1094 - System state backup

A system image backup is a copy of all the critical volumes on a machine, including the operating system and all other system-critical data. This type of backup can be used to restore the entire system from the ground up. A system state backup, on the other hand, is more lightweight and contains only certain volumes, such as boot files and the registry. A system state backup is faster and uses less disk space than a system image backup. With Redstor's technology, a Full System Backup (FSB) automatically includes the system state.

During a system state restore, files are restored to a temporary location and queued to be replaced at reboot. This is necessary if the files that need to be restored are locked or in use and cannot be replaced. A restore will have no effect until the system is rebooted.

FRS (File Replication Services): The replicated policy files are restored at reboot. Should you wish to perform an Authoritative or Nonauthoritative restore, you need to set a registry value (more information here).

NTDS (Active Directory): The database files are replaced at reboot before AD starts. In some cases the user may need to reboot into Directory Services Restore Mode instead of performing a standard restart. Care must also be taken when restoring backups older than the Active Directory tombstone lifetime (default is 60 days). Restoration of a backup older than the tombstone will cause a domain controller to have objects that are not replicated to other servers.

Note: Although individual component selection is possible with this functionality, it is still recommended that you back up and restore all items together.

System state backups/restores can be managed from the system state view in ESE.