A guide to performing AD domain controller backups using RecoveryManager Plus

A domain controller is a server that manages user accounts, group policies, network resources, and security authentication requests within a Windows domain. A domain controller backup is the process of creating a copy of the data and system state of a domain controller.

Why is domain controller backup important?

Domain controllers store critical information, including user credentials, security policies, and domain configuration. A backup strategy for domain controllers is vital for:

• Disaster recovery: Restore critical data swiftly in case of a disaster, hardware malfunction, or cyberattack.
• Business continuity: Minimize downtime and quickly resume your organization's operations.
• Data integrity: Protect sensitive data against data corruption, unauthorized changes, or breaches and comply with industry regulations.

Performing domain controller backups using RecoveryManager Plus

The following steps illustrate how you can perform domain controller backup using ManageEngine RecoveryManager Plus.

1. Log in to RecoveryManager Plus as an administrator.
2. Navigate to the Active Directory tab > Settings > Backup Settings > Domain Controllers.

   Figure 1: The domain controller's Backup Settings page in RecoveryManager Plus.

3. Click Add Domain Controller in the top-right corner. A list of all domain controllers present in the selected domain will be listed in the pop-up.

   Figure 2: Adding domain controllers to configure backup settings.

4. Select the domain controller(s) that you wish to configure for backup and click Next.

   Figure 3: Selecting AD domain controllers for backup.

5. Configure the backup settings for the selected domain controllers in the Configure Backup Settings section.
6. From the Select Backup Repository drop-down menu, select the backup repository from the list of all available repositories. If no repositories are available, click the icon to add a new repository. In the pop-up that appears, click Yes to proceed to add a new repository.
• Select NAS/Shared and click Add Repository in the top-right corner.
• In the Repository Name field, enter a name for the repository.
• In the Repository Path field, enter the path of the location where you wish to save the backups.
• Enter the User Name and Password of a user who has been granted permissions to read and write the content in the specified storage location and click Save.
7. In the Full Backup Frequency field, specify the frequency (monthly or weekly) at which full backups must be made.
8. In the Retain backups for field, enter how long backup data should be retained.
9. Select Encryption if you wish to encrypt your backups. Enter and confirm the password for your encryption.
10. Click Save to complete setting up the domain controller for backup.

    Figure 4: Configuring backup settings for AD domain controllers.

In the event of a disaster, you can restore your domain controllers to minimize downtime and resume your organization's operations quickly. Click here to learn how to restore domain controllers using RecoveryManager Plus.

Best practices for domain controller backup