MS ADAM backup / restore (LDAP)

Depends on your backup method I suppose.

I use Acronis to image my server. In that scenario, ADAM does not need to be running for me to do a backup on the LSF9 server.

If you want to backup the LDAP data via ssoconfig export method, then ADAM needs to be up.

I usually recommend cold backup of ADAM for the ease of restore. Then it has to be down.

Just FYI, I did migrate our ADAM server to 64 bit Windows 2008 with built-in ADLDS role under virtual environment. Works like a charm. Loves VM snapshots...

Are you referring to used an LDIF export or a system backup?

Microsoft and IBM recommend using the native NT backup utility, the service must be running or you'll miss the critical files. See http://technet.microsoft....c737702(WS.10).aspx. Or if you have Tivoli Storage Manager you can try that. I recently had to recover my ADAM instance and things worked out. Also, Lawson's CUE 2009 had some best practices.

As recommended by Microsoft, I use the native NT backup utility and have a scheduled job that backs up my ADAM repository every two hours. Also, when using this method you backup ADAM hot, meaning while the ADAM service is started and active. If a restore is necessary, you restore cold with the ADAM service stopped.

Actually, there are TWO approved methods from Microsoft. I use the alternate.

This one is published directly by Lee Flight, one of the ADAM architects. Since ADLDS is ADAM, this works also.

Cold backup of ADAM:
1) Stop Service
2) Backup the WHOLE DIRECTORY
3) Start Service

Restore - Existing Instance:
1) Stop Existing Instance
2) Restore FILES from directory backup
3) delete the DSA Epoch value in the registry
4) Start the service

Restore - New Server / Disaster:
0) Install New Instance with Dummy values.
1) Stop Existing Instance
2) Restore FILES from directory backup
3) delete the DSA Epoch value in the registry
4) Start the service

That's it...

Kwane

Kwane is exactly right, (as usual) but I would add one thing. If you are
needing a regular backup process for ADAM, it is not necessary to stop the
existing instance.

According to Lee, ntbackup is the way to go. You may have to edit the
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup"
to make sure ntbackup can backup the adamntds.dit file, but that's about it.

Otherwise, you would be scheduling downtime and to have to shut Lawson down
(ADAM offline) every time you wanted to backup ADAM, and I know that's not
what Kwane was suggesting.

~SP

On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 4:34 PM, wrote:

> DSA Epoch

We are going through this upgrade process right now.  I have installed a new instance of AD LDS on my new Win2008 VM server, and was looking to just copy the "Lawson-related" data from old ADAM instance to new instance.  This sounds more like a DR exercise than what I'm doing, so do I need to do something differently?

And then use ssoconfig to point to the new LDAP address?