Re: server crashed - recovering from backup

Hi,
Thanks for your reply, I will try this out when I get my new server.
However, I get what you say here, but I have a simple question.
With the advent of HAL (NT4 I think), the software layer was
abstracted away from the hardware that it was running on (atleast this
was the intention). So while the core OS does directly interact with
the HAL, the apps that run on top of the OS like the AD manager, the
SQL server etc interact with the core os rather than directly with the
HAL. So if the OS is installed then why should there be a problem
importing all the configuration information?

So when a new server which has the same name and domain name as the
old server is loaded with the same OS, the apps have to interact with
the same core software that are abstracting away the hardware from
them. In this scenario why is it so difficult to just import the
configuration information from a backup of the old server.
I am not trying to recover, or even suggesting that it should be
possible, to recover from a backup to a new server straight up. I
thought that it should be possible to install the OS from media and
then after the basic software is installed, all the configuration
parameters for all the apps could just be imported from the system
state backup and AD information of all the clients and users from the
old server. I thought that atleast this should be built in somehow in
all the backup utilities since one of the most common usage of backups
for small businesses is when you have a real problem with the server
and a new server is required.
I am hoping that maybe someday a third part backup software provider
can develop some application that can do this.

regards,
chandrasekhar






On Jul 1, 5:33 pm, "SuperGumby [SBS MVP]" <n...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The 'portability' of an OS install has always had issues. I remember years
ago deleting all devices from devmgr on Win95 and _expecting_ to be able to
throw the drive into completely different hardware, let Prug'n'Pray sort it
out.

NT4 was both more finicky and more robust. More finicky due to HAL but if
you knew the rules this sort of 'forklift' was still possible. More robust
because, again, if you knew the rules, such a move would result well. In
this aspect Windows 2000 was more of a PITA, and I'm not suggesting it is a
'breeze' with 2003.

Over the years I have had to do 'repair' or 'parallel' installations, load
reg keys, rename files so that drivers for DeviceB would appear to be those
of DeviceA. I have watched such moves _mostly_ work and die in the final
stages (most frustrating). I have also heard or even observed people 'almost
there' give up in despair, to watch me complete the final step that gets it
back.

HOWEVER, I also only do the impossible on even numbered days. I've had m'
failures too.

A key point here is that _should the process succeed_ we are _not only_
dealing with the OS, there's all these 'apps' and 'services' and 'bindings'
that need to be handled properly as well. This is often not easy.

MS actually have information for 'restoring your server to different
hardware', it is full of caveats and cautions and is not simple.

Recently, 'drive imaging' programs have also improved such but IME all they
actually do is perform the regedits for you.

.

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