Backing up user accounts

[Chris]

Anyone if user account info (Not Active Directory) can be backed up from
one Windows 2000 machine and restored to another?

What I am looking to accomplish is to have a machine on standby where I
could quickly restore a user base to a backup machine should my primary
fail.

I don't want to replicate the hardware and all, just the user accounts.

TIA,

Chris

 

[Danny Sanders]

That is the primary reason to have a second DC. If the first fails you have
a second DC already up and running.

hth
DDS

 

[Chris]

This is not in an active directory environment. It is a public box that we
want to keep seperate from active directory but still be able to restore
user accounts to another machine should we have to.

 

[Joe Richards [MVP]]

I used to do something like this with a pair of servers back in about 96
where I needed a warm completely separate spare at all times.

The thing is that the SIDs of all of the objects are different so all of
the data has to be properly ACL'ed on the second box and any changes
need to be transformed to be correct on the second box. Also the
passwords can't be synced unless you have a password change notification
filter which you will have to write that will capture the clear text
passwords when changed and send them to the second server.



--
Joe Richards Microsoft MVP Windows Server Directory Services
Author of O'Reilly Active Directory Third Edition
www.joeware.net


---O'Reilly Active Directory Third Edition now available---

http://www.joeware.net/win/ad3e.htm

 

[Steven L Umbach]

Keeping in mind what Joe said addusers may be able to do much of what you
want.

Steve

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;199878

 

[Roger Abell [MVP]]

All ways to accomplish this have issues, such as Joe indicated
as to needed (re)permissioning and lack of sync'd passwords.

Perhaps the most simple results if your fall-back machine has
(near) identical hardware, in which case you can use a restore
with system state (and potentially a subsequent upgrade/repair
install to catch drivers for hardware difference that are not
plug-and-play detected). If you must use the subsequent repair,
then you need to reapply service and reinstall applications that
do not have migration dlls provided as part of their install, so
having identical hardware is a big plus. You might want to
consider a Virtual Server / Virtual PC / VMware approach.