70-217 - Primary Restore?

Author

Primary Restore?

trebor

2001-06-19, 3:07 am

Could someone help me understand these two conflicting statements from Microsoft

Statement #1
"Perform a primary restore when all domain controllers in the domain are lost and you want to rebuild the domain from backup (do not perform a primary restore if any other working domain controller in this domain is available). A primary restore builds a new FRS database by loading the data present under Sysvol onto the local domain controller."
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/win2000/recovery.asp

Statement #2
"Primary is not a type of restore in Windows 2000."
MSCE Readiness Review for 70-217 (published by MS Press

kingsway4us

2001-06-19, 2:25 pm

...maybe we can at least generate some discussion here. Keep in mind that I have no job experience when it comes to W2K Server (and therefore, Active directory and SYSVOL), so all this is coming from the mind (such as it is) of one who has some "book-knowledge" of W2K.

I just wish I knew more about the context of the quote from the MCSE Readiness Review (I don't have the book). Like, what is surrounding it there in the book where this is mentioned?

When you look at the TechNet link, it makes things look as if Primary Restore is the ONLY option when you've lost all your DCs and you want to restore SYSVOL, FRS, and AD. When you've lost all your DCs, you lose all the SYSVOL info and all of the FRS info. From what I'm reading there in TechNet, the purpose of the SYSVOL Primary Restore seems to be serving the same function as an authoritative restore when no DCs are available. When you restore SYSVOL to your first DC from a backup using Primary Restore, this seems to make it authoritative. (You can only do a authoritative restore, by definition, if you have a functioning DC with an intact SYSVOL.) Then, you do non-authoritative restores on the other DCs.

As far as the MS Press book goes, based on the errata "track records" for Pro and Server, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few bogus "facts" in the 217 book as well.

Also: the TechNet link was last updated March 2, 2000. When was your 217 book published?

Maybe I'm all wet here. But maybe someone else will step up to the plate now, correct me, and we can all get the right answers.

Sticking my neck out,

trebor

2001-06-19, 2:38 pm

I'm with you Kingsway. Dicussion can only be a good thing here. Unfortunately in the MS "Readiness" book (which by the way is very good) it gives Primary restore as a (wrong) choice to a question then in the way of explaing why it wasn't correct says:

"Primary is not a type of restore in Windows 2000."

Studying then about Authouritative restores in Technet I was surprised to find the second statement:

"Perform a primary restore when all domain controllers in the domain are lost and you want to rebuild the domain from backup."

I would tend to believe the Technet info. But I suppose I had better try out the NSDSUTIL to see for myself.

Trebor

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