System Volume Recovery Using Network Shared Folder Backups
If the backup data is
stored on a network shared folder, alternate recovery steps are
required to restore the system volume. If recovering a system volume
from a network shared folder, perform the following steps:
1. | Boot
up your system using the Windows Server 2008 R2 installation media. If
necessary, configure the BIOS to allow booting from the CD/DVD drive
and, if prompted, press a key to boot from the DVD.
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2. | When the Install Windows interface opens, select the correct language, time, and keyboard settings, and click Next to continue.
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3. | On the next page, click the Repair Your Computer link located in the lower-left corner of the window.
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4. | On
the System Recovery Options page, the operating system drive that will
be recovered should be listed. If not, click the Load Drivers button,
and install the necessary hard drive controller files. If the system is
listed, select the Restore Your Computer Using a System Image That You
Created Earlier option button located at the bottom of the window, and
click Next to continue.
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5. | If
there is no local backup disk or volume, an error window will appear;
click Cancel. On the Select a System Image Backup page, click the
Select a System Image option button and click Next.
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6. | On the Select the Location page, click the Advanced button.
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7. | In
the pop-up window, click on the Search for a System Image on the
Network button and confirm that you want to connect to the network and
understand the security implications.
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8. | Enter
the UNC path to the network shared folder and click OK. When prompted,
enter the appropriate network credentials to access the backup folder.
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9. | Once
connected, the window will list the backup stored on the specified
network folder. Select this backup and click Next to continue.
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10. | The
following page lists which volumes are contained within the known
backups. Select the desired backup again and click Next to continue.
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11. | On
the Choose Additional Restore Options page, check the Only Restore
System Drives check box, and click Next to continue. This leaves any
other disks intact, but any volumes that are hosted on the same disks
that contain system volumes will be formatted, re-created, and restored
as well.
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12. | The
next page details the date and time of the backup that will be
restored, the server that will be restored, and the volumes that are
contained in this restore set. Review the information and click Finish
to continue with the recovery of the system volumes.
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13. | A
dialog box appears stating that all drives selected will be restored
with the data in the system image; click Yes to approve this and
continue.
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14. | The
recovery time frame will vary depending on the size of the system
volume, the performance of the volume, and the restore disk or network
share. After the recovery completes, the system will automatically
reboot.
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15. | After the system reboots, log on and verify functionality. If everything is back up and running, run a full backup and log off.
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Windows Complete PC Restore
In the event of a
complete system failure, it might be necessary to restore a Windows
Server 2008 R2 system in its entirety. If this is the case, perform the
same steps as a system volume recovery, except on the Choose Additional
Restore Options page, check the Format and Repartition Disks check box
and uncheck the Only Restore System Drives check box. This restores all
of the disks and also performs the disk partitioning, drive letter
assignment, and mounted volume configuration. If different size disks
are provided, the restore only partitions the disks based on the
original size of the disk volumes. Smaller disks cause the restore to
fail, but larger disks can easily be extended after the recovery
completes successfully.
Complete PC Restore to Alternate Hardware
Microsoft does not
officially support recovering Windows Server 2008 R2 systems to
alternate hardware. However, recovering a Windows Server 2008 R2 system
to different hardware can be accomplished—but it can be a very
challenging and painful task. As a best practice recommendation, if an
organization has not or cannot standardize on server hardware platforms
or if systems will be used in production even when the hardware is at
its end of life or maintenance on a system has expired—consider moving
critical physical systems to virtual servers.
When a system is migrated
to a virtual server, migrating or restoring that system to an alternate
host running on different hardware is fairly straightforward and
simple, as long as the different host systems run the same version of
the virtualization host software. Configuration files and disks created
in Virtual PC 2007 or Virtual Server 2005 R2 will move right over into
Windows 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V virtualization, but
importing or restoring systems from alternate third-party
virtualization software might not work. If moving virtual systems
between platforms is required, System Center Virtual Machine Manager
provides some functionality in this area. If virtualizing servers is on
the company road map, it is highly recommended to review the Hyper-V
virtualization functionality of Windows Server 2008 R2 as well as
Microsoft Systems Center Virtual Machine Manager.
