We all know that Active Directory (AD) plays the most important role in networking of Microsoft. The AD works like a base for many applications of MS Exchange with .dit database. It works as a collection of all non-store related information that is like configuration data for each Exchange server and its associated virtual server. If you want to create users, groups, or perform other similar tasks, you have to interact with the Active Directory database. Minimum authority required to complete this procedure is the membership in the Administrators Group or Equivalent Group.
You have to follow the below steps for restoring Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (ADLDS) data on an ADLDS instance that belongs to a configuration set:-
If AD is running, first stop the ADLDS instance for which data will be restored. Then open backup.Then go to Action menu and click recover.D, what it is saying in the recovery wizard and specify the location of the source backup data and same as for specifying backup file from which you want to recover instance data.Then come to ‘Select recovery type’, click on ‘Files and Folders, then ‘Next’.In ‘Select items to recover’ section, browse and select the folder that contains the instance datafiles.Generally or can say by default, ADLDS database and log files are located in %ProgramFiles%\MicrosoftADAM\instancename, where instancename is the ADLDS instance name.Go to ‘Specify recovery options’, click on ‘Original locations’ and Overwrite existing files withrecovered files, and then click Next.To complete the restore, click Finish. After the restore is complete, close Backup. Then open acommand prompt.At the command prompt, type the this command, and then press enter:- dsdbutilAt the dsdbutil: prompt, type the following command, and then press enter:-? activate instanceinstancename (where instancename represents the service name of the ADLDS instance on which you want to restore data.)At the dsdbutil: prompt, type the this command, and then press enter:- authoritative restoreAt the authoritative restore: prompt, type one of the commands in the following table.
1. Restore database:-Performs authoritative restore of the entire directory database.
2. Restore objectdn:-Performs authoritative restore of the directory object whose distinguished name is represented by dn.
3. Restore subtreedn:-Performs authoritative restore of the directory subtree whose distinguished name is represented by dn.
One more thing you can do:-
Open Backup, go to ‘Start menu’, click on ‘Administrative Tools’, and then click Backup.Then to open a command prompt, click on ‘Start’, right-click on ‘Command Prompt’, and then click on ‘Run as administrator.’You can use the ‘Services snap-in’ to stop an ADLDS instance.You can use this procedure if you want the data being restored to authoritatively override existing data in the configuration set.
Note:- If you accidentally start restore of an ADLDS instance over a currently running ADLDS instance, I recommend that you immediately restart the computer, stop the ADLDS instance, and then perform the restoration again.
But if you are not able to do so and find your existing AD is corrupted then you can install Stellar Phoenix Exchange Server Recovery. This is the most common tool for recovering data and files from corrupted AD and provides better recovery of Active Directory.
