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Backing up a DC VM

Nick Sutton 156 Reputation points
2022-07-18T14:35:09.75+00:00

Are there any experts out there that have a definitive answer on if I can use Recovery Services Vaults to perform a backup of my DC, which is a VM in Azure. The DC is running server 2022.

I have one MS document saying if it's a VM then you can use RSV, but then there is a "Things to consider" document that says using a snapshot on the DC VM is a bad idea and there is only one supported way to backup a DC, Run Windows Server Backup in the guest operating system.

If that's the case, what's the best practice on where to store that backup? In a storage account that I then backup using RSV?

Thanks

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An Azure backup service that provides built-in management at scale.
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  1. William Menant 6 Reputation points
    2022-07-18T14:49:06.417+00:00

    Yes you can find a best practice here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/active-directory-backup-restore

    Hope this will help.

  2. William Menant 6 Reputation points
    2022-07-18T16:03:28.047+00:00

    Backing up domain controllers is a critical requirement for any environment. Backups protect against data loss in the event of domain controller failure or administrative error.
    If such an event occurs, it is necessary to roll back the system state of the domain controller to a point in time before the failure or error.

    The supported method of restoring a domain controller to a healthy state is to use an Active Directory–compatible backup application, such as Windows Server Backup, to restore a system state backup that originated from the current installation of the domain controller.

    For more information about using Windows Server Backup with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), see the AD DS Backup and Recovery Step-by-Step Guide provided here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2008-R2-and-2008/cc771290(v=ws.10)

    Hope this will help