Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (230 page)

ing the Create Now button.

11. After the shadow copies are created, click OK to close the Disk Volume window,

close Server Manager, and log off the server.

For more detailed information concerning the Volume Shadow Copy Service and how to

recover data using previously created volume shadow copies, refer to Chapters 30 and 31.

Using the Volume Shadow Copy Service

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FIGURE 28.29

Creating an additional schedule for Volume Shadow Copies.

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Recovering Data Using Shadow Copies

The server administrator or a standard user who has been granted permissions can recover

data using previously created shadow copies. The files stored in the shadow copy cannot

be accessed directly, but they can be accessed by connecting the volume that has had a

shadow copy created.

To recover data from a file share, follow these steps:

1. Log on to a Windows Server 2008 R2 system, Windows XP SP1, or later workstation

with either administrator rights or with a user account that has permissions to

28

restore the files from the shadow copy.

2. Click Start and select Run or type in the server and share name in the Search pane.

3. At the Run prompt or Search pane, type \\servername\sharename, where server-

name represents the NetBIOS or fully qualified domain name of the server hosting

the file share. The share must exist on a volume in which a shadow copy has already

been created.

4. When the folder opens, right-click on the folder that contains the data that will be

restored and select Properties.

5. When the window opens, if necessary, select the Previous Versions tab, select the

desired folder version, and click the Open button.

6. An Explorer window then opens, displaying the contents of the folder when the

shadow copy was made. If you want to restore only a single file, locate the file, right-

click it, and select Copy.

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CHAPTER 28

File System Management and Fault Tolerance

7. Open the server share location in which the restored file will be placed, right-click,

and choose Paste. Overwrite the file as required and close all the windows as desired.

Summary

Windows Server 2008 R2 file services give administrators several options when it comes to

building fault-tolerant servers and data storage as well as fault-tolerant file shares. Through

services such as the Volume Shadow Copy Service, deleted or overwritten files can be

restored automatically or by an administrator without restoring from backup. Using

services such as the Distributed File System and DFS Replication, administrators have more

flexibility when it comes to deploying, securing, and providing high-availability file

services. Using just one or a combination of these file system services, organizations can

truly make their file systems fault tolerant.

Best Practices

The following are best practices from this chapter:

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. Use the Volume Shadow Copy Service to provide file recoverability and data fault

tolerance to minimize the number of times you have to restore from backup.

. Try to provide disk fault tolerance for your operating system and data drives, prefer-

ably using hardware-based RAID sets.

. Do not use a quick format when creating RAID-5 volumes to avoid loss of disk

performance later when data is being first copied to the volumes.

. Use NTFS on all volumes to enable additional file system functionality and security.

. Always define share permissions for every share, regardless of the volume format type.

. Replace the Everyone group with the Domain Users group when shares are created

on domain servers and anonymous or guest access is not required, and set the share

permissions accordingly.

. Use File Server Resource Manager (FSRM) quotas at the folder level instead of NTFS

quotas at the volume for better quota management capabilities.

. Use domain-based DFS roots whenever possible.

. Use DFS to provide a unified namespace to file data.

. Use Window Server 2008 mode on domain-based namespaces to enable access-based

enumeration and improved scalability.

. Start with an empty DFS root folder to keep from having to replicate any data at

the root level and do not create any replication groups based on the namespace

root folder.

Best Practices

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. When deploying domain-based DFS namespaces, add additional namespace servers

for redundancy.

. DFS administrators should create and define shares, share permissions, and NTFS

permissions on the shared folder prior to defining these shares as DFS folder targets.

. Replicate DFS data only during off-peak hours to reduce network congestion or

restrict replication with bandwidth constraints if WAN links are heavily used during

business hours.

. When utilizing read-only replicated folders, ensure that replication is only one-way

to the read-only replication folder.

. Back up at least one DFS folder target and configure the backup to not update the

archive bit to avoid possible unnecessary replication.

. Test antivirus programs thoroughly to ensure that no adverse effects are caused by

the scanning of files on a replicated DFS folder target.

. Verify that the drive containing the staging folder for a replication connection con-

tains ample space to accept the amount of replicated data inbound and outbound to

this server.

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CHAPTER 29

IN THIS CHAPTER

System-Level Fault Tolerance

. Building Fault-Tolerant Windows

Server 2008 R2 Systems

(Clustering/Network

. Windows Server 2008 R2

Clustering Technologies

Load Balancing)

. Determining the Correct

Clustering Technology

. Overview of Failover Clusters

Many businesses today rely heavily on their computer

. Deploying Failover Clusters

and network infrastructure. Internet access, email, instant

. Backing Up and Restoring

messaging, file and print services, and networking services

Failover Clusters

such as domain name system (DNS), Dynamic Host

Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and virtual private

. Deploying Network Load

Balancing Clusters

networking are just a few of the core computer and

networking services that are critical to many businesses. If

. Managing NLB Clusters

one of these critical systems is down or unexpectedly

offline, the impact to the business can be huge. When busi-

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nesses cannot withstand extended periods of unexpected or

unplanned downtime, deploying a fault-tolerant computer

and network infrastructure might be necessary.

Windows Server 2008 R2 provides several methods of

improving system- and service-level fault-tolerance by lever-

aging some of the roles, role services, and features included

in the different editions of the operating system. As an

example, as detailed in Chapter 28, “File System

Management and Fault Tolerance,” the Distributed File

System (DFS) can be used to create and deploy redundant

and automatically synchronized file data through DFS

shares and DFS Replication. Another example of providing

redundant services is to design an infrastructure that

includes multiple domain controllers and print services in

each major site and for remote sites, configuring the Active

Directory site properties to utilize remote site domain

controllers when local services become unavailable.

Windows Server 2008 R2 provides many functions and

services that can extend and enhance the reliability and

resilience of computer and networking services. Many

services, however, are only available when deployed on

specific hardware platforms and when deployed on the

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CHAPTER 29

System-Level Fault Tolerance (Clustering/Network Load Balancing)

Enterprise or Datacenter Editions of Windows Server 2008 R2. This chapter covers system-

level fault tolerance using Windows Server 2008 R2 Network Load Balancing (NLB) and

failover clusters. NLB is available in Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter Editions of

Windows Server 2008 R2. Failover clusters are available only in the Enterprise and

Datacenter Editions of Windows Server 2008 R2. These built-in clustering technologies

provide load-balancing and failover capabilities that can be used to increase fault tolerance

for many different types of applications and network services. Each of these clustering tech-

nologies is different in many ways. Choosing the right Windows Server 2008 R2 clustering

technology depends on the services and applications that will be hosted by the cluster.

Windows Server 2008 R2 technologies such as NLB and failover clusters improve fault

tolerance for services, but before these clustering technologies can be leveraged effectively,

basic server or system stability best practices must be used.

This chapter focuses on the setup and deployment of the Windows Server 2008 R2 cluster-

ing technologies, NLB, and failover clusters, including predeployment checklists to ensure

that the server hardware is more reliable.

Building Fault-Tolerant Windows Server 2008 R2

Systems

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Building fault-tolerant Windows Server 2008 R2 systems by utilizing the built-in cluster-

ing technologies consists of carefully planning and configuring server hardware and soft-

ware, planning and configuring the network devices that connect the server to the

network, and providing reliable power for the server. Purchasing high-quality server and

network hardware is a good start to building a fault-tolerant system, but the proper

configuration and selection of this hardware is equally important. Also, providing this

equipment with reliable power and redundant backup power from battery sources and

possibly generators can increase reliability of the servers as well as the networking infra-

structure. Last, but not least, properly tuning the server operating systems to streamline

performance for the desired roles, role services, features, and applications helps enhance

server availability and stability.

Powering the Computer and Network Infrastructure

Powering Windows Server 2008 R2 servers and network hardware with battery or genera-

tor-backed power sources not only provides these devices with conditioned line power by

removing voltage spikes and providing steady line voltage levels, but it also provides alter-

native power when unexpected blackouts or brownouts occur. Many organizations cannot

afford to implement redundant power sources or generators to power the offices, data

centers, and server rooms. For these organizations, the best approach to providing reliable

power to the computer and network infrastructure is to deploy uninterruptible power

supplies (UPSs) with battery-backed power. With a UPS, power is normally supplied from

the batteries, which are continually charged by the utility line power. When the line

power fails, a properly sized UPS provides ample time for end users to save their data to

the server and to gracefully shut down the server or network device without risk of

damaging hardware or corrupting data.

Building Fault-Tolerant Windows Server 2008 R2 Systems

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UPS manufacturers commonly provide software that can send network notifications, run

scripts, or even gracefully shut down servers automatically when power thresholds are

reached. Of course, if end-user data is important, each end-user workstation and the

network switches that connect these workstations to the computer and network infrastruc-

ture should also be protected with UPSs that can provide at least 5 to 10 minutes of

battery-backup power.

One final word on power is that most computer and network hardware manufacturers

offer device configurations that incorporate redundant power supplies designed to keep

the system powered up in the event of a single power supply failure.

Designing Fault-Tolerant IP Networks

Network design can also incorporate fault tolerance by creating redundant network routes

and by utilizing technologies that can group devices together for the purposes of load