How to restore DNS zones using RecoveryManager Plus

When a domain controller is configured as a DNS name server, the DNS zone data is stored as an object in Active Directory (AD) and replicated during domain replication. Accidental modifications to DNS zone data can disrupt the entire AD environment.

To address this, RecoveryManager Plus provides an easy way to backup and restore DNS zones if any undesired changes occur.

This guide will explain how you can recover DNS zones using RecoveryManager Plus.

1. Log in to RecoveryManager Plus as an administrator.
2. Navigate to Active Directory > Active Directory Objects > Quick Recovery > Object History.
3. Select the domain that contains the DNS zones you would like to restore from the drop-down at the top-left corner.
4. Click the icon at the top-right corner to select a date range to view backups within that specific time frame. Once the period is specified, the number of backups made during this period is listed. Select the backup in which the DNS zone to be restored is present.
5. Click the icon and type the name of the modified DNS zone in the Object Name field drop-down menu in the table below. If you are not sure of the entry, click the icon to use filters such as Contains, Starts With, Ends With, and Equals.
6. Click the icon to add another criteria and select OUs from the drop-down menu. Select the OU in which the DNS zone is likely to be present.
7. Click the icon to add another criteria and select ObjectType from the drop-down menu. Select DNS and click Apply.

   

   Figure 1: Filtering DNS zones for restoration using RecoveryManager Plus

8. All DNS zones that fit the entered criteria are displayed.

   

   Figure 2: Filtered list of DNS zones in RecoveryManager Plus

9. RecoveryManager Plus provides two views to explore DNS zones in each backup.
10. Clicking the link in the No. of Backups field in the table will open a pop-up displaying both Version View and Attribute View.
    • Version View: This option allows you to select a backup version from all the available backup versions for each object. You can either choose to restore a version completely by selecting the particular version or selectively restore particular attributes from a version.

      

      Figure 3: Restoring DNS zones using Version View in RecoveryManager Plus

    • Attribute View: This option allows you to select from the different attributes that each object has had its values modified. The object's attribute is compared with all its previous values for you to pick the best to restore.

      

      Figure 4: Restoring DNS zones using attribute View in RecoveryManager Plus

11. Click Restore to complete the option.

Once the process is complete, the DNS zones will be restored to the selected version or specific attributes you chose.

In addition to restoring DNS zones, RecoveryManager Plus can also:

• Restore domain controllers
• Restore AD users
• Restore AD groups
• Restore AD GPOs
• Restore OUs
• Restore AD computers
• Restore AD DNS nodes
• Restore AD contacts