in specific content can be easily identified, making it easier for users to select the most appropriate restore state. At the same time, this also provides a kind of audit and the tracking function to the system state change;

(5) From a deeper perspective, snapshots can also quickly extract any relevant historical information for insertion into object information recovered with tombstone reanimation function, or for recovery of misoperation.