Planning for Active Directory Forest Recovery

Applies To: Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

This guide contains best-practice recommendations for recovering an Active Directory® forest if forest-wide failure renders all domain controllers (DCs) in the forest incapable of functioning normally. The steps it contains serve as a template for your forest recovery plan, which you can customize for your particular environment. These steps apply to DCs that run Microsoft® Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

Note

Procedures that are unique for DCs that run Windows Server 2003 are consolidated in Appendix D.

In this guide

• New Features, Assumptions, and Prerequisites for Using This Guide for Planning Active Directory Forest Recovery

• Devising a Custom Forest Recovery Plan

• Recovering Your Active Directory Forest

• Appendix A: Forest Recovery Procedures

• Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions

• Appendix C: Recovering a Single Domain within a Multidomain Forest

• Appendix D: Forest Recovery with Windows Server 2003 Domain Controllers

• Additional Resources

Publication and revision history

The following table summarizes the revision history for this guide, including its original publication on Microsoft TechNet.

Date	Revision
April 2013	Updated to reflect new features in Windows Server 2012.
May 2009	Updated to reflect new features in Windows Server 2008.
October 2006	Updated for Windows Server 2003 and published on TechNet
June 2002	Original publication on Microsoft Download Center